Roya Maboudian (Advisor)

Tin (IV) oxide-supported Pd is a promising heterogenous catalyst for CO oxidation relevant for environmental cleanup reactions. In this study, atomically dispersed catalyst Pd on SnO2 (ADC Pd/SnO2) hybrid material is successfully synthesized via a straightforward wet chemistry method and is found to exhibit superior performance toward CO sensing. Ex-situ EXAFS analysis confirms the formation of single Pd atoms and small Pd nanoclusters stabilized on the SnO2(110) surface. The material exhibits high efficiency in generating adsorbed O2– as well as high activity in catalyzing CO oxidation at...

Concrete is the most widely used engineered material in the world and finds use in nearly every aspect of civil infrastructure. Safety concerns posed by the aging of infrastructure combined with the prevalence of concrete in these systems highlights the demand for a concrete-composite capable of structural health monitoring (SHM) while being low-cost and easily implementable. Embedment of electrically conductive forms of carbon such as graphitic fibers and nanotubes allow for concrete and other cementitious composites to act as self-sensors capable of SHM through a...

Chemiresistive hydrogen sensors employing metal oxides (MOX) are known for their high sensitivity, ease of fabrication, and cost-effectiveness. However, the poor dispersion of the MOX nanomaterials on the sensing platform can degrade the gas-sensing performance of films prepared using the drop-casting method. In this research, we have synthesized an amphiphilic copolymer, poly(tetrafluoro propyl methacrylate)-co-poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (PTPO), using a facile free-radical polymerization technique. The PTPO copolymer serves as a surfactant, significantly enhancing the dispersion of...

Hydrogen safety demands highly sensitive H2 sensors with rapid response (< 30 s) to detect leakage at concentrations far below its explosion limit (40,000 ppm). Nanostructured materials based on palladium (Pd) and its alloys emerged as the most promising candidates that meet the standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy for hydrogen sensors. In this study, we are developing novel robust chemiresistive gas sensors employing single-crystalline mesoporous bimetallic alloys (s-meso PdM) nanocubes (NCs) on ordered mesoporous tin (IV) oxide (m-SnO2) for remote and distributed H2 sensors...