Ce travail de thèse est dédié à l'étude des transitions radiatives dans les matériaux de nitrure et d'oxyde de silicium dopés aux ions de terres rares (Er3+, Nd3+). La caractérisation optique des films minces élaborés par évaporation thermique est basée sur la spectroscopie de photoluminescence. Les études menées s'inscrivent dans la recherche de processus d'excitation indirecte des ions Er3+ et Nd3+ dans des matrices à base de silicium. Dans les nitrures et oxynitrures de silicium, un processus de transfert d'énergie permettant l'excitation indirecte des ions Er3+ est mis en évidence. Pour les couches minces amorphes, le couplage est attribué à des états électroniques localisés dans la bande interdite de la matrice. Pour les films recuits à haute température, les nanocristaux de silicium (nc-Si) jouent un rôle majeur dans l'excitation indirecte de l'erbium. Dans les matrices d'oxyde de silicium, l'existence de processus d'excitations directe et indirecte des ions Nd3+ est démontrée. Pour les films amorphes, l'excitation indirecte du Nd se fait via des états électroniques localisés dans la bande interdite de la matrice. Pour les films recuits au-delà de 1000 °C, les nc-Si jouent le rôle de sensibilisateurs pour les ions Nd3+. Les résultats suggèrent que l'excitation indirecte des ions Nd3+ grâce aux états localisés dans la bande interdite de la matrice pourrait être plus efficace que l'excitation via les nc-Si / This thesis is devoted to the study of radiative transitions in rare-earth (Er, Nd) doped silicon oxide and silicon nitride thin films. The optical characterization of thin films prepared by thermal evaporation is based on photoluminescence spectroscopy. In this work, we investigate indirect excitation processes of Er3+ and Nd3+ ions in silicon based materials. In silicon nitride and silicon oxinitride, an energy transfer leading to the indirect excitation of Er3+ ions is demonstrated. For amorphous samples, the sensitization of Er3+ ions is attributed to localized electronic states in the matrix bandgap. For samples annealed at high temperature, silicon nanocrystals play a major role in the indirect excitation of erbium. In silicon oxide thin films, we evidences that both direct and indirect excitation processes of Nd3+ ions occur. For amorphous samples, indirect excitation occurs thanks to localized electronic states in the matrix bandgap. For samples annealed at temperatures above 1000 °C, silicon nanocrystals are sensitizers of Nd3+ ions. Results suggest that indirect excitation thank to localized states in the matrix bandgap could be more efficient than indirect excitation thanks to silicon nanocrystals

Les objectifs de cette thèse sont articulés autour de deux axes principaux : la synthèse et l’étude de cages moléculaires photo-modulables, et la génération de nano-cristaux d’or par photo-catalyse supramoléculaire. Ces deux thématiques sont reliées entre elles par l’exploitation des propriétés photophysiques et photochimiques d’un motif commun, le 9,10-diphénylanthracène (DPA). Dans un premier temps, de nouvelles architectures tridimensionnelles photo-modulables de type cage moléculaire ont été conçues et étudiées. En présence d’oxygène, l’irradiation directe ou sensibilisée du DPA permet de former réversiblement le dérivé endoperoxyde et ainsi moduler les propriétés de complexation de la cage. Les différentes stratégies de synthèse mises en place reposent sur l’exploitation conjuguée de la réactivité de la 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine, et de réactions de chimie « click » (métathèse des oléfines, cycloaddition de Huisgen). L’étude et la modulation des propriétés des reconnaissances ont été effectuées sur des sels de cations alcalins (sodium et césium) et suivies par émission de fluorescence et spectroscopie d’absorption UV-visible. Les résultats obtenus avec deux cages possédant des constantes d'associations élevées (logK = 8,7 pour le cation sodium) montrent une augmentation de la constante d’association d’un facteur 10 et 20 pour respectivement le sodium et le césium entre la forme DPA et la forme endoperoxyde. Dans un second temps, des photocatalyseurs supramoléculaires basés sur le chromophore DPA ont été étudiés en vue de la synthèse de nano-cristaux d’or nus. L’association du chromophore avec des thioéthers permet de former un complexe en phase organique par extraction de sels d’or(III) depuis une phase aqueuse. L’irradiation à 400nm permet la réduction de l’or(III) par transfert d’énergie depuis le 9,10-diphénylanthracène. Les atomes d’or sont ensuite relargués en phase aqueuse pour former des nano-cristaux nus qui ont pu être caractérisés par MET, XPS, AFM et DLS. Par ailleurs, ce procédé est catalytique dans le toluène et un système de réduction en flux continu a été mis au point permettant un turnover moyen de 150. / The goals of this thesis are organized around two major axes: the synthesis and study of photo-gated molecular cages, and the generation of gold nanocrystals by supramolecular photocatalysis. These two themes are connected by the use of the photochemical and photophysical properties of a common chromophore, 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA). Three-dimensional photo-gated cage-like architectures were designed and synthesized. Various synthetic strategies based on the combined use of the 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine unit and "click" chemistry reactions (olefin metathesis, Huisgen cycloaddition) were employed for the synthesis. In the presence of oxygen, sensitized or direct irradiation of the DPA chromophore forms the corresponding endoperoxide derivative, thereby modulating the binding properties of the cage. The study and the modulation of the recognition properties were performed on various alkali metal cations and a strong binding of sodium and cesium was evidenced by fluorescence emission and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The cages investigated possessed high association constants towards sodium and cesium cations (logK = 8.7 for the sodium cation) which could be reversibly increased by a factor 10 and 20 for sodium and cesium, respectively, upon formation of the endoperoxide. Supramolecular photocatalysis of gold(III) reduction based on the DPA chromophore was also studied for the preparation of uncapped gold nanocrystals. The combination of the DPA chromophore with thioether chains allows the formation of a complex in the organic phase by extraction of gold(III) chloride from an aqueous phase. Irradiation at 400 nm enables the reduction gold(III) by energy transfer from the 9,10-diphenylanthracene followed by oxidation of the solvent. The gold atoms are subsequently released in the aqueous phase to form uncapped nanocrystals characterized using TEM, XPS, AFM, and DLS techniques. Furthermore, the process is catalytic in toluene, where a continuous flow reactor was developed. The latter allowed an average catalytic turnover of 150 to be determined.

Cette thèse porte sur la mise au point de formulations de nanoparticules lipidiques à base de polyoxylglycérides afin d’assurer la protection de principes actifs instables chimiquement et physiquement, la quercétine (un flavonoïde antioxydant fragile) dans le cas présent. Différents systèmes dispersés ont été préparés par homogénéisation haute pression à chaud avec une taille des particules blanches entre 100 - 200 nm. Ces nanodispersions sont très stables sur plusieurs années à température ambiante. L’encapsulation de la quercétine, dans les nanoparticules lipidiques multicompartimentées et la préparation de nanocristaux ont permis d’augmenter fortement sa teneur dans la dispersion et d’améliorer effectivement sa stabilité physico-chimique. / This thesis focuses on the development of polyoxylglycérides-based lipid nanoparticles to protect labile APIs, quercetin (a fragile antioxidant flavonoid) in this case. Different nanoparticulate systems were prepared by high pressure homogenization with particle size between 100 to 200 nm. These nanodispersions are very stable over several years at room temperature. Encapsulation of quercetin in compartmented lipid nanoparticles and preparation of nanocrystals have increased significantly its content in the dispersion and effectively improve its physical and chemical stability.

Die hier vorgelegte Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit Untersuchungen an nanoskopischen Emittern und den Möglichkeiten, deren Fluoreszenzverhalten durch kontrollierte Ankopplung an photonische und plasmonische Strukturen zu beeinflussen. Zum einen werden mit Ytterbium- und Erbium-Ionen kodotierte NaYF4 -Nanokristalle untersucht, die hervorragende Eigenschaften bei der Umwandlung von niederenergetischen Photonen in solche höherer Energie besitzen. Das so entstehende Fluoreszenzlicht einer Ansammlung von Nanokristallen wird auf seine Abhängigkeit von der Anregungsintensität untersucht. Mit der Hilfe eines Rasterkraftmikroskops (AFM) wird eine Abhängigkeit der spektralen Zusammensetzung des Fluoreszenzlichts einzelner Nanokristalle von deren Größe im Bereich von wenigen bis 50 nm aufgezeigt. Durch gezielte Manipulation mit dem AFM werden ebenfalls einzelne Nanokristalle an Goldnanokügelchen gekoppelt und die Mechanismen der beobachteten plasmonischen Verstärkung der Emission durch zeitaufgelöste Messungen analysiert. Einzelne Stickstoff-Fehlstellen-Zentren in Nanodiamanten werden in einem zweiten Themenkomplex als Einzelphotonenquellen eigesetzt. Diese werden durch den Einsatz einer Nahfeld-Sonde auf Mikrokugel-Resonatoren aufgebracht, wodurch die Emission aufgrund der Ankopplung an die Flüstergalerie-Moden der Kugeln die typischen, scharfen Überhöhungen im Spektrum aufweist. Diese Methode lässt sich nicht nur verwenden, um zwei oder mehr Emitter an die selben Resonanzen einer Kugel zu koppeln. Es ist auch möglich, die Kugeln in einem Vorbereitungsschritt zu charakterisieren, und so kann insbesondere eine spektrale Übereinstimmung zwischen einer der Resonanzen und dem Emitter erreicht werden. Desweiterne wird demonstriert, wie durch die Kopplung an eine plasmonische Antenne aus Goldnanokugeln mittels AFM auch die Effizienz der Einzelphotonenquelle gesteigert werden kann. / The topic of the dissertation presented here is the investigation of nanoscopic emitters and the possibilities to influence their fluorescence behavior by controlled coupling to photonic and plasmonic structures. NaYF4 nanocrystals codoped with ytterbium and erbium are investigated since they provide excellent properties in upconverting of low-energetic photons to photons with higher energy. The fluorescence light that is generated in this process of a small cluster of nanocrystals is investigated on its dependence on the excitation intensity. With the help of an atomic force microscope (AFM) a dependence of the spectral composition of the fluorescence light from single nanocrystals on their size ranging between a few to 50 nm is demonstrated. By selective manipulation with the AFM, individual nanocrystals are coupled to gold nanospheres and the mechanisms of the observed plasmonic amplification of the emission is analyzed with time-resolved measurements. Single nitrogen–vacancy centers in nanodiamonds are employed as single-photon sources in a second subject area. A near-field probe is employed to attach these single quantum systems to microspherical resonators, by which their emission features the typical peaks in the spectrum due to the coupling to the whispering gallery modes of the spheres. This method can not only be applied to couple two or more single-photon emitters to the very same modes of a microsphere, but the resonators themselves can be pre-characterized to match one of the modes with the emitter. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated how the efficiency of a single-photon source can be enhanced by coupling the nitrogen-vacancy center to a plasmonic antenna made of gold nanospheres.

Estudos foram conduzidos relativamente ao desempenho dos sistemas de análises em fluxo quando configurados como sistemas inteligentes, associados às técnicas de calibração multivariada ou empregando nanocristais como sensibilizadores. Ainda, melhorias relacionadas às modificações dos fluxos foram avaliadas, especialmente no que se refere à diálise em linha. Neste sentido, foi proposta uma nova estratégia para implementar determinações simultâneas de ferro e vanádio em ligas metálicas envolvendo cinética diferencial. O método baseava-se nas diferentes influências exercidas por Fe2+ e por V4+ na taxa de oxidação de íons iodeto por íons Cr6+ sob condições ácidas. Três diferentes alíquotas de amostra eram inseridas em um fluxo transportador / reagente de KI, confluindo posteriormente com um fluxo de K2Cr2O7. A sobreposição entre as três zonas de amostra estabelecidas resultava em uma zona de amostra complexa com diversos valores de absorbância. Medidas realizadas nos pontos de máximos e minímos do sinal registrado eram mais precisas e continham informações acerca dos diferentes estágios de desenvolvimento da reação e de diferentes condições de concentrações. Em outra estratégia, um sistema MPFS inteligente foi proposto para a determinação turbidimétrica sequencial de sulfato e cloreto em águas naturais. Ambos os métodos foram implementados no mesmo módulo de análises, proporcionando facilidades relativas ao: preparo de amostra em linha; adição de íons sulfato ou cloreto ao meio reacional para melhoria das condições de supersaturação; decisão em tempo real acerca da necessidade ou não da próxima análise. Inicialmente, determinava-se a concentração de cloreto presente na amostra, e este resultado era comparado com um valor pré-determinado. Se este fosse superior, a amostra era analisada novamente visando à determinação de sulfato. Caso contrário, uma nova amostra era analisada. A estratégia resultou em aumento da velocidade analítica e em boas figuras de mérito analítico. Estudos relativos à natureza do fluxo foram conduzidos avaliando-se o desempenho dos fluxos pulsados provenientes de bombas solenóide em relação à eficiência do transporte de massas, dispersão da zona de amostra relacionada com a mudança de sentido do fluxo e eficiência do processo de diálise quando comparados aos fluxos tipicamente laminares. Embora fosse observada a presença de vórtices, o número de Reynolds experimentalmente obtido demonstrou que o fluxo resultante não era turbulento. Porém seu perfil exibia características de mescla turbulenta, melhorando assim o desempenho relativo ao transporte de massas e redução da dispersão da zona de amostra. Entretanto, beneficios relativos a melhorias no processo de diálise foram ausentes devido provavelmente à alta pressão exercida dentre da câmara de diálise, com consequente deformação dos poros da membrana. Nestas situações, um sistema de análises híbrido (com fluxo laminar e mescla turbulenta) seria fortemente recomendado. Finalmente, a implementação de nanocristais quantum dots (QDs) como sensibilizadores em um sistema MPFS envolvendo reação quimioluminescente foi proposta para a determinação de glipizida e gliclazida em formulaçoes farmacêuticas. O método fundamentava-se na oxidação dos íons S2- por Ce4+ em meio ácido. Na presença dos analitos, a intensidade da radiação emitida era inibida. A influência do diâmetro médio dos nanocristais foi avaliada, e os critérios utilizados para o dimensionamento do sistema foram a repetibilidade, a reprodutibilidade e a sensibilidade analítica. Os analitos foram quantificados no mesmo módulo de análises, e boas figuras de mérito analítico foram verificadas. Os resultados obtidos se apresentaram concordantes com aqueles obtidos pela Farmacopéia Britânica / Studies focusing on performance of intelligent analytical flow systems, association with multivariate calibration or use of nanocrystals as sensitizers were carried out. Moreover, improvements related to modifications in flow pattern were evaluated with emphasis to in-line dialysis. To this end, a strategy for implementing simultaneous determinations of iron and vanadium in alloys relying on differential kinetics was proposed. The method was based on the influence of Fe2+ and V4+ on the rate of iodide oxidation by Cr6+ under acidic conditions. Three different plugs of the sample were sequentially inserted into an acidic KI reagent carrier stream, and a confluent K2Cr2O7 solution was added downstream. Overlap between the established plugs led to a complex sample zone with several regions of maximal and minimal absorbance values. Measurements performed on these regions were more precise and revealed the different degrees of reaction development. In another strategy, an intelligent MPFS was proposed for sequential turbidimetric determination of sulphate and chloride in natural waters. Both methods were implemented in the same manifold, providing facilities for: in-line sample cleanup; addition of low amounts of sulphate or chloride ions to the reaction medium for improving supersaturation conditions and real-time decision on the need for next assay. The sample was initially run for chloride determination, and the analytical signal was compared with a preset value. If higher, the sample was run again, now for sulphate determination. Otherwise, next sample was assayed. The strategy led to an increased sample throughput and good analytical figures of merit. Studies focusing on the flow pattern were carried out aiming at the evaluation of the influence of the pulsed flows delivered by solenoid pumps in relation to the efficiency of mass transfer, dispersion related to changes in flow direction of the sample zone and dialysis process as compared with typical laminar flow. Although the establishment of vortices were noted, the experimentally obtained Reynolds number showed that a turbulent flow was not established. Its pattern exhibited characteristics which improved the performance due to the enhanced radial mass transport inherent in turbulent mixing. Comparatively to laminar flow, beneficial aspects were noted in relation to sample dispersion and mass transfer. In relation to dialysis efficiency however process the benefits were not noted probably due to the high pressure inside the dialysis chamber, with consequent membrane pore deformation. In this situation, a hybrid flow analysis system (with laminar flow and turbulent mixing) might be recommended. Implementation of quantum dots nanocrystals (QDs NC) as sensitizers in a MPFS with chemiluminometric detection was proposed for the determinations of gliclazide and glipizide in pharmaceutical formulations. The method relied on the oxidation of sulphite by Ce4+ in acidic medium and, in the presence of the analytes, the emitted radiation of the Ce4+-SO3 2--CdTe QDs system was inhibited. Influence of crystal size was investigated, and the criteria for system optimization were the analytical repeatability, reproducibility and sensitivity. Both analytes were quantified in the same manifold, resulting in good analytical figures of merit. The results were in fairly good agreement with those obtained by the British Pharmacopoeia reference method

Submitted by Angela Maria de Oliveira (amolivei@uepg.br) on 2019-02-26T11:28:38Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Taiana Huslia Gomes Daniel.pdf: 2854921 bytes, checksum: 558ae7bad090562fb907f55b5c80bd02 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2019-02-26T11:28:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Taiana Huslia Gomes Daniel.pdf: 2854921 bytes, checksum: 558ae7bad090562fb907f55b5c80bd02 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-11-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Os nanocristais de amido são partículas de tamanho nanométrico que vêm recebendo atenção por parte dos pesquisadores pois são abundantes, biodegradáveis, não tóxicos e apresentam relativo baixo custo. Essas nanopartículas cristalinas podem ser utilizadas como estabilizantes de emulsões Pickering, sistemas onde o tamanho das partículas é fator primordial para a estabilidade. Entretanto, a forte tendência dessas partículas em formar agregados de tamanho micrométrico limita a aplicação tecnológica. Desta forma, a oxidação química com hipoclorito de sódio pode ser uma alternativa para minimizar esse comportamento indesejado. Os amidos de mandioca e de milho são abundantes e baratos, enquanto o amido de feijão, apesar de ter características tecnológicas interessantes e promissoras, ainda não é extraído comercialmente. O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar nanocristais produzidos a partir de amidos de mandioca, de feijão e de milho, proceder a oxidação dos nanocristais e utilizá-los como estabilizadores de emulsões Pickering. Os nanocristais foram obtidos por hidrólise com ácido sulfúrico e oxidados com hipoclorito de sódio. As emulsões foram preparadas utilizando-se óleo de soja e água. O amido de feijão foi o mais resistente à hidrólise, seguido dos amidos de milho e de mandioca. Em ambas as fontes botânicas a hidrólise ácida diminuiu consideravelmente o conteúdo de amilose nas nanopartículas. A oxidação aumentou o potencial zeta de todos os nanocristais, além de diminuir a polidispersividade. Por meio da espectroscopia na região do infravermelho médio detectou-se um pico a 1735 cm-1 característico dos grupos carboxilas livres (forma ácida – COOH), típico de amidos oxidados. Os amidos de mandioca e de milho apresentaram padrão cristalino tipo A, assim como seus nanocristais. Contudo, foi observado no feijão padrão cristalino tipo C - A, que permaneceu no nanocristal; por meio da oxidação, entretanto, o padrão foi alterado para o tipo A. Após a hidrólise, a cristalinidade relativa aumentou para todas as amostras, porém com a oxidação a mesma diminuiu, exceto para o amido de feijão que resultou em efeito contrário. As amostras oxidadas apresentaram maior estabilidade coloidal, quando comparadas com as não oxidadas. Os nanocristais não apresentaram pico endotérmico detectável pela análise de DSC (Calorimetria Exploratória Diferencial). Na análise de microscopia os nanocristais exibiram formas redondas ou ovais, independentemente da origem do amido, mesmo após terem sido submetidos à oxidação. Em geral a oxidação dos nanocristais melhorou o índice de emulsão das amostras, independente da fonte botânica de origem, além disso o índice foi maior para as amostras com maior proporção de óleo em relação com as com maior fração de água. Contudo o aumento da fase oleosa aumentou o diâmetro médio das gotículas. O valor de PDI variou de 1,6, para emulsão com proporções de água e óleo 1:1 estabilizada com 5% nanocristal de mandioca oxidado, até 3,5, para emulsão com proporção de água e óleo 1:3 estabilizada com 1% de nanocristal de feijão oxidado. / The nanocrystals of starch are particles of nanometric size that have been studied, since they are abundant, biodegradable, non-toxic and with relative low cost. However, the tendency to form micrometricsize aggregates limits the technological application; therefore, chemical oxidation with sodium hypochlorite may be an alternative for limiting such unwanted behavior. These nanocrystals can be used as stabilizers for Pickering emulsions, systems where particle size is a prime factor for stability. Cassava and maize starches are abundant and cheap, while bean starch, although an interesting and promising technological product, is not yet commercially available. The present work had as objective the production and characterization of nanocrystals from cassava, bean and corn starches, following chemical oxidation of the nanocrystals and using them as emulsion stabilizers. The nanocrystals were obtained by hydrolysis with sulfuric acid and oxidized with sodium hypochlorite. The emulsions were prepared using soybean oil and water. Bean starch was less susceptible to hydrolysis, followed by maize and cassava starches. In both botanical sources the acid hydrolysis greatly reduced the amylose content in the nanoparticles. Oxidation increased the zeta potential of all the nanocrystals, besides the value of polydispersity decreased. A peak at 1,735 cm-1 was detected by means of mid-infrared spectroscopy, which is characteristic of the free carboxyl group (acid form - COOH), expected on oxidized starches. Cassava and corn starches have Atype crystallinity pattern, as their nanocrystals. For bean starch, the original C-Atype crystallinity pattern remained for the non-oxidized nanocrystals but changed for A-type after oxidation. After hydrolysis, the relative crystallinity increased for nanocrystals, but decreased after oxidation. The exception was for bean starch that resulted in oxidized nanocrystals with higher relative crystallinity. Oxidized samples are considered as colloidal when compared to non-oxidized ones. Nanocrystals did not show detectable endothermic peak on DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) analysis. The microscopic analysis of the nanocrystals showed round or oval particles, independently of the botanical source and of oxidation treatment. In general, the oxidation of nanocrystals improved their emulsification index. The emulsification index was higher for the emulsions with larger amounts of oil, even though the average diameter of the droplets increased in this situation. The polydispersity index ranged from 1.6 for 1: 1 (water to oil ratio), stabilized with 5% oxidized cassava nanocrystal, up to 3.5 for 1: 3 (water to oil ratio), stabilized with 1% of oxidized bean nanocrystal.

Estudos foram conduzidos relativamente ao desempenho dos sistemas de análises em fluxo quando configurados como sistemas inteligentes, associados às técnicas de calibração multivariada ou empregando nanocristais como sensibilizadores. Ainda, melhorias relacionadas às modificações dos fluxos foram avaliadas, especialmente no que se refere à diálise em linha. Neste sentido, foi proposta uma nova estratégia para implementar determinações simultâneas de ferro e vanádio em ligas metálicas envolvendo cinética diferencial. O método baseava-se nas diferentes influências exercidas por Fe2+ e por V4+ na taxa de oxidação de íons iodeto por íons Cr6+ sob condições ácidas. Três diferentes alíquotas de amostra eram inseridas em um fluxo transportador / reagente de KI, confluindo posteriormente com um fluxo de K2Cr2O7. A sobreposição entre as três zonas de amostra estabelecidas resultava em uma zona de amostra complexa com diversos valores de absorbância. Medidas realizadas nos pontos de máximos e minímos do sinal registrado eram mais precisas e continham informações acerca dos diferentes estágios de desenvolvimento da reação e de diferentes condições de concentrações. Em outra estratégia, um sistema MPFS inteligente foi proposto para a determinação turbidimétrica sequencial de sulfato e cloreto em águas naturais. Ambos os métodos foram implementados no mesmo módulo de análises, proporcionando facilidades relativas ao: preparo de amostra em linha; adição de íons sulfato ou cloreto ao meio reacional para melhoria das condições de supersaturação; decisão em tempo real acerca da necessidade ou não da próxima análise. Inicialmente, determinava-se a concentração de cloreto presente na amostra, e este resultado era comparado com um valor pré-determinado. Se este fosse superior, a amostra era analisada novamente visando à determinação de sulfato. Caso contrário, uma nova amostra era analisada. A estratégia resultou em aumento da velocidade analítica e em boas figuras de mérito analítico. Estudos relativos à natureza do fluxo foram conduzidos avaliando-se o desempenho dos fluxos pulsados provenientes de bombas solenóide em relação à eficiência do transporte de massas, dispersão da zona de amostra relacionada com a mudança de sentido do fluxo e eficiência do processo de diálise quando comparados aos fluxos tipicamente laminares. Embora fosse observada a presença de vórtices, o número de Reynolds experimentalmente obtido demonstrou que o fluxo resultante não era turbulento. Porém seu perfil exibia características de mescla turbulenta, melhorando assim o desempenho relativo ao transporte de massas e redução da dispersão da zona de amostra. Entretanto, beneficios relativos a melhorias no processo de diálise foram ausentes devido provavelmente à alta pressão exercida dentre da câmara de diálise, com consequente deformação dos poros da membrana. Nestas situações, um sistema de análises híbrido (com fluxo laminar e mescla turbulenta) seria fortemente recomendado. Finalmente, a implementação de nanocristais quantum dots (QDs) como sensibilizadores em um sistema MPFS envolvendo reação quimioluminescente foi proposta para a determinação de glipizida e gliclazida em formulaçoes farmacêuticas. O método fundamentava-se na oxidação dos íons S2- por Ce4+ em meio ácido. Na presença dos analitos, a intensidade da radiação emitida era inibida. A influência do diâmetro médio dos nanocristais foi avaliada, e os critérios utilizados para o dimensionamento do sistema foram a repetibilidade, a reprodutibilidade e a sensibilidade analítica. Os analitos foram quantificados no mesmo módulo de análises, e boas figuras de mérito analítico foram verificadas. Os resultados obtidos se apresentaram concordantes com aqueles obtidos pela Farmacopéia Britânica / Studies focusing on performance of intelligent analytical flow systems, association with multivariate calibration or use of nanocrystals as sensitizers were carried out. Moreover, improvements related to modifications in flow pattern were evaluated with emphasis to in-line dialysis. To this end, a strategy for implementing simultaneous determinations of iron and vanadium in alloys relying on differential kinetics was proposed. The method was based on the influence of Fe2+ and V4+ on the rate of iodide oxidation by Cr6+ under acidic conditions. Three different plugs of the sample were sequentially inserted into an acidic KI reagent carrier stream, and a confluent K2Cr2O7 solution was added downstream. Overlap between the established plugs led to a complex sample zone with several regions of maximal and minimal absorbance values. Measurements performed on these regions were more precise and revealed the different degrees of reaction development. In another strategy, an intelligent MPFS was proposed for sequential turbidimetric determination of sulphate and chloride in natural waters. Both methods were implemented in the same manifold, providing facilities for: in-line sample cleanup; addition of low amounts of sulphate or chloride ions to the reaction medium for improving supersaturation conditions and real-time decision on the need for next assay. The sample was initially run for chloride determination, and the analytical signal was compared with a preset value. If higher, the sample was run again, now for sulphate determination. Otherwise, next sample was assayed. The strategy led to an increased sample throughput and good analytical figures of merit. Studies focusing on the flow pattern were carried out aiming at the evaluation of the influence of the pulsed flows delivered by solenoid pumps in relation to the efficiency of mass transfer, dispersion related to changes in flow direction of the sample zone and dialysis process as compared with typical laminar flow. Although the establishment of vortices were noted, the experimentally obtained Reynolds number showed that a turbulent flow was not established. Its pattern exhibited characteristics which improved the performance due to the enhanced radial mass transport inherent in turbulent mixing. Comparatively to laminar flow, beneficial aspects were noted in relation to sample dispersion and mass transfer. In relation to dialysis efficiency however process the benefits were not noted probably due to the high pressure inside the dialysis chamber, with consequent membrane pore deformation. In this situation, a hybrid flow analysis system (with laminar flow and turbulent mixing) might be recommended. Implementation of quantum dots nanocrystals (QDs NC) as sensitizers in a MPFS with chemiluminometric detection was proposed for the determinations of gliclazide and glipizide in pharmaceutical formulations. The method relied on the oxidation of sulphite by Ce4+ in acidic medium and, in the presence of the analytes, the emitted radiation of the Ce4+-SO3 2--CdTe QDs system was inhibited. Influence of crystal size was investigated, and the criteria for system optimization were the analytical repeatability, reproducibility and sensitivity. Both analytes were quantified in the same manifold, resulting in good analytical figures of merit. The results were in fairly good agreement with those obtained by the British Pharmacopoeia reference method

In this thesis, the structural, optical and electrical properties of crystalline silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) are examined for application to silicon based tandem cells. The approach has been to concentrate on all silicon devices by taking advantage of quantum confinement in low-dimensional Si. RF magnetron co-sputtering provided the capability of creating superlattice structures in conjunction with high temperature annealing, to form Si nanocrystals in an oxide matrix. Structural techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), micro-Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIM) were employed to gather structural information about the SiQD/SiO2 SLs. The result combine presents that the packing density of Si QDs, correlated to the oxygen content of the silicon rich oxide layer can be control independently. The effect of Si nanocrystallite density on Raman scattering is investigated. The preliminary results present that a decrease in the oxygen content (x) results in an increased sharpness of the Strokes-mode peak of nanocrystalline Si, attributed to an increase in the proportion of crystalline Si because of the increased number of SiQDs. However the influence of the surface region on the crystallite core intensity scattering becomes dominant, when SiQD size diameter is very small (less than 3 nm). The present work shows that a decrease in x-content leading to an increase of the SiQD concentration, initially results in the enhancement of the lateral conductivity in the SiQD superlattice material. In this work, the Al contacting scheme, using a prolonged heat treatment technique at elevated temperature less than the eutectic point of Al and Si (577C) has been successfully applied to making Ohmic contacts on both SiQD SLs in oxide and nitride matrices. Activation energy (Ea) of SiQDs, extracted from a linear Arrhenius plot is investigated in the present work in order to expand the understanding of engineering electrical injection in laterally active paths. It is found that a lower barrier height of dielectric matrix influences to the lateral electron transport of the SiQDs in such dielectric matrix. PL results confirm that the band gap of surface oxidized SiQDs widens due to quantum confinement. The present results reveal that the strong peak (Q-peak) due to quantum confinement is more effective in the emission with increasing SiQD concentration. The surface oxide is believed to play an important role in the reduction of SiQD luminescence due to a trapped exiciton. It is concluded that SiQDs surface oxide accompanied by a SiO2 matrix may not provide a good passivation in very small SiQD size. However the energy band gap and conductivity of the SiQDs are tunablity, in the optimum range of SiQD size and concentration. This observation may be important for future nanoelectronics applications.

Atomistic simulations are employed in this thesis to investigate defect nucleation and free volume of grain boundaries and nanocrystalline materials. Nanocrystalline materials are of particular interest due to their improved mechanical properties and alternative strain accommodation processes at the nanoscale. These processes, or deformation mechanisms, within nanocrystalline materials are strongly dictated by the larger volume fraction of grain boundaries and interfaces due to smaller average grain sizes. The behavior of grain boundaries within nanocrystalline materials is still largely unknown. One reason is that experimental investigation at this scale is often difficult, time consuming, expensive, or impossible with current resources. Atomistic simulations have shown the potential to probe fundamental behavior at these length scales and provide vital insight into material mechanisms. Therefore, work conducted in this thesis will utilize atomistic simulations to explore structure-property relationships of face-centered-cubic grain boundaries, and investigate the deformation of nanocrystalline copper as a function of average grain size. Volume-averaged kinematic metrics are formulated from continuum mechanics theory to estimate nonlocal deformation fields and probe the nanoscale features unique to strain accommodation mechanisms in nanocrystalline metals. The kinematic metrics are also leveraged to explore the tensile deformation of nanocrystalline copper at 10K. The distribution of different deformation mechanisms is calculated and we are able to partition the role of competing mechanisms in the overall strain of the nanocrystalline structure as a function of grain size. Grain boundaries are observed to be influential in smaller grained structures, while dislocation glide is more influential as grain size increases. Under compression, however, the resolved compressive normal stress on interfaces hinders grain boundary plasticity, leading to a tension-compression asymmetry in the strength of nanocrystalline copper. The mechanisms responsible for the asymmetry are probed with atomistic simulations and the volume-averaged metrics. Finally, the utility of the metrics in capturing nonlocal nanoscale deformation behavior and their potential to inform higher-scaled models is discussed.

Thin film nanostructures may be defined as assemblies, arrays, or randomly distributed nanoparticles, nanowires, or nanotubes, which together form a layer of materials supported on a substrate surface. Because such nanostructures are supported on a substrate surface, their potential applications cover a wide area in optical, magnetic, electrochemical, electromagnetic, and optoelectronic devices. The focus of the present thesis is the development of methodologies to grow certain thin film nanostructures of some transition metal oxides (TMOs), including copper oxides and LixCoO2, through CVD, sol-gel, and electromagnetic radiation-mediated approaches. The work towards this objective can be divided into three parts: first, the design, synthesis, and systematic identification of novel metalorganic precursors of copper (monometallic) and Li and Co (bimetallic); second, the growth of nanostructured oxides thin films using these precursors; and third, the application of electromagnetic radiation to control or tailor the growth of as grown nanostructures. The underlying growth mechanisms substantiated by appropriate evidence have been put forward, wherever found relevant and intriguing. It may be added that the principal objective of the work reported here has been to explore the several ideas noted above and examine possibilities, rather than to study any specific one of them in significant detail. It is hoped earnestly that this has been accomplished to a reasonable extent. Chapter 1 reviews briefly the reports available in the literature on three specific methods of growing thin films nanostructures, namely chemical vapour deposition, sol-gel processing and light-induced approach. The objective of this chapter has been to provide the background of the work done in the thesis, and is substantiated with a number of illustrative examples. Some of the fundamental concepts involved, viz., plasmons and excitons, have been defined with illustration wherever found relevant in the context of the work. Chapter 2 describes the various techniques used for synthesis and characterisation of the metalorganic complexes as well as of the thin films. This chapters covers mostly experimental details, with brief descriptions of the working principles of the analytical procedures adopted, namely, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermal analysis for characterisation of the metalorganic complexes. This is followed by a similarly brief account of techniques employed to characterize the thin films prepared in this work, viz., glancing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), glancing incidence infra-red spectroscopy (GIIR) and, UV-visible spectroscopy. The metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) systems built in house and used for growth of films are described in detail. The topics in the different sections of the chapter are accompanied by pertinent diagrams. Chapter 3 deals with the design, synthesis and characterisation of novel polynuclear complexes of copper and cobalt. Keeping in mind the various advantages such as low toxicity, ease of synthesis, non-pyrophoricity, and low temperature volatility, of environmentally benign complexes based on biologically compatible such as triethanolamine, diethanolamine, the objective has been to synthesize complexes containing triethanolamine and diethanolamine of transition metals such as cobalt and copper, and to investigate their applicability in MOCVD processes as a novel class of precursors. With the notion of ‘better’ and efficient design of precursors, an attempt has been made, through a semi-empirical modeling, to understand the correlation between volatility and various intrinsic molecular parameters such as lattice energy, vibrational-rotational energy, and internal symmetry. Chapter 4 discusses the growth of nanoporous Cu4O3-C composite films through the MOCVD process employing Cu4(deaH)(dea)(oAc)5.(CH3)2CO as the precursor. The various characteristic aspects of as-grown films, such as their crystallinity, morphology, and composition have been covered elaborately in various sections of this chapter. The chapter describes the efficient guiding and confining of light exploiting the photonic band gap of these nanoporous films, which indicates the potential usefulness of these and similar films as optical waveguides. A model described in the literature on absorbing photonic crystals, wherein a periodically modulated absorption entails an inevitable spatial modulation of dispersion, i.e., of the index contrast to open a photonic band gap, has been used to calculate the indices of refraction of one of these nanoporous films. The chapter also reports briefly the preliminary electrochemical investigations carried out on a typical film, examining the notion of its application as the anode in a Li-ion rechargeable battery. Chapter 5 describes the synthesis of nanocrystalline LixCoO2 films by the sol-gel method. Reports available in literature indicate that the various phases of LixCoO2 are extremely sensitive to processing temperature, making it difficult to control dimensionality of a given phase using temperature as one of process parameters. We have investigated the possibility of using incoherent light to tailor the particle size/shape of this material. The as-grown and irradiated films were characterised by X-ray diffraction, and by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques.Optical spectroscopy was carried out in order to gain insight into the physico-chemical mechanism involved in such structural and morphological transformation. Chapter 6 deals with the synthesis of self-assembled nanostructures from the pre-synthesized nanocrystals building blocks, through optical means of exciton formation and dissociation. It has been demonstrated that, upon prolonged exposure to (incoherent) ultraviolet-visible radiation, LixCoO2 nanocrystals self-assemble into acicular architectures, through intermediate excitation of excitons. Furthermore, it has been shown that such self-assembly occurs in nanocrystals, which are initially anchored to the substrate surface such as that of fused quartz. This new type of process for the self-assembly of nanocrystals, which is driven by light has been investigated by available microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Chapter 7 describes the stabilisation of chemically reactive metallic lithium in a carbonaceous nanostructure, viz., a carbon nanotube, achieved through the MOCVD process involving a lithium-alkyl moiety. This moiety is formed in situ during deposition through partial decomposition of a metalorganic precursor synthesized in house, which contains both lithium and cobalt. It is surmised that the stabilization of metallic Li in the nanostructure in situ occurs through the partial decomposition of the metalorganic precursor. Quantitative X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy carried out on such a film reveals that as much as 33.4% metallic lithium is trapped in carbon. Lastly, Chapter 8 briefly highlights the outlook for further investigations suggested by the work undertaken for this thesis. Novel precursors derived from biologically compatible ligands can open up possibility of growing new type of micro/nano-structures, and of unusual phases in the CVD grown films. Furthermore, it is proposed that the novel method of growth and alignment of nanocrystals through irradiation with incoherent light, employed for the specific material LixCoO2, may be employed for various other metallic and semiconducting materials.