1. Summary of my summer research work:
Duration of the research work: 6 weeks
Background of the project:
Conventional energy sources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas are going to run
out some day, and therefore finding an alternative renewable energy source is of great
importance. Biogas is one of the renewable energy sources with many benefits.
However, it creates contaminants and the most harmful contaminant is siloxane.
During complete combustion of siloxane, SiO2 microcrystals are formed and it can
cause problems in engines. One method to breakdown harmful siloxane into harmless
materials such as water and carbon dioxide is to run siloxane through transparent
tubes filled with titania-coated beads, with UV light shining on those tubes.
Chemistry background:
Titania (TiO2) is a widely used photocatlyst, because it is low-cost, non-toxic,
environmental friendly and chemically stable.
Brief description of the experience:
During the research project, I have ;
- Learnt about Titania and its wide applications as photocatalyst.
-Researched photocatalysis by reading academic journals
- Learnt about dip coating method, ways to generate nanofibres, and ways to make
solar cell (using TiO2 mixed with dye as anode).
-Learnt about general laboratory health and safety rules, and learnt the potential
hazards of the materials/chemicals used in the research lab, for example, P25 TiO2
powder is slightly hazardous and can irritate the respiratory system and lungs.
-Developed my computational skills
Use drawing software packages and carrying out analysis using appropriate such
packages as Inkscape, ChemBioDraw Ultra
Referencing software and search engines: eg endnote, zotero, Web of Science,
Scopus…
-Experimental introduction to coating techniques using silica beads as a substrate
and thin films of titania as a coating medium
Problems encountered during Solutions

2. the coating experiment
1. The coating layer turned
brown/black (successful
coating should appear
translucent) after heating in
the furnace (400-600°C)
Before dip coating, wash the beads with deionized
water (the solvent), then dry the beads at 80-85°C
for 2 hours, and then heat the beads at 550°C in the
furnace for 1 hour to remove the SDS (Sodium
Dodecyl sulphate).
Reference:
http://www.ceramics-silikaty.cz/2004/pdf/2004_02
_66.pdf
2. The silica beads (round in
shape) broke explosively in
contact with water (the
solvent)
Treat the beads with steam for more than 24 hours,
and most beads will not break in contact with
water.
Final recipe for coating: P25 TiO2 powder, SDS (Sodium Dodecyl sulphate) powder
(as a sticking agent), and very small amount of water (as a solvent).
During the coating process, we also tried to use PVP (Polyvinylpyrrolidone) as a
sticking agent; IPA, ethylene glycol, and propanone as solvents.
- Learnt how to use/ set up different instruments.
eg how to use high-temperature furnaces properly, how to connect photo-reactor to IR
machine, run siloxane through the instruments, and interpret the IR absorption graphs
by measuring the peak areas under specific peaks (IR range around 1000), plot graphs
(peak area against time), and compare results of different experiments by altering the
one condition in each expt.
-Test the efficiency of the titania coating by running experiments using photo-reactor
and IR machine
Skills developed:
-Effective communication and presentation skills (by explaining to the others what I
have done in the lab and listening to my supervisors’ and colleagues’ feedback)
- Improved organizational skills (by writing my own lab manual, deciding what
exactly should I do/try in the lab, and allocating the time for reading and doing
experiments)
-Computational skills (by using different drawing, analyzing and referencing software
packages)
-Developed data analysis skills (by analyzing IR spectra)

3. Influence of the research project on myself:
I feel that I have as a result of participating in the research project
-become more confident when presenting to others in the team
-become more patient while waiting for the experimental result
-become more organized (time allocation on the experiment, writing my own lab
manual and during presentation)
-understand how exactly researchers work, and their attitudes towards their research
work
-develop a strong interest in research work and exploring new ideas and concepts