Design and synthesis of organic-inorganic nanomaterials for multifunctional applications

This research focuses on environmentally friendly coatings to replace current coating practices. This work additionally focuses on the analysis of metal alloys by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for composition and characterization.;A hybrid organic-inorganic conductive primer for application on medium density fiberboard was created in this work. The substrate is a non-conducting wood product and with current powder coating practices requires temperatures above 100°C to increase the conductivity enough for the powder coating to adhere. With the conductive primer developed in this research, the powder coating process has reduced the temperature requirements to room temperature. The conductive primer was designed to cure at room temperature and seal and protect the substrate. In industrial tests the conductive primer outperformed commercially available primers currently in use.;The pretreatment of metal surfaces with in-situ phosphatizing reagents developed in this work have been used on cold-rolled steel and galvanized steel. The in-situ phosphate reagents (ISPR) are the network structures of phosphate silicate composites. The steel substrates in this research were test panels and screws or bolts. The coatings in this research were designed to compete against a coating named ClimasealRTM. This coating is an aluminum-filled polyester that contains hexavalent chromium as an additive and as a pretreatment step. The developed coatings incorporated silicon nanoparticles and in-situ phosphatizing reagents developed in this lab. The ISPR that were used in this research were synthesized and then used in coatings on cold-rolled steel, galvanized steel and magnesium alloys.;Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used for the analysis and characterization of metal and alloy samples. The copper content in tap water was investigated by LIBS once the copper ions were collected on an ion-exchange membrane. The copper ions had to be collected on the membrane because the signal generated was too low and the matrix effects were too great for quantitative analysis.;Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy was used for the characterization of magnesium alloys. The alloys are difficult to distinguish by weight or appearance. LIBS was used to analyze magnesium alloys AZ31, AZ61, AZ80 and AZ91 for fingerprint identification.