Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Tellurorhodamine Photocatalysts In Aerobic Oxidation Reactions: Development Of Synthetic Methods And Reaction Mechanisms, Irving D. Rettig

Dissertations and Theses

Aerobic oxidation photocatalysis involves the use of oxygen as an oxidant species, coupled to a light driven catalyst to achieve useful chemical transformations. Catalytic aerobic oxidation reactions can be defined as either oxidase-like, in which O₂ acts as an electron donor/acceptor but is not incorporated into the reaction products, or oxygenase-like where O₂ acts as an electron donor/acceptor and is incorporated into the reaction products. A multitude of inorganic catalysts have been developed that can achieve a wide scope of oxidase-like or oxygenase-like reactivity, however, it is rare for a catalyst to be capable of both. We report …

Applications Of Triplet-Photosensitizers And Development Of Photochemical Methods, Luke V. Lutkus

Dissertations and Theses

Photochemistry focuses on various aspects of the interaction of light with molecules. This work entails new methodology for fundamental measurements of photochemistry along with novel applications of triplet-photosensitizers. Herein described are two separate methodologies developed for the determination of the quantum yield. A method for the singlet oxygen quantum yield was developed that utilizes the reaction between singlet oxygen and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to produce dimethyl sulfone. The rate of the reaction is measured by the pressure decrease that results from the consumption of oxygen from the headspace of a sealed system. It was found that the rate of pressure …

Design And Application Of A 3d Photocatalyst Material For Water Purification, Simon Paul Fowler

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation presents a method for enhancement of the efficiency and scalability of photocatalytic water purification systems, along with an experimental validation of the concept. A 3-dimensional photocatalyst structure, made from a TiO₂-SiO₂ composite, has been designed and fabricated for use in a custom designed LED-source illumination chamber of rotational symmetry that corresponds with the symmetry of the photocatalyst material. The design of the photocatalyst material has two defining characteristics: geometrical form and material composition. The design of the material was developed through the creation of a theoretical model for consideration of the system's photonic efficiency. Fabrication …

Polymeric Porphyrins As Solar Photocatalysts, Nicholas Upton Day

Dissertations and Theses

Research concentrated on the absorption, transformation, and storage of light energy is useful for the energy challenges faced by humanity. In particular, photocatalysis using solar energy to generate useful fuels has become a primary research goal in the drive to replace fossil fuels for the future. In this dissertation it is shown that poly-tetra(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin (pTAPP) can be oxidatively polymerized using a variety of methods, including electropolymerization, chemical oxidation, and interfacial polymerization and that pTAPP has photocatalytic ability to reduce O₂ to H₂O₂ for a storable fuel.

Organic conductive polymers such as pTAPP are attractive catalysts because …