In Situ Electron Microscopy for Characterization and Development of Clean Energy Nanomaterials

Since the industrial revolution, the hunt has been on for larger, cleaner, and more efficient energy systems. This growth has been met primarily by combustion of oil, coal, and gas; yielding an enormous amount of harmful emissions in the form of carbon nanoparticulates (i.e. soot). To mitigate the production of these pollutants, a more thorough understanding of how these products are formed is required. Apart from the harmful effects, flame formed carbon nanomaterials have crucial uses in material science - ranging from energy storage to rubber reinforcement. Through a deeper understanding of how nanomaterials form and change, we can not only achieve cleaner combustion but also apply this understanding to high volume, low cost production of the next generation of functionalized nanomaterials. Combustion formed nanoparticulates form and evolve in milliseconds, under high temperatures, and their reactions follow multiple branching pathways. These characteristics make the process ideal for high volume production, yet challenging to study and understand. Therefore new experimental methods are required to peek inside, model carbon nanoparticle formation, and fine tune production processes. The goal of this work has therefore been to collaborate with Hitachi Higher Technologies Canada in developing a new environmental transmission electron microscopy technique and applying it for the in situ studies of functional nanomaterials. Work was performed and published in three key areas: combustion produced soot, nanocatalysts for soot filtration, and applied carbon nanomaterials for energy storage. Following the publications in these areas, focus was then moved into upgrading the instrument for nanomaterial growth and synthesis. This consisted of funding, upgrade design, and professional development of the next generation of students advancing this work. Ultimately, this thesis summarizes the cumulative effort of over 5 years of research, 10 publications, 5 international collaborations, and presentation of our work at 8 conferences. Over this time, our work advanced research in soot oxidation, high pressure combustion, soot filtration, carbon black aftertreatment, nanomotors, and carbon/silicon battery materials. The outreach and collaborations have allowed us to apply our expertise to areas outside the traditional combustion lab focus and cement the in-situ ETEM technique in a wide range of nanomaterial fields.Ph.D