Industrial production of hydrogen from the syngas, generated from steam reformation of natural gas or coal gasification, sets conditions for hydrogen separation membranes in terms of operating conditions. An alternative source for hydrogen is a syngas generated by gasification of municipal solid wastes which are likely to set more stringent conditions for the separation membranes. There is therefore, a growing demand for separation membranes with improved permeability and particularly of low cost. Among various alternatives, metallic membranes are particularly attractive due to their high selectivity and permeability for hydrogen, exemplified by palladium (Pd). However, due to high cost of Pd there is still a demand to develop alternative metallic membranes that are of low cost and have improved durability. Efforts have therefore concentrated on either alloying Pd so as to reduce its cost or on alternative membrane compositions of particularly b.c.c. structure. The current study deals with hydrogen separation membranes and aims to develop infrastructure for rapid identification of membrane compositions with improved permeability. The study is made up of three parts / i) development of sputter deposition system that would allow deposition of multiple compositions in a single experiment, ii) development of substrate material that would support the thin film membranes and would allow permeability measurement and iii) development of a set-up to measure the permeability of the thin film membranes. In the present thesis, a sputter deposition system incorporating three targets was successfully constructed. The system as tested with palladium-niobium-titanium (Pd-Nb-Ti) ternary system after necessary adjustment would yield thin films of homogenous thickness (&le / 7%) over a sample area of &asymp / 150 mm diameter. A total of 21 substrates each in 19 mm diameter arranged in triangular form in the substrate holder could successfully be deposited where composition distributions covered a greater portion of Pd-Nb-Ti ternary phase diagram. The structure of the deposited thin films can successfully be controlled by substrate temperature as well as by the pressure of plasma gas (argon). With the help of these parameters, structural diversity can also be produced beside the compositional variation. As for substrates, two materials were investigated. These were titanium dioxide (TiO2) modified porous stainless steel (PSS) and anodic porous alumina (AAO). TiO2 modified PSS due to its associated surface roughness leads to the deposition of films with defected structure which as a result is not gas tight. AAO produced via anodization of aluminum foil had a regular (40-60 nm) pore structure that provides a suitable surface for thin film depositions which could be defect free. However, AAO is very delicate and fragile which makes it difficult to adapt it as a support material for permeability measurement/hydrogen separation purposes. Finally, a set-up was developed for measurement of hydrogen permeability which is capable of measurement over a wide pressure and temperature conditions, i.e. hydrogen pressures up to 10 bar and temperature as high as 450 &deg / C. It is recommended that so as to identify compositions with improved permeability, Nb or a similar metal which has extremely high permeability could be used as a support material. This would tolerate the evaluation of the films which are not totally defect free.

Des nanoparticules à base d'oxyde de titane ont été synthétisées par pyrolyse laser en vue de leur application dans le domaine de la photocatalyse. Le travail montre la souplesse de la méthode pour la synthèse de TiO2 et M-TiO2 (M= Pd, Fe, Cu, Si, N) à partir de tetraisopropoxyde de titane. Des sels organiques des métaux, de SiH4 et d'NH3 ont été utilisés pour introduire des atomes de Fe, Cu, Pd, Si et N dans des nanoparticules de TiO2. Les nanoparticules ont été analysées par microscopie électronique de transmission (MET), diffraction de rayons X (DRX), surface spécifique (SBET), spectroscopie des photoélectrons X (XPS), spectrométrie d'émission à torche plasma (ICP/OES). Leurs propriétés optiques ont été évaluées par spectroscopie de réflexion diffuse (DRS). L'activité photocatalytique des nanoparticules synthétisées a été évaluée dans la dégradation du bleu de méthylène, de l'acide formique et du phénol, sous d'irradiation UV et/ou UV-Visible. Les résultats ont été comparés à ceux obtenus dans les mêmes conditions avec le produit commercial Degussa P25 de chez Evonik.Les analyses montrent que les échantillons sont composés de nanoparticules sphériques avec une distribution de taille comprise entre 5 et 20 nm, la phase cristallographique majoritaire est le TiO2 anatase. Les surfaces développées en analyse BET sont importantes, autour de 80 m2/g (170 pour N-TiO2), comparées au produit commercial Degussa P25. Les analyses chimiques montrent que les atomes de Fe, Cu, Pd, Si et N sont efficacement introduits dans les nanoparticules de TiO2 avec des rendements MPoudre/MPrécurseur au moins égaux à 48%.Les échantillons de TiO2, Pd-TiO2 et Cu-TiO2 montrent une meilleure activité que TiO2 Degussa P25 vis-à-vis de la décomposition d'acide formique sous irradiation UV-Vis tandis que Fe-TiO2, Si-TiO2 et N-TiO2 sont moins actifs. L'effet de la concentration et de l'état d'oxydation du Pd dans le TiO2 a alors été étudié plus spécifiquement. L'addition de Pd sous la forme PdO diminue l'activité vis-à-vis de la décomposition de l'acide formique et du bleu de méthylène. Par contre l'addition de Pd sous la forme métallique améliore l'activité vis-à-vis de la dégradation du bleu de méthylène, d'acide formique et du phénol. Cette activité est toujours aussi importante après quatre cycles de photocatalyse.Nous avons également évalué l'activité des oxynitrures de titane et de N-TiO2 vis-à-vis de la dégradation de l'acide formique et de la décoloration du bleu de méthylène sous irradiation visible. Les oxynitrures présentent des activités faibles, qui semblent être améliorées par l'addition de palladium. L'échantillon N-TiO2 montre quant à lui des excellentes propriétés photocatalytiques vis-à-vis de la dégradation de l'acide formique sous irradiation visible tout en gardant une très bonne efficacité sous l'UV.

Monoatomic chain formation for Ag, Au, Pd and Pt has been investigated using a model for the tip structure. First-principles calculations, mostly spin polarized, were performed within the framework of the Density Functional theory. Results are presented and discussed on the basis of the electronic structure. Tendencies for chain formation were noted for Ag, Au and Pt.

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The Au-Al bond is a commonly used interconection in IC package.The different composition for Au wire will change the different IMC growth. In this study, we will discuss the pure Au wire, and little Pd or Cu addition in Au wire reacted with Al pad for thermal aging, and we will give the models for these cases.

Methanol micro-channel reformer is an important device for generating hydrogen to supply micro fuel-cell needs. In the fuel reforming process, the catalyst is adopted to reduce the activation energy and speed up the reforming reaction. Hydrogen and other chemical substance are produced in the reformer catalytic reaction. The micro-channel structure provides more opportunity for molecules of methanol and steam mixture to collide with catalyst for high reforming reaction to take place. The reforming process of methanol in a micro-channel reformer with Pd/ZnO catalyst is studied numerically in this thesis. The effects of various channel length, channel height, inlet velocity, inlet temperature, and catalyst usage (ratio of wall area covered by catalyst) on the performance of reformer (methanol conversion percentage) are investigated numerically. The results show that the methanol conversion increases with increased channel length until a channel length of about 3000£gm, the conversion approaches 100%. The conversion percentage decreases with increased inlet velocity, however, the production rate of hydrogen depends on flow rate and conversion percentage. Increasing the channel height results in decreased methonal conversion due to less collision opportunity with the catalyst. The methanol conversion percentage increases with the increase of the inlet temperature. However, the production rate of the hydrogen starts to descend when the inlet temperature is higher than about 523 K owing to more methonal preburned in raising the inlet temperature. Methanol conversion increases with the catalyst usage. However, it is worth noting that the increase is only about 15% for catalyst usage from 50% to 100%. The results in this study provide design data for the fuel cell system designer.

Understanding of the interrelationship between structure, thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams is very useful for rationalizing the behavior of materials and development of predictive models, which can be used to optimize the composition of materials and their fabrication processes. The properties of materials are governed by its electronic and crystallographic structure. Chemical bonding determines the electronic structure of materials. Furthermore, the electronic structure plays a predominant role in determining the physical, electrical, magnetic, thermal and optical properties of materials. Crystal structure also influences most properties of materials. Since changes in thermodynamic variables such as temperature, pressure, and composition dramatically alter the physical properties of materials and its structure, it is desirable to study the thermodynamic stability of materials in conjunction with phase relations. Phase diagrams can indicate the ranges of pressure, temperature and chemical composition where specific phases and mixtures of phases are stable. If the Gibbs energies of all the phases involved are known, phase diagram can be computed using Gibbs energy minimization algorithms. In recent times, one of the important uses of thermodynamics in materials science has been in the computation of phase diagrams. To materials scientists phase diagrams are like maps to travelers. They guide the path through the composition space to find phases, fulfilling specific materials performance requirements. As phase diagrams are the graphic representations of minimizations of Gibbs energy under given constraints, computational thermodynamics significantly expands our capability to walk in the multi-component space of engineering materials. High-temperature phase-equilibrium studies, thermodynamics and materials processing have had a close relationship over a number of decades. Successful utilization of ceramic materials under different environmental conditions at high temperatures requires accurate thermodynamic data. Focus of the present investigation is to obtain correct phase relations and accurate thermodynamic data in selected technologically important ceramic oxide systems in which the data are either not available or are inconsistent. Based on the experimental data, different types of phase diagrams are computed for the systems of contemporary relevance. After a brief introduction, Chapter 1 discusses the brief overview of the experimental techniques available for determining the phase relations and thermodynamic properties at high temperatures and the methods used in this study. The chapter reviews the possible sources of errors in experimental techniques and tests for correct functioning. In Chapter 2, systematic studies on high-temperature phase equilibria and thermodynamic properties of compounds in the ternary systems Ln-Pd-O (Ln = La, Pr, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) are presented. Some of the ternary oxides on the Ln-Pd-O systems have potential application in catalysis and electrochemistry. To optimize the parameters for the synthesis and to understand the behavior of the catalysts, it is useful to have information on the thermodynamic stability domain of each compound. Quantitative information on the stability of the ternary oxides is also useful for assessing the interaction of metal Pd with ceramic compounds containing rare-earth elements under different environments. Furthermore, the thermodynamic data are beneficial for the design of processes for the recovery of rare earth and precious metals from scrap. There is very little thermodynamic and phase diagram information on the Ln-Pd-O systems. Isothermal sections of phase diagram for the ternary system La-Pd-O at 1200 K and for the systems Ln-Pd-O (Ln = Pr, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) at 1223 K, were established by the isothermal equilibration technique at high temperatures. Phases were identified after quenching by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Based on the phase relations, the thermodynamic properties of ternary interoxide compounds were determined by the solid-state galvanic cell technique over a range of temperature between 925 - 1400 K. An advanced version of the solid-state cell incorporating a buffer electrode was used for high temperature thermodynamic measurements. The function of the buffer electrode, placed between reference and working electrodes, was to absorb the electrochemical flux of the mobile species through the solid electrolyte caused by trace electronic conductivity. The buffer electrode prevented polarization of the measuring electrode and ensured accurate data. Yttria-stabilized zirconia was used as the solid electrolyte and pure oxygen gas at a pressure of 0.1 MPa as the reference electrode. These novel features enhanced the accuracy of thermodynamic data. From electrochemical measurements, the standard enthalpies of formation of these oxides from elements and their standard entropies at 298.15 K were also evaluated. The variation of the lattice parameters and unit cell volume as a function of rare earth atomic number for the three ternary compounds Ln4PdO7, Ln2PdO4 (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd) and Ln2Pd2O5 (Ln = La to Er) are discussed. The systematic variations of thermodynamic properties of all the ternary compounds as a function of rare earth atomic number are presented and correlated with structural features. Thermodynamic and structural parameters of uninvestigated Ln-Pd-O systems (Ln = Ce, Pm) can be obtained by interpolation. Based on the thermodynamic information obtained in this study and auxiliary data on binary compounds available in the literature, different types of phase diagrams, isothermal oxygen potential diagrams, isobaric phase diagrams, isothermal two dimensional and three-dimensional chemical potential diagrams for the systems Ln-Pd-O (Ln = La, Pr, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) are constructed. Chapter 3 contains the studies on partial phase diagrams of the systems M-Ru-O (M = Ca and Sr) at 1300 K and determination of Gibbs energies of formation of calcium and stronsium ruthenates in the temperature range from 925 to 1350 K using solid-state cells with yttria-stabilized zirconia as the electrolyte and Ru + RuO2 as the reference electrode. Gibbs energies, enthalpies and entropies of formation of calcium and strontium ruthenates from their component binary oxides were deduced. The standard enthalpies of formation of these oxides from elements and their standard entropies at 298.15 K were also evaluated. Based on the thermodynamic data obtained in this study and auxiliary information from the literature, the three dimensional representation of oxygen potential diagram for the M-Ru-O systems (M = Ca and Sr) as a function of composition and temperature are computed. The purpose of this chapter is to determine the thermodynamic stability of alkaline earth metal ruthenates in the perovskite related layered system Mn+1RunO3n+1 (n = 1, 2, and ¥ for Ca-Ru-O system and n = 1, 2, 3 and µ for Sr-Ru-O system) since these calcium and stronsium ruthenates have interesting magnetic and electronic device applications. Moreover, there is no literature available for thermodynamic properties on first and second members of the Ruddelsdon-Popper (R-P) series in Ca-Ru-O system, Ca2RuO4, Ca3Ru2O7 and third member of R-P series in Sr-Ru-O system, Sr4Ru3O10. Some of the available literature information on thermodynamic properties for other compounds of R-P series in Mn+1RunO3n+1 (M = Ca, Sr) are found to be based on incorrect assumptions and erroneous calculation. Thus, this chapter provides the complete thermodynamic information for all the electronically and magnetically applicable alkaline earth metal ruthenates for optimizing the deposition condition in device fabrications. Chapter 4 gives the structure-properties correlations of 2-3 spinel compounds and spinel-corundum equilibria for the system NiO-Al2O3-Cr2O3 at 1373 K. Nickel, aluminum and chromium are important base-constituent elements of high-temperature oxidation-resistant alloys. A spinel phase is usually found in the protective scale formed on the surface of the alloys. There is no thermodynamic data on spinel solid solution NiAl2O4-NiCr2O4. Thus, the phase relations and mixing properties of the spinel solid solution have been determined in this chapter. The inter-crystalline ion-exchange equilibrium between NiAl2+2xO4+3x-NiCr2O4 spinel solid solution and Al2O3-Cr2O3 solid solution with corundum structure in pseudo-ternary system NiO-Al2O3-Cr2O3 have been determined by the conventional tie-line rotation method at 1373 K. The nonstoichiometry of NiAl2+2xO4+3x has been taken into consideration. Lattice parameters were used to obtain the compositions of the corundum and spinel solid solutions at equilibrium. Formation of homogeneous solid solutions and attainment of equilibrium were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). From the experimental tie-line information and thermodynamic data on Al2O3-Cr2O3 solid solution available in the literature, the activities in the spinel solid solution were derived by using a modified Gibbs-Duhem integration technique. Gibbs energy of mixing of the spinel solid solution has been calculated from the derived activity data. Since high temperature data generation is expensive and time consuming, it is useful to develop models, which relate thermodynamic properties to electronic and crystallographic structure, leading to predictive modeling of mixing properties. By comparing the results from models with experimental information, one can evolve methodologies for the prediction of the properties of uninvestigated system. A model can be used to discriminate among conflicting experimental data and extrapolate the data into regions where direct measurements are lacking or difficult to perform. In this chapter, a model approach has also been considered to analyze the activity-composition relationship in the NiAl2O4-NiCr2O4 spinel solid solution in terms of the intra-crystalline exchange of cations between the tetrahedral and octahedral sites of the spinel structure governed by site preference energies of the cations. Since Ni2+ and Cr3+ ion in tetrahedral coordination exhibits Jahn-Teller distortion, an entropy corresponding to randomization of the distortion in the cubic phase has been incorporated in the cation distribution model. The thermodynamic mixing properties of stoichiometric spinel solid solution NiAl2O4-NiCr2O4 in terms of one mole of mixing species were computed at 1373 K. The strain energy caused by size mismatch was added as a separate term to the Gibbs energy of mixing using empirical relationship between enthalpy of mixing for a pair of ions and the difference in their ionic volumes. Madelung constant and electrostatic contribution of energy of mixing of the spinel solid solution have also been computed. Comparison of Gibbs energy of mixing calculated using the cation mixing model for the stoichiometric spinel solid solution NiAl2O4-NiCr2O4 with that of the experimental tie-line data for nonstoichiometric spinel solid solution NiAl2+2xO4+3x-NiCr2O4 were included in this chapter. The thermodynamic mixing properties obtained in this study would be helpful in understanding the formation of complex spinel protective layers on alloys containing nickel, aluminium and chromium in high-temperature applications. The summary of the important finding and the conclusions arrived at on the basis of results obtained from the present investigations are presented in Chapter 5.

Nous avons étudié la croissance de films organiques de pérylène tetracarboxylique diimide (PTCDI) et de phthalocyanine de palladium (Pd(Pc)) sur les surfaces métalliques Pt(001), Pt(111) et Au(001). Une étude de l'hétérostructure Au/PTCDI/Pd(Pc)/Au ayant précédemment conclu à un effet redresseur, nous nous sommes plus particulièrement intéressés à la réalisation de cette hétérostructure pour des épaisseurs nanométriques par dépôt en phase vapeur sous ultravide, ainsi qu'à sa caractérisation par différentes techniques d'analyse des surfaces (AES, LEED, REELS, UHV-STM et STS). Il était important de réaliser des couches organiques ordonnées afin d'optimiser le transport de charges dans ces couches.<br /> A l'aide des cinétiques de dépôt réalisées par spectroscopie d'électrons Auger (AES) et de la microscopie à effet tunnel (STM), nous avons identifié les modes de croissance des deux types de molécule en films minces. Nous montrons que PTCDI et Pd(Pc), déposés sur un substrat de platine (Pt(111) et Pt(001)) à différentes températures, croissent suivant le mode Stransky-Krastanov : après la formation d'une première couche désordonnée, les molécules se regroupent dans des îlots cristallins. Les propriétés électroniques de films moléculaires de différentes épaisseurs déposés sur Pt(001) ont pu être déduites par spectroscopie de pertes d'énergie d'électrons lents en mode réflexion (REELS) montrant une lente ouverture du gap. Nous observons la formation de monocouches désordonnées en raison d'une forte interaction molécule-platine comparativement à l'interaction molécule-molécule. Ce résultat étant en opposition avec notre critère initial d'obtention de couches ultraminces ordonnées, nous nous sommes donc intéressés au substrat Au(001). Dans ce cas, il a été démontré que les couches déposées donnent généralement des surstructures organisées.<br />Nous avons utilisés les vitesses de dépôt précédemment déterminées dans le cadre des dépôt sur platine afin d'étudier par AES et STM les monocouches de PTCDI et Pd(Pc) sur la face (001) de l'or. La monocouche de Pd(Pc) déposée à température ambiante s'ordonne en fonction de la quantité adsorbée en une maille carrée ou rectangulaire, orientée suivant les directions <110> et < 10> du substrat. Le film de PTCDI forme une maille rectangulaire dont les paramètres sont proches de ceux obtenus par diffraction des rayons X sur des monocristaux de PTCDI.<br /> Finalement, le dépôt d'une fraction de monocouche de PTCDI sur la surstructure carrée de Pd(Pc) adsorbée sur Au(001) conduit à la formation d'une maille de PTCDI commensurable avec la maille de Pd(Pc). Les courbes I-V obtenues par STS pour le système W / PTCDI / Pd(Pc) / Au(100) sont semblables à une caractéristique de diode (coefficient redresseur compris entre 13 et 24), mais l'origine de cet effet reste pour le moment à déterminer.

Μελετήθηκε το φαινόμενο της ηλεκτροχημικής ενίσχυσης για τις αντιδράσεις της εκλεκτικής υδρογόνωσης του ακετυλενίου προς αιθυλένιο σε καταλύτη Pd εναποτεθειμένο σε β\"-Al2O3 και της οξείδωσης του βουταδιενίου προς προϊόντα εκλεκτικής οξείδωσης σε καταλύτη Ag0.73V2O5.365 εναποτεθειμένο σε YSZ. Το φαινόμενο της ηλεκτροχημικής ενίσχυσης (Electrochemical Promotion) αφορά την τροποποίηση της ενεργότητας καταλυτών που είναι εναποτεθειμένοι πάνω σε στερεούς ηλεκτρολύτες κατά την επιβολή δυναμικού στη διεπιφάνεια καταλύτη | στερεού ηλεκτρολύτη. Στην παρούσα διατριβή μελετήθηκαν αντιδράσεις βιομηχανικού ενδιαφέροντος σε συνθήκες παρόμοιες με αυτές της βιομηχανικής πρακτικής. Υδρογόνωση Ακετυλενίου: Βρέθηκε ότι η αύξηση της κάλυψης της καταλυτικής επιφάνειας με ιόντα Na+ έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα την σημαντική αύξηση της εκλεκτικότητας προς αιθυλένιο. Το φαινόμενο είναι πλήρως αντιστρεπτό δηλαδή η απομάκρυνση των ιόντων Na+ από την καταλυτική επιφάνειας έχει σαν συνέπεια την επιστροφή των καταλυτικών ρυθμών στους αρχικούς που αντιστοιχούν σε επιφάνεια καθαρή από ιόντα Na+. Ο ηλεκτροχημικά ενισχυμένος καταλύτης της παρούσας βρέθηκε ότι είναι πιο εκλεκτικός (κατά 1.5%) σε σχέση με τον βιομηχανικό καταλύτη για υψηλή μετατροπή ακετυλενίου Εκλεκτική οξείδωση βουταδιενίου: Βρέθηκε ότι είναι δυνατή η ηλεκτροχημική ενίσχυση της οξείδωσης τόσο του αιθυλενίου, η οποία εξετάστηκε ως αντίδραση “μοντέλο”, όσο και του βουταδιενίου με χρήση ενός μη αγώγιμου οξειδοαναγωγικού καταλύτη όπως αυτού της παρούσας μελέτης. Η επιβολή θετικών δυναμικών δηλαδή η μεταφορά ιόντων οξυγόνου στην καταλυτική επιφάνεια έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα της αύξηση των καταλυτικών ρυθμών για τα περισσότερα προϊόντα εκλεκτικής οξείδωσης ενώ μικρότερες αυξήσεις παρατηρούνται κατά την επιβολή αρνητικών δυναμικών. Βρέθηκε επίσης ότι η οξειδωτική κατάσταση του καταλύτη επηρεάζει σημαντικά τόσο την κατανομή των προϊόντων όσο και το μέγεθος της ηλεκτροχημικής ενίσχυσης. / The phenomenon of Electrochemical Promotion was studied for two catalytic reactions of industrial importance: for the hydrogenation of acetylene on Pd catalytic films deposited on β\"-Al2O3 solid electrolyte and for the selective oxidation of butadiene on Ag0.73V2O5.365, industrial catalyst, deposited on YSZ solid electrolyte. The Electrochemical Promotion concerns the modification of catalytic activity and selectivity of conductive catalysts deposited on solid electrolytes by applying electrical currents or potential between the catalyst and the counter electrode also deposited on the solid electrolyte. Acetylene Hydrogenation: It was found that the selectivity to C2H4 is significantly enhanced upon increasing the coverage of catalytic surface with electrochemically supplied sodium ions. The phenomenon is reversible that is the electrochemical removing of sodium ions from the catalytic surface results to the return of catalytic activity and selectivity at the initial values corresponding to the unpromoted catalyst. The electrochemical promoted catalyst appears to be more selective (by 1.5%) than the industrial catalyst in the high acetylene conversion region Selective Oxidation of Butadiene: It was found that both ethylene oxidation, which is studied as “model” reaction and selective oxidation of butadiene can be enhanced electrochemically on a non conductive redox catalyst. It was found that the oxygen species, which are carried electrochemically from YSZ solid electrolyte to the catalytic surface, by applying positive potential or current, enhance the catalytic rates for all partial oxidation products. Minor increases to the catalytic rates observed by applying negative potential or current. It was also found that the oxidation state of catalyst affects significantly both the reaction rates and the magnitude of electrochemical promotion.