Engineering Commons^™

Photoactive Properties Of Nanostructured Titania Modified Polyurethanes, Chao Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In order to enhance both the photoactivity and physical/mechanical properties of titania/polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites, in-situ polymerization and film casting were investigated. Both self-degrading PU foams and self-cleaning PU coatings were prepared. Functional monomers were prepared usingDMPA (2,2-dimethylolpropionic acid) functionalized anatse TiO₂ and P25 for integration into polyurethane foam with a "grafting-from" synthetic method. This technique was found to successfully reduce the agglomeration effect of titania nanoparticles inside the foams. In addition, the photodegradation rate was enhanced by > 120% over unmodified foam at an optimized loading of 3wt% DMPA functionalized anatase TiO₂. The presence of DMPA functionalized P25 …

Photocatalytic Decomposition Of Phenol Under Visible And Uv Light Utilizing Titanium Dioxide Based Catalysts, Marjorie G. Steiner

Honors Theses and Capstones

Pollution in wastewater effluvia from phenol and phenolic compounds is a common occurrence in many industrial manufacturing plants. Phenol is toxic to human beings as well as a contaminant to the environment, meanwhile, it is difficult to remove from wastewater due to its non-biodegradable nature. To boost the rate of decomposition, various catalytic approaches have been developed. With the interest of decreasing operation cost, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) based catalysts have emerged as good candidates for the photocatalytic process.

In this honors project, a series of TiO₂ based catalysts, including TiO₂, N-TiO₂, Cu-TiO_{2 …}