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<b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Doctoral Dissertation Defense Announcement</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#C00000">Effects of Heterogeneous Foulant Layers on the Photoreactivity and Aggregation of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Riya Ann Mathew</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">July 20, 2023; 2 PM – 4 PM (CST)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Hybrid</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Room:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Civil
and Environmental Engineering Conference Room, Eng. Bldg. 1 (N137)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Zoom:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></span><a name="_Hlk140144526"></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://uh-edu-cougarnet.zoom.us/j/96508915262?pwd=ZnE0dTNjbjlSUzZta0JUR2xBRjdaUT09__;!!LkSTlj0I!FGF76aQF17hkkOR7ncJhdpdbMyNTNnz8oyQX9BwLcWKyk74FglYEFlFYgkBEjwQ-mLxN7_ehUFZ80Y5WhJVtCTwvvQI$"><span style="color:#954F72">Click
here to join online</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Committee Chair:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Stacey
M. Louie, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Committee Members:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Devin L. Shaffer, Ph.D.| Mim Rahimi, Ph.D.| Cumaraswamy Vipulanandan, Ph.D.|</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Yan Yao, Ph.D.|<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="titlepage" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#C00000">Abstract</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly investigated as photocatalysts for the removal of recalcitrant pollutants in water treatment. However, predicting the phororeactivity and aggregation
behavior of the NPs can be challenging because of the adsorption of foulants, such as natural organic matter (NOM) and proteins. This dissertation contributes to investigate and predict the reactivity and aggregation behavior of TiO<sub>2</sub><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>NPs
exposed to complex matrices with heterogeneous foulants. The first study identified that the background water chemistry strongly impacts the adsorption of NOM onto the TiO<sub>2</sub><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>surface, the displacement of
the NOM by phosphate treatment as an antifouling approach, and the subsequent promotion or suppression of the degradation of a model pollutant, phenol, and its reaction byproducts. The second study developed an improved approach to predict photoreactivity
in complex media containing mixtures of NOM and bovine serum albumin (BSA), a model protein,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by utilizing kinetic competitive adsorption models that more accurately predict layer compositions than Langmuir equilibrium
models. Finally, the last study identified the importance of both electrostatic and steric forces on the colloidal stability of TiO<sub>2<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></sub>NPs and developed an empirical model to predict NP stability in mixtures
of NOM and BSA. Overall, this research developed novel tools to predict the behavior of TiO<sub>2</sub><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>NPs in complex matrices by integrating fundamental insights on the adsorbed foulant layer composition into models
for photoreactivity and colloidal stability</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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