Le diagramme des phases du C60 continue d'être un sujet de discussion et de controverse, malgré la grande quantité de travaux expérimentaux et théoriques fait au fil des ans. Ceci est principalement dû au manque d'études in situ, a l'existence d´états désordonnés présentant des pics de diffraction très mal résolus et à la coexistence de plusieurs polytypes de faible densité. Ce manuscrit présente une étude systématique in situ des transformations hétérogènes du C60 sous haute pression et haute température dans la gamme 1-10 GPa et 300-1200 K. Afin de discriminer les poly(a)morphes de densité similaire dans des échantillons hétérogènes, nous avons utilisé une combinaison de micro-diffraction et micro-tomographie. Les échantillons ont été synthétisés dans une cellule Paris-Edimbourg et caractérisés à l'aide de diffraction des rayons X in situ en dispersion angulaire. Des images tridimensionnels à haute résolution ont été obtenus sur des échantillons trempés par la méthode de micro-tomographie de diffraction/diffusion. Cette méthode permet l'analyse 3D de l'intensité de diffusion reconstruite à partir de séries de projections 2D. Une telle analyse est non destructive et offre une grande sensibilité (0,1% en volume), une haute résolution spatiale (μm3) et peut être multimodale, fournissant des données quantitatives sur la morphologie, la densité, la composition élémentaire ou la structure des matériaux. En outre, nous décrivons le développement d´un système de micro-tomographie in situ sous haute pression et haute température en utilisant une nouvelle cellule rotative Paris-Edimbourg (RoToPEC), combinée avec le rayonnement synchrotron. La capacité à tourner complètement la chambre de l'échantillon sous charge, surmonte la contrainte d'ouverture angulaire limitée des cellules ordinaires et permet l'acquisition de projections tomographiques pour l'imagerie de plein champ ainsi que pour l'imagerie par micro-diffraction. Cette méthode innovante permet l´étude des matériaux sous conditions extrêmes de pression, température ou stress, et pourra être appliquée dans des domaines variés tels que la physique, la chimie, la science des matériaux ou la géologie. Le potentiel de cette nouvelle technique expérimentale est démontré par l'étude de la polymérisation de C60 sous haute-pression et haute température. Mots-clés: C60, diagramme de phase, diffraction, micro-tomographie, haute pression et haute température / The C60 reaction diagram continues to be a subject of discussion and controversy, despite the vast amount of experimental and theoretical work done over the years. This is mainly due the lack of in situ studies, the highly disordered-states showing poorly resolved diffraction peaks and the coexistence of several low-density polytypes. This manuscript presents a systematic in situ study of high-pressure–high-temperature forms C60 in the range of 1-10 GPa and 300-1200 K. In order to discriminate poly(a)morphs with similar densities in heterogeneous samples, we used a combination of microdiffraction and microtromography. The samples were synthesized in a Paris-Edinburgh cell and characterized using in situ angular dispersive X-ray diffraction. Three-dimensional submicron images were obtained on quenched samples using diffraction/scattering microtomography. This method provides 3D analysis of the scattering intensity reconstructed from sets of 2D microdiffraction projections. Such analysis is non-destructive and provides high sensitivity (0.1% volume), high spatial resolution (µm3) and can be multi-modal providing quantitative information on the morphology, density, elemental composition or structure of materials. Additionally, we describe the development of in situ high-pressure–high-temperature microtomography using a new rotating Paris-Edinburgh cell (RoToPEC) combined with synchrotron radiation. The ability to fully rotate the sample chamber under load, overcomes the limited angular aperture of ordinary high-pressure cells for acquiring tomographic projections in both, full-field imaging or microdiffraction modes. This innovative method enables dynamic studies of materials under extreme pressure-temperature-stress conditions, impacting areas such as physics, chemistry, materials science or geology. The potential of this new experimental technique is demonstrated on the in situ investigation of of high-pressure–high-temperature polymerization of C60 . Keywords: C60, phase diagram, diffraction, microtomography, high-pressure–high-temperature

The recent availability of X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) has opened a completely new and unexplored regime for the study of light-matter interactions. The extremely bright intensities delivered by XFELs can couple many photons into the target, turning well known interactions such as photoionization and scattering into new, non-linear, complex many-body phenomena. This thesis reports theoretical investigations aiming to improve the understanding of the fundamental processes and dynamics triggered by intense X-ray pulses, with a special focus in finite systems such as molecules and clusters. Sequential multiple photoionization in atomic clusters was investigated, where previous observations were extended for higher charge states where direct photoionization is frustrated. Through a rate equation study and subsequent molecular dynamics simulations, it was found that frustrated ionization is partially responsible for the low-energy peak observed in the electron energy spectrum. The influence of plasma evaporation over the formation of the sequential low-energy peak was also investigated, identifying the effects of the system size and photon energy. Multiple channel ionization was also investigated for the case of fullerenes. This is done through a series of studies, starting from a simplified rate equation scheme, and culminating with full molecular dynamics simulations. From these results, a good insight was obtained over the origin, physical meaning, and relevant parameters that give rise to the complicated features observed in the electronic spectra. The mechanisms responsible of all these features are expected to be present in other systems, making these results quite general. Diffractive imaging of biomolecules was studied in a final step, with a particular focus on the influence of intramolecular charge transfer mechanisms. To this end a conformer of T4 Lysozyme was used, a representative enzyme with well known structure. Charge migration is found to allow for additional processes such as proton ejection, a mechanism which enables an efficient release of energy from the system. This mechanism considerably suppresses structural damage for heavy ions, improving the quality of the measured diffraction patterns.

Non-fullerene Acceptors (NFAs) have gathered a great deal of interest for use inorganic photovoltaics (OPVs) due to recent breakthroughs in their power conversion efficiency and other advantages they offer over their Fullerene-based counterparts. In this work, a new promising non-fullerene polymer acceptor, PF5-Y5, have been studied using density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory; and the effects that oligomer length, geometry relaxation and exchange-correlation interaction has on the exciton binding energies (the difference between optical and fundamental energy gaps) have been investigated. Both the fundamental and optical gaps are significantly affected by the choice of functional (i.e., the description of the exchange-correlation interaction). However, it does not appear to significantly impact obtained exciton binding energies as the effects of the fundamental and optical gaps cancel each other out. Both the fundamental and optical energy gap are shown to slightly reduce as a function of the oligomer length (~0.1 - 0.3 𝑒𝑉 reduction for each repeated monomer). As both gaps are reduced by a similar amount per repeated monomer, they counteract each other and the total effect that oligomer length has on the exciton binding energy is very low. Geometry relaxation and thermal effects showed the largest impact on the fundamental gap and exciton binding energy, with their combined effect resulting in a ~0.5 𝑒𝑉 reduction in binding energy. / Non-Fullerene Acceptorer (NFAs) har rönt stort intresse för användning i organiska solceller (OPVs) på grund av genombrott på senare tid gällande deras effektomvandlingsverkningsgrad och en mängd andra fördelar som de erbjuder jämfört med sina fullerene-baserade motsvarigheter. I det här arbetet har en ny lovande polymer-acceptor, PF5-Y5, studerats med hjälp av täthetsfunktionalteori (DFT) och tidsberoende täthetsfunktionsteori (TD-DFT). Effekterna som oligomerlängd, geometri-avslappning och utbytes-korrelations-interaktion har på exciton-bindningsenergin (skillnaden mellan optiska ochfundamentala energigapen) har även undersökts.  Både erhållna värden för det fundamentala och optiska gapet påverkas avsevärt av valet av funktional (dvs. beskrivningen av utbytes-korrelations-interaktionen). Valet av funktional verkar dock inte nämnvärt påverka erhållna värden för excitonbindningsenergin då effekterna från det fundamentala och optiska gapen till stor del tar ut varandra.  Både det fundamentala och optiska energigapet minskar som en funktion av oligomerlängden (~0.1 - 0.3 𝑒𝑉 minskning för varje upprepad monomer). Eftersom båda energigapen minskar ungefär lika mycket för varje upprepad monomer så motverkar de till stor grad varandra; och den totala effekten som oligomerlängd har på exciton-bindningsenergin förblir låg. Strukturell relaxation (eng: geometry relaxation) och termiska effekter visade sig ha störst påverkan på det fundamentala energigapet och exciton-bindningsenergin, och deras sammanlagda effekt ledde till en ~0,5 𝑒𝑉 reduktion i bindningsenergi.

No description available.

<p>Molecular recognition via noncovalent interactions plays a key role in many biological processes such as antigen-antibody interactions, protein folding, the bonding and catalytic transformation of substrates by enzymes, etc. Amongst these noncovalent interactions, electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, and metal-to-ligand bonding are the most prominent. Exploring noncovalent interactions in host-guest systems that range from small hydrocarbon systems to more complex systems is the main motivation of this thesis. The present study involves the design, synthesis and characterization of clip-shaped molecules as host structures, and an examination of their binding properties with a variety of guests using NMR spectroscopy. </p><p>Several clips with a hydrocarbon or glycoluril backbone were synthesized. The binding of cations to small, hydrocarbon-based clips suggests that binding is enhanced by the rigidity and cooperativity between the two sidewalls of the clip. Binding is also very much dependant on the solvent properties. </p><p>Glycoluril-based clips built with aromatic sidewalls provide a deep cavity for binding guest molecules. The binding properties of these hosts were studied with several guests such as cations, Lewis acids and Lewis bases. Lewis basic binding sites in the acenaphthene-terminated clip were dominating in guest binding. Complexation-induced conformational changes in the wall-to-wall distance were observed for this clip.</p><p>In contrast, for a porphyrin-terminated clip with metal centers, very strong binding to a series of Lewis basic guests of various sizes into the clip cavity was observed. Conformational locking of guests with long alkyl chains was achieved, suggesting that, this clip could be useful as a potential molecular tool for the structural characterization of acyclic molecules with several stereogenic centers. This porphyrin clip was also shown to bind substituted fullerenes in the cavity.</p>

Amphiphilic polymers are a class of polymers that self-assemble into different types of microstructure, depending on the solvent environment and external stimuli. Self assembly structures can exist in many different forms, such as spherical micelles, rod-like micelles, bi-layers, vesicles, bi-continuous structure etc. Most biological systems are basically comprised of many of these organised structures arranged in an intelligent manner, which impart functions and life to the system. We have adopted the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique to synthesize various types of block copolymer systems that self-assemble into different microstructure when subject to an external stimuli, such as pH or temperature. The systems that we have studied are: (1) pH responsive fullerene (C60) containing poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA-b-C60); (2) pH and temperature responsive fullerene containing poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (C₆₀-b-PDMAEMA); (3) other responsive water-soluble fullerene systems. By varying temperature, pH and salt concentration, different types microstructure can be produced. In the presence of inorganic salts, fractal patterns at nano- to microscopic dimension were observed for negatively charged PMAA-b-C60, while such structure was not observed for positively charged PDMAEMA-b-C60. We demonstrated that negatively charged fullerene containing polymeric systems can serve as excellent nano-templates for the controlled growth of inorganic crystals at the nano- to micrometer length scale and the possible mechanism was proposed. The physical properties and the characteristics of their self-assembly properties will be discussed, and their implications to chemical and biomedical applications will be highlighted. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

The search for new materials for hydrogen storage is important for the development of future hydrogen energy applications. In this Thesis, it is shown that new materials with interesting properties can be synthesized by the reaction of hydrogen with various nanocarbon precursors. The thesis consists of two parts. The first part is devoted to studies of hydrogen storage in some metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and nanostructured carbon materials, while the second part describes synthesis of new materials by the reaction of hydrogen gas with various carbon materials (i.e. fullerene C60, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and fullerene C60 encapsulated inside SWCNTs (C60@SWCNTs)). Hydrogen adsorption was measured for a set of Zn- and Co-based MOFs at near ambient temperatures. MOFs synthesized using different metal clusters and organic connecting ligands allowed to study effects of different surface area, pore volume, and pore shapes on hydrogen storage parameters. Hydrogen adsorption values in the studied MOFs correlated well with surface area and pore volume but did not exceed 0,75wt.%. Therefore, new methods to improve the hydrogen storage capacity in MOFs were investigated. The addition of metal catalysts was previously reported to improve significantly hydrogen storage in MOFs. In this thesis the effect of Pt catalyst addition on hydrogen adsorption in MOF-5 was not confirmed. Contrary to previous reports, hydrogen adsorption in MOF-5 mixed/modified with Pt catalysts had fast kinetics, correlated well with surface area, and was on the same level as for unmodified MOF-5. New nanostructured carbon materials were synthesized by the reaction between fullerene C60 and coronene/anthracene. Despite negligible surface area these materials adsorbed up to 0,45wt.% of hydrogen at ambient temperatures. The reaction of fullerene C60 with hydrogen gas was studied at elevated temperatures and hydrogen pressures. In situ gravimetric monitoring of the reaction was performed in a broad temperature interval with/without addition of metal catalysts (i.e. Pt and Ni). The reaction resulted in synthesis of hydrogenated fullerenes C60Hx (with x≤56) followed by fullerene cage fragmentation and collapse upon prolonged duration of hydrogen treatment. Possible mechanisms of C60 hydrogenation and fragmentation were discussed. It is demonstrated that reaction of SWCNTs with hydrogen gas at elevated temperatures and hydrogen pressures can be used for nanotube opening, purification from amorphous carbon, side-wall hydrogenation, and partial unzipping of SWCNTs. Some graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) were synthesized as the result of SWCNTs unzipping. A surprising ability of hydrogen to penetrate inside SWNTs and to react with encapsulated fullerene C60 was demonstrated. / Sökandet efter nya material för vätelagring är viktigt för utveckling av framtida väteenergitillämpningar. I denna avhandling visas att nya material med intressanta egenskaper kan syntetiseras genom reaktion av väte med olika nanokolprekursorer. Avhandlingen består av två delar. Den första delen ägnas åt studier av vätelagring i vissa metall-organiska fackverk (så kallade MOFs) och nanostrukturerade kolmaterial medan den andra delen beskriver syntes av nya material genom reaktion av vätgas med olika kolmaterial (dvs. fulleren C60, enkelväggiga kolnanorör (SWCNTs) och fulleren C60 kapslat i SWCNTs (C60 @ SWCNTs)). Väteadsorptionen mättes för ett antal Zn- och Co-baserade MOFs vid rumstemperatur. MOFs syntetiserades med hjälp av olika metallkluster och organiska ligander för att studera effekterna av olika yta, porvolym och porformer på vätelagringsparametrarna. Väteadsorptionsvärden i de studerade MOFs korrelerade väl med yta och porvolym, men översteg inte 0,75wt.%. Därför undersöktes nya metoder för att förbättra kapaciteten för vätelagring i MOFs. Tillsättning av metallkatalysatorer har tidigare rapporterats avsevärt förbättra vätelagring i MOFs. I denna avhandling kunde effekten av en tillsats av Pt-katalysator på väteadsorption i MOF-5 inte bekräftas. I motsats till tidigare rapporter hade väteadsorption i MOF-5 blandad/modifierad med Pt-katalysatorer snabb kinetik och korrelerade väl med arean, men var på samma nivå som för omodifierad MOF-5. Nya nanostrukturerade kolmaterial syntetiserades genom reaktion mellan fulleren C60 och coronene/antracene. Trots försumbar yta adsorberade dessa material upp till 0,45wt.% väte vid rumstemperatur. Reaktionen av fulleren C60 med vätgas studerades vid förhöjda temperaturer och vätetryck. In situ gravimetrisk övervakning av reaktionen utfördes i ett brett temperaturintervall med/utan tillsats av metallkatalysatorer (dvs. Pt och Ni). Reaktionen resulterade i syntes av hydrogenerade fullerener C60Hx (med x≤56) följt av fragmentering och kollaps av fullerenstrukturen vid förlängd varaktighet av vätebehandlingen. Möjliga mekanismer för hydrering och fragmentering av C60 diskuteras. Det har visats att reaktionen mellan SWCNTs och vätgas vid förhöjda temperaturer och vätetryck kan användas för öppning av nanorör, borttagning av amorft kol, funktionalisering av sidoväggar och partiell "blixtlåsöppning" av SWCNTs. Reaktionen kan också syntetisera grafen-nanoband (GNRs) som en följd av att SWCNTs öppnas på längden. En överraskande stor förmåga för väte att tränga in i SWNT och där reagera med inkapslade fullerenmolekyler C60 demonstrerades.

<p>In this thesis, regioregularpoly( 3-hexylthiophene) (rr-P3HT) polymer was used as a light absorption and electron donating material, while the C60 fullerene and its derivative [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were used as electron acceptor materials. The effect of solvent to control the degree of mixing of the polymer and fullerene components, as well as the domain size and charge transport properties of the blends were investigated in detail using P3HT:C60 films. The photo-physical, structural and electrical transport properties of the polymer blends were carried out according to their ratios. A distinctive photoluminescence (PL) quenching effect was observed indicating a photo-induced electron transfer. In this thesis, the effect of solvents on the crystallization and interchain interaction of P3HT and C60 fullerene films were studied using XRD, UV-vis, PL, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. The polymer blends formed with non-aromatic solvents exhibited an improved crystallinity and polymer morphology than that formed with aromatic solvents. An improved ordering was demonstrated in the polymer films spin coated from non-aromatic solvents. This indicates that the limited solubility of rr P3HT in a marginal solvent such as non-aromatic solvents can offer a strategy to obtain highly ordered crystal structures and lead directly to optimal morphologies on the films.</p>

In nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the chronic and multi-generational toxicological effects of commercially relevant engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), such as quantum dots (QDs) and silver (AgNP) caused significant changes in a number of physiological endpoints. The increased water-solubility of ENPs in commercial products, for example, makes them increasingly bioavailable to terrestrial organisms exposed to pollution and waste in the soil. Since 2008, attention to the toxicology of nanomaterials in C. elegans continues to grow. Quantitative data on multiple physiological endpoints paired with metal analysis show the uptake of QDs and AgNPs, and their effects on nematode fitness. First, C. elegans were exposed for four generations through feeding to amphiphilic polymer coated CdSe/ZnS (core-shell QDs), CdSe (core QDs), and different sizes of AgNPs. These ENPs were readily ingested. QDs were qualitatively imaged in the digestive tract using a fluorescence microscopy and their and AgNP uptake quantitatively measured using ICP-MS. Each generation was analyzed for changes in lifespan, reproduction, growth and motility using an automated computer vision system. Core-shell QDs had little impact on C. elegans due to its metal shell coating. In contrast, core QDs lacked a metal shell coating, which caused significant changes to nematode physiology. In the same way, at high concentrations of 100 ppm, AgNP caused the most adverse effect to lifespan and reproduction related to particle size, but its adverse effect to motility had no correlation to particle size. Using C. elegans as an animal model allowed for a better understanding of the negative impacts of ENPs than with cytotoxicity tests. Lastly, to test the toxicity of water-dispersed fullerene (nanoC60) using human dermal fibroblast cells, this thesis investigated a suite of assays and methods in order to establish a standard set of cytotoxicity tests. Ten assays and methods assessed nanoC60 samples of different purities to show differences in cytotoxic effects. Washed samples of fullerenes, with negligible traces of THF and other impurities, rendered the solution nontoxic. Even when exposed to UV-irradiation, washed nanoC60 were not photosensitized and did not cause cellular death. This work characterizes ENPs and investigates their impact in C. elegans and cells to assess toxicity risks to the environment and to human health.

Molecular recognition via noncovalent interactions plays a key role in many biological processes such as antigen-antibody interactions, protein folding, the bonding and catalytic transformation of substrates by enzymes, etc. Amongst these noncovalent interactions, electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, and metal-to-ligand bonding are the most prominent. Exploring noncovalent interactions in host-guest systems that range from small hydrocarbon systems to more complex systems is the main motivation of this thesis. The present study involves the design, synthesis and characterization of clip-shaped molecules as host structures, and an examination of their binding properties with a variety of guests using NMR spectroscopy. Several clips with a hydrocarbon or glycoluril backbone were synthesized. The binding of cations to small, hydrocarbon-based clips suggests that binding is enhanced by the rigidity and cooperativity between the two sidewalls of the clip. Binding is also very much dependant on the solvent properties. Glycoluril-based clips built with aromatic sidewalls provide a deep cavity for binding guest molecules. The binding properties of these hosts were studied with several guests such as cations, Lewis acids and Lewis bases. Lewis basic binding sites in the acenaphthene-terminated clip were dominating in guest binding. Complexation-induced conformational changes in the wall-to-wall distance were observed for this clip. In contrast, for a porphyrin-terminated clip with metal centers, very strong binding to a series of Lewis basic guests of various sizes into the clip cavity was observed. Conformational locking of guests with long alkyl chains was achieved, suggesting that, this clip could be useful as a potential molecular tool for the structural characterization of acyclic molecules with several stereogenic centers. This porphyrin clip was also shown to bind substituted fullerenes in the cavity.