Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Chemistry): Recent submissions
Now showing items 1-20 of 135
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Properties of electrospun biodegradable and synthetic waste polymers and their functionalization for Cu2+ adsorption
(University of the Western Cape, 2021)Plastic waste products have become a concern in the environment and especially in the marine environment. The chemical, physical persistence and mechanical fragmentation of plastics down to micro plastics have caused ... -
Electrochemical responses of novel preferentially oriented platinum (100) nanoalloys for ammonia and hydrazine catalysis
(University of the Western Cape, 2013)Ammonia has attracted attention as a possible fuel for direct fuel cells since it is easy to handle under low pressure, costs only slightly higher than methanol and can easily be cracked down into hydrogen and nitrogen. ... -
Investigation of ternary catalysts as anode catalysts for direct methanol fuel cell
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)This chapter reports on various catalyst synthesis methods (impregnation, polyol, modified polyol and microwave-assisted modified polyol methods) to determine which method would result in the most electrochemically active ... -
Quantum dots for multiplexed biological imaging
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)Over the past two decades, indium phosphide (InP) colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have attracted substantial interest as a possibly less hazardous alternative to cadmium-based QDs. The improvements in their colloidal synthesis ... -
Thiolato schiff base complexes of nickel and palladium as mesogens and molecular wires
(University of the Western Cape, 2003)Thermal analysis data of compounds A, C, F and I established that they were nonmesogenic while E and G were found to be mesogenic. The lack of mesogenic behaviour of A could be attributed to hydrogen bonding. The ... -
Palladium surface-modified rare earth metal-based ab5 type hydride-forming materials
(University of the Western Cape, 2008)Driven by mounting standards of living and a growing population, South African energy consumption is expected to increase dramatically within the next decade. The increased demand for more energy will require enormous ... -
The synthesis of Ventiloquinones J and F
(University of Western Cape, 2002)In chapter 2 the synthesis of ventiloquinone J is described, starting from vanillin, the key intermediate cis-3,4-dihydro-5,7-dimethoxy-10- methoxymethyleneoxy-1,3-dimethyl-1H-naphtho[2.3-c]pyran-6,9-dione was prepared ... -
Effluent water treatment utilising a combination of hydrodynamic shear and flotation technology for the specific application of wastewater from the oil and gas industry
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Water plays an important role in the petrochemical production and refining processes. The wastewaters released by these processes are often rich in petroleum pollutants, that requires significant treatment prior to ... -
Green synthesis of novel nanostructured silicon semiconductor thin film material from sugarcane bagasse ash for solar energy materials
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)The sun is considered the most abundant source of renewable and clean energy. With silicon being the most common element used for the direct conversion of solar energy into electrical energy, solar cells have, over the ... -
Modification of nanostructured carbon based supports for direct methanol fuel cells
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Palladium (Pd) and Palladium-Ruthenium (Pd-Ru) nanoparticles supported by various carbon nanomaterials which include graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with their ... -
The Synthesis of Biaxial Naphthoquinones and an Initial Investigation regarding their Potential as anti- Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Apoptotic Agents
(University of the Western Cape, 2009)Tuberculosis and cancer are amongst the most devastating diseases affecting the world today, especially Africa and other less developed countries. Both diseases have the ability to develop resistance against drugs being ... -
Synthesis of new biguanide derivatives as potential antidiabetic drugs
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)The main purpose of this study was to synthesize biguanide compounds with potential as antidiabetic drugs. All biguanide compounds possess antidiabetic properties by decreasing the blood glucose level. Hence, we embarked ... -
A comparative energy storage efficiency study of multiple cation doped LiMxMn2-xO4/MWCNT cathodes for advanced Li-ion batteries
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)The current lithium-ion battery which is used in most technological applications is the LiCoO2 (LCO) battery. This battery offers a high theoretical capacity of 274 mAh.g-1. Scientists have however deemed this battery ... -
Phytochemical studies on extracts of selected South African indigenous medicinal plants
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Nature has been identified as a rich source of potentially useful chemicals. Throughout the years, phytochemical studies have led to the unearthing of a huge number of natural products, their chemical diversity is unique ... -
Phytochemical and biological studies of extracts from selected South African indigenous medicinal plants: Bulbine and helichrysum species
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Medicinal plants from the Asteraceae and Asphodelaceae families are among the most widely recognized in South African traditional medicine for managing diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is a universal epidemic, yet there ... -
Identification, separation and quantification of persistent organic pollutants using capillary electrophoresis
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Water quality deterioration and scarcity can be attributed to natural causes and anthropogenic activities which include climate change and an incessant industrialisation, yet with lack of functional and reliable wastewater ... -
Electro-analytical protocols for quantitative assessment of phenols in South African rooibos, green and black tea samples
(University of Western Cape, 2022)The worldwide tea market was estimated at almost 200 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. It is perceived to rise to 318 billion dollars by 2025. Tea has a long history of prominence around the world. Increases in tea production ... -
Microwave synthesized ruthenium antimony oxide-graphene nanocomposite materials for asymmetric supercapacitors
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)With the rapid rise in energy demand and ever-escalating environmental hazards, the need for transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources is of paramount importance, requiring better and efficient energy storage ... -
Extraction, fractionation, nanoparticles formulation, and antimicrobial activity of lipids from black soldier fly larvae
(University of Western Cape, 2021)Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) known as the black soldier fly (BSF) is an efficient ecological organic waste decomposer. Its larvae grow through six larval instars on a variety of decomposing organic substrates ... -
Method development for selective recovery of rare earths elements from phosphogypsum waste
(University of Western Cape, 2021)The need for rare earth elements (REEs) in current technologies has motivated countries with high imports dependency to search for alternatives sources. Several studies have been carried out to investigate the feasibility ...