The purpose of this thesis is to make a broadband antireflection coating configuration known as a quarter-wave stack consisting of one layer of titania and of one layer of silica nanoparticles. We utilize much that is already known about silica nanoparticle deposition. The first objective of this thesis is deposition and characterization of titania nanoparticle films deposited on glass microscope slides by a technique known as Ionic Self-Assembled Multilayers or ISAM deposition. This technique takes advantage of the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged materials and ideally results in a uniform nanoparticle film whose thickness and optical properties can be tightly controlled. Deposition of a quarter-wave stack based on ISAM deposition of silica and titania nanoparticles is significantly simpler and less expensive than alternative deposition methods. Initial attempts to deposit titania films were unsuccessful because of excess diffuse scattering due to inhomogeneities in the film. In order to reduce diffuse scattering, two approaches were considered. The first approach was to improve the deposition process itself by experimenting with different values of deposition parameters such as solution pH and solution molarity. The other approach focused on removing the large nanoparticle aggregates from the colloidal solutions of titania nanoparticles that were suspected to be responsible for rough film surfaces resulting in diffuse scattering. This approach was successful. In addition, evidence suggested that surface roughness contributed more to diffuse scattering than the bulk of the films. After minimizing diffuse scattering from titania nanoparticle films, we used known results from research on silica nanoparticle films to deposit quarter-wave stacks consisting of one layer of titania nanoparticles with high refractive index and one layer of silica nanoparticles with low refractive index. This contrast in refractive indices is a desirable characteristic of quarter-wave stacks. The thicknesses and refractive indices of the two layers in the quarter-wave stacks were measured by ellipsometry and compared to the nominal thicknesses of these layers. Finally, the reflectance was derived from a model of the quarter-wave stack and was compared to the measured reflectance. It was found that construction of a quarter-wave stack by ISAM is possible but that it will be necessary to acquire data from more experiments. / Ph. D.

Today there is a great deal of interest in the development of gas sensors for various applications like monitoring of toxic gases, detection in oil reservoirs, mines, homes etc. Solid-state gas sensors have many advantages over the conventional analytical methods and hence are widely used. Amongst them, semiconducting metal-oxides based sensors are popular due to many advantages like low cost, small size, high sensitivity and long life. The present thesis reports a detailed work of TiO2 (Titania) thin film fabrication based on sol-gel method, study of their crystallization behavior and surface morphology, and characterizing them for alcohol sensing properties Sol-gel method is a wet chemical technique with many advantages over the conventional methods and offers a high degree of versatility to modify the film properties. Titania thin films were made with titanium isopropoxide as the precursor and ethanol and isopropanol as the solvents. Also effect of surfactants(PEG and CTAB) on the sol properties and film properties have experimentally examined. A in-house gas sensor testing setup has been designed and fabricated to characterize the sensors. Sensors with three different electrode configurations and also two different electrode material have been tested. The electrode geometry and material play a significant role on the sensing behavior and results for the same have been discussed.

Fotocatalisadores baseados em nanopartículas de dióxido de titânio modificados fornecem soluções em potencial para a mineralização de poluentes orgânicos em meio aquoso. Agentes modificadores têm sido amplamente investigados com o objetivo de promover a fotoativação pela luz visível. Foram estudadas a nível fundamental até aqui, as modificações estruturais, texturais e óticas causadas pela introdução de silício e nitrogênio na rede da titânia. Titânias puras (TiO2) e modificadas nanoestruturadas, particularmente titânias modificadas com silício (TiO2-SiO2), com razões atômicas Si/Ti de 0,1, 0,2 e 0,3 foram sintetizadas pelo método sol-gel a partir da hidrólise ácida de isopropóxido de titânio(IV) e tetraetoxisilano. As metodolo-gias sintéticas desenvolvidas tentaram aderir aos princípios da Química Verde, dispensando o uso de atmosfera inerte e temperatura e pressão elevadas, o que foi alcançado utilizando-se, principalmente, a agitação ultrassônica. Titânias modificadas com silício e dopadas com ni-trogênio (TiO2-SiO2-N) foram obtidas a partir do pré-tratamento de TiO2-SiO2 a 500 C ao ar e então submetidas ao fluxo de amônia (NH3) a 600 C por 1-3 h e, após resfriamento, foram recozidas a 400 C ao ar. Amostras distintas foram caracterizadas, na forma de pó seco e após calcinação entre 400600 C, por difração de raios X, adsorção de nitrogênio, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e espectroscopia de refletância difusa no UV-Visível. As titânias pu-ras, obtidas principalmente variando-se a razão de hidrólise, foram cristalizadas na forma de anatásio como fase predominante até 600 C, além de traços de brookita presente até 500 C. O rutilo foi identificado a partir de 600 C como fase minoritária, embora apresentando tama-nhos de cristal significativamente maiores que os estimados para o cristal de anatásio. As titâ-nias modificadas com até 20% de silício apresentaram notável estabilidade térmica, evidenci-ada pela presença exclusiva de anatásio até 900 C. Foi também observado o aparecimento de macroporos com diâmetro médio em torno de 55 nm após calcinação a 400 C, diferentemente do que se observou nas amostras em geral. A introdução de baixo teor de silício assegurou às titânias calcinadas valores elevados de área específica, atribuído ao efeito de contenção acentuada na taxa de crescimento do cristal. As titânias modificadas com silício e as titânias puras obtidas com taxa de hidrólise 25:1 para a razão H2O : Ti apresentaram mesoporos com diâmetros médios de mesma dimensão do cristal. As titânias modificadas com silício e dopa-das com nitrogênio apresentaram absorção na região visível entre 400-480 nm, com discreta redução da energia de band gap para as transições eletrônicas consideradas. Titânias calcina-das a 300−400 C apresentaram desempenho fotocatalítico semelhante ao TiO2 P25 da De-gussa sob irradiação UV, na degradação do azo corante Reactive Yellow 145 em soluções a-quosas em pH 5 a 20 1C / Photocatalysts based on modified titanium dioxide nanoparticles yield potential solutions for the mineralization of organic pollutants in aqueous media. Modifiers agents have been exten-sively investigated with the aim of promoting photoactivation by visible light. In a fundamen-tal level so far, structural, textural, and optic modifications caused by inserting silicon and nitrogen in the titania lattice, were studied. Nanostructured pure and modified titania (TiO2), mainly modified titania with silicon (TiO2-SiO2), with atomic ratios, Si/Ti, of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, were synthesized by the sol-gel method acid hydrolysis of titanium(IV) isopropoxide and tetraoxisilane. The developed synthetic methodologies tried to adhere to the Green Chemistry principles, not being necessary the use of inert atmosphere and elevated temperature and pressure; that was achieved, mainly, by the use of sonication. Silicon-modified titania doped with nitrogen (TiO2-SiO2-N) were obtained by pre-treating TiO2-SiO2 at 500 C in a air stream, then at 600 C in an ammonia (NH3) stream for 1-3 h and, after cooling, annealing at 400 C in a air stream. Distinct samples were characterized as a dry powder, after calcination at 400600 C, by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, scanning electronic microscopy, and UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Pure titania, primarily obtained by varying the hydrolysis ratio, were predominantly crystallized as anatase up to 600 C with traces of broo-kite present up to 500 C. Rutile was identified over 600 C as a minor phase, but presenting crystal sizes significatively larger than the estimated ones for anatase crystals. Silicon-modified titania up to 20% silicon showed a remarkable thermal stability, highlighted by the sole presence of anatase up to 900 C. It was also observed the formation of macropores with an average diameter of 55 nm after calcination at 400 C, unlike the other samples. Small contents of silicon promoted high surface areas in the calcinated titania, probably due to the a pronounced containment of the crystals growth rate. Pure and silicon-modified titania ob-tained with a hydrolysis ratio (H2O:Ti) of 25:1 presented medium mesopores with the same size of the crystals. Silicon-modified titania doped with nitrogen showed visible absorption in the 400-480 nm range, and a slight decrease of the band gap energy for the electronic transi-tions considered. Titania calcinated at 300-400 C presented a photocatalytic performance similar to Degussas P25 under UV irradiation, in the degradation of the azo dye Reactive Yellow 145 in aqueous solutions at pH 5 and 201C

Fotocatalisadores baseados em nanopartículas de dióxido de titânio modificados fornecem soluções em potencial para a mineralização de poluentes orgânicos em meio aquoso. Agentes modificadores têm sido amplamente investigados com o objetivo de promover a fotoativação pela luz visível. Foram estudadas a nível fundamental até aqui, as modificações estruturais, texturais e óticas causadas pela introdução de silício e nitrogênio na rede da titânia. Titânias puras (TiO2) e modificadas nanoestruturadas, particularmente titânias modificadas com silício (TiO2-SiO2), com razões atômicas Si/Ti de 0,1, 0,2 e 0,3 foram sintetizadas pelo método sol-gel a partir da hidrólise ácida de isopropóxido de titânio(IV) e tetraetoxisilano. As metodolo-gias sintéticas desenvolvidas tentaram aderir aos princípios da Química Verde, dispensando o uso de atmosfera inerte e temperatura e pressão elevadas, o que foi alcançado utilizando-se, principalmente, a agitação ultrassônica. Titânias modificadas com silício e dopadas com ni-trogênio (TiO2-SiO2-N) foram obtidas a partir do pré-tratamento de TiO2-SiO2 a 500 C ao ar e então submetidas ao fluxo de amônia (NH3) a 600 C por 1-3 h e, após resfriamento, foram recozidas a 400 C ao ar. Amostras distintas foram caracterizadas, na forma de pó seco e após calcinação entre 400600 C, por difração de raios X, adsorção de nitrogênio, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e espectroscopia de refletância difusa no UV-Visível. As titânias pu-ras, obtidas principalmente variando-se a razão de hidrólise, foram cristalizadas na forma de anatásio como fase predominante até 600 C, além de traços de brookita presente até 500 C. O rutilo foi identificado a partir de 600 C como fase minoritária, embora apresentando tama-nhos de cristal significativamente maiores que os estimados para o cristal de anatásio. As titâ-nias modificadas com até 20% de silício apresentaram notável estabilidade térmica, evidenci-ada pela presença exclusiva de anatásio até 900 C. Foi também observado o aparecimento de macroporos com diâmetro médio em torno de 55 nm após calcinação a 400 C, diferentemente do que se observou nas amostras em geral. A introdução de baixo teor de silício assegurou às titânias calcinadas valores elevados de área específica, atribuído ao efeito de contenção acentuada na taxa de crescimento do cristal. As titânias modificadas com silício e as titânias puras obtidas com taxa de hidrólise 25:1 para a razão H2O : Ti apresentaram mesoporos com diâmetros médios de mesma dimensão do cristal. As titânias modificadas com silício e dopa-das com nitrogênio apresentaram absorção na região visível entre 400-480 nm, com discreta redução da energia de band gap para as transições eletrônicas consideradas. Titânias calcina-das a 300−400 C apresentaram desempenho fotocatalítico semelhante ao TiO2 P25 da De-gussa sob irradiação UV, na degradação do azo corante Reactive Yellow 145 em soluções a-quosas em pH 5 a 20 1C / Photocatalysts based on modified titanium dioxide nanoparticles yield potential solutions for the mineralization of organic pollutants in aqueous media. Modifiers agents have been exten-sively investigated with the aim of promoting photoactivation by visible light. In a fundamen-tal level so far, structural, textural, and optic modifications caused by inserting silicon and nitrogen in the titania lattice, were studied. Nanostructured pure and modified titania (TiO2), mainly modified titania with silicon (TiO2-SiO2), with atomic ratios, Si/Ti, of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, were synthesized by the sol-gel method acid hydrolysis of titanium(IV) isopropoxide and tetraoxisilane. The developed synthetic methodologies tried to adhere to the Green Chemistry principles, not being necessary the use of inert atmosphere and elevated temperature and pressure; that was achieved, mainly, by the use of sonication. Silicon-modified titania doped with nitrogen (TiO2-SiO2-N) were obtained by pre-treating TiO2-SiO2 at 500 C in a air stream, then at 600 C in an ammonia (NH3) stream for 1-3 h and, after cooling, annealing at 400 C in a air stream. Distinct samples were characterized as a dry powder, after calcination at 400600 C, by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, scanning electronic microscopy, and UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Pure titania, primarily obtained by varying the hydrolysis ratio, were predominantly crystallized as anatase up to 600 C with traces of broo-kite present up to 500 C. Rutile was identified over 600 C as a minor phase, but presenting crystal sizes significatively larger than the estimated ones for anatase crystals. Silicon-modified titania up to 20% silicon showed a remarkable thermal stability, highlighted by the sole presence of anatase up to 900 C. It was also observed the formation of macropores with an average diameter of 55 nm after calcination at 400 C, unlike the other samples. Small contents of silicon promoted high surface areas in the calcinated titania, probably due to the a pronounced containment of the crystals growth rate. Pure and silicon-modified titania ob-tained with a hydrolysis ratio (H2O:Ti) of 25:1 presented medium mesopores with the same size of the crystals. Silicon-modified titania doped with nitrogen showed visible absorption in the 400-480 nm range, and a slight decrease of the band gap energy for the electronic transi-tions considered. Titania calcinated at 300-400 C presented a photocatalytic performance similar to Degussas P25 under UV irradiation, in the degradation of the azo dye Reactive Yellow 145 in aqueous solutions at pH 5 and 201C

Объект изучения – модуль плазмохимического травления и осаждения на базе нанотехнологического комплекса Нанофаб-100. Цель работы — плазмохимический синтез тонких покрытий на основе нитридов алюминия и титана. Методы исследования: плазмостимулированное химическое осаждение из газовой фазы, электрохимическое окисление, плазменное азотирование, сканирующая электронная и атомно-силовая микроскопия, оптическая спектроскопия, наноиндентирование. В результате исследования разработана методика синтеза нитрида алюминия на установке плазмохимического синтеза. Синтезированы тонкие пленки нитрида алюминия толщиной 50-200 нм. Продемонстрирована возможность получения наноточек нитрида алюминия. С помощью плазмохимического азотирования модифицирована поверхность металлического титана с увеличением твердости в 4 раза. Показана возможность получения нанотубулярных структур нитрида титана, являющихся перспективными в целях создания электронных устройств, фотокаталитических ячеек и др. Результаты работы отражены в тезисах докладов III Международной молодежной научной конференции «Физика. Технологии. Инновации. ФТИ-2016». / The object of this study is the module of plasma chemical etching and deposition based on nanotechnology complex Nanofab-100. The goal of the current paper is the plasma-chemical synthesis of thin coatings based on aluminum and titanium nitrides. As a result of the research, a technological map for the routine of the plasma-chemical synthesis and a technique for obtaining nanomaterials on the example of aluminum nitride have been developed. There were synthesized thin films of aluminum nitride with 50-200 nm thickness. The possibility of synthesis nano-dots of AlN is demonstrated. The surface of metallic titanium has been modified with an increase in hardness by 4 times using plasma-assisted nitriding process. The possibility of obtaining nanotubular structures of titanium nitride, which are promising for microelectronic and photocatalysis, is shown. The results of the work are reported in abstracts of the III International Youth Scientific Conference «Physics. Technologies. Innovation. FTI-2016».

Darbe atlikta literatūros analizė šių procesų: (i) vykstančių vandens garų plazmoje; (ii) titano dangų oksidacija vandens garų plazmoje ir (iii) titano dioksido fotokatalitinės ir hidrofilinės savybės. TiO2 dangos buvo gautos po titano dangų ekspozicijos H2O garų plazmoje. Tyrimai parodė, kad TiO2 danga vandens garų plazmos aplinkoje formuoja elektrocheminį elementą. Darbe tirtos plazma aktyvuotos vandens skaldymo reakcijos. Parodyta, kad susidarę protonai pernešami per kietą TiO2 elektrolitą, o elektronai migruoja per plazmoje susiformavusią išorinę grandinę. Proceso metu dangos paviršinis sluoksnis formuojasi į TiO2–SiO2 kompozitą. Nors procesai vyksta žemoje temperatūroje, gauti rezultatai parodė masės pernešimo reiškinius, būdingus aukštoms temperatūroms. Pateikti nagrinėtų procesų mechanizmai. Darbo metu bandinių eksperimentinė analizė atlikta elektroninės dispersinės spektroskopijos (EDS), rentgeno spindulių difrakcijos (RSD), Auger elektroninės spektroskopijos (AES), skenuojančio elektroninio mikroskopo (SEM), optinės mikroskopijos ir kontaktinio profilometro metodais. / Processes in water vapor plasma, titania film oxidation in water vapor plasma and titanium dioxide photocatalytic and hydrophilic properties are discussed in this paper. Titatium dioxide thin films were obtained after titanium thin film exposure in water vapor plasma. Specimen together with H2O plasma forms electrochemical cell. In plasma film surface is activated and photocatalytic water splitting reactions occurs. Generated hydrogen ions are transported through solid titanium electrolyte and electrons are conducted to an external circuit via plasma. Titanium dioxide films surfaces are converted into composited composed of TiO2 and SiO2. Although oxidation process occurs in room temperature results showed mass transfer processes which occurs in high temperature. Specimens were analysed by electron dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), (X-ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy and nanoprofilometer methods.

Grätzel cells are liquid-electrolyte photoelectrochemical cells that contain dyesensitised titania electrodes. The sensitiser is typically an organic species that absorbs visible light and increases the spectral region in which Grätzel cells may produce electricity. A key feature in the success of Grätzel cells is the high surface area of nanostructured titania electrodes. In this study, the nanostructuring of titania has been explored by two complementary methods: templation and self-assembly. The templation of silica colloidal crystals (opals) was chosen as an inverse opal of titania would display a porous, bicontinuous structure in addition to a photonic bandgap. A diverse variety of titania inverse opals was produced, ranging from ideal ‘honeycomb’ to non-ideal ‘grape-like’ morphologies. However, the fragility of the material and difficulties in reproduction meant that the testing of such electrodes within Grätzel cells was limited. Study towards the formation of a nanoparticle superlattice of titania via chemically assisted self-assembly involved the investigation of both nanostructured titania surfaces and dye adsorption. The mode of dye binding to titania and the stability of adsorbed dyes was studied to aid work toward the design of a self-assembled titania superlattice, as well as to assist in the analysis of dye performance in Grätzel cells. Crystalline, aggregated titania and amorphous, dispersible titania was produced for dye binding studies of small organic carboxylic acid dyes. It was found that while dyes are adsorbed and intimately associated with titania, the mode of dye binding is different on a dry electrode than upon dispersed and solvated titania. The dyes appear to be bound to titania in a carboxylate form in the dry state, but in a mode that closer resembles that of the native dye upon dispersed titania.

Η φωτοκαταλυτική παραγωγή H2 μέσω διεργασιών φωτοκαταλυτικής αναμόρφωσης, μελετήθηκε με χρήση νανοκρυσταλλικών υμενίων TiO2 εμπλουτισμένων με εναποτεθειμένα μέταλλα στην επιφάνειά τους. Το TiO2 παρασκευάστηκε με τη μέθοδο sol-gel παρουσία οξικού οξέος και ενός επιφανειακώς δραστικού μορίου, του Triton X-100. Τα υμένια που παρασκευάστηκαν ήταν κρυσταλλικής μορφής ανατάση, με μέσο μέγεθος των σωματιδίων 12 nm, αρκετά σημαντικές υδροφιλικές ιδιότητες και υψηλή προσροφητική ικανότητα, ενώ είναι και πολύ ικανοί φωτοκαταλύτες για την αντίδραση διάσπασης των προσροφημένων χρωστικών στην επιφάνειά τους. Η μελέτη της αντίδρασης παραγωγής H2 πραγματοποιήθηκε με χρήση του φωτοκαταλύτη Pt/TiO2, αφού ο Pt αύξησε τη φωτοκαταλυτική ενεργότητα του υλικού και τη φωτοκαταλυτική απόδοση της αντίδρασης περισσότερο από τα υπόλοιπα μέταλλα. Οι βέλτιστες συνθήκες εναπόθεσης του Pt, ήταν η προσρόφησή του για 30 min από υδατικά διαλύματα Na2PtCl4 συγκέντρωσης 5*10-4 Μ και φωτοβόληση του υλικού για 15 min ώστε να πραγματοποιηθεί η αναγωγή. Η χρήση αυτού του φωτοκαταλύτη έδωσε σημαντικά αποτελέσματα φωτοκαταλυτικής αποικοδόμησης αλκοολών και άλλων προϊόντων βιομάζας σε υδατικά διαλύματα. Από τις ενώσεις που μελετήθηκαν, η χρήση της αιθανόλης και της γλυκερόλης οδήγησε στη μεγαλύτερη αύξηση του ρυθμού φωτοκαταλυτικής παραγωγής H2. Η αντίδραση της φωτοκαταλυτικής αναμόρφωσης πραγματοποιήθηκε κυρίως με χρήση υπεριώδους ακτινοβολίας UVA (Black light, ~360 nm), παρουσία ενώσεων με γενικό χημικό τύπο CxHyOz. Κυριότερες κατηγορίες αυτών των ενώσεων είναι οι αλκοόλες, τα σάκχαρα, οι πολυόλες και τα οργανικά οξέα. Επίσης, τα φωτοκαταλυτικά υμένια Pt/TiO2 είναι ικανά να προκαλέσουν την φωτοκαταλυτική παραγωγή H2 μέσα από μικρογαλακτώματα διασποράς ελαίου σε νερό. Η συνολική διεργασία της φωτοκαταλυτικής αναμόρφωσης αποτελεί μια ιδιαίτερα ελκυστική διεργασία, η οποία πραγματοποιείται με αρκετά ικανοποιητική απόδοση, με την κατάλληλη χρήση του φωτοκαταλύτη Pt/TiO2, σε μορφή λεπτών υμενίων. / Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide films, with deposited noble metals on their surface were studied for the photocatalytic production of Η2, through the so-called “photocatalytic reforming” processes. These films were deposited on glass substrates by using sol-gel procedures, carried out in the presence of acetic acid and a surfactant template, Triton X-100. The titania films consist of anatase nanocrystals, of about 12 nm average particle size. They were highly hydrophilic and were strong adsorbers of positively charged organic substances. Photodegradation of adsorbed dyes was very efficient on these titania nanoparticulate films. Photocatalytic hydrogen production was studied by using nanocrystalline films of Pt/TiO2. Pt gave the best results concerning photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide. The best conditions of platinum deposition, through its adsorption from aqueous solutions, were 30 min of adsorption in the dark from an aqueous solution of Na2PtCl4, having a concentration of 5*10-4 M, followed by the reduction of the adsorbed ions of Pt (II) by UV treatment. Using this type of photocatalyst lead to high efficiency of photodegradation of alcohols and generally products, derived from biomass in aqueous solutions. From all the compounds examined, ethanol and glycerol gave the highest photocatalytic hydrogen production rates. The photocatalytic reforming reaction, was carried out using UVA (black light, ~360 nm) radiation, that comes from low-energy black light sources and was applied on chemical compounds that have the general chemical structure of CxHyOz. Several categories of substances may have this structure, such as alcohols, saccharides, polyols and organic acids. Also, photocatalytic nanocrystalline films Pt/TiO2 led to substantially efficient process of hydrogen production, by using colloidal dispersions of oil-in-water microemulsion. The whole process of photocatalytic reforming of several substances can be a very attractive and very promising process, by employing nanocrystalline titania films, Pt/TiO2.

Cement clinker production is a highly resource and energy intensive process and contributes substantially to annual global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. One potential pathway to reduce the environmental footprint of cement-based materials is through the reduction of clinker content in concrete by partial replacement of cement with fillers. In this investigation, the partial replacement of cement with chemically inert nano and microsized fillers of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and limestone was examined. The effects of nano and micro fillers on early-age properties, long-term properties, photocatalytic properties (for TiO₂-cement mixtures) and life cycle costs were measured and compared. Investigation of early-age properties shows that nanoparticles increase rate and degree of early cement hydration and chemical shrinkage due to heterogeneous nucleation effect. In contrast, coarser microparticles (>3µm in this research) maintain or marginally decrease the rate and degree of early cement hydration and decrease chemical shrinkage due to a dilution effect. In addition, temperature sensitivity of hydration reactions increases in the presence of nanoparticles. Investigation of long-term properties shows that pore size refinement is possible with the partial replacement of cement with nanoparticle fillers. But the long-term tests of filler-cement mixes also demonstrate that, compared to ordinary portland cement mix, the strength decreases and permeability increases. Analysis of photocatalytic properties of TiO₂-cement mixtures showed a lack of an appropriate testing procedure for nitrogen oxide (NOₓ) gas conversion by cement-based materials. Thus, a new standardized procedure and photocatalytic efficiency factor for characterizing photocatalytic NOₓ binding by cementitious materials is proposed. Life cycle analysis demonstrates that although inclusion of TiO₂ increases initial environmental impact of cementitious materials, the innovative photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ could improve sustainability. Life cycle analysis also shows that partial replacement of cement with limestone decreases environmental impact of cementitious mixtures due to lower processing “costs” of limestone compared to cement. Thus, the results from the current research demonstrate that variation of dosage and particle size of inert fillers can be used to tailor properties and structure of cement-based materials and that environmental sustainability can be improved by partial replacement of cement with inert fillers that introduce additional functionalities or fillers with lower embodied-energy and emissions.

Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field that is rapidly emerging as a promising approach for tissue repair and regeneration. In this approach, scaffolds which allow cells to invade the construct and guide the cells grow into specific tissue play a pivotal role. Electrospinning has gained popularity recently as a simple and versatile method to produce fibrous structures with nano- to microscale dimensions. These electrospun fibers have been extensively applied to create nanofiber scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Specifically for bone and cartilage tissue engineering, polymeric materials have some attractive properties such as the biodegradability. Ceramic scaffolds and implant coatings, such as hydroxyapatite and silica-based bioglass have also been considered as bone graft substitutes for bone repair because of their bioactivity and, in some cases, tunable resorbability. Besides tissue engineering scaffolds, for clinical application, especially for load-bearing artificial implants, metallic materials such as titanium are the most commonly used material. Osseointegration between bone and implants is very essential for implant success. To achieve better osseointegration between bone and the implant surface, three dimensional porous structures can provide enhanced fixation with bone by allowing tissue to grow into the pores. In this study, pre-3D electrospun polymer and ceramic scaffolds with peptide conjugation and 3D titanium scaffolds with different surface morphology were fabricated to testify the osteoblast and mensechymal stem cell attachment and differentiation. The overall goal of this thesis is to determine if the peptide functionalization of polymeric scaffolds and physical parameters of ceramic and metallic scaffold can promote osteoblast maturation and mesenchymal stem cell differentiation in vitro to achieve an optimal scaffold design for greater osseointegration. The results of the studies showed with functionalization of MSC- specific peptide, polymer scaffolds behaved with higher biocompatibility and MSC affinity. For the ceramic and metallic scaffolds, microstructures and nanostructures can synergistically promote osteoblast maturation and 3D micro-environment with micro-roughness is a promising design for osteoblast maturation and MSC differentiation in vitro compared to 2D surfaces.