Graphene has been extensively studied for possible future technical applications due to its unique electronic, transport, and mechanical properties. For practical applications, graphene often needs to be placed in a medium or on a substrate. The interfacial interaction between graphene and other materials can greatly affect the performance of graphene-based devices, but has not been well explored. My thesis research focused on developing a better understanding of the interface of pristine and chemically/mechanically modified graphene sheets with ionic liquids (ILs) as well as amorphous silica (a-SiO₂) surfaces using first principles-based atomistic modeling which combines density functional theory, classical molecular dynamics, and Metropolis Monte Carlo. The major focus of my thesis research was on investigating the interfacial structure and capacitance between graphene and ILs; graphene-based materials and ILs have been regarded as viable candidates for supercapacitor electrodes and electrolytes, respectively. Particular emphasis was placed on elucidating the relative contributions of the electric double layer (EDL) capacitance at the graphene/IL interface and the quantum capacitance of graphene-like electrodes. More specifically, we first determined the microstructure (such as orientation, packing density, cation-anion segregation) of chosen ILs near planar graphene electrodes with various surface charge densities. Based on the calculated IL microstructure for each system, the EDL capacitance was then evaluated with particular attention to the effect of cation-anion size difference. We also examined the influence of the chemical and mechanical modifications of graphene-like electrodes on the supercapacitor performance. Especially, mechanisms underlying chemical doping-induced enhancement of the total interfacial capacitance were addressed through analysis of electrode quantum capacitance changes resulting from electronic structure modifications. A part of my effort was also devoted to examining the binding interaction of graphene with a-SiO₂ (which is not yet clearly understood despite its scientific and technological importance). In particular, we attempted to evaluate quantitatively the adsorption strength of graphene on the a-SiO₂ surface, which has been under debate mainly due to the difficulty of direct measurement. / text

DNA has been widely studied in a variety of solvents. The majority of these solvents consist of either aqueous or organic components. The presence of ions or salts in these solvents can further alter DNA properties by changing the melting point or helical structure. The size, charge, and concentration of these additional components can all affect the behaviour of DNA. A new class of solvents, known as ionic liquids have recently gained popularity. Ionic liquids are comprised of entirely of ions and can be liquid at room temperature. Due to their low volatility and ability to dissolve both polar and non-polar substances, they are generating high levels of interest as ‘green solvents’. Although the interaction between DNA and ionic liquids has been characterized, the potential of this interaction is still being studied. It was discovered that when DNA mixed with DNA intercalating dyes was added to ionic liquids, there was a large reduction in fluorescence. Although this fluorescence drop was believed to occur to removal of the dye molecule from the helix, the strength of this interaction has not been researched. In this thesis, the interaction between different intercalating dyes and different ionic liquids was evaluated. We reasoned that perhaps the difference in interaction could be used as a method of separating the DNA-dye complex, which has previously never been accomplished. For example, it has been established that both DNA and cationic dyes have an affinity for ionic liquids. The relative strength of this affinity is undetermined, as well as the comparison to normal aqueous mediums. Although ionic liquids can drastically alter the stability of the DNA duplex by either raising or decreasing the melting point depending on the ionic liquid chosen, we found that the DNA actually has a higher affinity for the aqueous phase. Conversely, intercalating dyes prefer to partition into the ionic phase. The relative affinities of the two components are strong enough for their respective phases that the complex can be split apart and each component can be extracted, allowing for separation of the two.

Since the discovery of organic semiconductors (OSCs) over four decades ago, the field of organic electronics has broken our misconceptions regarding the possibilities of modern electronics. The synthetic toolkit of organic chemistry enables the creation of a limitless number of unique OSCs that can be specifically tailored and engineered with the specific and desired properties for unique applications. The rapid adoption of modern information systems, “Internet of Things,” in which smart devices and sensors ubiquitously collect and exchange data has resulted in a need for low-cost sensors to be deployed everywhere from the monitoring of food supply chains, environmental conditions, to human health. Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) are a necessary component to support these technologies. However, their mass adoption will require reduction in cost and improved compatibility with low voltage generating printed batteries or flexible and ultrathin photovoltaics. This thesis is focused on the development of high performing solid state polymer electrolytes to be employed as the gating medium in OTFTs. The choice of conventional gating materials often leads to a tradeoff between high capacitance, operating speed and material softness. For example liquid electrolyte gating materials have high capacitance but low operating speed and are liquid at room temperature which is unacceptable for many electronics application. Polymer gating materials often have lower capacitance but fast operating conditions and solid at room temperature. In this thesis we establish structure property relationships which aid in the design of novel block copolymer-based gating materials which simultaneously enable the increase in capacitance and switching speed while remaining solid at room temperature. In the first study I established a styrene-based ionic liquid monomer can be using as a controlling monomer in the nitroxide mediated copolymerization of methacrylates. The second study then focuses on the integration of these materials into OTFT devices; the morphology (block vs random copolymers) effect on device performance is assessed. The last study builds on the findings of the previous study and further explores the structural elements of block copolymers on device performance. The work presented here outlines the development of advanced poly(ionic liquid) based solid electrolyte materials that enables both reduced operating voltages and fast switching. Finally, we establish structure-property relationships that relate the molecular architecture to OTFT device performance paving the way for the adoption of a new generation of high performing, printable and flexible electronics.

The current environmental situation, with respect to global warming and the ever– approaching depletion of fossil fuel sources, places significance on the development of green fuel and platform chemical production methods. In this context, processes that utilise biomass sources as feedstock, are of great interest. Cellulose, which is the most abundant biopolymer in nature, is a renewable low–cost carbon resource derived from harvest residues and sources like wood and straw. Glucose generation from cellulose requires a saccharide conversion, whereby the β-(1,4)-glycosidic bond linkages in the cellobiose polymer repeating units are cleaved. Problems arise in the hydrolysis of cellulose as experimental and theoretical studies have shown cellulose to have very low solubility in water and most other general molecular solvents. This results in the use of harsh pretreatments at high temperatures and pressures to extract cellulose from lignocellulosic material and strong acids catalysts (pKa < −3.2). Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) provide potentially environmentally friendly alternative. It has been shown that ILs can dissolve cellulose under relatively benign conditions and can possibly be adapted into a one-pot-like process of hydrolysis using acid-functionalised IL catalysts. This dissertation investigated the effect of various ionic liquids on the thermodynamics of cellobiose acid hydrolysis, as both a catalyst and as a solvent, using computational means. An appropriate thermodynamic cycle protocol, a DLPNO-CCSD(T)/ccpVTZ//TPSS/def2-TZVP [M05-2X/6-31+G** (SMD)] proton exchange cycle, was established through benchmarking for the prediction of Brønsted acid-functionalised ionic liquid pKa values in ionic liquids. The sulfonyl-functionalised acidic IL was shown to be the most acidic IL resulting in a lower protonation free energy. Solvation in ionic liquids resulted in higher protonation and barrier height free energies relative to solvation in water. The current environmental situation, with respect to global warming and the ever– approaching depletion of fossil fuel sources, places significance on the development of green fuel and platform chemical production methods. In this context, processes that utilise biomass sources as feedstock, are of great interest. Cellulose, which is the most abundant biopolymer in nature, is a renewable low–cost carbon resource derived from harvest residues and sources like wood and straw. Glucose generation from cellulose requires a saccharide conversion, whereby the β-(1,4)-glycosidic bond linkages in the cellobiose polymer repeating units are cleaved. Problems arise in the hydrolysis of cellulose as experimental and theoretical studies have shown cellulose to have very low solubility in water and most other general molecular solvents. This results in the use of harsh pretreatments at high temperatures and pressures to extract cellulose from lignocellulosic material and strong acids catalysts (pKa < −3.2). Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) provide potentially environmentally friendly alternative. It has been shown that ILs can dissolve cellulose under relatively benign conditions and can possibly be adapted into a one-pot-like process of hydrolysis using acid-functionalised IL catalysts. This dissertation investigated the effect of various ionic liquids on the thermodynamics of cellobiose acid hydrolysis, as both a catalyst and as a solvent, using computational means. An appropriate thermodynamic cycle protocol, a DLPNO-CCSD(T)/ccpVTZ//TPSS/def2-TZVP [M05-2X/6-31+G** (SMD)] proton exchange cycle, was established through benchmarking for the prediction of Brønsted acid-functionalised ionic liquid pKa values in ionic liquids. The sulfonyl-functionalised acidic IL was shown to be the most acidic IL resulting in a lower protonation free energy. Solvation in ionic liquids resulted in higher protonation and barrier height free energies relative to solvation in water.

A survey of substitution reactions conducted in a phosphonium bistriflimide ionic liquid is presented. The results demonstrate high selectivity favoring substitution over typically competitive elimination and solvolytic processes even when challenging secondary and tertiary electrophiles are employed. The first reports of Kornblum substitution reactions in an ionic liquid are described that proceed with very high chemoselectivity in favor of nitro over nitroso products and elimination side products. The structure-reactivity study indicates that these reactions proceed through a narrow spectrum of pathways ranging from straight SN2 to a preassociation pathway along a saddle point that approaches the SN1 limit. The lack of any basic entity in the phosphonium bistriflimide ionic liquid appears to prevent any potential base-mediated elimination reactions, which makes this a highly selective medium for use in general substitution reactions. A general, high yielding procedure is described for the esterification of carboxylic acids through carboxylate alkylation in phosphonium salt ionic liquid. The product ester can be readily isolated using a standard extraction protocol or by direct solvent freedistillation allowing ionic liquid re-use. The reaction takes place at relatively low temperature in comparison to other processes reported in ionic liquids. Biologically important BZE (benzoate) esters were synthesized and a proposed solvolysis mechanism investigated in ionic liquids. The Pd-mediated Buchwald-Hartwig amination reaction of aryl halides in phosphonium salt ionic liquid consisting of a trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium cation with a range of anions has been investigated. A pronounced anionic effect was uncovered with the reaction proceeding readily with weakly nucleophilic diarylamines only in the presence of non-coordinating anions. A mechanism is postulated to explain these results involving a rate limiting ligand exchange step that proceeds through a dissociative pathway. A novel non solvated crystal structure of tris(dibenzylideneacetone) palladium(0) in phosphonium salt ionic liquids is reported. This research provided insights concerning the use of ionic liquids in palladium catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig amination reaction. New synthetic methods were developed for the preparation of trialkyl (methyl) phosphonium ionic liquids, with this novel "green" protocol, the use of iodomethane is eliminated and oxidation of trialkyl phosphines can be reduced. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.

Traditionally, water has been used as the diluent for ionomeric polymer transducers. The water mobilizes the counterions within the polymer and allows electromechanical transduction to occur. However, these water-swollen devices have limited stability when operated in a non-aqueous environment. In this work, ionic liquids are demonstrated as viable diluents for ionomeric polymer transducers based on Nafion membranes. Ionic liquids are molten salts that are highly thermally stable and have an immeasureably low vapor pressure. Therefore, the ionic liquid-swollen transducers exhibit enhanced stability in their performance when operated for long periods of time in air. Methods for swelling Nafion membranes with ionic liquids are presented. Also, techniques for plating the ionic liquid-swollen transducers with metal electrodes are discussed. The performance of the ionic liquid-swollen transducers is compared to that of water-swollen transducers and differences are observed. Apart from the superior stability of the ionic liquid-swollen devices, they are observed to not exhibit the characteristic back-relaxation that is often associated with water-swollen transducers and limits their low frequency response. In order to investigate the physics of transduction in the ionic liquid-swollen membranes, structured experiments are performed using two different ionic liquids: 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trofluoromethanesulfonate (EMI-Tf), which is water miscible, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (EMI-Im), which is hydrophobic. The other experimental parameters are the counterion of the Nafion membrane and the swelling level of ionic liquid. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is used to characterize the morphology of the ionic liquid-swollen Nafion membranes. The SAXS testing reveals that the clustered morphology of the Nafion membrane is preserved by the EMI-Tf ionic liquid, which is compatible with the hydrophilic cluster phase. By contrast, the hydrophobic EMI-Im ionic liquid is found to disrupt the clustered morphology and lead to partial homogenization of the polymer. This has the effect of inhibiting the ionic conductivity. The SAXS testing also reveals that the mean intercluster spacing increases as the content of ionic liquid and size of the counterions increases. Based on assumptions regarding the swelling mechanism, this is thought to arise from an increase in the mean size of the clusters. Spectroscopic investigations were also performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). These studies show that the ionic liquid interacts with the Nafion polymer by displacing the counterions away from the sulfonate exchange sites. The cations of the ionic liquid then associate with the sulfonate sites and the counterions associate with the anions of the ionic liquid. Above a certain critical uptake of ionic liquid, this displacement is complete and additional ionic liquid does not associate with the ions of the polymer. The critical uptake is found to decrease with increasing size of the counterions. / Ph. D.

Fosfoniumjonvätskor har tidigare studerats som potentiella nya avancerade smörjmedel på grund av sina unika fysikaliska egenskaper och fördelar jämfört med både traditionella smörjmedel och andra typer av jonvätskor. Dessa studier har uppvisat lovande resultat med avseende på reducering av nötning och friktion såväl som kontroll av dessa parametrar med en pålagd elektrisk potential. En multitud av frågor återstår dock att besvara om strukturering av jonarter i den skyddande gränssnittfilmen som bildas och kopplingen mellan strukturella drag i de involverade jonarterna och den skyddande funktionen av gränsnittsfilmen. I denna avhandling studeras ett flertal mono och dikatjon fosfoniumjonvätskor med icke halogena bis(oxalato)borat anjoner såväl som en binär blandning av dessa av intresse som nya avancerade smörjmedel och som additiv med neutronreflektometri vid ett elektrifierat elektrodgränssnitt med syfte att studera strukturella egenskaper av den gränsnittsfilmen som bildas samt elektroresponsiviteten av denna film. Resultaten av detta uppvisar egenskaper om både struktureringen av jonarterna och deras elektroresponsivitet av intresse för den fortsatta utvecklingen av avancerade smörjmedelslösningar med fosfoniumjonvätskor. / Phosphonium ionic liquids(ILs) has previously been investigated as advanced novel lubricants because of their physical unique properties and advantages compared to traditional lubricants and other ILs. These studies have showed promising results in wear and friction reduction as well as the tribotronic control of those properties. A multitude of questions however remain about the interfacial structuring of these protective films and the connection between structural features in the ionic species to the protective function of the interfacial film.In this thesis multiple non-halogenated mono- and di-cationic phosphonium ionic liquids with bis(oxalato)borate anion as well as a binary mixture of interest for advanced neat lubricants or additives has been studied by neutron reflectometry at an electrified electrode interface to investigate interfacial properties and electroresponsiveness of the species. The results elucidate properties of the structuring of key to the further development of phosphonium ILs for use in advanced lubrication formulations.

Electrostatic interactions between charged species play a prominent role in determining structures and states of physical system, leading to important technological and biological applications. In coarse-grained simulations, accurate description of electrostatic interactions is crucial in addressing physical phenomena at larger spatial and longer temporal scales. In this thesis, we implement ENUF method, an abbreviation for Ewald summation based on non-uniform fast Fourier transform technique, into dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) scheme. With determined suitable parameters, the computational complexity of ENUF-DPD method is approximately described as O(N logN). The ENUF-DPD method is further validated by investigating dependence of polyelectrolyte conformations on charge fraction of polyelectrolyte and counterion valency of added salts, and studying of specific binding structures of dendrimers on amphiphilic membranes. In coarse-grained simulations, electrostatic interactions are either explicitly calculated with suitable methods, or implicitly included in effective potentials. The effect of treatment fashion of electrostatic interactions on phase behavior of [BMIM][PF6] ionic liquid (IL) is systematically investigated. Our systematic analyses show that electrostatic interactions should be incorporated explicitly in development of effective potentials, as well as in coarse-grained simulations to improve reliability of simulation results. Detailed image of microscopic structures and orientations of [BMIM][PF6] at graphene and vacuum interfaces are investigated by using atomistic simulations. Imidazolium rings and alkyl side chains of [BMIM] lie preferentially flat on graphene surface. At IL-vacuum interface, ionic groups pack closely together to form polar domains, leaving alkyl side chains populated at interface and imparting hydrophobic character. With the increase of IL filmthickness, orientations of [BMIM] change gradually from dominant flat distributions along graphene surface to orientations where imidazolium rings are either parallel or perpendicular to IL-vacuum interface with tilted angles. The interfacial spatial ionic structural heterogeneity formed by ionic groups also contributes to heterogeneous dynamics in interfacial regions.

De nos jours, nous sommes entourés de dispositifs microélectroniques de plus en plus petits et performants. Pour poursuivre cette évolution, une nouvelle technologie est en cours de développement qui consiste à empiler plusieurs circuits intégrés. L’une des clefs pour aboutir à ce type d’architecture est la formation de microvias entre les différentes couches. Ce travail s’inscrit dans un à objectif à long terme qui vise à la mise au point d'un procédé innovant à coût réduit pour la métallisation de ces microvias, à partir de nanoparticules (NPs) métalliques de taille parfaitement calibrée. En particulier, des NPs bimétalliques de Mn et Cu pourraient être des précurseurs intéressants pour l'élaboration de barrières dites auto-formées et de couches d’accroches dans les microvias. Les liquides ioniques sont des milieux intéressants pour la synthèse de telles NPs, notamment à partir de précurseurs organométalliques. Il a été démontré que leur structure tridimensionnelle spécifique « guide » la croissance de NPs de Ru et les stabilise tout en les laissant libres de toute contamination de surface. Dans ce travail, ce concept a été enrichi par la synthèse de NPs d’autres métaux tels que Cu et Mn, et étendu à la formation de NPs constituées de deux métaux (M-M’NPs bimétalliques). De façon remarquable, les M-M’NPs obtenues ont toujours une taille inférieure aux MNPs et M’NPs prises séparément. Ces suspensions homogènes, très stables dans le temps, ont été directement déposées et frittées sur des substrats technologiques dans le but de former des films métalliques uniformes et adhérents. / Nowadays, microelectronic devices are omnipresent in our everyday life. To make them smaller and smaller as well as smarter and smarter, a new process which consists in stacking integrated circuits is being studied. In order to build this type of structures, the fabrication of microvias between layers is key. This work ultimately aims at developing an innovative process with reduced cost for the efficient metallization of these microvias. This can be achieved using perfectly calibrated metallic nanoparticles (NPs). In particular, bimetallic Mn-CuNPs could be interesting precursors to grow “self-formed” barriers and seed layers in microvias. Ionic liquids (ILs) are extremely well adapted media for the synthesis of such nano-objects, especially when organometallic precursors are used. It has been shown that theirspecific 3D structure provides a template to grow RuNPs of controlled size. The IL also acts as stabilizer, eliminating the need to use ligands that contaminate the metallic surface. In this work, this concept have been extended to the synthesis of other metallic NPs, such as Cu and Mn, as well as synthesis of NPs containing the two metals (bimetallic M-M’NPs). Remarkably, these M-M’NPs always exhibit a smaller size than the MNPs and M’NPs separately. These homogeneous and stable suspensions have been directly applied and sintered onto technological substrates in order to form uniform and adherent metallic layers.