Solvent free microwave extraction (SFME) has been demonstrated to be feasible in extraction of essential oils from botanical materials. The benefits are no need for any solvent aside from the water naturally in the botanical material and a significant reduction in environmental impact for large scale production processes. However, the...
Cobalt germanides have been widely studied as semiconductor contact materials, but recent theoretical studies suggest that they may also be excellent catalysts for methane steam reforming with stabilities and activities comparable to noble metal catalysts. In order to study the catalytic activity of cobalt germanides, it is critical to first...
Influences of operating conditions on the production of carbon nanotubes
(CNTs) were studied using Fe and Fe-Ni bimetallic catalysts supported on silicon
monoxide (SiO). The catalysts were prepared in three steps: (1) impregnation of SiO
powders with ferric nitride or combinations of ferric and nickel nitrides, (2) oxidation
of nitrides...
In the 21st century, environmental deterioration is now an indisputable fact. Reliable and economically viable electricity systems based on renewable sources are urgently needed to replace the environmentally detrimental fossil fuels. The feasibility of incorporating renewable-but-intermittent solar and wind energy heavily depends on the development of cost-effective and safe technologies,...
Hydrogen is the green fuel that can be produced from water through electrolysis and used via hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity with zero carbon dioxide emission. The commercialization of electrolyzers and fuel cells is the critical step to achieving global carbon neutrality. However, it is severely hampered by the...
Continued interest in the development of miniaturized and portable analytical platforms necessitates the exploration of sensitive methods for the detection of trace analytes. Nanomaterials, on account of their unique physical and chemical properties, are not only able to overcome many limitations of traditional detection reagents but also enable the exploration...
Single-layer and three-layer microchannel adsorption devices were fabricated by procedure that was newly developed. Aluminum was chosen for metal housing while the adsorption pair was silica gel and water. Each adsorption layer contained two layers of 250 μm-thick silica gel. Both silica gel layers opened to the same layer of...
The purpose of this research was to investigate the optoelectronic properties of the
Ge doped biosilica, mainly focused on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of
diatom frustules of N. frustulum that contain metabolically inserted germanium
oxide produced by a two-stage photobioreactor cultivation process. In order to
explain the observed PL intensity...
Advances in energy technologies and electronics have typically occurred through either heightened performance or cost reduction. This dissertation explores both routes through a series of fundamental material studies that may contribute to the enabling of next generation devices. Solution based syntheses and deposition of chemical products offer a low cost...
Atmospheric pressure plasma is non-thermal at millimeter to micrometer separations. It represents an alternative low exergy initiator of many chemical reactions. In many instances heat, light or sound are not efficient providers of the necessary energy to overcome chemical activation barriers. The focus of this research is applying dc nonthermal...