Enhancing the oxidative stability of vegetable oils using metal oxide additives
Abstract
Vegetable oils have gained popularity as a dielectric material. It is an effective replacement for mineral oil due to its biodegradability, eco-friendly disposal and many other attractive properties. However, unsaturated bonds in the vegetable oil molecules makes them prone to oxidation. The mechanism of oxidation of oil is very similar to that of butene. This thesis studies the effect of metal oxide clusters on oxidative stability of butene. Systems containing the cluster and compounds present in different stages of butene were correlated with the different stages of oxidation. Factors that lead to increases and decreases in oxidation of butene in the presence of the clusters were categorized. Density functional theory methods were used to obtain an energetically minimal configuration of the systems. Based on the binding energy calculations and analyses of the relaxed systems it was concluded that ceria, titania and zirconia behave as oxidation inhibitors while alumina and zinc oxide accelerate oxidation.
Degree
M.S.E.C.E.
Advisors
Janes, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Physical chemistry|Electrical engineering|Materials science
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