Search Results (94)
Microstructural analysis and evaluation OF W and W/W2C composites for fusion application
Fusion technology has a great potential to safely provide an inexhaustible quantity of electricity without producing greenhouse gases and minimal hazardous waste compared to conventional energy sources, such as nuclear power plants. For materials intended for fusion plasma-facing applications, the essential properties are structural stability at elevated temperature, adequate thermal …
New methods for the determination of elemental composition and simple phenolic compounds in atmospheric particulate matter
Air pollution is an inevitable problem that modern society has to face today, with particulate matter (PM) being the most dangerous part of it, threatening human health and the environment. Not all PM particles, however, are equally harmful, since the dangerous potential depends on their size and chemical composition, which …
Nanocomposites as electrocatalysts for the use in fuel cell and electrolyzer reactions
Electrochemical energy conversion devices such as fuel cells (FCs) and water electrolyzers (WE) have attracted attention from the scientific community for their unique ability to store electrical energy in the form of hydrogen and then generate electricity by the reverse process. Unfortunately, those devices rely on a significant amount of …
Towards understanding the impact of problem landscapes in numerical black-box optimization
In optimization, it is well known that algorithm performance is dependent on the problem being solved. As a consequence of this, achieving good optimization results requires correctly matching an optimization problem to a specific optimization algorithm that performs well on that problem. For this to be possible, knowledge of both …
Optimization and application of MeV time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry in the standard and low primary ion beam energy mode
Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry using MeV ions (MeV ToF SIMS) has been around for a few decades as a reliable, surface-sensitive method for the detection of molecular ions having masses up to 1000 Da. It provides excellent lateral resolution of a few μm for imaging of organic samples, making …
Development and application of molecularly imprinted polymers for selected antidepressants and studies of their environmental fate
This thesis focuses on the fate of chosen antidepressants in the environment. Studied compounds belong to the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Reportedly they do not completely mineralize by existing water treatment processes and their residues cause unwanted toxic effects in aquatic organisms. However, to date, insufficient information has …
Electron microscopy of titanium oxynitride supported iridium based electrocatalysts
We are speeding full throttle towards a climate catastrophe and we have only until 2030 to take action to avoid the most devastating and unimaginable consequences. The lack of political and corporate will to change the status quo of “business as usual” is causing mass protests and civil disobedience globally. …
Study of inconsistencies in health risk assessment: the role of assessment context in decision analysis aimed at their reduction
The area of risk assessment continues to be challenged by foundational issues that limit its potential to inform public health decisions. This doctoral work improves our understanding of the interaction between science and public and environmental health policy by addressing specific challenges in risk assessment within and for decision-making. The …
Metrology of mercury measurements in the air
Atmospheric mercury (Hg) plays an important role in the biogeochemical Hg cycle. Hg species in the atmosphere are present in very low concentrations. While gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) is relatively inert, gaseous oxidized (GOM) and particulate-bound (PBM) mercury are highly reactive. These characteristics of atmospheric Hg species make the speciation …
Annotation of semi-polar organic contaminants by using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and machine learning
Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), representing a subgroup of organic compounds of natural or synthetic origin, and their degradation and transformation products (TPs), with potentially harmful effects on humans, biota, and the environment, are the eco-exposome (EE) constituents of utmost importance. Their identification, quantification, and continued investigation into their environmental …