Compostos condutores protônicos de zirconato de bário dopado com ítrio, BaZr0,8Y0,2O3-δ, preparados por síntese de estado sólido, foram compactados e sinter izados com ZnO e B2O3 como aditivos. Os corpos cerâmicos sinter izados foram analisados por difração de raios X e espectroscopia de impedância. Superfícies polidas e atacadas termicamente foram observadas em microscópio de varredura por sonda. As medidas de densidade mostraram que a maior densificação foi obtida com óxido de zinco nas proporções de 2 e 5 peso%, atingindo aproximadamente 95% da densidade teórica. As medidas de resistividade elétrica evidenciaram a menor resistividade elétrica do composto cerâmico BaZr0,8Y0,2O3-δ, com 5 peso% de ZnO. Os aditivos de sinter ização, óxido de boro e óxido de zinco, foram eficientes para se obter compostos com menores valores de resistividade elétrica que os obtidos em compostos sinter izados sem aditivos. / BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ, protonic conductors, prepared by the ceramic route, were pressed and sintered with ZnO and B2O3 sinter ing aids. The sintered pellets were analyzed by X-ra y diffraction and impedance spectroscopy. Polished and thermally etched surfaces of the pellets were observed in a scanning probe microscope. The highest values of apparent densit y, 95%T.D., were obtained with 2 and 5 wt.% ZnO. The lowest value of electr ical resistivit y was obtained in BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ, compounds with 5 wt.% ZnO. Boron oxide and zinc oxide sinter ing aids were efficient to improve the apparent densit y as well as the electr ical conductivit y of BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ, protonic conductors.

Les composites à matrice céramique (CMC) sont destinés à remplacer les superalliages comme constituants de l'architecture des chambres de combustion des moteurs aéronautiques. Dans ces conditions, la durée de vie de ces matériaux diminue fortement du fait de leurs dégradations par oxydation. Pour pallier à ce problème, des CMC à matrice autocicatrisante sont élaborés. Ils possèdent la particularité de s'auto-protéger vis-à-vis de l'oxydation par la formation d'oxyde passivant limitant la diffusion des espèces oxydantes au sein des fissures matricielles. Dans le cadre de ces travaux de thèse, la durabilité d'un composite SiC/[Si-B-C] est évaluée. Son comportement en oxydation/corrosion est alors étudié entre 450 et 1000°C sous air à des pressions partielles d'humidité variables. Une approche multi-échelle (échelle constituants et composite) est envisagée pour comprendre les différents mécanismes mis en jeu lors de la non-cicatrisation/cicatrisation du matériau. / Ceramic matrix composites are potential candidate to replace the nickel-based alloys in advanced aeronautic engines as in civilian ones. These composites display cracks due to their elaboration process but also due to mechanical loading in use. These matrix cracks become an extended network for oxygen diffusion, and cause the premature damage of the material. To avoid this process, composites with a sequenced self-healing matrix have been developed and investigated. To resume, the self-healing process consists to consume part of incoming oxygen by sealing the matrix cracks with an oxide phase. In this work, a SiC/[Si-B-C] composite is investigated and a multi-scale approach is used. In a first time, the oxidation rate of each constituent is evaluated and in a second, composite specimens are aged between 450 and 1000°C in different gas mixtures and total pressures. This approach is a good way to better understand the contribution of each element under oxidizing environment and thus the self-healing process.

Compostos condutores protônicos de zirconato de bário dopado com ítrio, BaZr0,8Y0,2O3-δ, preparados por síntese de estado sólido, foram compactados e sinter izados com ZnO e B2O3 como aditivos. Os corpos cerâmicos sinter izados foram analisados por difração de raios X e espectroscopia de impedância. Superfícies polidas e atacadas termicamente foram observadas em microscópio de varredura por sonda. As medidas de densidade mostraram que a maior densificação foi obtida com óxido de zinco nas proporções de 2 e 5 peso%, atingindo aproximadamente 95% da densidade teórica. As medidas de resistividade elétrica evidenciaram a menor resistividade elétrica do composto cerâmico BaZr0,8Y0,2O3-δ, com 5 peso% de ZnO. Os aditivos de sinter ização, óxido de boro e óxido de zinco, foram eficientes para se obter compostos com menores valores de resistividade elétrica que os obtidos em compostos sinter izados sem aditivos. / BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ, protonic conductors, prepared by the ceramic route, were pressed and sintered with ZnO and B2O3 sinter ing aids. The sintered pellets were analyzed by X-ra y diffraction and impedance spectroscopy. Polished and thermally etched surfaces of the pellets were observed in a scanning probe microscope. The highest values of apparent densit y, 95%T.D., were obtained with 2 and 5 wt.% ZnO. The lowest value of electr ical resistivit y was obtained in BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ, compounds with 5 wt.% ZnO. Boron oxide and zinc oxide sinter ing aids were efficient to improve the apparent densit y as well as the electr ical conductivit y of BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ, protonic conductors.

Deposition of solid state materials span a wide variety of methods and often utilize high energy sources such as plasmas and ultra-violet light resulting in a wide variety of characteristics and applications. A fundamental understanding is essential for furthering the applications of these materials which include catalysis, molecular filtration, electronics, sensing devices, and energy storage among others. A combination of experimental and theoretical work is presented here on several materials including 2D silicates on Pd, boron oxide, and vanadium oxynitride. Silicate formation under low energy electron microscopy demonstrate film permeability to oxygen, while ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal the possible initial mechanisms associated with the formation of boron oxide films during atomic layer deposition. Lastly, vanadium oxynitrides have shown preferential sputtering of N over O sites and theoretical binding energies serve as a guide for assigning experimental x-ray photoelectron spectra.

Axial offset anomaly (AOA) in pressurized water reactors (PWR) refers to deviation of the measured neutron flux in the top half of the core from the predicted values. Among other difficulties, AOA reduces the shutdown margin, and may force the plant to reduce power output. AOA is believed to be caused by three related phenomena occurring in the core while operating at full power: sub-cooled nucleate boiling concentrated mainly in the upper half of the core, corrosion product deposition on the cladding surface (crud), and the deposition of boron within the porous crud layer in regions of vigorous sub-cooled boiling. This study replicates the conditions within the PWR primary coolant; specifically, the temperature, pressure, peak surface heat flux, coolant velocity and water chemistry are simulated in order to produce prototypical crud on an electrically heated Zircaloy-4 test element. At the conclusion of each test run, the heated Zircaloy-4 test element is rapidly isolated from the coolant in order to trap any soluble boron species that may be present in the crud layer. The results of this investigation indicate that prototypical crud with significant boron deposition can be produced. The deposited boron compound has been determined to be lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7). Comparative experiments have been run to determine the effect of coolant pH, concentration and type of additives, and duration of exposure on the thickness of the crud deposit. The data obtained in this investigation can be used to validate mechanistic models for crud deposition and AOA in pressurized water reactors.

The deposition of boron oxide (B₂O₃) films on silicon substrates is of significant interest in microelectronics for ultrashallow doping applications. However, thickness control and conformality of such films has been an issue in high aspect ratio 3D structures which have long replaced traditional planar transistor architectures. B₂O₃ films are also unstable in atmosphere, requiring a suitable capping barrier for passivation. The growth of continuous, stoichiometric B₂O₃ and boron nitride (BN) films has been demonstrated in this dissertation using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and enhanced ALD methods for doping and capping applications. Low temperature ALD of B₂O₃ was achieved using BCl₃/H₂O precursors at 300 K. In situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to assess the purity and stoichiometry of deposited films with a high reported growth rate of ~2.5 Å/cycle. Free-radical assisted ALD of B₂O₃ was also demonstrated using non-corrosive trimethyl borate (TMB) precursor, in conjunction with mixed O₂/O-radical effluent, at 300 K. The influence of O₂/O flux on TMB-saturated Si surface was investigated using in situ XPS, residual gas analysis mass spectrometer (RGA-MS) and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations (AIMD). Both low and high flux regimes were studied in order to understand the trade-off between ligand removal and B₂O₃ growth rate. Optimization of precursor flux was discovered to be imperative in plasma and radical-assisted ALD processes. BN was investigated as a novel capping barrier for B₂O₃ and B-Si-oxide films. A BN capping layer, deposited using BCl₃/NH₃ ALD at 600 K, demonstrated excellent stoichiometry and consistent growth rate (1.4 Å/cycle) on both films. Approximately 13 Å of BN was sufficient to protect ~13 Å of B₂O₃ and ~5 Å of B-Si-oxide from atmospheric moisture and prevent volatile boric acid formation. BN/B₂O₃/Si heterostructures are also stable at high temperatures (>1000 K) commonly used for dopant drive-in and activation. BN shows great promise in preventing upward boron diffusion which causes a loss in the dopant dose concentration in Si. The capping effects of BN were extended to electrochemical battery applications. ALD of BN was achieved on solid Li-garnet electrolytes using halide-free tris(dimethylamino)borane precursor, in conjunction with NH₃ at 723 K. Approximately 3 nm of BN cap successfully inhibited Li₂CO₃ formation, which is detrimental to Li-based electrolytes. BN capped Li-garnets demonstrated ambient stability for at least 2 months of storage in air as determined by XPS. BN also played a crucial role in stabilizing Li anode/electrolyte interface, which drastically reduced interfacial resistance to 18 Ω.cm², improved critical current density and demonstrated excellent capacitance retention of 98% over 100 cycles. This work established that ALD is key to achieving conformal growth of BN as a requirement for Li dendrite suppression, which in turn influences battery life and performance.