03418nas a2200241 a 450000500170000000800410001703500150005810000260007324501680009926000570026730000440032449000280036850200580039650001860045452022020064065000190284265000280286170000340288970000430292371000850296681000600305185600650311120260819090009.0250120s20239999th u  m  tt   000   eng d  a.b124443271 aMaputi, Anthony Oliva10aUV-Irradiated photocatalytic degradation of flexible polyurethane foam using metal-decorated zinc oxide nanoparticles as plasmonic photocatalyst in a batch reactor  aPathum Thani :bAsian Institute of Technology,c2023  a120 leaves :bill.+e 1 online resource1 aThesis ;vno. ISE-23-08  aThesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2023  aA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of  Master of Science in Bio-Nano Material Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology  aThis study was principally aimed at using photocatalysis as a tool to induce the  degradation of flexible polyurethane foam (PUf) and subsequently deduce its  degradation patterns, assess the various products born out of the process, and  characterize the photocatalytic effects of the synthesized plasmonic photocatalysts on  flexible polyurethane foam. SEM and TEM micrographs of the photocatalysts revealed  an effective deposition of metal on the ZnO surface with near-spherical configuration  and average sizes of 10, 8, and 9 nm for Au, Pt, and Co metals, respectively. Moreover,  EDX elemental analyses revealed 7.57% Au, 2.57% Pt, and 1.42% Co weight content  on the respective plasmonic photocatalyst. Slightly elevated Au content was noted due  to the gold coating used in the sample preparation. The General Factorial Design of the  factors namely; type of photocatalyst, reaction time, and catalyst loading revealed that  there was an improved photocatalytic efficiency with Pt/ZnO causing the highest mass  loss at 49.29%, Au/ZnO at 39.39%, and Co/ZnO at 36.89%. All of the three factors  considered returned statistically significant main effects and interaction tendencies.  FTIR spectra of the foam residues revealed a photocatalyst type-dependent increase in carbonyl indices (CI) with pronounced changes in the -NH and -OH peaks. Pt/ZnO  reported the highest CI value consistent with its high mass loss outcome. DSC  thermograms revealed a shift and broadening of the foam melting point ranges  indicating dominant rearrangements of the macromolecular structure. Moreover, foam  SEM images before and after irradiation show cellular collapse with remarkable voids  and cracks on the surface showing significant embrittlement and disintegration. GC MS results show the presence of low-molecular-weight compounds with traces of substituted amines, alcohols, carboxylic acids, and some isocyanate components  revealing degradation at the molecular state. The increase of carbonyl content in some  of the products led to the conclusion that the process follows the Norrish Type I  photodegradation pathway. A basic degradation pathway was deduced based on this set  of observations.  0aPhotocatalysis 0aPolymersxDeterioration1 aRicco, Raffaele,eChairperson1 aBora, Tanujjal,eExamination Committee2 aAsian Development Bank - Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP),eScholarship Donor2 aAsian Institute of Technology.tThesis ;vno. ISE-23-08403Full-Textuhttp://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B21825