Zugl.: Habil.-Schrift Univ. Göttingen, 2006/2007. / Quellen- und Literaturverz.: S. [357]-395.

Zugl. Teildr. von: Rom, Pontificia Univ. Salesiana, Diss., 2005

Zugl.: Göttingen, Univ., Habil.-Schr., 2006/07

No description available.

Abstract Density functional theory (DFT) is a well-established tool for calculating the properties of materials. The volume of DFT-related publications doubles every 5–6 years, which has resulted in the appearance of continuously growing open material databases, containing information on millions of compounds. Furthermore, the results of DFT computations are frequently coupled with experimental ones to strengthen the computational findings. In this thesis, several applications of DFT related to physics and chemistry are discussed. The conductivity between MoS₂ and transition metal nanoparticles is evaluated by calculating the electronic structure of two different models for the nanoparticles. Chemical bonding of Ni to the MoS₂ host is proven by the system’s band alignment. To meet the demand for cleaner fuel, the applicability of the (103) edge surface of molybdenum disulfide in relation to the early stages of the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reaction is considered. The occurrence of the (103) edge surface of molybdenum disulfide in the XRD patterns is explained. A method for calculating oxidation states based on partial charges using open materials databases is suggested. We estimate the applicability of the method in the case of mixed valence compounds and surfaces, showing that DFT calculations can be used for the estimation of oxidation states. / Tiivistelmä Tiheysfunktionaaliteoria (density functional theory, DFT) on yleisesti käytetty työkalu laskennallisessa materiaalitutkimuksessa. DFT:llä tuotettujen julkaisujen määrä kaksinkertaistuu 5–6 vuoden välein, minkä johdosta käytettävissä on jatkuvasti kasvava määrä avoimia materiaalitietokantoja, joihin on talletettu miljoonien yhdisteiden ominaisuuksia. DFT-laskujen tuloksia täydennetään myös usein kokeellisilla tuloksilla. Tässä työssä tarkastellaan tiheysfunktionaaliteorian sovelluksia fysiikassa ja kemiassa. MoS₂:n ja metallisten nanopartikkelien välistä johtavuutta on tutkittu mallintamalla erilaisia nanopartikkeleita. Nikkelin ja MoS₂:n välinen kemiallinen sidos selittyy systeemin energiavöiden kohdistumisella. MoS₂:n (103)-pinnan soveltuvuutta rikinpoistoreaktion varhaisissa vaiheissa on tutkittu tarkoituksena löytää uusia menetelmiä puhtaan polttoaineen tuottamiseksi. Myös (103)-pinnan esiintyminen röntgendiffraktiokuvissa selitetään. Työssä on myös esitetty menetelmä hapetustilojen laskemiseksi tietokannoista löytyvien laskettujen varausjakaumien avulla. Menetelmän soveltuvuutta on tarkasteltu erilaisille yhdisteille ja pinnoille. Tämä tarkastelu osoittaa, että DFT-tuloksia voidaan käyttää hapetustilojen laskemiseen.

L'utilisation de systèmes moléculaires individuels pouvant jouer le rôle de composants avec des fonctions électroniques ou logiques requiert des interfaces parfaitement contrôlées. Plus précisément, le support sur lequel ces systèmes sont déposés et les électrodes métalliques qui permettent de contacter une molécule individuelle, sont des interfaces qui nécessitent un soin d'élaboration particulier. La croissance d'îlots bidimensionnels (2d) de métaux sur un isolant monocristallin permet de générer des nano-plots 2d pouvant servir de réservoirs d'électrons en minimisant les courants de fuite en surface. Ainsi, il apparaît capital de bien comprendre les modes de croissance des systèmes métal/isolant qui sont à l'heure actuelle mal connus. Ce travail de thèse s'attache à décrire et à expliquer la croissance de différents métaux sur la surface de l'AlN(0001) polaire, qui est un composé nitrure à grand gap, par des calculs basés sur la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité (DFT).Dans un premier temps, une description approfondie des différentes surfaces du nitrure d'aluminium est présentée. Des calculs DFT ont permis de rationaliser les reconstructions en fonction des conditions expérimentales. La reconstruction (2 x 2)-Nad est discutée, puisqu'elle a été observée en microscopie à force atomique. Dans un deuxième temps, le cas du dépôt d'atomes d'or est abordé en connexion avec des résultats expérimentaux. Les calculs DFT donnent un aperçu des mécanismes qui conduisent à la stabilisation d'îlots 2d sur l'AlN. L'adsorption d'or s'accompagne, d'une part, d'un transfert de charge vertical provenant du substrat d'AlN, ce qui satisfait au critère de stabilité électrostatique pour un matériau polaire et, deuxièmement, par des transferts de charges horizontaux reliés aux propriétés acido-basiques locales de la reconstruction (2 x 2)-Nad. Enfin, des calculs effectués sur deux autres métaux, le magnésium et l'argent, sont exposés. Ces résultats ouvrent la voie à de nouvelles stratégies utilisant des substrats polaires pour développer des monocouches métalliques sur des substrats isolants. / The use of individual molecular systems that can act as components with electronic or logical functions requires perfectly controlled interfaces. More precisely, the support on which these systems are deposited and the metal electrodes that allow to contact an individual molecule, are interfaces that require special care in preparation. The growth of two-dimensional (2d) islands of metals on a monocrystalline insulator allows to generate 2d nano-pads that can be used as electron reservoirs by minimizing surface leakage currents. Thus, it is essential to understand the growth modes of metal/insulating systems which are at present poorly known. This work aims at describing and explaining the growth of different metals on the surface of the polar AlN (0001), which is a large gap nitride compound, by calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). In a first step, a detailed description of the various surfaces of the aluminum nitride is presented. DFT calculations permit to rationalize the reconstructions according to the experimental conditions. The (2 x 2)-Nad reconstruction is discussed, since it was observed by atomic force microscopy. In a second step, the case of the deposit of gold atoms is tackled in connection with experimental results. DFT calculations give an overview of the mechanisms that lead to the stabilization of 2d islands on AlN. The adsorption of gold is accompanied, on the one hand, by a vertical charge transfer from the AlN substrate, which satisfies the electrostatic stability criterion for a polar material and, on the other hand, by horizontal charge transfers related to the local acid-base properties of the (2 x 2)-Nad reconstruction. Finally, calculations made on two other metals, magnesium and silver, are exposed. These results open the way to new strategies using polar substrates to develop metallic monolayers on insulating substrates.

The unexpected comparison of a Supreme Court Justice with a popular culture icon demonstrates how politics and popular culture become entwined in the contemporary context; moreover, network culture provides a conduit for vernacular discourse about politics, which circulates in the style of popular culture. Through analysis of images of Ruth Bader Ginsburg as created, shared, and circulated in network culture, this project explores the alternative levels of discourse generated in network culture, examines the ways the public represents politics, and explains the ability of political subjects to affect meaning. The aim of this project is to document a conjunctural moment; as such, analysis of the images in aggregate provides a foundation to raise questions about how American political culture is manifested, attended to, and maintained through network culture and the parlance of popular culture. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2007. / Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 182 p. Includes bibliographical references.

This paper examines whether Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg demonstrates any evidence of a "feminine voice" in her opinions. There has been much jurisprudential literature written recently regrading the possible existence of a "feminine voice." This paper surveyes the literature and defines what is meant by a "feminine voice." The paper proceeds to analyze some of Justice Ginsburg's opinions to determine if a "feminine voice" is present. This study focuses on four areas of law the literature suggests evidence of a "feminine voice" might be found: cases involving gender, race, the Establishment Clause, and physician-assisted suicide. With the exception of cases concerning race, no evidence of a "feminine voice" was found. In race cases, there is evidence to suggest that Justice Ginsburg arrives at her decision in a way that is different from her male colleagues. The lack of evidence of a "feminine voice" in the other areas does not mean that no such voice exists; rather, it is just not present in all of the decisions written by Justice Ginsburg. The paper concludes that, at least in cases involving race, Justice Ginsburg does reason in a "feminine voice." While this is a narrow finding, the fact that there is evidence of a "feminine voice," at least in some cases, suggests that gender does play a role in judicial decision-making at the United States Supreme Court level. / Department of Political Science

Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Bi12GeO20 (BGO) belongs to the family of sillenite crystals BMO, where M = Ge, Si, Ti. These compounds exhibit remarkable photorefractive e ect and therefore are used in the development of information and image storage technologies, holography, ampli cation of luminous signals and dynamic interferometry. One of the strategies used to enhance the properties of interest of these sillenites is doping. The defects can create photorefractive centers in the matrix, introducing energy levels within the gap, in uencing the electronic and optical properties of the selenites. Experimental work reported a curious behavior when using transition metal ions (TMI) as dopants. Most of the TMIs, including Cr ions, are allocated at the high symmetry site Ge4+, with the exception of Cu2+ which enters into the matrix at the low symmetry site of Bi3+. This is a surprising fact due to the di erence between ionic radii and charge states of the dopants and the substitution ion Ge4+. In this work the LAPW method, based on the DFT theory and implemented in the WIEN2k program, was used to study the electronic, structural and energetic properties of pure BGO and doped BGO with chromium ions. In the study of doped cases, Cr ions were inserted at the substitutional sites of Ge4+ and Bi3+ The calculations were performed for neutral and charged systems. The approximations for correlation and exchange e ects were made through GGA-PBE and mBJ potentials. Were performed calculations of lattice parameter optimization, relaxation of atomic positions, state density, Bader charge and formation energies of defects. It was possible to nd the lattice parameter, and the band gap energy os the BGO pure, to analyse the way how the neighbourhood of the substitutional site behaves with the presence of the defect and nd the states that populate the valence and conduction bands of the studies cases. These data were taking into account to measure the ions valence. The results of the modeling showed that Cr prefers to accommodate in the BGO matrix with Cr3+/4+ valences. The preferential accommodation site of Cr3+ is Bi3+, which didn't meet with what has been reported experimentally in the literature. / O Bi12GeO20 (BGO) pertence a fam lia de cristais silenitas do tipo BMO, onde M = Ge, Si, Ti. Tais compostos apresentam um not avel efeito fotorrefrativo e por isso s~ao utilizados no desenvolvimento de tecnologias de armazenamento de informa c~oes e imagens, hologra a, amplia c~ao de sinais luminosos e interferometria din^amica. Uma das estrat egias utilizadas para potencializar as propriedades de interesse dessas silenitas e a dopagem. Os defeitos podem criar centros fotorrefrativos na matriz, introduzindo n veis de energias dentro do gap e in uenciar nas propriedades eletr^onicas e opticas das silenitas. Trabalhos experimentais relataram um comportamento curioso ao se utilizar ons de metais de transi c~ao (TMI) como dopantes. A maior parte dos TMIs, incluindo os ons de Cr, s~ao alocados no s tio de alta simetria Ge4+, com exce c~ao do Cu2+ que se insere na matriz no s tio de baixa simetria do Bi3+. Esse e um fato surpreendente devido a diferen ca entre raios i^onicos e estados de carga dos dopantes e do on substitucional Ge4+. Neste trabalho foi utilizado o m etodo LAPW, baseado na teoria DFT e implementado no programa WIEN2k, para estudar as propriedades eletr^onicas, estruturais e energ eticas do BGO puro e dopado com ons de cromo. No estudo de casos dopados, os ons de Cr foram inseridos nos s tios substitucionais Ge4+ e Bi3+. Os c alculos foram executados para sistemas neutros e carregados. As aproxima c~oes para os efeitos de correla c~ao e troca foram feitas atrav es do funcional GGA-PBE e do potencial mBJ. Foram realizados c alculos de otimiza c~ao de par^ametro de rede, relaxa c~ao de posi c~oes at^omicas, densidade de estados, carga de Bader e energias de forma c~ao de defeito. Foi poss vel encontrar o par^ametro de rede, a energia de gap do BGO puro, analisar a forma como a vizinhan ca do s tio substitucional se comporta com a presen ca do defeito e encontrar os estados que populam as bandas de val^encia e condu c~ao dos casos estudados. Esses dados foram levados em conta para aferir a val^encia dos ons. Os resultados das modelagens mostraram que o Cr prefere se acomodar na matriz do BGO com val^encias Cr3+/4+. O s tio de acomoda c~ao preferencial do Cr3+ e o Bi3+, o que vai de encontro ao que foi relatado experimentalmente na literatura. / São Cristóvão, SE