COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Harshica Fernando

TITLE: SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MIXED GREEN NANO CATALYSTS FOR AMMONIA SYNTHESIS

ABSTRACT: Ammonia, (NH3), is a chemical that is most used industrially for uses that sustain millions of people, such as in the agricultural industry in fertilizers or in other potential applications like energy storage and power generation. This chemical is possible to be produced at a grand scale because of the Haber-Bosch Process developed in 1913. While the Haber-Bosch Process is renowned for the ammonia synthesis process and the effects it has had on the world over the past century, it is a significant contributor of around 1-2% CO2 emissions annually and the Iron (Fe) catalyst requires extreme conditions for the reaction to take place. In turn, recent research has pivoted in exploring mild conditioned methods of ammonia synthesis. In addition, the synthesis and characterization of a green mixed metal nano catalyst, Iron Tungsten (FeW), for photocatalytic NH3 synthesis. The nano catalyst was characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and redox properties evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. The results show the qualities such as size, redox potential and surface chemistry of the nano catalysts that could determine how it plays a role in ammonia synthesis. The quantification of ammonia from the Photocatalytic synthesis was measured using an Ion Selective Electrode. Results show the mixed metal nano catalyst was effective in the ammonia synthesis process.

Keywords: Nano catalyst, Ammonia Synthesis, Photocatalytic, Dextrose, Mixed Metal, Green Synthesis

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