Browsing by Subject "photocatalysis"
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(2021)An overview on utilization of dual nickel/photocatalyst protocols to conduct aryl-heteroatom cross-coupling reactions is presented. Basic concepts of photocatalysis, including different relaxation pathways, the difference of singlet and triplet states, and parameters used to predict reactivity are first disclosed. The general components used in dual nickel/photocatalyst protocols are presented followed by the discussion on reactivity trends. The reactivity trends are compared with other common aryl-heteroatom cross-coupling protocols (Buchwald-Hartwig-, Ullmann- and Chan-Lam couplings) illustrating the general advantages and disadvantages of each cross-coupling method. The scope of different dual nickel/photocatalyst protocols are then explored, concentrating on cross-coupling of amines, alcohols/thiols and carboxylic acids. The developments in mechanistic understanding on the dual nickel/photocatalyst aryl-heteroatom cross-couplings in recent years are reviewed. It is concluded that photocatalytic single electron transfer-based cycles, proposed for a number of coupling protocols, are very unlikely to take place. It is made clear that, based on the current knowledge, two principle mechanism are reasonable: energy transfer or thermal Ni(I)/Ni(III) cycles. Problems concerning energy transfer mechanisms are also discussed. Finally, applicability of dual nickel/photocatalyst aryl-heteroatom cross-coupling for industrially significant transformations is briefly discussed.
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(2022)Ensuring adequate air quality is integral to healthy living. Since in modern societies the majority of time is spent indoors, understanding indoor air pollution and the means of air purification are of great importance. Adverse health effects are induced by volatile organic compounds (VOC) that originate from everyday activities and our surroundings. Photocatalysis is a radiation-activated chemical transformation that can be used to decompose organic pollutants into harmless constituents. However, existing air purification solutions employing photocatalysis often rely on UV light limiting the use of solar radiation. Titanium dioxide is a popular photocatalyst material, but it requires modification to its electronic properties to respond to visible light. An established approach is to introduce atoms of other dopant elements into the titania lattice. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a thin film deposition technique widely studied especially in metal and metal oxide research. Following from the principle of sequential saturation of the surface, control over the size and composition of the film may reach atomic level. Since the chemical configuration of a doped TiO2 film is of utmost importance to successful modification, ALD is an excellent tool to examine suitable photocatalytic TiO2 chemistries. Furthermore, thin solid films of catalytically active material would have a distinguished advantage for deployment in real-life settings over their powderous counterparts. The literature review of this thesis explores the semiconductor photocatalysis with an eye on its suitability to indoor air purification. The motivation is to give the reader a view on the air quality issue, the existing technological solutions and how a thin film photocatalyst could supplement the field. Titanium dioxide doping concepts are introduced to elucidate the rationale behind the experimental efforts. The experimental part describes a development project to deposit visible-light responding photocatalysts. Titanium dioxide thin films co-doped with nitrogen and zinc/fluorine were grown on steel plates. An in-house built reactor system was used to study acetaldehyde degradation under irradiation. Unfortunately, the reactor experienced a malfunction, rendering a large part of the results futile. Moreover, months of valuable time were lost in chasing a mirage of fallacious data. In the end an ALD grown photocatalyst responding to visible light could not be materialized.
Now showing items 1-2 of 2