| |
| author | Nicholas D. Chiappini |
| title | Photooxidation of methoxyphenols on titanium dioxide aerosol surrogates |
| abstract |
Titanium dioxide, or rutile, while relatively uncommon in the atmosphere, has
gained relevance in urban atmospheric chemistry over the past few decades due
to its use in solar self-cleaning coatings for buildings and windows. Though it
has not often been thought of as a component of classical aerosols, its
remarkable photochemistry makes a strong case for reconsideration. Upon
adsorption onto rutile aerosols or surfaces in the presence of oxygen, water, and
sunlight, methoxyphenols were found to degrade via radical photo-oxidation to
commodity chemicals and reactive aldehydes such as vanillin and coniferyl
aldehydes. While these reactions appear often in the literature in suspension
phase, heterogeneous gas-solid interface radical oxidation is markedly less
common and nearly non-existent for the particular system studied. The radical
oxidation processes observed form reactive species that may be active
participants in browning reactions decreasing aerosol reflectivity. If this proves to
be true, then photocatalytic aerosol components such as rutile must be included
in atmospheric modeling to reduce the ambiguity of current models. Additionally,
the reaction presented provides a far greener route to valuable commodity
chemicals than currently used industry standards, reducing environmental impact
of their production.
|
| school | The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University |
| degree | B.A. (May 2014) |
| advisor | Ryan Z. Hinrichs |
| committee | Shakti Jaising
Alan Rosan
Robert Murawski |
| full text | NDChiappini.pdf |
| |
