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<p dir="ltr">Since the discovery of graphene in 2004, numerous other materials with intriguing electronic, optical, and magnetic properties have been found to be layered and exfoliatable down to atomic thickness. Owing to their weak interlayer coupling, mediated only by van der Waals forces, this new class of 2-dimensional materials, also known as van der Waals (vdW) materials, allows layer-by-layer stacking, overcoming some of the limitations of growth techniques. In particular, the growing inventory of vdW materials has expanded to include magnetic materials, further broadening the possibilities of novel devices based on stacked heterostructures. These magnetic heterostructures can find applications in spintronics and memory devices and may be combined with other vdW materials with optical properties for applications in optoelectronics. In this thesis, we assembled heterostructures via mechanical transfer or growth to modify the magnetism in these vdW materials. We used various optical and electrical techniques to probe the modified magnetism or its effects on the novel heterostructure. Thus, we observed the emergence of the magnetic proximity effect on the topological insulator BiSbTeSe₂ after dry transferring a thin flake of Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ on top, taking steps towards the observation of novel topological phases, such as the quantum Hall insulator. Additionally, we demonstrated an increased Curie temperature and magnetic anisotropy, effectively enhancing the magnetism, in thin flakes of Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ and Cr₂Si₂Te₆ after sputtering NiO or MgO. Finally, noting that the effect of modified magnetism in Cr2Ge2Te6 after sputtering NiO or MgO is induced due to wrinkle formation and strain, we further reproduce similar wrinkle formation on other 2D materials such as hBN, graphite, and 2D antiferromagnets (XPS₃, (X= Mn, Fe, Ni), CrSBr, RuCl₃). We used polarized Raman spectroscopy to characterize the induced biaxial strain in hBN and showed that such wrinkle formation can lead to moderately (up to 1.4% strain) spatially inhomogeneous and anisotropic strain profiles. These efforts demonstrate the versatility of tailoring the properties of these vdW materials.</p>

Lasers are increasingly used for a wide range of different applications for both civil and military purposes. Due to the distinct properties of laser light, use of lasers often comes with a risk of damage to the human eye and other optical sensors. Therefore, an effective laser protection is needed. 2D-materials is a relatively new class of materials, which have shown to possess many unique properties compared to its bulk counterparts. Some 2D-materials exhibit nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, and specifically optical power limiting (OPL) effects, and have therefore been researched for laser protection applications. In this work, two different 2D-materials, MXene Ti3C2 and graphene oxide (GO), have been combined with a hybrid organic-inorganic polymer, a so called melting gel (MG), to synthesise nanocomposites possessing OPL effects for laser protection applications. Different methods of incorporating the 2D-materials in the polymer matrix as well as the effect on optical properties of different concentrations of 2D-materials were investigated. The prepared nanocomposites were characterised using optical microscopy, spectroscopy and OPL measurements in order to investigate and quantify their linear and nonlinear optical properties. The MG was optically clear, mechanically stable and easy to synthesise, which makes it a suitable candidate as a matrix for a laser protection nanocomposite. Additionally, it was possible to dope the MG with the two different 2D-materials to create nanocomposites showing desirable optical properties in the visible spectrum. However, many samples showed signs of clustered 2D-particles indicating that the dispersion could be improved. Finally, OPL measurements, performed at 532 nm, showed that the MG itself exhibited OPL effects, both 2D-materials showed a stronger OPL effect than the non-doped MG and that GO-doped samples gave a better protection than the MXene samples.

Graphene, an allotrope of carbon, has demonstrated exceptional mechanical, thermal, electronic, and optical properties. Complementary to such innate properties, structural modification through chemical functionalization or defect engineering can significantly enhance the properties and functionality of graphene and its derivatives. Hence, understanding structure-property relationships in graphene-based metamaterials has garnered much attention in recent years. In this thesis, we present molecular dynamics studies aimed at elucidating structure-property relationships that govern the thermomechanical response of interlayer-bonded graphene bilayers. First, we present a systematic and thorough analysis of thermal transport in interlayer-bonded twisted bilayer graphene (IB-TBG). We find that the introduction of interlayer C-C bonds in these bilayer structures causes an abrupt drop in the in-plane thermal conductivity of pristine, non-interlayer-bonded bilayer graphene, while further increase in the interlayer C-C bond density (2D diamond fraction) leads to a monotonic increase in the in-plane thermal conductivity of the resulting superstructures approaching the high in-plane thermal conductivity of 2D diamond (diamane). We also find a similar trend in the in-plane thermal conductivity of interlayer-bonded graphene bilayers with randomly distributed individual interlayer C-C bonds (RD-IBGs) as a function of interlayer C-C bond density, but with the in-plane thermal conductivity of the IB-TBG 2D diamond superstructures consistently exceeding that of RD-IBGs at a given interlayer bond density. We analyze the simulation results employing effective medium and percolation theories and explain the predicted dependence of in-plane thermal conductivity on interlayer bond density on the basis of lattice distortions induced in the bilayer structures as a result of interlayer bonding. Our findings demonstrate that the in-plane thermal conductivity of IB-TBG 2D diamond superstructures and RD-IBGs can be precisely tuned by controlling interlayer C-C bond density with important implications for the thermal management applications of interlayer-bonded few-layer graphene derivatives. Secondly, we report results on the mechanical and structural response to shear deformation of nanodiamond superstructures in interlayer-bonded twisted bilayer graphene (IB-TBG) and interlayer-bonded graphene bilayers with randomly distributed individual interlayer C-C bonds (RD-IBGs). We find that IB-TBG nanodiamond superstructures subjected to shear deformation undergo a brittle-to-ductile transition (BDT) with increasing interlayer bond density (nanodiamond fraction). However, RD-IBG bilayer sheets upon shear deformation consistently undergo brittle failure without exhibiting a BDT. We identify, explain, and characterize in atomic-level detail the different failure mechanisms of the above bilayer structures. We also report the dependence of the mechanical properties, such as shear strength, crack initiation strain, toughness, and shear modulus, of these graphene bilayer sheets on their interlayer bond density and find that these properties differ significantly between IB-TBG nanodiamond superstructures and RD-IBG sheets. Our findings show that the mechanical properties of interlayer-bonded bilayer graphene sheets, including their ductility and the type of failure they undergo under shear deformation, can be systematically tailored by controlling interlayer bond density and distribution. These findings contribute significantly to our understanding of these 2D graphene-based materials as mechanical metamaterials.

Thin-film materials from μm thickness down to single-atomic-layered 2D materials play a central role in many novel electronic and optical applications. Coherent, nonlinear optical (NLO) μ-spectroscopy offers insight into the local thickness, stacking order, symmetry, or electronic and vibrational properties. Thin films and 2D materials are usually supported on multi-layered substrates leading to (multi-) reflections, interference, or phase jumps at interfaces during μ-spectroscopy, which all can make the interpretation of experiments particularly challenging. The disentanglement of the influence parameters can be achieved via rigorous theoretical analysis. In this work, we compare two self-developed modeling approaches, a semi-analytical and a fully vectorial model, to experiments carried out in thin-film geometry for two archetypal NLO processes, second-harmonic and third-harmonic generation. In particular, we demonstrate that thin-film interference and phase matching do heavily influence the signal strength. Furthermore, we work out key differences between three and four photon processes, such as the role of the Gouy-phase shift and the focal position. Last, we can show that a relatively simple semi-analytical model, despite its limitations, is able to accurately describe experiments at a significantly lower computational cost as compared to a full vectorial modeling. This study lays the groundwork for performing quantitative NLO μ-spectroscopy on thin films and 2D materials, as it identifies and quantifies the impact of the corresponding sample and setup parameters on the NLO signal, in order to distinguish them from genuine material properties.

Novel devices are being investigated as artificial synapse candidates for neuromorphic computing. These memory devices share the characteristics of an electronic element called memristor. The memristor can be regarded as a resistor with a history dependent resistance, which mimics the plasticity of a biological synapse. The present work presents various types of candidate devices that have been proposed in neuromorphic research, describes how they mimic a biological synapse and how they can be employed in artificial neuron network architectures.

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Tesis por compendio / [ES] En los últimos años, la química se ha convertido en una herramienta esencial en la búsqueda de soluciones al cambio climático y la escasez de recursos. En este sentido, la catálisis ha desempeñado un papel importante en el desarrollo de materiales y procesos cada vez más limpios y eficientes. Dada la asequibilidad y la abundancia de materiales a base de carbono en comparación con los catalizadores tradicionales, como los metales preciosos y los óxidos metálicos, el grafeno es considerado un material prometedor para una amplia gama de aplicaciones. En este contexto, en la presente tesis doctoral se describe el empleo de poliestireno como precursor de grafeno, así como su uso para desarrollar un método general de exfoliación y formación de heterouniones con propiedades electrocatalíticas. Además, se describe otros materiales grafíticos, cuyas paredes están constituidas por unas pocas láminas de grafeno. Estos carbonos grafíticos 3D ultramicroporosos son capaces de promover reacciones como la oxidación aeróbica del alcohol bencílico o la ruptura fotocatalítica de la molécula del agua. / [CA] En els últims anys, la química s'ha convertit en una eina essencial en la recerca de solucions a el canvi climàtic i l'escassetat de recursos. En aquest sentit, la catàlisi ha tingut un paper important en el desenvolupament de materials i processos cada vegada més nets i eficients. Donada la assequibilitat i l'abundància de materials a base de carboni en comparació amb els catalitzadors tradicionals com ara els metalls preciosos i els òxids metàl·lics, el grafè és considerat un material prometedor per a una àmplia gamma d'aplicacions. En aquest context, en la present tesi doctoral es descriu l'ús de poliestirè com a precursor de grafè, així com el seu ús per a desenvolupar un mètode general d'exfoliació i formació de heterojuncions amb propietats electrocatalítiques. A més, es descriuen altres materials grafítics, les parets del quals estan constituïdes per unes poques làmines de grafè. Aquests carbonis grafítics 3D ultramicroporosos són capaços de promoure reaccions com l'oxidació aeròbica de l'alcohol benzílic o la ruptura fotocatalítica de la molècula d'aigua. / [EN] In the recent years, chemistry has become a crucial tool in the quest for solutions against climate change and resource scarcity. In this regard, catalysis plays an important role in the development of more efficient and sustainable materials and processes. Given the availability and low cost of carbon-based materials compared to traditional catalysts such as noble metals or metal oxides, graphene is considered a promising candidate for a wide variety of applications. In this context, the present doctoral thesis describes the use of polystyrene not only as graphene precursor but also as exfoliating agent to prepare heterojunctions with electrocatalytic properties. In addition, a general procedure to obtain graphitic materials comprising few layers graphene walls is also described. These ultramicroporous 3D graphitic carbons can promote the aerobic oxidation of benzilic acid or the photocatalytic water splitting reaction. / Rendón Patiño, A. (2021). Materiales a base de grafenos como foto-(electro)catalizadores para la generación de hidrógeno [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/172379 / Compendio

In this work, we demonstrate the first synthesis of vinylene-linked 2D CPs, namely, 2D poly(phenylenequinoxalinevinylene)s 2D-PPQV1 and 2D-PPQV2, via the Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) reaction of C2-symmetric 1,4-bis(diethylphosphonomethyl)benzene or 4,4′-bis(diethylphosphonomethyl)biphenyl with C3-symmetric 2,3,8,9,14,15-hexa(4-formylphenyl)diquinoxalino[2,3-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine as monomers. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations unveil the crucial role of the initial reversible C−C single bond formation for the synthesis of crystalline 2D CPs. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) studies and nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements demonstrate the formation of proclaimed crystalline, dual-pore structures with surface areas of up to 440 m2 g−1. More importantly, the optoelectronic properties of the obtained 2D-PPQV1 (Eg=2.2 eV) and 2D-PPQV2 (Eg=2.2 eV) are compared with those of cyano-vinylene-linked 2D-CN-PPQV1 (Eg=2.4 eV) produced by the Knoevenagel reaction and imine-linked 2D COF analog (2D-C=N-PPQV1, Eg=2.3 eV), unambiguously proving the superior conjugation of the vinylene-linked 2D CPs using the HWE reaction.