Aluminum oxide is one of the most commonly used materials in the industry. It is used in the field of catalysis, refractories, and optics. Despite the fact that there are many techniques available, there is still a great challenge in obtaining a material with desired and designed properties. Nevertheless, there is a great flexibility in making customized alumina materials with desired physicochemical properties synthesized by sol–gel methods. This work consists in characterizing the physicochemical properties of sol–gel synthesized aluminum oxide using different sol–gel preparation routes. Three different sols were obtained by using organic precursors and underwent thermal treatment. The structure (Middle Infrared Spectroscopy, Diffused Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and microstructure (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy) tests of the materials were carried out. The specific surface area was determined by using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. Thermal analysis was performed for all the powders, in order to analyze the specific temperature of materials transformation.

The nanocomposite coatings composed of carbon nanotubes and various forms of copper were prepared in the two-step process. Firstly, carbon nanotubes were coated on stainless steel substrate using electrophoretic deposition at constant current. Then, the process of electrochemical deposition using copper(II) sulphate solutions was performed under high overpotential conditions. The modification of the copper(II) cations concentration in the solution and the deposition time provided the formation of various forms of crystals. The samples and their cross-sections were observed and examined using scanning electron microscope equipped with electron dispersive spectroscopy system. The analysis of chemical composition revealed that in addition to the pure copper crystals, the crystals characterized by the presence of copper and oxygen were formed. Therefore, Raman spectroscopy was applied to determine the unknown stoichiometry of this copper oxide. The point and in-depth analysis identified copper(I) oxide in the form of different size crystals depending on the concentration of the copper(II) sulphate solution. To confirm these findings, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements were also performed. the combination of the applied methods has provided the detailed description of the preparation of the nanocomposite coatings with the proposed mechanism of copper(I) oxide formation.

The application of 3D printing by fused deposition modeling (FDM) and the low-cost RepRap 3D printer for the processing of poly-l-lactide (PLLA) and poly(l-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) (PLLATMC) blends was examined. Two blends with different mechanical properties were selected and the general scheme of their processing was proposed. For 80:20 PLLA:PLLATMC blend, fused filament fabrication (FFF) and the standard configuration of 3D printer were used, whereas for 30:70 PLLA:PLLATMC, the device was modified based on custom project for the application of fused granulate fabrication (FGF). The properties of the blends and their changes during the processing were analyzed by rheological measurements and size exclusion chromatography. Selected parameters of the printing process were optimized and their influence on the quality of the product was discussed. Both methods were used for the preparation of the scaffolds with different previously designed structures. The geometry of the scaffolds was characterized in relation to the parameters of the printing process, and base on this, the accuracy and precision of FFF and FGF methods were evaluated.

The aim of this work was to synthesize porous ceramic materials from the SiOC system by the sol-gel method and the subsequent pyrolysis. The usage of two types of precursors (siloxanes) was determined by Si/C ratio in starting materials. It allows us to control the size of the pores and specific surface area, which are crucial for the potential applications of the final product after thermal processing. Methyltrimethoxysilane and dimethyldiethoxysilane were mixed in three different molar ratios: 4:1, 2:1, and 1:1 to emphasize Si/C ratio impact on silicon oxycarbide glasses properties. Structure and microstructure were examined both for xerogels and obtained silicon oxycarbide materials. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis was performed to confirm that obtained materials are porous and Si/C ratio in siloxanes precursors affects porosity and specific surface area. This kind of porous ceramics could be potentially applied as gas sensors in high temperatures, catalyst supports, filters, adsorbents, or advanced drug delivery systems.

There is a global problem with the effective purification of wastewater containing organic compounds, including dyes, pharmaceuticals and surfactants. Therefore, technologies for the removal of pollutants are still being explored. One of the promising methods could be the application of mineral sorbent composite based on lignite and bentonite. However, it is crucial to comprehensively recognize the mechanisms responsible for immobilizing organic compounds using mineral composite sorbents. The purpose of this work was to prepare and investigate the sorption mechanism of lignite-bentonite composite (BL) sorbents for the removal of dyes: Rhodamine B (RB), Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR), pharmaceuticals: ibuprofen (IB), sulfamethoxazole (STX) and surfactant sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS). The quantitative sorption results have been performed using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The application of infrared (IR) spectroscopy method was crucial to describe the sorption mechanism. After completing the sorption test, the spectra for the sorbents revealed bands associated with adsorbed RB, RBBR, IB, STX, and SDBS on the BL sorbent. Because lignite is predominated in BL composite, the sorption capacity and mechanism strictly correspond to its sorption properties rather than to bentonite ones. The spectra results indicate that the physical sorption process related to electrostatic forces, hydrogen bonding, and dispersion interactions are predominantly responsible for the immobilization of organic compounds tested on mineral sorbents. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate the ion exchange process involved in the case of RB adsorption on the bentonite sample. Nevertheless, the sorption mechanism was complex because of the extensive sorption properties of mineral composite and the different chemical properties of the tested organic compounds. The results of our spectroscopic studies help interpret the sorption mechanisms of organic compounds on mineral materials.