Mid Sweden University

We herein report that supported copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on commercially available controlled pore glass (CPG), which exhibit high mechanical, thermal and chemical stability as compared to other silica-based materials, serve as a useful heterogeneous catalyst system for 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions (“click” reactions) between terminal alkynes and organic azides under green chemistry conditions. The supported CuNPs-CPG catalyst exhibited a broad substrate scope and gave the corresponding triazole products in high yields. The CuNPs-CPG catalyst exhibit recyclability and could be reuced multiple times without contaminating the products with Cu. 

In the present study, the conversion performance of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to elemental sulfur in ionic-liquid-incorporated transition metals (ILTMs) is predicted using a conductor-like screening model for realistic solvents (COSMO-RS). The predictions were made via the establishment of a correlation between the conversion performance and solubility of H2S in ionic liquids (ILs). All molecules involved were optimized at the DFT/TZVP/M06 computational level and imported on the COSMOtherm program at equimolar conditions. For validation purposes, the solubility of ILs was predicted at 1 bar pressure. Simple regression analysis was used to establish a relationship between the solubility and conversion performance of H2S. The results indicate that the solubility prediction of ILs is accurate (R-2 = 93.40%) with a p-value of 0.0000000777. Additionally, the conversion performance is generally found to be dependent on the solubility value. Furthermore, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [bmim][Cl] was chosen as the base IL for incorporating the transition metal, owing to its solubility and selectivity to H2S. The solubility trend of ILTMs is found to follow the following order: [bmim][NiCl3] > [bmim][FeCl4] > [bmim][CoCl3] > [bmim][CuCl3]. According to the viscosity measurements of ILTMs, [bmim][NiCl3] and [bmim][FeCl4] exhibited the highest and lowest viscosity values, respectively. Therefore, [bmim][FeCl4] is a promising ILTM owing to its higher solubility and low viscosity for the application studied.

A mild and efficient synthesis of primary amines and amides from aldehydes or ketones using a heterogeneous metal catalyst and amine donor is disclosed. The initial heterogeneous metal-catalyzed reaction between the carbonyl and the amine donor components is followed by the addition of a suitable acylating agent component in one-pot, thus providing a catalytic one-pot three-component synthesis of amides. Integration of enzyme catalysis allows for eco-friendly one-pot co-catalytic synthesis of amides from aldehyde and ketone substrates, respectively. The process can be applied to asymmetric synthesis or to the co-catalytic one-pot three-component synthesis of capsaicin and its analogues from vanillin or vanillyl alcohol. A co-catalytic reductive amination/dynamic kinetic resolution (dkr) relay sequence for the asymmetric synthesis of optically active amides from ketones is disclosed. Implementation of a catalytic reductive amination/kinetic resolution (kr) relay sequence produces the corresponding optically active amide product and optical active primary amine product with the opposite stereochemistry from the starting ketones.

The concept of merging enamine activation catalysis with transition metal catalysis is an important strategy, which allows for selective chemical transformations not accessible without this combination. The amine catalyst activates the carbonyl compounds through the formation of a reactive nucleophilic enamine intermediate and, in parallel, the transition metal activates a wide range of functionalities such as allylic substrates through the formation of reactive electrophilic π-allyl-metal complex. Since the first report of this strategy in 2006, considerable effort has been devoted to the successful advancement of this technology. In this chapter, these findings are highlighted and discussed. 

A new eco-friendly approach for the preparation of sustainable heterogeneous palladium catalysts from rice husk-derived biogenic silica (RHP-Si and RHU-Si). The designed heterogeneously supported palladium species (RHP-Si-NH2-Pd and RHU-Si-NH2-Pd) were fully characterized and successfully employed as catalysts for various chemical transformations (C–C bond-forming reactions, aerobic oxidations and carbocyclizations). Suzuki-Miyaura transformations were highly efficient in a green solvent system (H2O:EtOH (1:1) with excellent recyclability, providing the cross-coupling products with a wide range of functionalities in high isolated yields (up to 99%). Palladium species (Pd(0)-nanoparticles or Pd(II)) were also efficient catalysts in the green aerobic oxidation of an allylic alcohol and a co-catalytic stereoselective cascade carbocyclization transformation. In the latter case, a quaternary stereocenter was formed with excellent stereoselectivity (up to 27:1 dr). 

The existence of off-cycle catalyst cooperativity in amine/metal combined catalysis is disclosed. The experimental and density functional theory study of the amine/metal co-catalyzed enantioselective Michael/carbocyclization cascade reaction between allenes and alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes reveals that the dual catalysts can perform off-cycle cooperativity that gives access to stable bicyclo[3.2.0]heptane species that limits the carbocycle product formation. Insight into this mode of co-catalyst cooperativity sheds new light on the chiral amine/metal co-catalyzed reactions of to date and gives deeper understanding for improved future design of this type of enantioselective reactions.

An efficient heterogeneous palladium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenolysis of primary, secondary, and tertiary benzylic alcohols using formic acid as hydrogen source has been developed. The resulting hydrocarbon products were obtained in excellent yields. Moreover, the system exhibits high chemoselectivity, reacting only with the hydroxy groups in the presence of other functional groups, and excellent recyclability.

Tropanes are an important class of alkaloid natural products that are found in plants all over the world. These compounds can exhibit significant biological activity and are among the oldest known medicines. In the early 19th century, tropanes were isolated, characterized, and synthesized by notable chemical researchers. Their significant biological activities have inspired tremendous research efforts toward their synthesis and the elucidation of their pharmacological activity both in academia and in industry. In this chapter, which addresses the developments in this field since 1994, the focus is on the synthesis of these compounds, and several examples of sophisticated synthetic protocols involving both asymmetric and catalytic approaches are described. In addition, the structures of more than 100 new alkaloids are included as well as the applications and pharmacological properties of some tropane alkaloids. 

A wind tunnel is used to simulate the air flow that acts on, for example, a scaled-down model of a real aircraft wing or a vehicle. Which allows a better understanding of the components that affect the interactions between the air and the object of study, that is to say the forces and torque affecting the object. In order to fully utilize the wind tunnel in the laboratory at Mid Sweden, it has proved necessary to design a new wind tunnel force balance, which is a structure that measures forces affecting objects inside the wind tunnel. The reason being is that the current force balance sensor has some issues concerning accuracy of measurement and the lack of measuring other forces than lifting forces. A further development of the existing force balance would involve too long a work process, so it was decided to develop a new design of a wind tunnel force balance that solves some sources of error that the previous design of the force balance has and introduce an air resistance measurement component. By developing a new force balance that can be manufactured in Mid Sweden University's premises, the time for performing wind tunnel testing is reduced and the accuracy of the measured values is increased. The purpose of this project has been to develop a construction of a new force balance that can measure forces in the x- and y-axis, meaning lifting and air resistance. The force balance will be installed in the wind tunnel located in Mid Sweden University's laboratory. 

In this project, the workflow of the design process is followed, which is divided into four phases. The first phase, the research phase, defined the product's requirements specification and functional analysis. The second phase, concept development and control art, began with brainstorming to generate concept solution ideas. The Pugh matrix was then used in the prototyping and validation phase to evaluate and select the concept based on a quantitative method. Then a three-dimensional model for the finalized concept was modelled using CAD. Finally, in the testing and refining phase, the design was produced using the CAD models. Then the complex components were printed with a 3D-printer while the less complex component were made of wood using a laser cutter to save on materials and costs, finally the rig was built and tested in Mid Sweden University's workshop. 

The project resulted in a force balance that can measure both air resistance and lifting force in a low-speed wind tunnel with a more accurate measurements than the previous force balance. 

The non-stop use of petroleum-based materials such as plastics can generate significant environmental problems, including pollution of the oceans and increased CO2 levels, and cause diseases like cancer due to the starting monomers. Consequently, increased use of sustainable and non-toxic polymers and monomers is required to address these issues. Cellulose, generously supplied by Mother Nature, is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth. Nanocellulose is a sustainable polymer extracted from the cellulose inwood or produced by bacteria and algae. This biodegradable nanomaterialhas recently been receiving intense research attention, since it has great potential for use in a broad range of industrial and biomedical applications. However, it has limitations such as moisture sensitivity and incompatibility with hydrophobic materials due to its hydrophilic nature. Chemical modification is necessary for it to fulfill the requirements for applications that require high moisture resistance and water repellency. Unfortunately, several of the existing methods involve harsh and toxic conditions or reagents. In this thesis, together with my co-workers, I have employed the toolbox of organocatalysis for accomplishing eco-friendly and innovative surface modification of cellulose and nanocellulose. The organocatalysts we usedmost in our research are the naturally abundant and industrially relevantorganic acids tartaric acid and citric acid.

Direct catalytic esterification of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) with thioglycolicacid was performed either in suspension or on solid surfaces such as films and foams. We found that the reaction was accelerated by tartaric acid but could also be autocatalytic with respect to the thioglycolic acid under certain conditions. The synthesized CNC-SH was further exploited as a heterogeneous reducing agent as well as a handle for further nanocellulose modifications. This was demonstrated by using CNC-SH as a heterogenous reducing agent of Cu(II) to Cu(I), which is essential for allowing the Cu to actas a catalyst for 2,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions between azides andalkynes. We also showed that the thia-modified CNC could undergo further functionalizing via thiol-ene click chemistry reactions, for example, we attached fluorescent compounds such as TAMRA and quinidine.

Herein we provide a fluorine-free method to prepare superhydrophobic CNC film with excellent water-resistance properties by combining self-assemblyand organocatalysis. Self-assembly of CNC via vacuum filtration resulted in xa film with a specific roughness at the microscale. Next, the catalytic silylation with a variety of alkoxysilanes in the presence of natural organic acids such as tartaric acid and citric acid was performed. The successful implementation of our method resulted in a super-hydrophobic CNC film (water contact angleover 150°) with excellent water-resistance. Thus, the combination of the selfassembly of a rough surface with catalytic surface modification resulted in a phenomenon like the “lotus effect” as exhibited by the leaves of the lotus flower. An investigation of the oxygen permeability of the octadecyltrimethoxysilane-modified CNC film revealed that it significantly decreased at high relative humidity compared with unmodified CNC films.

In this thesis, the fabrication of hydrophobic and functionalized MTM/CNF nanocomposites using organocatalytic surface modification with a large variety of alkoxysilanes is also performed. The surface modifications are mildand the mechanical strength of the Nacre-mimetic nanocomposites is preserved. Elemental mapping analysis revealed that the silane modification occurred predominantly on the surface.

A combination of organocatalyst and biopolyelectrolyte complex was appliedfor surface engineering of chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP) and bleached sulfite pulp (BSP). The reaction was performed using a synergistic combination of an organocatalyst with a polyelectrolyte (PE) complex. Using this method, the strength properties of CTMP and BSP sheets were significantly increased (up to 100% in Z-strength for CTMP). Further investigations of the distribution of the PE complex were then performed using TAMRA and quinidine labeling and confocal laser scanningmicroscopy. This revealed that an even distribution of the cationic starch component of the PE complex had occurred within the CTMP-based paper sheets, which follows its lignin distribution pattern.

The mild and simple direct organocatalytic esterification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and nanocellulose-based materials (e.g. foams and films) with thioglycolic acid (TGA) is disclosed. The transformation gives the corresponding thiol group (-SH) functionalized crystalline nanocellulose (CNC-SH) using simple, naturally occurring, and non-toxic organic acids (e.g. tartaric acid) as catalysts. We also discovered that the direct esterification of cellulose with TGA is autocatalytic (i.e. the TGA is catalyzing its own esterification). The introduction of the -SH functionality at the nanocellulose surface opens up for further selective applications. This was demonstrated by attaching organic catalysts and fluorescent molecules, which are useful as sensors, to the CNC-SH surface by thiol-ene click chemistry. Another application is to use the CNC-SH-based foam as a heterogeneous biomimetic reducing agent, which is stable during multiple recycles, for the copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (“click” reaction).

Development of surface-engineering strategies, which are facile, versatile, and mild, are highly desirable in tailor-made functionalization of high-performance bioinspired nanocomposites. We herein disclose for the first time a general organocatalytic strategy for the functionalization and hydrophobization of nacre-mimetic nanocomposites, which includes vide supra key aspects of surface engineering. The merging of metal-free catalysis and the design of nacre-mimetic nanocomposite materials were demonstrated by the organocatalytic surface engineering of cellulose nanofibrils/clay nanocomposites providing the corresponding bioinspired nanocomposites with good mechanical properties, hydrophobicity, and useful thia-, amino, and olefinic functionalities. 

In article number 1900018 by Armando Cordova and co‐workers, the novel combination of metal‐free catalysis and renewable polyelectrolyte complexes leads to synergistic surface engineering of lignocellulose and cellulose fibers derived from wood. This sustainable strategy allows for improvement and introduction of important properties such as strength (up to 100% in Z‐strength), water resistance, and fluorescence to the renewable fibers and cellulosic materials under eco‐friendly conditions.

A sustainable strategy for synergistic surface engineering of lignocellulose and cellulose fibers derived from wood by synergistic combination of metal‐free catalysis and renewable polyelectrolyte (PE) complexes is disclosed. The strategy allows for improvement and introduction of important properties such as strength, water resistance, and fluorescence to the renewable fibers and cellulosic materials. For example, the “green” surface engineering significantly increases the strength properties (up to 100% in Z‐strength) of chemi‐thermomechanical pulp (CTMP) and bleached sulphite pulp (BSP)‐derived sheets. Next, performing an organocatalytic silylation with a nontoxic organic acid makes the corresponding lignocellulose and cellulose sheets hydrophobic. A selective color modification of polysaccharides is developed by combining metal‐free catalysis and thiol‐ene click chemistry. Next, fluorescent PE complexes based on cationic starch (CS) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) are prepared and used for modification of CTMP or BSP in the presence of a metal‐free catalyst. Laser‐scanning confocal microscopy reveals that the PE‐strength additive is evenly distributed on the CTMP and heterogeneously on the BSP. The fluorescent CS distribution on the CTMP follows the lignin distribution of the lignocellulosic fibers.

Företaget Uniper som är en elproducent och äger vattenkraftverk över hela Sverige har upptäckt nya sorter av skador i kammaren till en av av deras Kaplanturbiner. Skador förekommer i form av sprickbildningar i ett område som kallas för sugröret. Röret består av rostfritt stål och är omgivet av förankringsstag, armeringsjärn och betong. Företaget anlitade konsultbolaget Sweco som analyserade det utsatta området med FEM-beräkningar. Konsultbolagets slutsatser kring sprickbildningen var att de ansågs bero på en fel utförd svets eller dåliga förhållanden vid utförandet av tidigare reparationer. Sweco upptäckte även att konstruktionen vid stora tryckdifferenser, mer specifikt vid driftstopp, skapar utåtriktade momentana krafter mot betongen, vilket kan med stor sannolikhet orsaka utmattningsbrott. Utifrån de framtagna data om rörets beteende valde bolaget att förnya den kringgjutna betongen att samt svetsa ihop områdena som hade bildat sprickor för att minimera spridningen. Reparationen eliminerade inte  sprickbildningen då det fortsätter ännu idag att förekomma små sprickor i kammaren. 

I detta projektarbete analyserades sugrörskonans beståndsdelar med andra metoder som tidigare inte har använts av företaget Sweco. Detta i syfte att få en helhetsbild av orsakerna till det som har skapat sprickor i kammaren. De genomförda simuleringarna i konan delades upp i fall A – F för att identifiera de mest utsatta områdena.

Det framkom att svetsförbandet mellan sugrörskonan och nedre löphjulskammaren var de svagaste punkterna i konstruktionen. Utsatta området förstärktes med förstärkningsring runt röret som visade 45 % minskning av spänningsvärdet i jämförelse med tidigare fall som hade samma förutsättningar. Med en kompletterande detalj i sugröret som föreslås av detta projektarbete anses rörelsen minska vilket även minimerar risken till sprickbildningar.

Detta projekt utfördes på uppdrag av Valmet AB på dess anläggning belägen i Sundsvall. Valmet är ett företag som är ledande inom pappersmassaindustrin och utvecklar maskiner samt utrustning inom massa-, pappers- och energiindustrin. En av dessa maskiner är TwinRoll pressen som detta examensarbete handlar om.  En del av pappersmassaindustrin inkluderar rengöring av massa. För detta används stora maskiner som kontinuerligt pressar smutsig vätska ur massan med hjälp av pressvalsar. På valsarna sitter en detalj vilket är betitlad som mantelsektioner och består av flertal spantringar. I detta arbete undersöks dessa mantelsektioner och dess produktionsmetod åt företaget Valmet.  

Arbetets syfte var att framta ett koncept för ett verktyg som ska kunna underlätta montering av spantringarna som sitter på pressvalsen. Med framtaget koncept kan de svetsade mantelsektioner som tillverkas, ersättas av enbart spantringar som direkt monteras på valsen, vilket innebär att de istället för påsvetsning krymps på konstruktionen. Genom detta krävs inget mellansteg vid montering och det sparas både tid och pengar.  

Studiens mål har varit att generera ett koncept som förändrar dagens produktionsmetod genom att effektivisera den med en praktisk samt kostnadseffektiv lösning. 

Resultatet av examensarbetet visar ett konceptuellt verktyg i form av ett hydrauliskt gripdon vilket uppfyller kraven som författarna har ställt sig inför. Studien presenterar även en vidare utveckling av verktyget som går att implementera i företaget.

With the rapid expansion of the waste incineration business both in Europe and globally, there is a growing need for the elemental analysis for fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration. In this work, samples of washed and unwashed ash from municipal solid waste incineration in Sundsvall are evaluated. Qualitative analysis and semi-quantitative analysis are used to compare two elemental analysis methods, scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurement. Both methods are used to retrieve the difference in elemental composition between washed and unwashed fly ash. SEM-EDS accurately detects light elements from well-prepared samples in a vacuum environment, while, for online measurements, XRF is a potential method that analyses hazardous metal content in the fly ash. 

Thermally expandable microspheres are extensively used in industry as a lightweight filler for many products. The spheres can expand up to 60 times the initial size and are used for different purposes, including material reduction and surface modification. In fused filament fabrication (FFF), a material is deposited in a layer-by-layer process. Typically, FFF objects need not be solid because such objects are typically used for applications with low mechanical stress. Low material infill percentages are commonly used inside a solid outer shell to reduce material usage, weight, and manufacturing time. This paper proposes a new composite filament for FFF consisting of polylactic acid (PLA) and thermally expandable Expancel microspheres in the form of masterbatch granules. These filaments contain unexpanded microspheres that can be expanded during printing by heating. Two types of filaments containing 2 wt% and 5 wt% of masterbatch granules were manufactured and tested. The filaments were successfully used with a commercial 3D printer to manufacture objects with a density of 45% compared to objects manufactured using standard PLA. The tensile strength of these objects changed linearly with density and was comparable to that of PLA objects of the same density prepared using infill patterns. The composite filaments are advantageous in that they can reduce the amount of material used, as is currently done by using different amounts of infill in a pattern. Further, by varying the nozzle temperature, their density can be adjusted directly during printing as well as during fabrication to produce layers of different densities in the same object. 

Flexible electronics is a field gathering a growing interest among researchers and companies with widely varying applications, such as organic light emitting diodes, transistors as well as many different sensors. If the circuit should be portable or off-grid, the power sources available are batteries, supercapacitors or some type of power generator. Thermoelectric generators produce electrical energy by the diffusion of charge carriers in response to heat flux caused by a temperature gradient between junctions of dissimilar materials. As wearables, flexible electronics and intelligent packaging applications increase, there is a need for low-cost, recyclable and printable power sources. For such applications, printed thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are an interesting power source, which can also be combined with printable energy storage, such as supercapacitors. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate), or PEDOT:PSS, is a conductive polymer that has gathered interest as a thermoelectric material. Plastic substrates are commonly used for printed electronics, but an interesting and emerging alternative is to use paper. In this article, a printed thermoelectric generator consisting of PEDOT:PSS and silver inks was printed on two common types of paper substrates, which could be used to power electronic circuits on paper. 

Loss of forest naturalness challenges the maintenance of green infrastructure (GI) for biodiversity conservation and delivery of diverse ecosystem services. Using the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi target #11 with its quantitative and qualitative criteria as a normative model, we aim at supporting landscape planning through a pioneering assessment of the extent to which existing amounts and spatial distributions of High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) meet these criteria. Highly forested and committed to both intensive wood production and evidence-based conservation targets of 17–20% protected areas, Sweden was chosen as a case study. Specifically, we estimated the amount, regional representation, and functional connectivity of HCVF patches using virtual bird species, validated the results using field surveys of focal bird species, and assessed conservation target fulfilment. Finally, we linked these results to the regional distribution of forest land ownership categories, and stress that these provide different opportunities for landscape planning. Even if 31% of forest land in Sweden is officially protected, voluntarily set-aside, or not used for wood production now and in the future, we show that applying the representation and connectivity criteria of Aichi target #11 reduces this figure to an effective GI of 12%. When disaggregating the five ecoregions the effective GI was 54% for the sub-alpine forest ecoregion, which hosts EU’s last intact forest landscapes, but only 3–8% in the other four ecoregions where wood production is predominant. This results in an increasing need for forest habitat and landscape restoration from north to south. The large regional variation in the opportunity for landscape planning stresses the need for a portfolio of different approaches. We stress the need to secure funding mechanisms for compensating land owners’ investments in GI, and to adapt both the approaches and spatial extents of landscape planning units to land ownership structure.

This paper presents research on the synergistic effects of nickel molybdate and reduced graphene oxide as a nanocomposite for further development of energy storage systems. An enhancement in the electrochemical performance of supercapacitor electrodes occurs by synthesizing highly porous structures and achieving more surface area. In this work, a chemical precipitation technique was used to synthesize the NiMoO4/3D-rGO nanocomposite in a starch media. Starch was used to develop the porosities of the nanostructure. A temperature of 350◦C was applied to transform graphene oxide sheets to reduced graphene oxide and remove the starch to obtain the NiMoO4/3D-rGO nanocomposite with porous structure. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the NiMoO4 nano particles indicated a monoclinic structure. Also, the scanning electron microscope observation showed that the NiMoO4 NPs were dispersed across the rGO sheets. The electrochemical results of the NiMoO4/3D-rGO electrode revealed that the incorporation of rGO sheets with NiMoO4 NPs increased the capacity of the nanocomposite. Therefore, a significant increase in the specific capacity of the electrode was observed with the NiMoO4/3D-rGO nanocomposite (450 Cg−1 or 900 Fg−1) when compared with bare NiMoO4 nanoparticles (350 Cg−1 or 700 Fg−1) at the current density of 1 A g−1. Our findings show that the incorporation of rGO and NiMoO4 NP redox reactions with a porous structure can benefit the future development of supercapacitors. 

Although Graphene oxide (GO)-based materials is known as a favorable candidate for supercapacitors, its conductivity needs to be increased. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the performance of GO-based supercapicitor with new methods. In this work, an ammonia solution has been used to remove the oxygen functional groups of GO. In addition, a facile precipitation method was performed to synthesis a NiMoO4/3D-rGO electrode with purpose of using synergistic effects of rGO conductivity properties as well as NiMoO4 pseudocapacitive behavior. The phase structure, chemical bands and morphology of the synthesized powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and field emission secondary electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The electrochemical results showed that the NiMoO4/3D-rGO(II) electrode, where ammonia has been used during the synthesis, has a capacitive performance of 932 Fg(-1). This is higher capacitance than NiMoO4/3D-rGO(I) without using ammonia. Furthermore, the NiMoO4/3D-rGO(II) electrode exhibited a power density of up to 17.5 kW kg(-1) and an energy density of 32.36 Wh kg(-1). These results showed that ammonia addition has increased the conductivity of rGO sheets, and thus it can be suggested as a new technique to improve the capacitance.

Although ionic liquid electrolytes (ILs) are environmentally unfriendly, they are the most common electrolyte used in aluminum-ion batteries (AIB). Aqueous electrolytes offer a more sustainable alternative, but problem with oxide passivating barrier on Al surface becomes more profound. Recently, a new sub-class of aqueous electrolytes, water-in-salt (WIS) of (AlCl3·6H2O), has been considered, but experimental validation of the behavior of the Al electrode over cycling is required. This work investigates aluminum/graphitic cells using WIS electrolytes with a mass ratio of salt to water of 4, 8, and 12 and finds that they show similar trends in cycling performance. The degradation observed over cycling has been attributed to the formation of a detrimental solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on the Al surface. It was found that WIS 4 increased Al corrosion, resulting in a slightly higher capacity and longer cycling life. Metallurgical observation showed that the Al matrix has a tendency to initiate corrosion around Al3Fe intermetallic phases in both WIS and ILs. This implies that the presence of Al3Fe particles allows the electrolyte to break the oxide barrier and access the bulk Al. These results suggests that metallurgical treatments are important to enhance the electrochemical performance of AIB.

The cycling performance of supercapacitors sometimes becomes limited when electrode materials slough off during frequent charge-discharge cycles, due to weak bonding between the active material and the current collector. In this work, a flexible graphite foil substrate was successfully used as the current collector for supercapacitor electrodes. Graphite foil substrates were treated in different ways with different acid concentrations and temperatures before being coated with an active material (NiMoO4/nanographite). The electrode treated with HNO3 (65%) and H2SO4 (95%) in a 1:1 ratio at 24 degrees C gave better electrochemical performance than did electrodes treated in other ways. This electrode had capacitances of 441 and 184 Fg(-1) at current densities of 0.5 and 10 Ag-1, respectively, with a good rate capability over the current densities of the other treated electrodes. SEM observation of the electrodes revealed that NiMoO4 with a morphology of nanorods 100-120 nm long was properly accommodated on the graphite surface during the charge-discharge process. It also showed that treatment with high-concentration acid created an appropriately porous and rough surface on the graphite, enhancing the adhesion of NiMoO4/nanographite and boosting the electrochemical performance.

In this paper, a micrometre thin film of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is characterized for thermoelectric properties. The sample was prepared through mechanical exfoliation of a molybdenite crystal. The Seebeck coefficient measurement was performed by generating a temperature gradient across the sample and recording the induced electrical voltage, and for this purpose a simple measurement setup was developed. In the measurement, platinum was utilized as reference material in the electrodes. The Seebeck value of MoS2 was estimated to be approximately -600 μV/K at a temperature difference of 40 °C. The negative sign indicates that the polarity of the material is n-type. For measurement of the thermal conductivity, the sample was sandwiched between the heat source and the heat sink, and a steady-state power of 1.42Wwas provided while monitoring the temperature difference across the sample. Based on Fourier's law of conduction, the thermal conductivity of the sample was estimated to be approximately 0.26 Wm-1 K-. The electrical resistivity was estimated to be 29 W cm. The figure of merit of MoS2 was estimated to be 1.99 × 10-4. 

The toilet seat is one of the most important parts of the bathroom. In addition to fulfilling its given function, it is important that the toilet seat fits in the room, lasts for many years and is easy to use and clean. In some situations, it can be difficult to use the regular toilet seat, due to an illness or just having to go to the toilet several times during the night. The assignment given by Eurotrade Wholesale AB has been to further develop an existing height-adjustable pelvic chair when using the toilet. To accomplish this task, the group has used design process. The design process consists of three phases: analysis phase, creative phase and execution phase. At the beginning the group was assigned a prototype chair published by Eurotrade Wholesale AB. This prototype was evaluated using user testing and activity analysis and then a requirements specification was created in consultation with Eurotrade Wholesale AB. The work continued with brainstorming and concept sketches which were later evaluated using Pugh's concept matrix. The winning concept went to further development and then two 3D models were created to finish with simulation tests in Solidworks. After a theoretical activity analysis

Bockning är en metodför att böja plana skivor till tredimensionella objekt. Bockning kan delas in i två metoder, kallbockning och varmbockning som detta projekt kommer behandla. Varmbockning utförs genom att först. tillföra värme och sedan en böjande kraft runt en bockningslinje. Idag utförs bockning av plast med bockningsmaskiner eller med varmluftspistol. Syftet med denna undersökning var att ta fram en generell metod för att bocka plastskivor med en laserskärare för att sedan ta fram en guide till Mittuniversitetet i Sundsvalls laserskärare. Arbetet begränsades till att testa endast plexiglas och tjockleken begränsades till 0,5mm-4mm. Arbetsgången har utgått frånlitteraturstudie, inlärning av mjukvara och hårdvara, vetenskapligt utförda bockningstester och försöksplanering. Litteraturstudien undersökte om tidigare arbeten existerade. Ett hittades så hela dess arbetsgång studerades. Inlärningsfasen hade till syfte att ge en bredare praktisk kunskap. Detta genom att få en utbildning i att beskära och gravera med laserskäraren. Bockningstestfasen återkom ett flertal gånger under projektet. Detta på grund av att arbetet utfördes agilt och bockningstester användes förberedande, i samband och efter försöksplaneringen. Försöksplanering användes för att hitta ett optimum av inställningar till bockning av plexiglas. Detta genom att skapa en försöksplan, utföra delförsök och analysering av resultatet. Arbetet resulterade i en ny generell metod för att bocka plexiglas i Mittuniversitetets laserskärare. Syftet anses delvis uppnått då metoden tagits fram men endast bekräftats fungera på plexiglas med tjocklekarna 2mm, 3mm och 4mm.

Produktutvecklingsarbetet som beskrivs i följande rapport gjordes åt Dryboy och syftade till att ta fram förslag på två nya produkter till det permanenta sor-timentet. Produkterna var en kruka i tyg och en produkt för vinterförvaring av växter. Under arbetet har ett antal olika metoder använts för att nå förslag som uppfyllde Dryboy’s krav. Marknadsundersökningar, intervjuer, experiment, an-vändartester och materialstudier stod till grund för de slutgiltiga förslag som togs fram. Förslaget på krukorna var att göra runda krukor med flera dräne-ringshål med en minsta hålarea på ca 75mm2 i botten, både korta och långa handtag och ett lock som kan köpas till. Krukorna borde finnas i flera storlekar för att fungera för alla sorters växter både inomhus och utomhus. Förslaget som togs fram för vinterförvaringen var endast preliminärt och hann inte testas un-der arbetet. Förslaget var att designa dem liknande krukorna men ha en resår upptill på produkten så att de kan stängas för att förhindra insläpp av vatten. De skulle även ha ett nät sytt på insidan av väggarna i produkten för att kunna pla-cera isoleringsmaterial mellan väggen och nätet. De föreslagna materialen för isolering var ull eller andra naturfiber. Syftet med arbetet nåddes i slutet av ar-betet och målen uppfylldes. Framtida produktutveckling behöver göras för att utveckla klart produkten för vinterförvaring och fler tester rekommenderas för att validera att förslaget för krukorna uppfyller kraven.

There is great demand for energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective electrical energy storage devices. One important aspect of this demand is the need for automotive electrification to achieve more energy-efficient transportation at a reasonable cost, thus supporting a fossil-fuel free society. Another important aspect is the requirement for energy storage in the growing field of renewable energy production from wind and solar sources, which generates an irregular supply of electricity due to weather conditions.Much of the research in this area has been conducted in the field of battery technology with impressive results, but the need for rapid storage devices such as supercapacitors is growing. Due to the excellent ability of supercapacitors to handle short peak power pulses with high efficiency along with their long lifetime and superior cyclability, their implementations range from small consumer electronics to electric vehicles and stationary grid applications. Supercapacitors also have the potential to complement batteries to improve pulse efficiency and lifetime of the system, however, the cost of supercapacitors is a significant issue for large-scale commercial use, leading to a demand for sustainable, low-cost materials and simplified manufacturing processes. An important way to address this need is to develop a cost-efficient and environment-friendly large-scale process to produce highly conductive nanographites, such as graphene and graphite nanoplatelets, along with methods to manufacture low-cost electrodes from large area coating.

In this thesis, I present a novel process to mechanically exfoliate industrial quantities of nanographite from graphite in an aqueous environment with low energy consumption and at controlled shear conditions. The process is based on hydrodynamic tube-shearing and can produce both multilayer graphene and nanometer-thick and micrometer-wide flakes of nanographite. I also describe the production of highly conductive and robust carbon composites based on the addition of nanocellulose during production; these are suitable as electrodes in applications ranging from supercapacitors and batteries to printed electronics and solar cells.Furthermore I demonstrate a scalable route for roll-to-roll coating of the nanographite-nanocellulose electrode material and propose a novel aqueous, low-cost, and metal-free supercapacitor concept with graphite foil functioning as the current collector. The supercapacitors possessedmore than half the specific capacitance of commercial units but achieved a material cost reduction of more than 90 %, demonstrating anenvironment-friendly, low-cost alternative to conventional supercapacitors.

Industrially scalable methods for the production of graphene and other nanographites are needed to achieve cost-efficient commercial products. At present, there are several available routes for the production of these materials but few allow large-scale manufacturing and environmentally friendly low-cost solvents are rarely used. We have previously demonstrated a scalable and low-cost industrial route to produce nanographites by tube-shearing in water suspensions. However, for a deeper understanding of the exfoliation mechanism, how and where the actual exfoliation occurs must be known. This study investigates the effect of shear zone geometry, straight and helical coil tubes, on this system based on both numerical simulation and experimental data. The results show that the helical coil tube achieves a more efficient exfoliation with smaller and thinner flakes than the straight version. Furthermore, only the local wall shear stress in the turbulent flow is sufficient for exfoliation since the laminar flow contribution is well below the needed range, indicating that exfoliation occurs at the tube walls. This explains the exfoliation mechanism of water-based tube-shear exfoliation, which is needed to achieve scaling to industrial levels of few-layer graphene with known and consequent quality.

Due to the high electric conductivity and large surface area of nanographites, such as graphene and graphite nanoplatlets, these materials have gained a large interest for use in energy storage devices. However, due to the thin flake geometry, the viscosity of aqueous suspensions containing these materials is high even at low solids contents. This together with the use of high viscosity bio-based binders makes it challenging to coat in a roll-to-roll process with sufficient coating thickness. Electrode materials for commercial energy storage devices are often suspended by organic solvents at high solids contents and coated onto metal foils used as current-collectors. Another interesting approach is to coat the electrode onto the separator, to enable large-scale production of flat cell stacks. Here, we demonstrate an alternative, water-based approach that utilize slot-die coating to coat aqueous nanographite suspension with nanocellulose binder onto the paper separator, and onto the current collector as reference, in aqueous metal-free supercapacitors. The results show that the difference in device equivalent series resistance (ESR) due to interfacial resistance between electrode and current collector was much lower than expected and thus similar or lower compared to other studies with a aqueous supercapacitors. This indicates that electrode coated paper separator substrates could be a promising approach and a possible route for manufacturing of low-cost, environmentally friendly and metal-free energy storage devices. 

Pappersmassaindustrin är en bransch där stor konkurrens råder. Av denanledningen är det av tresse att göra besparingar utan att riskera kvaliténpå slutprodukten. Raffinering av flis är energikrävande process ochsenare tids forskning visar att det med enkla medel vid flisningsprocessenär möjligt att reducera energiåtgången vid raffinering. I detta arbete ärsyftet att undersöka ytterligare en flisningsparameter som skulle gynnaenergireduceringen vid raffinering. Flis tillverkades i Mittuniversitetetsegen laboratorieflishugg vid två olika knivvinklar, 34° samt 49°och vid fyraolika hastigheter nämligen 300, 400, 500 och 600 rpm. Av den tillverkadeflisen sållades samt torrhaltbestämdes den enligt föreskrivna standarder.För att mäta uppsprickningen i flisen mättes vattenupptagningsförmågangenom att den dränktes i vatten under 60 minuter. Resultatet visaatt flistillverkad med knivvinkeln 34° genererade cirka 85-90 % total andelaccept och flis tillverkad med knivvinkel 49° total andel accept om 75-80 %.Vattenupptagningsförmågan skilde sig marginellt mellan de tvåpopulationerna förutom vid 600 rpm då flis tillverkad vid 49° i genomsnitthade en vattenupptagningsförmåga som var cirka tio procentenheter störreän för flis tillverkad med knivvinkel 34° och vid samma hastighet. Utifråndetta kan det antas att med knvvinkeln 49° och vid hastighet 600 rpm äruppsprickningen i flisen märkbart större än för flis tillverkad vid knivvinkel 34° och vid 600 rmp. Ett fortsatt arbete skulle förslagsvis vara att undersöka hur dett påverkar energiåtgången vid raffinering.

Although complex interactions between hosts and microbial associates are increasingly well documented, we still know little about how and why hosts shape microbial communities in nature. In addition, host genetic effects on microbial communities vary widely depending on the environment, obscuring conclusions about which microbes are impacted and which plant functions are important. We characterized the leaf microbiota of 200 Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes in eight field experiments and detected consistent host effects on specific, broadly distributed microbial species (operational taxonomic unit [OTUs]). Host genetic effects disproportionately influenced central ecological hubs, with heritability of particular OTUs declining with their distance from the nearest hub within the microbial network. These host effects could reflect either OTUs preferentially associating with specific genotypes or differential microbial success within them. Host genetics associated with microbial hubs explained over 10% of the variation in lifetime seed production among host genotypes across sites and years. We successfully cultured one of these microbial hubs and demonstrated its growth-promoting effects on plants in sterile conditions. Finally, genome-wide association mapping identified many putatively causal genes with small effects on the relative abundance of microbial hubs across sites and years, and these genes were enriched for those involved in the synthesis of specialized metabolites, auxins, and the immune system. Using untargeted metabolomics, we corroborate the consistent association between variation in specialized metabolites and microbial hubs across field sites. Together, our results reveal that host genetic variation impacts the microbial communities in consistent ways across environments and that these effects contribute to fitness variation among host genotypes. 

A sustainable strategy for the neat production and surface functionalization of nanocellulose from wood pulp is disclosed. It is based on the combination of organocatalysis and click chemistry ("organoclick" chemistry) and starts with nanocellulose production by organic acid catalyzed hydrolysis and esterification of the pulp under neat conditions followed by homogenization. This nanocellulose fabrication route is scalable, reduces energy consumption and the organic acid can be efficiently recycled. Next, the surface is catalytically engineered by "organoclick" chemistry, which allows for selective and versatile attachment of different organic molecules (e.g. fluorescent probes, catalyst and pharmaceuticals). It also enables binding of metal ions and nanoparticles. This was exemplified by the fabrication of a heterogeneous nanocellulose-palladium nanoparticle catalyst, which is used for Suzuki cross-coupling transformations in water. The disclosed surface functionalization methodology is broad in scope and applicable to different nanocelluloses and cellulose based materials as well.

A method of reducing a C--O bond to the corresponding C--H bond in a substrate, which could be a benzylic alcohol, allylic alcohol, ester or an ether bond beta to a hydroxyl group or alpha to a carbonyl group using a recyclable metal catalyst system. The recyclable catalyst system is also applicable to reducing a C.dbd.O bond to the corresponding C--OH bond and then C--H bond. These methodologies can be linked in one-pot to selective oxidation and depolymerizations of aromatic polyols such as lignin.

The present invention relates generally to an eco-friendly methodology for the conversion of alcohols and aldehydes to amines and amides using an integrated enzyme cascade system with metal-and organocatalysis. More specifically, the present invention relates to synthesis of capsaicinoids starting from vanillin alcohol and using a combination of an enzyme cascade system and catalysts. Furthermore, the method also relates to synthesis of capsaicinoids derivatives starting from vanillin alcohol derivatives and using a combination of an enzyme cascade system and catalysts.

This invention concerns the first environmentally benign heterogeneous modification of polysaccharide-based material in native solid state by thiol-ene “click chemistry”. The direct reaction of a thiol with an un-activated double or triple bond by thiol-ene and thiol-enyne click modification is thermally or photochemically catalyzed and is completely metal-free and allows for a highly modular approach to modifications of fibers and fiber-based materials.

Setting aside small remnant patches of high biodiversity forest within managed forest landscapes is often used as conservation measure to provide a refuge and future source population of forest biodiversity, including wood-inhabiting fungal communities. Yet little is known about the long-term fungal community assembly, how these small, isolated patches change through time and how forest management in the surrounding landscape impacts traits and community functionality housed within. We applied a joint species distribution model to compare how fungal traits and communities changed over two survey periods undertaken ~20 years apart in boreal forest set-aside and natural patches. Natural patches in naturally fragmented landscapes were considered reference forests for small, remnant, near-natural forest patches in intensively managed forest landscapes. We found the majority of fungal traits converged over time between set-aside and natural patches, without changes in overall species richness. Red-listed species occurrence was initially lower in set-aside patches, but reached a comparable level of natural patches over time as a result of opposing changes in both patch types. Functional trait changes were larger in set-aside patches, but convergence was also related to opposing changes in natural patches. This is the first study to directly measure and test wood fungal community trait-environment relationships over time in small, high-conservation value forest patches. The long-term functional trait and red-listed species values of set-asides, coupled with their capacity for old-growth recovery, make them valuable focal areas for conservation. 

Volvo CE är en av de marknadsledande tillverkarna av anläggningsmaskiner, däriblandhjullastare. Volvo arbetar ständigt med att lösa uppkomna problem och förbättra sinaprodukter. För hjullastarserierna L60H-L120H uppstår återkommande problem medkylfläktinstallationen, såväl vid montering som vid drift. Det handlar främst om deformationerpå fläkt och kåpa. Målet med denna studie har därför varit att inventera kända problem ochhitta konstruktionslösningar för att eliminera deformationerna och behålla eller förbättrakylprestandan. Förändringarna i designen handlar främst om att göra kåpan till den bärandekonstruktionen och ersätta den nuvarande konsolen med stag som håller fläktinstallationen påplats. En 3D-modell i Catia V5 har skapats som uppfyller de hållfasthetskrav som Volvoställer på fläktinstallationen. Lösningen innebär en enklare design som eliminerardeformationerna och ger ökad kylprestanda.

The assembly of cellulose-based artificial plant cell wall (APCW) structures that contain different types of catalysts is a powerful strategy for the development of cascade reactions. Here we disclose an APCW catalytic system containing a lipase enzyme and nanopalladium particles that transform a racemic amine into the corresponding enantiomerically pure amide in high yield via a dynamic kinetic resolution.

This paper reveals the structural, magnetic and heating ability of citric acid coated Fe0.3Mn0.7GdxFe2−xO4 (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1) nanocrystalline ferrites. The synthesis of Gd-doped Fe–Mn ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) is confirmed by XRD studies. Substitution of Gd3+ions in Fe–Mn ferrite causes the lattice constant enhancement from 8.3286 to 8.4699 Å. The cation distribution reveals that Gd3+ ions preferred the octahedral sites of Fe–Mn ferrite. The average crystallite size is around 10–12 nm. The Fe–Mn–Gd spinel ferrite NPs are also characterized by FTIR studies and supports its formation. The saturation magnetization increases with Gd-content, take its maximum value for x = 0.06 and drops further for higher x values. The change in saturation magnetization show a connection with the structural modifications; because of replacement of Gd3+ ions at the place of Fe3+ ions in the octahedral site (B-site), it modifies A and B sublattices superexchange interactions. The heating abilities of these nanoparticles are studied by applying different alternating magnetic fields at constant frequency 289 kHz. When referred to the Gd-content, the SAR exhibits similar variation as saturation magnetization (Ms) and anisotropy constant (K), the later being more dominant. The highest value of SAR is 640 W/g for Fe0.3Mn0.7Gd0.06Fe1.94O4 sample under an applied field 251.4 Oe. It is seen that SAR is increased by nearly six times as compared to pristine Fe0.3Mn0.7Fe2O4 nanoparticles. The present results suggest that magnetic field controlled therapeutic temperature can be easily achieved within 1 min using such nanoparticles. 

Fiberbanksfrom the pulp and paper industry are typically contaminated with a wide range ofchlorinated aromatic and aliphatic toxins such as HCB and other chlorinated benzenes, PCB,HCH, DDT, PCDD, PCDF and Chlorophenols. This poses a formidable challenge for theanalyst to develop appropriate analytical methodology for the monitoring of the progress ofremediation.In preparation to this undertaking, an examination of a practical analytical method using oneextraction method, one clean-up and one analysis method for the aforementioned targetcompounds found in the fibrous sediment. This method was performed using acceleratedsolvent extraction (ASE), a modified silica gel column and GC-FID/ECD. 

Additionally,an assessment of the levels of organic pollutants was conducted,with the purposeofmeasuringthe potential alteration in contaminantswhenfreeze-drying, air-drying andautoclavingpretreatments are applied to the sediment samples, prior to be used as a media forbiological remediation.The results showed that the ASE is a very fast and reliable method of extraction, with yieldscomparableorhigher than the reference Soxhlet extraction method. Theactivatedsilica gelcolumn demonstrated adequate purification of the sediment extract for analysisusingthe twodetectors, FID and ECD, whichwere able to identify the target analytes fromonlyone purifiedextract. The method employed in this study has the potentialto reduceboth processing timeand materialusedfor analytical sample preparation. Lastly, some modifications inconcentrations anddistribution of target analyteswere revealedin thesediments pre-treated byautoclave and air-driedwhencompared withthefreeze-dried sediments, which can helpunderstanding the development of the biological remediation process.

This letter presents design and simulation results of a highly-efficient and compact plasmonic high-pass filter based on a MIM waveguide. Numerical results reveal that by tailoring structural parameters, desired cut-off wavelength can be chosen.