The examined area is related to previously mapped localities in the Novohradské Mountains and the foothills and creates a comprehensive insight into the landscape, not only from the geomorphological point of view. The goal is to create a geomorphological map at a scale of 1:25000, and some more detailed plans of the most interesting localities, using GPS technology. The maps were processed using ArcGIS 9.1 software and ZABAGED maps. The text section of the thesis contains a characteristics of various relief forms in the studied locations. Furthermore, an overall analysis of the physical-geographical elements that influence the landscape character was elaborated. The fieldwork was executed in 2010 and 2011.

Le travail effectué durant cette thèse est basé sur l’étude de la photoréactivité de l’acrylonitrile et du propionitrile (composés présents dans l’atmosphère de Titan) lorsque nous simulons en laboratoire les conditions spécifiques de ce satellite.Leur photochimie à haute énergie (λ>120 nm) a été étudiée en matrices cryogéniques afin de simuler la phase gazeuse présente à haute altitude dans l’atmosphère de Titan. Nous avons pu identifier des photoproduits qui sont connus pour être présents dans cette même atmosphère comme le cyanoacétylène, l’acétylène, l’éthylène et l’acide cyanhydrique. La formation d’isonitriles a également été caractérisée permettant ainsi d’envisager leur présence dans cette atmosphère.Les processus photochimiques en phase solide ont également été étudiés à différentes températures afin de simuler les aérosols présents à différentes altitudes de l’atmosphère de Titan. Les mêmes photoproduits qu’en matrices cryogéniques ont été identifiés et des rapports de branchement ont été mesurés pour les différentes températures. L’irradiation VUV de la phase solide (acrylonitrile ou propionitrile) conduit à la formation de résidus non volatils qui seront comparés avec les données de la littérature.Enfin, nous avons étudié l’impact que peut avoir une incorporation de ces molécules dans un mélange gazeux N2/CH4 (les deux composants les plus abondants de l’atmosphère de Titan) lors de la formation de résidus par application d’un plasma simulant le bombardement de la haute atmosphère par des particules lourdes. / This work focused on studying the photoreactivity of acrylonitrile and propionitrile (molecules present in Titan) when the specific conditions of its atmosphere are simulated in laboratory.High energetic photochemistry (λ>120 nm) has been investigated in cryogenic matrices in order to reproduce the gazeous phase present in high altitude. We identified the photoproducts which are known to be detected in Titan such as cyanoacetylene, acetylene, ethylene and cyanhydric acid. We also noticed the formation of isonitriles for which their future detection became predictable.Solid phase photochemical processes have also been studied at different temperatures in order to reproduce the aerosols present at different altitudes. The same photoproducts than in matrices were obtained and branching ratios were determined for the different temperatures. Solid phase (acrylonitrile or propionitrile) VUV radiation leads to the formation of non volatile residues that will be compared to literature data.Finally, we studied the effect of the inclusion of these molecules in an initial gaseous mixture composed of nitrogen and methane (the two most abundant species in the atmosphere of Titan) during the formation of residues by application of plasma simulating the heavy particles shelling in high altitude.

Hybrid composites forms an important field of research in the area of composite science and engineering as it gives the advantage of avoiding complex lay-up designs and provides better tuning compatibility to get desired properties in comparison with their mono-fiber counterpart. Further, utilization of composites for low temperature structures has been hindered by inconsistency of material property data and not much is reported on thermal characteristics of hybrid composites at cryogenic temperatures. This research work is focused on development of carbon-glass epoxy hybrid composite and to study the thermal behavior of these materials in comparison to its mono-fiber counterparts especially at cryogenic temperatures. The objectives are classified into the following three parts: Development of a hybrid composite with urethane modified epoxy matrix system (toughening agent used is Propyltrimethoxysilane (PTMO) and Toluene Di-Isocyanate (TDI) is added to get the polyurethane structure), for cryogenic applications. Study and understand the limitations and complexities of the experimental methodologies involved in evaluating the thermal properties of these materials namely thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion and specific heat. Finally to look into the appropriate theoretical calculations and experimental results to understand the variations, if any, for these materials. Specifically the following contributions are reported in this thesis: Evaluated the modified matrix system for its physical and mechanical properties at 20K. Specimens were prepared with D638 ASTM standard, modified to suit pin loading configuration in the cryostat/Instron machine. After assessing the suitability of the matrix system, mono fibre composites of different types were made and evaluated their thermal properties viz, coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and specific heat down to 20K. Based on the results of the above, a hybrid composite configuration was evolved which exhibits optimal thermal characteristics at low temperatures and its characterization for various thermal properties at cryogenic temperatures was carried out. Comparisons of the experimental results were made with macro-mechanical model and micro-mechanical model (rule of mixtures) of composite materials. The present work throws light to the fact that hybrid polymer matrix composites can very well be considered for cryogenic applications where the combination or trade off between properties like strength to conductivity ratio, modulus to conductivity ratio and low cost is to be made. The mechanical properties of hybrid composites also need to be studied to complement the study on thermal properties reported in this thesis. It is essential to have a complete understanding of behaviour of these materials at cryogenic temperatures with respect to both thermal and mechanical properties as it is evident from the available literature that the emerging demands are multi-disciplinary in nature. The present research work is aimed at highlighting the use of hybrid composites to achieve the desirable thermal properties and thereby inviting the attention of scientists and engineers who are engaged in the design of cost effective structures and appliances for cryogenic environments to focus on further research to develop

The presented thesis focuses on designing a cryogenic cell for the study of water ice in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). This cell allows the study ice in the temperature range 80 K – 300 K in a nitrogen gas environment with a pressure of up to 400 Pa. The cell is cooled by a flow cooling system, where liquid or gaseous nitrogen is used as a refrigerant. The cell consists of a double-walled vessel with vacuum insulation, a flow-through heat exchanger, a sample well, and a cooled cell lid. The heat exchanger was designed to be able to dissipate the heat load at the level of 1 W. The exchanger is equipped with an electric resistance heater with an output of approximately 60 W, enabling heating of the sample at speeds of up to 100 K·min-1. The design also includes an LN2 gateway located on the door of the vacuum chamber of the microscope, to which the capillaries of the heat exchanger for the intake and outlet of refrigerant are connected. During the experimental verification of the cryogenic cell in the test vacuum chamber with a pressure of GN2 ~ 400 Pa, the limit temperature of 77.5 K on the sample well was reached.

This work deals with the modern diagnostic methods of defects detection of solar cells. Defects are detected by electroluminescence and photoluminescence methods. The main focus of this work is an innovation workplace for measuring solar cell defects at very low temperatures using photoluminescence. Liquid nitrogen is used to cooling solar cells. By using low temperatures can be detection methods to obtain more objektive results of diagnostic defects.

Bulk commercially pure titanium was prepared by powder metallurgy, namely by cryogenic milling and spark plasma sintering, with aim to produce ultra-fine grained material with enhanced strength. The microstructure of milled powders was investigated in detail by a novel method called transmission EBSD, which allowed the first direct observation of texture within the powder particles. This texture is similar to rolling texture, because of the similar nature of the defor- mation during milling. Microstructure observations revealed grains with the size under 100 nm. The influence of sintering parameters on material properties were studied by scan- ning electron microscopy including EBSD, X-ray diffraction and by microhardness measurements. The trade-off relationship between porosity and grain size was identified, fully dense material with ultra-fine grained microstructure could not be produced. Increased oxygen content was identified as a main strengthening factor, while porosity has significant deteriorating effect on mechanical properties. The texture of powder was retained in the bulk material. The possibility of stabilizing the microstructure by mechanical alloying of Ti with yttrium oxide nanoparticles was investigated with mixed results. The stabiliza- tion was successful, but several issues...

Les nanocristaux semi-conducteurs colloïdaux possèdent des propriétés photo-physiques qui en font des objets de choix pour des applications variées, comme le marquage biologique, le photovoltaïque ou encore l'optique quantique. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions les modifications, introduites par des réseaux d'or, de la fluorescence de nanocristaux CdSe/CdS à coquille épaisse. Nous présentons tout d'abord les propriétés fondamentales de ces nanocristaux de CdSe/CdS puis la manière dont leurs propriétés d'émission peuvent être contrôlées par l'environnement électromagnétique, en détaillant en particulier le cas d'un couplage avec des plasmons de surface. Des simulations réalisées par nos collaborateurs du LICB dans le cadre d'un projet ANR sont ensuite comparées à nos mesures expérimentales. Nous observons que le couplage des nano-émetteurs individuels au réseau d'or permet à la fois d'accélérer l'émission spontanée et de mieux la collecter. Les structures métalliques sont optimisées pour que les améliorations détectées soient peu sensibles à la position de l'émetteur. Un effet supplémentaire est le contrôle de la polarisation de l'émission qui se révèle être fixée pa r le réseau. Nous rapportons également des changements dans la statistique temporelle d'émission des photons et notamment la suppression totale du scintillement. Les métaux étant connus pour leurs pertes ohmiques, des expériences ont été réalisées pour montrer que les pertes non radiatives qu'elles entraînent peuvent être réduites à basse température. Nous avons examiné le cas d'une surface d'or plane ainsi que des réseaux linéaires et circulaires. Enfin, une nouvelle méthode de post-traitement a été développée en parallèle. Elle permet par exemple d'étudier les variations de l'efficacité quantique bi-excitonique dans des nanocristaux enrobés d'or suivant l'état de charge de l'émetteur. / Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are fluorescent nano-objects exhibiting discrete energy levels which justify their second appellation: quantum dots (QDs). Due to their high efficiency and ease of use, they find potential applications in a wide range of fields. Their usefulness for biological labeling, optoelectronic components in flat screens, light harvesting or quantum optics has been demonstrated by many studies. In this thesis, we use gold gratings in order to modify the emission properties of CdSe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals. After a brief presentation of their electronic and fluorescence properties, we explain how those properties can be modified by the control of the electromagnetic environment with particular care to the case of surface plasmons. We then show through experiment and simulations that those plasmons enable better collection efficiency, faster photo-luminescence decay rates, and polarized emission without being particularly restricting towards QD positioning. Changes in the emission statistics are also observed, notably total suppression of the blinking in the fluorescence intensity. Further experiments at low temperature have been realized in order to assess the importance of the gold ohmic losses. We investigated the case of a flat gold film as well as linear and circular gratings. A new post-selection method is also introduced and used to study the variations of the bi-excitonic quantum yield for nanocrystals embedded in a gold nano-resonator as a function of the ionization state of the emitter.

Global climate change concerns help shape current environmental regulations, which increasingly seek to reduce or capture CO2 emissions. Methods for capturing CO2 emissions from energy processes have been the focus of numerous studies to provide support for those seeking to reduce the environmental impact of their processes. This research has (1) simulated a baseline case of energy-storing cryogenic carbon capture for implementation on a 550 MWe coal fired power plant, (2) presented a novel cryogenic carbon capture process for removing CO2 from natural gas down to arbitrary levels, (3) presented a natural gas liquefaction process that has the ability to be highly CO2 tolerant, and (4) developed theoretical models and their experimental validation of CO2 capture predictions for all aforementioned processes.

Viruses are the most abundant biological entity in the biosphere and are known to infect hosts from all domains of life. The aim of my work is to identify conserved and non-conserved features among the capsid structures of related and divergent icosahedral viruses via cryogenic electron microscopy, sequence analysis, molecular modeling, and other techniques. Bird polyomaviruses often cause severe disease in their hosts whereas mammalian polyomaviruses generally do not. Avian polyomavirus is a type of bird polyomavirus with an unusually broad host range compared to the restricted tropism of other polyomaviruses. Although most polyomaviruses have a conserved, rigid capsid protein structure, avian polyomavirus has a flexible capsid shell and a non-conserved C-terminus in its major capsid protein. A β-hairpin motif appears to stabilize other polyomaviruses but is missing in avian polyomavirus. The lack of this structure in avian polyomavirus may account for its capsid flexibility and broad host range. A minor capsid protein unique to bird polyomaviruses may be located on the inner capsid surface. This protein may have a role in the acute disease caused by bird polyomaviruses. The solution-state capsid structure of satellite tobacco mosaic virus was unexpectedly different than the previously solved crystalline structure. The conformational differences were accounted for by a shift of the capsid protein about the icosahedral fivefold axis. Conversely, the RNA core was consistent between solution and crystalline structures. The stable RNA core supports previous observations that the viral genome stabilizes the flexible capsid. Halophage CW02 infects Salinivibrio bacteria in the Great Salt Lake. The three-dimensional structure of CW02 revealed a conserved HK97-like fold that is found in all tailed, double-stranded DNA viruses. The capsid sequence of CW02 shares less than 20% identity with HK97-like viruses, demonstrating that structure is more conserved than sequence. A conserved module of genes places CW02 in the viral T7 supergroup, members of which are found in diverse aquatic environments. No tail structure was observed in reconstructions of CW02, but turret-like densities were found on each icosahedral vertex, which may represent unique adaptations similar to those seen in other extremophilic viruses.

Shape memory alloys when deformed can produce strains as high as 8%. Heating results in a phase transformation and associated recovery of all the accumulated strain, a phenomenon known as shape memory. This strain recovery can occur against large forces, resulting in their use as actuators. The goal of this project is to lower the operating temperature range of shape memory alloys in order for them to be used in cryogenic switches, seals, valves, fluid-line repair and self-healing gaskets for space related technologies. The Ni-Ti-Fe alloy system, previously used in Grumman F-14 aircrafts and activated at 120 K, is further developed through arc-melting a range of compositions and subsequent thermo-mechanical processing. A controlled atmosphere arc-melting facility and vertical vacuum quench furnace facility was commissioned to fabricate these alloys. The facility can create a vacuum of 10-7 Torr and heat treat samples up to 977 °C. High purity powders of Ni, Ti and Fe in varying ratios were mixed and arc-melted into small buttons weighing 0.010 kg to 0.025 kg. The alloys were subjected to solutionizing and aging treatments. A combination of rolling, electro-discharge machining and low-speed cutting techniques were used to produce strips. Successful rolling experiments highlighted the workability of these alloys. The shape memory effect was successfully demonstrated at liquid nitrogen temperatures through a constrained recovery experiment that generated stresses of over 40 MPa. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and a dilatometry setup was used to characterize the fabricated materials and determine relationships between composition, thermo-mechanical processing parameters and transformation temperatures.