Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2024
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Physics
Department
Physics
First Advisor
Jin,Mingwu
Second Advisor
Zhang,qiming
Third Advisor
Chen,xiujuan
Abstract
This work aims to address the cumulative harm caused by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water to human health and the ecological environment around the world. Reducing or removing PFAS pollution is an urgent need. Cu-Cy nanoparticles are photosensitizers, which were developed for photodynamic therapy of cancer in the first place. In this work, we use Cu-Cy for the catalytic degradation of PFAS. Synthesis of Cu-Cy nanoparticles in deionized water at 90 degrees Celsius is a low-cost and efficient method. We demonstrated the detailed process of synthesizing Cu-Cy nanoparticles. Under ultraviolet illumination, the synthesized Cu-Cy nanoparticles turned yellow as an initial successful indicator. The Cu-Cy nanoparticles were further characterized by ultraviolet absorption spectrum and X-ray power diffractogram (XRD) to confirm their success synthesis. Through seven sets of control experiments, the photocatalytic degradation of PFAS by Cu-Cy nanoparticles was confirmed. Cu-Cy alone could achieve better degradation performance of PFAS than H2O2 alone. Combination of Cu-Cy and H2O2 could further improve the decomposition of PFAS. In future, more comprehensive investigations of optimal Cu-Cy treatment strategies of PFAS water pollution are warranted.
Keywords
PFAS, Cu-Cy nanoparticles, watertreatment
Disciplines
Biological and Chemical Physics
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Wang, Ligang, "Synthesis of Cu-Cy nanoparticles for treating PFAS in water" (2024). Physics Theses. 2.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/physics_theses/2
Comments
I would like to thank Dr. Jin,Mingwu for his overall guidance on my research and correction revision of my thesis. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Zhang,Qiming for his course guidance and daily care of my study and life at UTA. I am also grateful to Dr. Chen,Xiujuan for degrading inspiring my experimental ideas and formulating the experimental plan, which has provided a lot of help to my time management. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Wei Chen for his guidance in my course and this research.