In order to completely assess the potential of semiconductor nanowires for multifunctional applications such as flexible electronics, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), and composites, a full characterization of their properties must be obtained. While many of their physical properties have been well studied, explorations of mechanical, electromechanical, and optical properties of semiconductor nanowires remain relatively sparse in the literature. Two major hurdles to the elucidation of these properties are: (1) the development of experimental techniques which are capable of mechanical and electromechanical measurements coupled with detailed structural analysis, and (2) the synthesis of high quality nanowires with the high yields necessary to produce the quantities needed for composite fabrication. These issues are addressed in this dissertation by utilizing the supercritical fluid-liquid-solid (SFLS) synthesis method to produce germanium (Ge) nanowire specimens for mechanical and electromechanical measurements coupled with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). In addition, excellent dispersibility and large quantities allow for optical measurements of dispersions and composites. Ge cantilever nanoelectromechanical resonators were fabricated and induced into resonance. From the frequency response, the Young's modulus of the nanowires was determined to be insensitive to diameter and on par with the literature values for bulk Ge. The mechanical quality factors of the resonators were found to decrease with decreasing diameter. The data indicate that energy dissipation from the oscillating cantilevers occurs predominantly via surface losses. The mechanical strengths of individual Ge nanowires were measured by in situ nanomanipulation in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The nanowires were found to tolerate diameter-dependent flexural strains more than two orders of magnitude higher than bulk Ge. Corresponding bending strengths were in agreement with the ideal strength of a perfect Ge crystal, indicative of a reduced presence of extended defects. The nanowires also exhibited plastic deformation at room temperature, becoming amorphous at the point of maximum strain. The optical absorbance spectra of Ge nanowires were measured and found to exhibit spectra markedly different from bulk Ge. Simulations using a discrete dipole approximation (DDA) model suggest that the difference in light absorption results from light trapping within the nanowires. / text

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Ce travail a pour objectif d’élaborer de manière contrôlée différentes microstructures de (K0,5Na0,5)NbO3 non dopées par différentes mises en forme, bien caractérisées structuralement et microstructuralement, afin d’étudier et d’éclaircir l’influence de la densification et de la taille des grains sur les propriétés piézoélectriques. Il s’agit pour cela de produire des microstructures, avec une composition maitrisée, ayant d’abord des grains de taille micrométrique, ensuite millimétrique et enfin si possible des grains centimétriques de KNN et d’atteindre des densifications allant de 80 % à plus de 95 %. Au-delà de l’ingénierie des microstructures de KNN, l’obtention de monocristaux du composé (K0,5Na0,5)NbO3 de plusieurs mm3, de bonne qualité cristalline et bien caractérisés structuralement et microstructuralement permettrait de caractériser l’ensemble des tenseurs élastiques, diélectriques et piézoélectriques ainsi que de valider des méthodes de caractérisation originales développées au sein du laboratoire GREMAN. / The purpose of this work is to elaborate different controlled microstructures of undoped (K0,5Na0,5)NbO3 by different methods, with full structural and microstructural characterization in order to study and to elucidate the influence of the densification and grain size effect on the piezoelectric properties. For this, it is necessary to produce KNN microstructures with controlled composition, starting with micrometer grain size, then millimeter and if possible centimeter grain size and to attain densification ranging from 80 % up to 95 % of the theoretical one. Beyond the KNN microstructure engineering, the growth of large (K0,5Na0,5)NbO3 single crystals about several mm3 with good crystallinity and full structural and microstructural characterization would enable the elastic, dielectric and piezoelectric tensors to be fully characterized as well as to validate the original characterization methods developed within the GREMAN laboratory.

Increasing demand for structural health monitoring in space highlights the need to make the creation of these systems more accessible. This study investigates the potential of additive manufacturing to achieve this goal by characterizing a self-sensing material made of a commercially available 3D-printed continuous carbon fibre filament. The results demonstrate the feasibility of converting the filament into a strain sensor with improved sensitivity compared to conventional foil strain gauges. Mechanical and electromechanical properties of the self-sensing material were characterized, including an ultimate tensile strength of 45.09 ± 3.45 MPa, a failure strain of 38.93 ± 3.41%, and a base resistance of 759.11Ω. The tensile gauge factor was calculated to be 467.06 ± 375.90 within the strain range of 0% to 3.8% with a linearity (R2) of 0.93. For the first time, a systematic literature review compares mechanical and electromechanical properties to enable material selection for mechanical design incorporating self-sensing material. The study highlights that the spread of material properties in a group of materials indicates how well-developed a material is for self-sensing purposes. This study advances our understanding of the feasibility of using additive manufacturing to create self-sensing materials for structural health monitoring systems and opens up new avenues for further research.