Inorganic Chemistry Commons^™

Synthesis Of Inorganic-Organic Perovskite Hybrid Materials Via A Microwave Assisted Method, Anamika Poduval

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The research presented here focusses on fabrication of organic modified inorganic two-dimensional and three-dimensional materials via microwave assisted methods. These hybrid materials are of importance due to their capacity to incorporate the characteristics of both organic and inorganic components. Microwave methods have been utilized to expedite the topochemical modification of layered perovskites. In one set of studies, microwave assisted grafting reactions were performed on layered perovskite (HLaNb₂O₇) materials with a series of hydroxy carboxylic acids. The reactivities of these organic compounds with the layered perovskites and the influence of precursor, temperature and time are demonstrated. The …

Understanding Interfacial Reactions Initiating On Electrode Materials For Energy Storage Technologies, Jingnan Li

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the first generation of lithium-ion batteries featured lithium cobalt oxide cathode and carbon anode commercialized in the 1990s, the high-capacity materials with lower cost are in demand to further increase the battery energy density. Lithium metal and silicon anode are promising high-capacity anode materials to achieve next-generation lithium batteries. However, both the materials actively react in electrolytes and suffer from dramatic volume change. Therefore, a reliable passivation layer at the electrolyte/electrode interphase (i.e., solid electrolyte interphase, or “SEI”) is required to support the long-term cycling of both materials. Cetrimonium hydro fluoride (CTAHF2) has been proposed and synthesized as an …

Structural, Charge Transport, Gas Sensing, Magnetic, Pseudocapacitive, And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Perovskite Oxides., Surendra Bahadur Karki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perovskites are functional materials with the general formula ABO₃ (A = alkali, alkaline earth or lanthanoid cations and B = transition metal or main group cations). These materials are marked by a variety of crystal structures and interesting properties such as colossal magnetoresistance, ferroelectricity, multiferroicity, superconductivity, pseudocapacitance, gas sensing, charge transport, and electrocatalytic properties. The formula of perovskite can be written as AA’BB’O₆, when there is ordering between two cations over A and B-sites. Such compounds are called double perovskite oxides. Some amount of oxygen could be lost from crystal structure without decomposition of the phase. Such …

A Performance Evaluation Of Architectural Coatings To Preserve Aerosol Paint On Concrete, Riley Morris

All Theses

The growing movement of assigning cultural and heritage value to graffiti and street art is one without a preservation solution to ensure the longevity of these works in-situ in an outdoor environment. The goal of this thesis was to provide a comprehensive evaluation of six architectural topcoats’ performance when applied as a conservation treatment to outdoor aerosol graffiti and street art on concrete substrate. An artist’s quality, durable, color-fast spray-paint was applied to twenty-eight concrete test panels to mimic the application of graffiti or street art. Six topcoats, Prosoco SC-1, Prosoco Gloss n’ Guard WB, Keim Faceal Oleo HD®, Keim …

Valorization Of Biopolymers And Biomass To Produce Materials For A More Circular Economy, Moira Lauer

All Dissertations

With a globally increasing population and largely unchecked consumption of raw materials, human society is on track for devastating consequences. Two industries responsible for utilizing massive amounts of raw materials and generating equally gargantuan quantities of waste are the packaging and infrastructure sectors. In 2017 in Europe, for example, packaging reached a record 173 kg of packaging waste per capita. One of the largest packaging consumers is the food industry, in which 40% of packaging is made of petroleum-derived single-use plastic, leading to a massive carbon imbalance. “The Built Environment,” on the other hand, is responsible for about 50% of …

Synthesis Of Phosphonate-Based Diimide Ligands, Kenya V. Medina

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

There has been a resurged interest in the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks because of their potential applications in energy production and drug delivery. Although diimides are insoluble in aqueous solutions, the addition of phosphonic acid allows the complex to be water soluble, which greatly increases their application. Therefore, the creation of a hybrid metal-organic complex by the addition of phosphonic groups to diimide ligands can result in a polar porous compound. In this project the ligand design included the use of dianhydrides including pyromellitic dianhydride, naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride, perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride, and biphenyl-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride. These dianhydride precursors were refluxed under argon …

Transition Metal Phosphides For High Performance Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices, Amina Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical energy storage technologies are nowadays playing a leading role in the global effort to address the energy challenges. A lot of attention has been devoted to designing hybrid devices known as supercapatteries which combine the merits of supercapacitors (high power density) and rechargeable batteries (high energy density). Transition metal phosphides (TMP) are a rising star for supercapattery anode materials thanks to their high conductivity, metalloid characteristics, and kinetic favorability for fast electron transport. Herein, new TMP-based materials were synthesized for use as supercapattery positive electrodes, via a multifaceted approach to yield devices enjoying concurrently high power and energy densities. …

Using Powder Diffraction To Give Insight Into Structures Of Ir2(Diisocyanomenthane)4x2 [Dimen] (X = Cl; Pf6; Bph4), Mairead Brownell

Scripps Senior Theses

Ir2(dimen)42+ (dimen = 1,8-diisocyanomenthane) has been studied extensively as model compound to better understand catalysis of photochemical reactions. Although Ir2(dimen)42+ has been used primarily to observe the photophysical changes of metal-metal transitions, it gives great insight into the transitions that allow other d8-d8 metal complexes to undergo photochemical processes and generate hydrogen gas. The large visible range by which Ir2(dimen)42+ (1) can be electronically excited in solution is indicative of its two solution phase ground states, which interestingly have been hypothesized to resemble two unique packing structures observed in the powder state. In this study, the powder diffraction patterns of …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Pyridine-Based Diimide Ligands And Metal Phosphonate Coordination Polymers, Juan L. Pinedo

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Coordination polymers have been a topic of interest because of the large variety of applications these materials have. in particular Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have been researched due to their porosity and simple synthetic pathways. Structurally a MOF is composed of one or more organic ligands serving as the backbone of the structure. These ligands are complexed with metal ions coordinating into the desired structure. It is this structure that gives way to a variable porosity useful for proton conductivity and material transport. By varying backbone size a framework can be customized for use in specific conditions. This is due not …

Activated Carbon Pore Expansion Using Acidic Hydrothermal Method, Max Thompson

Symposium of Student Scholars

Petroleum Coke is a widely abundant, high carbon content material produced as a byproduct of the oil refining process. Its abundance makes the price per ton low and it is produced in almost all regions of the world. Due to the low price and high carbon percentage, commercial companies make large amounts of activated carbon using petroleum coke as a precursor. These activated carbons are characterized by their high surface area and can achieve widely varying pore morphology with different activation processes. The goal of this work is to achieve a homologous mesopore activated carbon material for use in super …

Interactions Of Organic Fluorophores With Plasmonic Surface Lattice Resonances, Robert J. Collison

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

It is common knowledge that metals, alloys and pure elements alike, are lustrous and reflective, the more so when a metal surface is flat, polished, and free from oxidation and surface fouling. However, some metals reflect visible light, in the 380 nm to 740 nm range of wavelengths, much more strongly than others. In particular, some metals reflect wavelengths in certain portions of the ultraviolet (UV), visible, and near-infrared (NIR) regime, let us say 200 nm to 2000 nm, while absorbing light strongly in other segments of this range. There are several factors that account for this difference between various …

Multi-Level Analysis Of Atomic Layer Deposition Barrier Coatings On Additively Manufactured Plastics For High Vacuum Applications, Nupur Bihari

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

While hardware innovations in micro/nano electronics and photonics are heavily patented, the rise of the open-source movement has significantly shifted focus to the importance of obtaining low-cost, functional and easily modifiable research equipment. This thesis provides a foundation of open source development of equipment to aid in the micro/nano electronics and photonics fields.

First, the massive acceptance of the open source Arduino microcontroller has aided in the development of control systems with a wide variety of uses. Here it is used for the development of an open-source dual axis gimbal system. This system is used to characterize optoelectronic properties of …

Cobalt, Molybdenum, And Nickel Complexes, Natural Zeolites, Epoxidation, And Free Radical Reactions, Nicholas K. Newberry

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Chapter 2 is based on the synthesis and study of the compounds of the bidentate ligand ((5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)methyl)phosphine oxide with molybdenum and cobalt as the transition metal. The complexes were analyzed via FTIR, NMR, UV-Vis, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, TGA, DFT, and XRD. Chapter 3 resulted in the synthesis of the complexes [Ni(II)SSRRL](PF6)2 and [Ni(II)SRSRL](Cl)(PF6) of which [Ni(II)SRSRL](Cl)(PF6) had not been previously analyzed. Both products were analyzed via FTIR, NMR, UV-Vis, CV, DFT, and XRD. Chapter 5 contains the results of the characterization and modification of 4 natural zeolites (AZLB-Na, AZLB-Ca, NM-CA, NV-Na) from the United States in an attempt to increase the …

Characterization Of Modern Ammunition And Background Profiles: A Novel Approach And Probabilistic Interpretation Of Inorganic Gunshot Residue, Korina Layli Menking-Hoggatt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gunshot residue (GSR) can provide essential clues in gun-related investigations. The standard practice for GSR analysis uses SEM-EDS, with the capability for single particle elemental and morphological analysis. However, the method is time-consuming and based on categorical classification models without considering case circumstances. Therefore, complementary and more encompassing methods are needed to improve evidence interpretation of modern ammunition. This research aims to fill these demands by developing standard materials and alternative methods to characterize and interpret IGSR.

This study developed primer GSR (pGSR) standards from sixty discharged primers that were fully characterized by three techniques. The number of GSR particles, …

Nanomaterial Composites Based On Potassium Hexaniobate, Perovskites, And Iron Triazole Spin Crossover Complexes, Alexis A. Blanco

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Development of novel materials with sought after properties has been the forefront in the field of nanomaterials. Hybrid nanomaterial architectures, or nanocomposites, is an important subgroup within the material chemistry umbrella. One such example of nanocomposite systems is peapod-like structures that are composed of 0D nanoparticles (“peas”) and 2D nanosheets (“pods”). Nanopeapods may display unique properties that were not attainable within individual components. BaTiO₃ nanoparticles can be produced using solvothermal methods (20 h) in the presence of Ba(NO₃)₂, titanium (IV) butoxide, and oleic acid as the surfactant. Synthesis parameters were modified to allow for both …

Fluorinated Phthalonitriles And Phthalocyanines: Synthesis And Spectroscopic Properties, Marius Pelmus

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Since their discovery at the beginning of the 20^th century, phthalocyanines (Pc) have come a long way; today they are replacing the porphyrins (natural products) in most of their applications. The functionalization of the organic macrocycle, the use of different metals, and the change of the axial ligands resulted in Pc applications in a wide range of fields, ranging from photochemistry, paints, catalysis, to fuel cells and cosmetic products.

In Dr. Gorun’s group was developed a series of electron-deficient Pcs that benefit from a Teflon-like chemical shield, meant also to break the π-π interactions, namely the F₆₄PcM …

Study On Cation Exchange Of A Lead Coordination Polymer Targeting Dynamic Mixed Cation Doped And Mixed-Valent Coordination Polymers, Hamisu Aliyu Mohammed

Student Works (2020-2029)

Solid solution in Metal-Organic Coordination Polymers (MOCPs) is an emerging synthetic pathway for modifying chemical compositions and has been expansively investigated. It has been demonstrated to be an important tool for engineering novel functional materials that otherwise have not been synthesized via the conventional technique. Although stable solid material with variable functionalities and intriguing structural motifs could be engineered by judicious selection of multivariate metal centers and multifunctional ligands. However, solid solution featuring mixed valence in MOCP is rare. Motivated by the ability of Pb2+ to adopt range of coordination numbers (CN) and chemical environments (CE), in addition to its …

Doping Effects On Transition-Metal Silicides: Crystal Structures And Physical Properties Of Aluminium Doped Rhenium Silicide, Victoria Decocq

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Semiconductive transition-metal silicides (e.g., ReSi) express weak thermoelectric properties. These properties can improve through n-type or p-type doping (e.g., Al), resulting in altered crystal structures. Binary rhenium silicide (ReSi_1.75) exhibits promising thermoelectric properties and an intriguing crystal structure. Previous research has shown ReSi_1.75 changes from a commensurate supercell MoSi₂-type structure to an incommensurate superspace group structure, when doped with aluminium to ReAl_0.074Si_1.67. ReSi_1.75 expresses a figure of merit (ZT) of 0.70 at 800°C, which improves to a ZT of 0.95 at 150°C for ReAl_0.02Si_1.75. Because of …

Computational Elucidation Of The "Coloring Problem" In Rhenium Aluminum Silicon Compounds, Alec George Neeson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Re₁Si₁Al₁ and its related compounds are potential thermoelectric materials. Previously, it was reported to adopt a MoSi₂-type structure with Si and Al atoms statistically sharing the same crystallographic sites. This recent study indicates otherwise – Si and Al are segregated and occupy different sites when mixed with a 1:1:1 stoichiometry. To confirm and rationalize the segregation between Si and Al, this research studied this compound with first-principle calculations. Several model structures have been constructed for Re₁Si₁Al₁ including a number of different super-cell models. Energy analysis confirmed that the …

Visualization Without Vision – How Blind And Visually Impaired Students And Researchers Engage With Molecular Structures, Croix J. Laconsay, Henry B. Wedler, Dean J. Tantillo

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This article examines the tools and techniques currently available that enable blind and visually impaired (BVI) individuals to visualize three-dimensional objects used in learning chemistry concepts. How BVI individuals engage with and visualize molecular structure is discussed and recent tactile (or haptic) and auditory methods for visualization of various chemistry concepts are summarized. Remaining challenges for chemistry education researchers are described with the aim of highlighting the potential value of educational research in further enabling BVI students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The Influence Of Carbon Nanotubes And Mn Dopant Onto Zinc Oxide For Degradation Of Organic Pollutant Model Under Visible Light Irradiation, Ab Wahab Norfarhanah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Globally untreated industrial wastewaters are contaminating soil, surface water, groundwater, and consequently, the environment. Therefore, there is a huge interest in developing efficient and effective removal methods, such as photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes (AOP) under visible light (~47% of solar irradiation). In this work, the effectiveness of Mn-doped ZnO composite decorated onto multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on photodegrading organic pollutants was studied. This composite was simultaneously synthesized by sol gel method. XRD was used to confirm the formation of ZnO/Mn nanocomposite and the crystalline phase changes as ZnO content decreases when other elements were added to form the nanocomposite. The …

Understanding The Interfacial Reactions Initiating On Lithium Metal Surfaces In Next-Generation Battery Technologies, Joshua A. Lochala

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Li-ion batteries have started to reach the theoretical maximum energy. Next-generation batteries represent the future of portable energy sources for vehicle electrification and grid energy storage. Li metal battery is one of the most promising next-generation battery technologies that could potentially double the cell-level energy of conventional Li-ion batteries. However, Li metal has multiple drawbacks that require addressing before realization. These drawbacks include dendrite formation leading to internal short and increasing internal resistance due to the breakdown of electrolyte, leading to rapid cell death. These problems stem from the interfacial reactions occurring during the plating and stripping of Li metal. …

Ensemble And Single Particle Studies Of Cation Exchange In Cuins2/Zns Qds And Their Application In Super-Resolution Imaging, Anh Tue Nguyen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have great potential in many applications such as bioimaging, light emitting diodes, solar cells and lasers. However, a great number of studies have been focused on Cd based (II-VI) and Pb (IV-VI) based materials which are not suitable for mass production. Therefore, alternative types of QD containing less toxic materials have been introduced, including CuInS2 QDs. This I-III-VI semiconductor nanocrystals also attract lots of attention due to their large Stock shift, long fluorescence lifetime and high defect tolerance, making them attractive emitters for applications in bioimaging, photovoltaics and light emitting diodes.

In the first project, we …

The Reduction, Sequestration, And/Or Coordination Of Technetium-99 Utilizing Polyoxometalates And Nanomaterials, Colleen Mb Gallagher

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research into the sequestration of radionuclides from aqueous media is being conducted due to the contamination of aqueous waste effluents and groundwater with highly toxic long-lived radionuclides. These contaminants are introduced into water and streams from legacy nuclear sites, nuclear reactor operations, nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear weapons testing, and plutonium production. A major contributor (~6%) to the waste from thermal neutron fission of uranium-235 is the radionuclide technetium-99 (⁹⁹Tc). It is considered a long-lived radioisotope with a half-life of 2.1x10⁵ years. It is a weak beta emitter with a max energy of 0.29 MeV and is most …

Enhancing Upconversion Nanoparticle Performance Of Nayf4: Yb,Tm With Doping Optimization And Shell Addition And Of Nayf4: Yb,Er With Yb,Nd Shell Addition, Ashleigh M. Chov

Honors Thesis

Upconversion (UC), is a phenomenon that occurs when low-energy excitation (usually near-infrared (NIR)) results in higher-energy emission. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are particles less than 100 nm in size that are synthesized using rare earth metals such as Yb, Er, Tm, and Y. UCNPs have important applications in a variety of fields, including bio-imaging, security printing, and latent fingerprint development. Traditional methods for latent fingerprint development such as fluorescent powder dusting have several drawbacks including low contrast, high background interference, and autofluorescence. NIR-to-NIR UCNPs are composed of NaYF₄: Yb, Tm and emit 800 nm light under 980 nm excitation …

Battery Application Of Silver Molybdate Materials, Brendan Michael Godsel

Undergraduate Honors Papers

As the demand for renewable energy grows, the investigation of potential battery materials continues to progress hastily. Many devices and machines of present day are operated by battery technology, and their energy requirements warrant which kinds of batteries will power them. The battery in a phone requires hundreds, possibly thousands, of uses and needs to be able to recharge quickly. The battery in the implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD), the battery by which this product was inspired, is only used once, but it must last years before it is replaced. The cathode of the ICD battery is comprised of a silver …

Geochemical Analysis And Heat-Treatment Of Natural Sapphires From Madagascar And Tanzania In Oxidizing And Reducing Conditions, Lukas Karuza, Dr. Michael B. Wolf, Brian Konecke Phd

Geology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Natural or synthetic sapphires can be heat-treated to improve the clarity by removing “silk” (inclusions) and to change color by introducing color-inducing elements (i.e., chromophores) into the lattice structure or changing their valency. Due to these reasons, sapphires can be heat-treated to increase their monetary value. Twenty natural blue (C1), 20 green (C2), and 20 clear (C3) sapphires from Madagascar and Tanzania were heat-treated in a muffle furnace in oxidizing and reducing conditions, from 1200 to 1600℃, for 10-hour soak time. In total, 5 experiments were conducted in which soak time remained constant: experiment 1 was performed at 1200℃, exp. …

Development Of Supported Pd-Based Catalysts For Carbon-Carbon Cross-Coupling And Oxidation Reactions, Mrinmoy Das

Theses and Dissertations

Heterogeneous catalysts are a crucial part of chemistry used for various chemical synthesis stages, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications. The use of nanoparticles or rather nanocatalysts enhances the heterogeneous catalytic applications. Both chemical and physical methods can be used to synthesize nanocatalysts. Chemical synthesis methods require comparatively fewer instruments and can easily synthesize a large amount of nanocatalysts. Nevertheless, chemical synthesis methods require reducing agents and solvents that can be toxic or harmful materials. They often need harsh reaction conditions as well, like high temperature and pressure. On the other hand, physical synthesis methods often require complex instrument setup, but their …

Design Of Pigments For Use In “Cool” Coatings, Tyler Laughorn

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project was focused on the development and testing of several novel pigments that exhibit high NIR-reflectance and therefore show potential for use in “cool” coatings. A “cool” coating will reflect more solar radiation than other standard coatings, and so a coated structure would require less energy to keep cool. Four sets of pigments were synthesized: Co_1-xMg_xCr₂O₄ (teal), Co_0.25Mg_0.75Cr_2-yAl_yO₄ (blue), Ti_1-x-yNi_xSb_yO₂ (yellow), and Cr_2-xFe_xO₃ (black). NIR and TSR values were then measured …

Uncovering Structure-Property Relationships Of Inorganic Nanomaterials Via Transmission Electron Microscopy, Melonie Thomas

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The rapid increase of research in nanoscale devices and nanotechnology in the past few decades has revealed that nanomaterials may possess exceptional properties that are significantly different from the bulk counterpart, due to local rearrangements of the atoms at surfaces and defects. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an indispensable tool when it comes to the characterization of nanomaterials, primarily due to its ability to resolve the local-structure of materials at the atomic-scale. To study dynamic processes, however, regular TEM experiments are inadequate, as they provide only before and after information rather than the real-time data essential to understanding a reaction …