BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Redox-Driven Processes for Environmental and Energy Applications
DTSTART:20261023T080000Z
DTEND:20261023T110000Z
DTSTAMP:20261024T080100Z
UID:indico-event-9888@indico.fysik.su.se
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: María Isabel Alvarado Ávila (KTH Applied Physics)\
 n\nOpponent: Professor Presser Volker\, Saarland University\nSupervisor: P
 rofessor Joydeep Dutta\, Ljus och materiens fysik\nAbstract\nThe increasin
 g demand for sustainable technologies to addressenvironmental pollution an
 d energy challenges has intensified the interest inredox-driven processes.
  Controlling oxidation and reduction reaction throughcatalyst design and r
 eaction environment is crucial to address critical challengesrelated to wa
 ter pollution and enable the production of renewable fuels andchemicals. T
 his thesis investigates the development of electrochemical andphotocatalyt
 ic systems for water treatment and energy production\, with aparticular fo
 cus on catalyst design and surface modification\, reaction selectivityand 
 mechanistic understanding.For water treatment applications\, carbon-based 
 electrodes were modifiedto improve the electrochemical production of chlor
 ine oxyanions. Platinumnanoparticles were deposited on the carbon electrod
 e using the polyol methodwile fluorine atoms were introduced by electroche
 mical fluorination method.Both treatments enhanced chlorine evolution acti
 vity leading to higher chlorateyields and current efficiencies while reduc
 ing cell voltage. Strategies to suppressside reaction on the cathode were 
 also investigated to minimize the use ofhazardous additives such as hexava
 lent chromium. In addition\, otherelectrochemical systems based on activat
 ed carbon cloth were evaluated for theremoval of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl
  substances (PFAS)\, demonstrating thecombine contribution of electrosorpt
 ion and electrooxidation processes forpollutant removal. In parallel\, nit
 rogen-doped TiO2 decorated with cobaltPrussian blue analogue was developed
  for photo-Fenton degradation ofmicroplastics. This catalyst promoted oxid
 ative degradation under visible-lightirradiation\, resulting in microplast
 ic oxidation\, surface deterioration\, andfragmentation while avoiding the
  formation of iron sludge commonly associatedwith conventional Fenton syst
 ems.For energy production applications two main approaches are studied int
 his thesis. First\, biomass-assisted photocatalytic hydrogen generation wa
 sinvestigated using different cellulosic materials as a sacrificial agent 
 to improvecharge separation and hydrogen evolution\, where platinum loadin
 g and pH of thesystem played a main role in the system stability by preven
 ting agglomeration ofiithe sacrificial agent and further precipitation. In
  addition\, Electrochemical nitratereduction was explored as a sustainable
  path for ammonia production and nitrateremediation. CuFe-based catalyst e
 xhibited enhance nitrate conversion andammonia production\, while the use 
 of nickel foam as substrate reduced nitriteformation and energy consumptio
 n. To improve overall stability of membranefreedevice working under neutra
 l media conditions\, cobalt phosphide (CoP/Ti)anodes were developed\, prov
 iding stable oxygen evolution activity andcontributing to improved overall
  device efficiency. Mechanistic studies combiningdistribution of relaxatio
 n times (DRT) analysis and density functional theory(DFT) calculations rev
 ealed the complementary catalytic roles of Cu\, Fe\, and CoPduring nitrate
  reduction and oxygen evolution reactions. Furthermore\,hierarchical P(Ni\
 ,Co\,Fe) nanoarrays demonstrated excellent oxygen evolutionperformance in 
 alkaline media due to their large electrochemical surface area\,improved c
 harge-transfer properties\, and enhanced catalytic stability.In summary\, 
 rational catalyst design and surface engineering can greatly improvethe pe
 rformance of redox-based systems. The results from this research havemade 
 a substantial contribution toward developing sustainable processes forwate
 r purification\, pollutant degradation\, production of renewable fuels\, a
 ndelectrochemical energy conversion systems\n\nhttps://indico.fysik.su.se/
 event/9888/
LOCATION:Albano 3: 4205 - SU Conference Room (40 seats) (Albano Building 3
 )
URL:https://indico.fysik.su.se/event/9888/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR