Ph.D. Thesis
Title Photochemical, Photophysical, and Photobiological
Studies of Zeolite Guest-Host Complexes
Adviser Prof. J. C. (Tito) Scaiano
Thesis Committee Prof. Andre Beauchemin (University
of Ottawa Chemistry), Prof. John Arnason (University of Ottawa
Biology), Prof. Robert Crutchley (Carleton University
Chemistry), Prof. Edward Clennan (University of Wyoming Chemistry)
Essay
Zeolites are inorganic solids that are closely related
to the soil, sand, minerals, and clays that make up much of the earth
around us. Zeolites are nanoporous, crystalline aluminosilicate materials
and their tertiary structure forms a series of strictly uniform channels
and cavities of molecular dimensions that are repeated along the tri-directional
structure of the lattice.
Although the use of zeolites in crude oil conversion
and detergent formulations has been extensively studied over the past
four decades, the interest of photochemists in zeolites as host systems
for supramolecular photochemistry is relatively recent. Zeolites have
emerged as convenient and versatile solid hosts for the control of
photochemical and photophysical processes. At the time of initiating
graduate studies I was very interested in exploiting zeolites, which
are inexpensive and readily available, to prepare new materials having
interesting and valuable properties. Accordingly, I became involved
in several projects exploring the photochemical and photophysical
properties of new materials, prepared by the encapsulation of organic
or organometallic species within the cavities of aluminosilicate zeolites.
Along the way we have examined different facets of intrazeolite photochemistry
with the additional aim of developing a more profound understanding
of how zeolite media can influence the behaviour of encapsulated guests.
Our research in the area of zeolite photocatalysis was
inspired by the profoundly important need for efficient and economical
methodologies for the purification of drinking water. In 2004, UNICEF
estimated that over one billion people were still without access to
sanitary drinking water. The rate of natural biological remediation
is surpassed by the quantity of waste released into the system and
the vulnerability of global fresh water resources is becoming increasingly
apparent. To cope with the effects of pollution on the hydrosphere,
the development of treatment methodologies based on efficient catalytic
materials has become increasingly important...[more; pdf
file - 297KB]