Approved Accepted

iii The main sources of NOx are diesel engines, automotives, electric utilities, other industrial, commercial, and residential sources that burn fuels at high temperature. The control and abatement of NOx emissions are important because of their harmful effects on the human body and the environment. The strict regulations of NOx emissions and the growing demand for power compel new design of catalytic materials for pollution removal. The most common method for car exhaust NOx treatment involves wet impregnation of noble metals on ceramic substrates. In this work, catalytic nanoparticles doped on nanofiber enhanced ceramic fibrous filter medium structure are developed as an alternative method. The noble metals, palladium, platinum and rhodium doped ceramic nanofibers, are synthesized using electrospinning and are incorporated into the micro-fibrous filter. We have discovered ceramic nanofiber containing noble metals also work in liquid phase catalysis by converting styrene to ethylbenzene at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Th