Borate glasses and glass-nano/microcrystal composite fabrication and investigations into their physical properties, have been interesting from their multifunctionalities view point. Certain borate structural units possess high hyperpolarizabilities and give rise to high nonlinear optical effects. High refractive index materials are important for photonic applications. Heavy metal oxide (Bi2O3) containing compounds have high refractive indices. Glasses embedded with wide band-gap semiconducting oxide crystals such as TiO2 received much attention due to their easy processing, stability and promising physical properties. Though TiO2 is used as nucleating agent to fabricate glass-ceramics of various phases, crystallization of TiO2 in glass matrices is difficult and the data are scarce in the literature. Therefore it was worth attempting to find glass compositions in which one can obtain TiO2 crystallization in large volume fractions. Towards this TiO2 crystallization was accomplished in BaO-TiO2-B2O3 glass matrix over wide composition ranges by tuning the concentration of BaO-TiO2 content in B2O3 network. The physical properties of these glasses of various compositions and glass-nanocrystal composites of TiO2 phase (anatase) were investigated. Interestingly BaO-TiO2-B2O3 glasses found to be hydrophobic in nature. The results obtained in the present research work are classified into five chapters apart from the Introduction, Materials and Methods chapters. Chapter 1 constitutes preface to oxide glasses, principles of glass formation and structural criteria followed by crystallization kinetics. In addition, principles of dielectric, optical and mechanical phenomena in glasses are discussed, since the present thesis focuses on the aforesaid physical properties. This chapter concludes with scope of the present thesis. Chapter 2 includes the detailed description concerning the fabrication techniques of materials under study and various characterization methods that have been employed at various stages of the present research work. The principles and experimental tools adopted for the structural and microstructural studies of materials were illustrated. Measurement techniques and experimental setup used to study physical parameters such as dielectric, optical, mechanical etc. were elaborated. Chapter 3 comprises structural, dielectric, electrical transport characteristics and optical studies of mixed alkali borate glasses in the 0.5Li2O-0.5M2O-2B2O3 (M=Li, Na and K) system. Transparent glasses in the Li2O-2B2O3 (LBO), 0.5Li2O-0.5Na2O-2B2O3 (LNBO) and 0.5Li2O-0.5K2O-2B2O3 (LKBO) were fabricated via the conventional melt quenching technique. Amorphous and glassy nature of the samples was confirmed via the X-ray powder diffraction and the differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. LKBO glass was found to have high thermal stability than that of LBO and LNBO. The frequency and temperature dependent characteristics of the dielectric relaxation and the electrical conductivity were investigated in the 100 Hz - 10 MHz frequency range. The relaxation and conductivity were rationalized using impedance and modulus formalism. Imaginary part of the electric modulus spectra was modelled using an approximate solution of Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts relation. The stretching exponent, β, was found to be temperature independent for LNBO glasses. Activation energies for conduction and relaxation process were calculated using the Arrhenius relation. The activation energy was found to be higher (1.25eV) for LKBO glasses than that of the other glass systems under study. This is attributed to the mixed cation effect. It has wide optical transmission window and optical band gap. Urbach energies were calculated for all these glasses. LBO, LNBO and LKBO glass compositions were found to crystallize in Li2B4O7, LiNaB4O7 and LiKB4O7 phases respectively upon heat treatment at appropriate temperatures. Transparent glass-micro crystal composites of LiKB4O7 were fabricated from LKBO glasses and found to be SHG active. BaO-TiO2-B2O3 Chapter 4 delineates the evolution of nanocrystalline TiO2 phase (Anatase) in BaO-TiO2-B2O3 (BTBO) glasses. Transparent colourless glasses in the ternary system were fabricated via conventional melt-quenching technique. The glasses with certain molar concentrations of BaO and TiO2 upon heat treatment at appropriate temperatures yielded nanocrystalline phase of TiO2 associated with the crystallite size in the 5-15 nm range. Nanocrystallized glasses exhibited high refractive index (no=2.15) at λ=543nm. These glasses were found to be hydrophobic in nature associated with the contact angle of 90o. These high index glass nanocrystal composites would be of potential interest for optical device applications. Crystallization kinetics of anatase phase in BTBO glasses were studied using non-isothermal Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) at three different heating rates (10, 20 & 30 K/min). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) carried out on heat treated (at 920 K) glasses confirmed bulk nucleation and three-dimensional growth. Johnson-Mehl-Avrami model could not be applied for this system suggesting considerable overlap of the nucleation and growth involving complex transformation process. However, modified Kissinger and Ozawa models were used to calculate the effective activation energy associated with anatase crystallization. The kinetic exponent n was found to be temperature dependent indicating the change in the crystallization mechanism. This is attributed to the high entropy fusion of anatase phase, fast crystallization rate and nano dimension of the anatase phase. Chapter 5 illustrates structural changes that occur in the x(BaO-TiO2)-B2O3 (x=0.25, 0.5, 0.75 &1 mol.) system on increasing the x apart from the details concerning some physical property correlations. Thermal stability and glass forming ability as determined by Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) were found to increase with increasing BaO-TiO2 (BT) content. However, there was no noticeable change in the glass transition temperature (Tg). This was attributed to the active participation of TiO2 in the network formation especially at higher BT contents via the conversion of the TiO6 structural units into TiO4 units which increased the connectivity and resulted in an increase in crystallization temperature. Dielectric and optical properties at room temperature were studied for all the glasses under investigation. Interestingly, these glasses were found to be hydrophobic. The results obtained were correlated with different structural units present in the glass and their connectivity. These glasses exhibited low loss (tan δ≈0.002), frequency (10 kHz- 10 MHz) and temperature independent (or very weak temperature response) flat-dielectric response. Crossover temperature was encountered between flat response and Jonscher’s universal response. The cross-over temperature and cross-over energy barrier from flat dielectric response to Jonscher’s response was deduced for all the glasses in the present investigation. Electric modulus formalism was invoked to rationalize the relaxation phenomena. The observed dielectric response and conduction process in these glasses were attributed to the local vibration and switching of non-bridging oxygen ions in their potential cage and hopping over distributed energy barriers above the crossover temperature. Chapter 6 depicts the dielectric and mechanical properties of glasses embedded with TiO2 nanocrystals. BaO-TiO2-B2O3 glasses on subjecting to appropriate heat treatment temperature yielded TiO2 nano crystalline anatase phase. NMR studies carried out on the as-quenched glasses facilitated the estimation of fraction of tetrahedral and trigonal borate units. Poisson’s ratio and Young’s modulus were evaluated through theoretical expressions proposed by Makishima and Mackenzie. Nano-indentation and micro-indentation studies were carried out on the as-quenched glasses and glass-nanocrystal composites to examine mechanical characteristics. Estimated and indentation Young’s modulus of glasses were found to be in reasonable agreement. Hardness and Young’s modulus increased with increasing fraction of nano crystallites whereas fracture toughness was found to depend strongly on surface conditions. The results were corroborated by the structural units and particulates present in these glasses. Dielectric constant increased with increasing volume fraction of the nanocrystals which was rationalized via mixture rule. Chapter 7 describes the dielectric properties, electrical conduction and electric relaxation phenomena in 2Bi2O3-B2O3 (BBO) glasses followed by thier linear and nonlinear optical characteristics. Glasses in BBO system were obtained via melt-quenching technique. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study the structural characteristics. Dielectric studies carried out on these glasses revealed near constant loss (NCL) response in the 1 kHz to 1 MHz frequency range at moderately high temperatures (300-450 K) accompanied by relatively low loss (tan δ=0.006, at 1 kHz & 300 K) and high dielectric constant (ε' =37, at 1 kHz & 300 K). The variation in AC conductivity with temperature at different frequencies showed a cross over from NCL response characterized by local ion vibration within the potential well to universal Jonscher’s power law dependence triggered by ion hopping between potential wells or cages. Thermal activation energy for single potential well was found to be 0.48±0.05 eV from cross over points. Ionic conduction and relaxation processes were rationalized by modulus formalism. The promising dielectric properties (relatively high ε' and low tan δ) of the BBO glasses were attributed to high density (93 % of its crystalline counterpart), high polarizability and low mobility associated with heavy metal cations, Bi3+. Optical band gap obtained for BBO glasses was found to be 2.6 eV. The refractive index measured for these glasses was 2.25±0.05 at λ=543 nm. Nonlinear refraction and absorption studies were carried out on BBO glasses using z-scan technique at λ=532 nm of 10 ns pulse width. The nonlinear refractive index obtained was n2=12.1x10-14 cm2/W and two-photon absorption coefficient was β=15.2 cm/GW. The n2 and β values of the BBO glasses were higher than that reported for high index bismuth based oxide glass systems in the literature. These were attributed to the high density, high linear refractive index, low band gap and two-photon absorption associated with these glasses. The electronic origin of large nonlinearities was discussed based on bond-orbital theory. Thesis ends with summary and conclusions followed by prospective views, though each chapter comprises conclusions associated with complete list of references. Patent, publications and conference proceedings that are listed below are largely based on the studies conducted as a part of the research work reported in the present thesis.

Avec le développement de différents capteurs et des dispositifs, l'informatique ne se limite plus à la mode bureautique. Cependant, l'interface utilisateur traditionnelle, utilisée sur l'ordinateur de bureau, n'est plus approprié pour l'informatique ubiquitaire. La complexité de l'environnement mobile demande la conception d'interfaces dédiées impliquant des techniques d'entrée et la sortie qui contiennent les nouvelles caractéristiques émergentes au-delà des techniques traditionnelles. L'une des solutions possibles pour permettre l'interaction omniprésente soit le nomadisme, soit la mobilité. Nous proposons trois interfaces liées à ces deux solutions: L'interface fixé dan l'environnement (abréviation de IEI en anglais), interface dépendante de l'environnement (EDI) et Interface Indépendante de l'environnement (EII). Tout d'abord, nous présentons globalement notre approche sur la conception de ces trois interfaces innovantes (IEI, EDI et EII), leurs configurations portées (dispositif d'affichage portée sur les lunettes plus caméra et dispositif d'affichage pico-projecteur plus caméra), des exemples réels d'utilisation et une évaluation préliminaire des techniques d'entrée de sélection pour prouver la faisabilité de nos prototypes. Par la suite, nous proposons sur les dispositifs portées, et seule les EDI et les EII seraient étudié plus en détail. Afin de concrétiser l'EDI et l'EII, nous proposons un continuum allant de l'interface physique, l'interface mixte physique-numérique, jusqu'à l'interface totalement numérique. Basé sur l'interface physique, nous proposons le système MobilePaperAccess qui sur le dispositif d'affichage portée sur les lunettes plus caméra permettant l'accès à l'information numérique à partir d'une interface imprimé du papier. Ce système est conçu pour valider nos concepts de l'EDI et de l'EII. Les deux types d'interfaces (EDI et EII) et trois techniques d'entrée (doigt, masque et carnet) ont été évaluées par les méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives avec ce système. Basé sur l'interface numérique projetée multi-échelle, le système PlayAllAround est sur dispositif d'affichage pico-projecteur plus caméra, et il pouvoir fournir un affichage à différentes tailles, à la plus petite, individuelle et portée, à la plus grande, partageable et publique. Pour la conception de ce système, nous proposons une décomposition de l'interface basée sur une de cellule de référence de taille fixé pourrait la mise à l'échelle de l'interface en fonctionne de la taille de projection. Le geste de sélection sur un vol et l'interface multi-échelle ont été évalués avec ce système. Les résultats de nos expériences ont montré que PlayAllAround fonctionne bien avec le geste de sélection sur un vol et l'interface multi-échelle. Pour aller plus loin, nous explorons les gestes de la main, y compris le geste stationnaire, le geste de pincement et le geste de fermeture du poing. Nous employons le geste de pincement et le geste de fermeture du poing comme entrée pour pointer, l'action de glisser-déposer et la action de tracer. Afin de satisfaire aux exigences de l'interaction dans la vie quotidienne, nous étudions comment l'utilisateur peut interagir avec ces gestes à l'arrêt ou en marchant. Nous comparons les interactions du geste de sélection sur un vol et geste de pincement dans trois situations que debout, assis et en marchant. En outre, l'évaluation de l'interface projetée, ainsi que la satisfaction sur le fonctionnement de la configuration porté sur la tête a été faite et discutée. Enfin, le long du continuum, nous continuons à étudier sur l'interface mixte par un dispositif pico-projecteur plus caméra dans le but de concrétiser les concepts de l'EDI et de l'EII. L'interface mixte contient une partie physique basée sur des marqueurs d'ARToolkit et une partie numérique projetée. […] / With the development of a wide variety of sensors and devices, computing is no longer limited to the desktop mode. However, the traditional user interface, used on the desktop computer, is no longer appropriate for ubiquitous computing. A sophisticated mobile environment re-quires dedicated design of interfaces, involving input and output techniques with new emerging features that go far beyond the capacities of traditional techniques. One of the solutions to enable ubiquitous interaction and end limitation of the desktop mode is nomadism, while another is mobility. We propose three interfaces related to these two solutions: In-environment interface (IEI), Environment Dependent Interface (EDI), and Environment Independent Interface (EII). We exclude IEI and mainly focus on wear-able interaction. This thesis aims to investigate research issues involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of EDI and EII. It presents our design approach to these three innovative interfaces (IEI, EDI and EII), their wear-able configurations (camera-glasses device unit and cam-era-projector device unit), real examples of use (including the Research Team Interaction Scenario), and both the quantitative and qualitative user studies and evaluations to prove the feasibility and usability of our prototypes. Our work is a many-sided investigation on innovative wearable interfaces, as well as input and output techniques, which will pave the way for future research into wearable interfaces.

Neste trabalho foram estudados os fenômenos fotoinduzidos apresentados pelos vidros calcogenetos de composições: Ga IND.10Ge IND.25S IND.65 e Ga IND.5Ge IND.25As IND.5S IND.65. Estes vidros ao serem iluminados com luz que possui energia próxima a do bandgap apresentam vários fenômenos fotoinduzidos. Sendo assim um estudo sistemático em função da potência, tempo de iluminação e do comprimento de onda foi efetuado. Para energias acima da banda proibida ocorre a fotoexpansão, variação do índice de refração e fotoclareamento. Por outro lado, para energias abaixo da banda proibida não foi observada nenhuma variação do volume; no entanto foi detectado um fotoescurecimento. Estes fenômenos mostraram ser irreversíveis, visto que ao serem levados a tratamento térmico a temperatura próxima a temperatura de transição vítrea, os vidros não recuperaram sua forma original. Várias técnicas experimentais foram usadas tais como: microscopia de força atômica, perfilometria, espectro de absorção óptica, espectroscopia na região do infravermelho, espalhamento Raman, EDX, EXAFS e RBS para caracterização dos fenômenos fotoinduzidos e elucidar o mecanismo envolvido. Os resultados obtidos a partir de EXAFS, Infravermelho, RBS e EDX indicaram a incorporação de oxigênio na superfície dos vidros quebrando assim as ligações Ge-S. Foi observado que a magnitude da fotoexpansão depende da atmosfera usada durante a irradiação. Um estudo comparativo entre o vidro e o filme depositado foi realizado. Foi mostrado através de espalhamento Raman e Infravermelho que os tipos de ligações presente no filme depositado é diferente daquela do vidro original. Os mesmos fenômenos fotoinduzidos foram também detectados nos filmes depositados, os quais foram estudados e caracterizados também de maneira sistemática. Como aplicação destes fenômenos fotoinduzidos, a fotoexpansão foi usada para a produção de redes de difração. ) As medidas de eficiência de difração e as imagens de microscopia de força atômica demonstraram que a fotoexpansão cria uma rede de relevo na superfície do vidro / We report the photoinduced phenomena observed in two chalcogenide glass compositions: Ga IOGe2SS6eSGasGe2sAssS6s. These glasses present several photoinduced phenomena when exposed to light having energy comparable to bandgap energy. Systematic study has been carried out in function of power density, exposure time and wavelength. Samples exposed to energy above the bandgap the photoexpansion, photorefraction and photobleaching has been observed. Otherwise, to energy below the bandgap a photodarkening was detected without volume variation. These phenomena are irreversible since the surface does not restore the original structure when annealing to the glass transition temperature. To Characterize and understand the mechanism processes of the photoexpansíon effect, atomíc force mícroscopy, perfilometry, absorption spectra, ínfrared absorption, Raman, EDX, EXAFS and RBS has been used before and after illumination of the glass samples. The EXAFS, infrared, RBS and EDX data showed that íllumínatíon leads to an introduction of oxygen ín the glass structure breaking Ge-S intermolecular bonds followed by the formatíon of Ge-O bonds. We observed that the magnitude of the photoínduced expansíon of the GaGeS glass ís strongly dependent on the atmosphere used. Comparative study has been performed between glass and filmo Infrared and Raman data shown a different bonding behavior ín the film prepared prevíously from the glass. Under irradíation, the same photoínduced phenomenon already detected on the glass samples are observed on the thin film and also characterized systematically. As applícation of the photoinduced phenomenon, photoexpansíon effect has been used to produce díffraction gratíngs. Atomic mícroscopy images and diffractíon efficiency data indícate that photoexpansíon leads to relíef gratíng on the glass surface

Neste trabalho investigamos as propriedades estáticas de um modelo de vidro de spin esférico antiferromagnético com interação de multi-spins por meio do método das réplicas. O objetivo consiste em modelar materiais antiferromagnéticos diluídos como FexMg1-xCl2 e compostos antiferromagnéticos mistos como FexMn1-xTiO3 que apresentam evidências de comportamento característico da fase vidro de spin para um intervalo de valores de concentração x. Analisamos a solução réplica simétrica e a solução de Parisi com uma etapa de quebra de simetria entre réplicas, a qual espera-se que seja a solução mais geral para este modelo. Quatro fases são obtidas no diagrama de fases: paramagnética, vidro de spin, antiferromagnética e antiferromagnética com quebra de simetria ou fase mista. As linhas de transição podem ser contínuas ou descontínuas. / In this work we investigate the static properties of a multi-spin antiferromagnetic spherical spin-glass model using the replica method. The aim is to try to model diluted antiferromagnetic materials (e.g. FexMg1-xCl2) and mixed antiferromagnetic compounds (e.g. FexMn1-xTiO3) that present evidences of a spin-glass behavior for certain range of x values. The replica-symmetric and the one-step replica-symmetry-breaking solution given by Parisi are analised, the last one being expected to be the most general solution for this model. Four phases are found in the phase diagram: paramagnetic, spin glass, antiferromagnetic and mixed or glassy antiferromagnetic phase. The transition lines may be either continuous or discontinuous.

As amostras de vidro aluminoborato de bário (BABAL), obtido a partir da estrutura 20 Al2O3. 50 B2O3. 30 BaO mol% dopadas com manganês foram preparadas e caracterizadas pelas técnicas de absorção óptica (AO), ressonância paramagnética eletrônica (RPE) e termoluminescência (TL). O presente estudo está centrado nos íons manganês e nas suas interações com os vizinhos mais próximos que são os átomos de oxigênio e outros íons que o circundam dentro da matriz vítrea. As amostras do vidro BABAL não dopadas e irradiadas com radiação gama apresentam uma banda de absorção óptica com um máximo em 555 nm, a qual foi associada ao BOHC (boron hole center). As amostras do vidro BABAL dopadas com MnO e MnO2 não apresentaram uma mudança significativa com a radiação, pois a janela óptica relativamente reduzida não permite observar diretamente as principais transições referentes ao Mn2+. Para os vidros BABAL dopados com baixas dopagens de MnO2 (< 0,1 mol%) foi demonstrada a redução de Mn4+ para Mn3+ e posteriormente para Mn2+ até atingir a distribuição de equilíbrio nos estados de oxidação. Assim, a utilização dos diagramas de Tanabe e Sugano associados aos íons Mn2+ e Mn3+ em sítios octaédricos forneceram os resultados Mn2+=12610 ±100 cm-1 e Mn3+=21440 ±100 cm-1, respectivamente, para os vidros BABAL dopados com íons de manganês. Para os vidros Li2O.CaF2.B2O3 produzidos e caracterizados por Rao et al. calculamos a intensidade do campo cristalino, obtendo os resultados para o íon Mn2+ é 13740 ± 100 cm-1 e para o íon Mn3+ é 20030 ± 100 cm1-. Para o caso de amostras BABAL não irradiadas observou-se um aumento do pico de uma banda de absorção na região compreendidas entre os comprimentos de onda de 360 a 650 nm quando foram adicionadas quantidades crescentes de manganês. Aumentando a dopagem com MnO ocorreu um deslocamento do pico de 460 para 470 nm devido à introdução de pequenas distorções adicionais na estrutura da rede vítrea causado pela presença do íon Mn2+. As amostras dopadas com MnO2 apresentaram o mesmo comportamento para diferentes concentrações de dopantes, mas não apresentam deslocamento do pico central em 465 nm, mostrando que a adição dos íons Mn4+ introduz menores distorções à rede vítrea. O espectro RPE dos vidros BABAL dopado com MnO2 e MnO apresenta quatro ressonâncias (g1 = 5,1; g2 = 4,3; g3 = 3,0 e g4 = 2,0) que são consistentes com as impurezas contidas nestas amostras. A curva TL para as amostras irradiadas dos vidros BABAL dopados com manganês apresentou dois picos bem definidos às temperaturas de 140 0C e 302 0C, respectivamente, atribuídos ao centro de elétron do boro (BEC) e centro de buraco do boro (BOHC) e uma emissão mais fraca adicional em 4000C associado a BOHC´s na vizinhança de íons de manganês localizados no centro de unidades estruturais tetragonais. / Samples of barium aluminobonate (BABAL) glasses of composition 20 Al2O3. 50 B2O3. 30 BaO mole% doped with manganese were prepared and characterized using the techniques of optical absorption (OA), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and thermoluminnescence (TL). This study is concerned about the different manganese ions and their interactions with the nearest neighboring atoms of oxygen and other ions present in the glassy matrix. The non-doped BABAL glass samples, after being gamma-irradiated show an OA maximum at the wavelength of 555 nm that was attributed to the boron-oxygen hole center (BOHC). The BABAL glass samples doped with MnO and MnO2 did not show a significant change on irradiation, because the relatively reduced optical gap did not allow to observe directly. The main transitions due to the Mn2+ ion. For the lower doping levels with MnO2 (<0.1mole%) it was demonstrated that Mn4+ was reduced to Mn3+ and then to Mn2+ until the equilibrium redox distribution was reached. Thus, using the Mn2+ and Mn3+. Tanabe-Sugano diagrams for sites having octahedral symmetry, the results of Mn2+=12610 ±100 cm-1 and Mn3+=21440 ±100 cm-1, respectively, for BABAL glasses doped with manganese. For the Li2O.CaF2.B2O3 glasses produced and characterized by Rao et al., we calculated the crystalline field parameters, yielding the results 13740 ± 100 cm-1 for the Mn2+ ion and 20030 ± 100 cm-1 for Mn3+ . Increasing manganese content in non-irradiated BABAL samples produced an increase of the absorption in the range of 360 to 650 nm and the peak shifted from 460 to 470 nm as a consequence of the introduction of small additional distortions in the glass amorphous lattice caused by the presence of Mn2+ ions. The samples doped with MnO2 presented the same behavior for different dopant concentrations but did not show any shift for the peak in 465 nm, showing that the Mn4+ ions introduce less distortion in the glass lattice. The EPR spectra of the BABAL glasses doped with MnO2 exhibit four resonances (g1=5.1; g2=4.3; g3=3.0 and g4=2.0), consistent with the manganese and iron impurities also present in the samples. The TL of the irradiated BABAL samples doped with manganese presented two well defined peaks at the temperatures of 140 0C and 302 0C, respectively, attributed to the boron-electron center (BEC) and BOHC and an additional weak emission at 400 0C that was associated to BOHC´s in the vicinity of manganese into tetrahedral structural units.

A troca de BaF2 por NaF altera as características físicas dos vidros fluorozirconados. Verificamos um aumento do índice de refração, da estabilidade frente à nnucleação e do módulo de Young com a concentração de NaF. A microdureza Vickers mostrou ser pouco afetada pelas condições de umidade, mas bastante dependente do polimento. O modelo simples, do tipo degrau, proposto para a microdureza não foi suficiente para explicar o comportamento da microdureza em função da carga. Vidros fluorozirconados dopados com Pr e Eu mostraram-se bastante estáveis, possibilitando seu emprego em fibras ópticas. Algumas composições de vidros contendo LiF mostraram uma redução do índice de refração e aumento da condutividade iônica com a concentração de LiF. A estabilidade e as propriedades de transmissão destes vidros são comparáveis às dos fluorozirconados tradicionais. Realizamos com sucesso o puxamento de fibras de vidros fluorindatos e a técnica e problemas de preparação de pré-formas são apresentados neste trabalho. / Replacing BaF2 for NaF yields physical properties modifications on fluorozirconate glasses. An increase of refraction index, thermal stability and young modulus was observed with NaF concentration. Humidity affects less Vickers microhardness than polishing conditions. A simple step model proposed for microhardness does not fit microhardness vs. load behaviors. Fluorozirconate glasses doped with Eu and Pr showed high stability allowing their use in optical fibers. Some glass compositions with LiF showed a decrease of refraction index and an increase of ionic conductivity with LiF content. Stability and transmission properties of these glasses are similar to those of traditional fluorozirconate glasses. We drew nice fibers from fluorindate glasses and the techniques and problems of perform preparation will be reported.

Neste trabalho foram estudados novos eletrólitos poliméricos e vidros fosfatos utilizando a técnica de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear. Os eletrólitos estudados foram o poliéster (etileno glicol / ácido cítrico - EG/AC) e os filmes de hidroxietilcelulose (HEC) entrecruzados com diisocianatos de poli (óxido de etileno) e poli (óxido de propileno), ambos dopados com sais de lítio No estudo dos eletrólitos poliméricos, foram realizadas medidas da forma de linha e da taxa de relaxação spin-rede do 1H e do 7Li em função da temperatura e da viscosidade, com objetivo de estudar a mobilidade da cadeia polimérica e dos íons lítio. Os valores para o tempo de correlação, obtidos dos dados de relaxação, mostram que a mobilidade da cadeia polimérica e dos íons lítio são comparáveis aos encontrados em outros eletrólitos poliméricos similares Os sistemas vítreos estudados foram o vidro fosfato In(PO3)3 e o sistema binário (1-x)In(PO3)3 - xBaF2, com o objetivo de determinar o grau de polimerização da cadeia de fosfatos. Os estudos do 31P MAS RMN para diferentes tempos de fusão dos vidros fosfatos, permitiram verificar que presença da água reduz o comprimento da cadeia pela hidrólise das ligações P-O-P produzindo duas cadeias com grupos terminais -P-OH. A adição do BaF2 no vidro fosfato, reduz o comprimento da cadeia de fosfatos formando oxigênio não ponteante. Altas concentrações do BaF2 causa a depolimerização da cadeia de fosfatos formando grupos pirofosfatos (Q1) e grupos ortofosfatos (Q0). / In this work we report the study of new polymer electrolytes and phosphate glasses using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technique. The polymer electrolytes studied were polyester (glycol ethylene / citric acid) and films formed by hydroxyethylcelluloses (HEC), poly(ethy1ene oxide) and poly(propy1ene oxide) diisocyanates, both with lithium salt. To study the mobility of polymer chains and lithium ions in the polymer electrolytes, measurements of the temperature and viscosity dependence of 1H e do 7Li lineshape and spin-lattice relaxation rate were realized. The correlation times obtained from relaxation data, show that the mobility of polymer chains and lithium ions are comparable to those found in other similar polymer electrolytes. The degree of polymerization of the phosphate chain was studied in phosphate glass In(PO3)3 and in the binary system(1-x)In(PO3)3 - xBaF2. The 31P MAS NMR for different melting times, indicate that the water reduces the chain length by hydrolyzing P-O-P bonds to produce two separated chains, terminated by -P-OH groups. The addition of BaF2 in the phosphate glass, reduces the phosphate chain length by forming non-bridging oxygen ions. High concentration of BaF2 causes depolymerization of the phosphate chain to create pyrophosphate groups (Q1) and orthophosphate groups (Q0).

Este trabalho apresenta o estudo de propriedades espectroscópicas de Vidros Oxifluoroboratos de Chumbo, 40PbO-10PbF2-50B2O3 dopados com diferentes concentrações de Dy3+: 1, 3, 5 e 7 mol%. Para tanto foram empregadas as técnicas de Difração de Raios-X, Espalhamento Raman, Absorção Óptica e Fotoluminescência. Parâmetros como temperatura de transição vítrea, índice de refração e densidade também foram determinados. O comportamento do índice de refração, da densidade, e da temperatura de transição vítrea, Tg, indicaram uma possível mudança estrutural provocada pela adição de dopante, o que foi confirmado pela Espectroscopia Raman. Com as medidas de absorção óptica foram calculados os parâmetros fenomenológicos de Judd-Ofelt, &#937&#955 (&#955 = 2, 4, 6), com os quais se calculou as probabilidades de transição radiativa do íon, bem como se verificou o caráter covalente das ligações presentes na matriz. As medidas de Fotoluminescência mostraram que o aumento da concentração de dopante diminui a intensidade da emissão, e que a diminuição da temperatura provoca um aumento da intensidade das mesmas bem como promove o estreitamento das bandas de emissão. Além disto, foi possível verificar a dependência da intensidade da emissão com a energia de excitação utilizada. Para as medidas de Fotoluminescência em baixas temperaturas foi desenvolvido um sistema alternativo baseado numa sonda de fibra óptica cuja utilização mostrou-se mais simples que a tradicional montagem com criostato. / This work presentes the study of the spectroscopic properties of Lead Oxifluroborate Glasses, 40PbO-10PbF2-50B2O3 doped with four different concentrations of Dy3+: 1, 3, 5 e 7 mol%. In order to achieve this, X-ray diffraction, Raman scaterring, Optical absorption, and Photoluminescence techniques were applied. Important parameters like the glass transition temperature, the index of refraction, and the density were also obtained. The behavior of these parameters suggested a possible structural change induced by adding Dy3+: which was confirmed by Raman scattering. The Judd-Ofelt phenomenological parameters, &#937&#955 (&#955 = 2, 4, 6), were calculated from the optical absorption results. From these values the ion radioactive transition probability were obtained and the covalent character of the bonds in the matrix was established. The photoluminescence measurements showed that an increase of Dy3+: concentration diminishes the emission intensity. The opposite happens decreasing the temperature, which also narrows the emission bands. Additionally, the emission intensity dependence with the excitation energy was verified. In order to study photoluminescence in the low temperatures range it was developed an alternative system based on an optical fiber probe. This device revealed to be more simple to operate than cryostat traditional system.

Neste trabalho foi avaliada a influência da adição de PbF2 em várias propriedades, de interesse geral e específico, de vidros oxifluoroboratos de chumbo. As amostras estudadas foram sintetizadas seguindo a fórmula 50BO1,5-(50-x)PbO-xPbF2 (BPP), com x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 e 30 (% catiônica), e usando o método convencional de fusão seguida de resfriamento rápido (quenching). A modificação da estrutura local destes vidros BPP, causada pela introdução do PbF2, foi avaliada por Espectroscopia no Infravermelho (FTIR). Além do mais, as implicações destas mudanças estruturais sobre as propriedades ópticas, térmicas e elétricas foram monitoradas através das técnicas de Absorção Óptica no Ultravioleta-Visível (UV-Vis), Calorimetria Exploratória Diferencial (DSC) e Espectroscopia de Impedância (EI), respectivamente. As amostras vítreas foram também submetidas à ação de campos elétricos, observando-se um fenômeno de cristalização não espontânea da fase &beta;-PbF2, mesmo abaixo da temperatura de transição vítrea. A partir de um estudo sistemático deste fenômeno, foi possível associar o seu desenvolvimento a um processo de redução: Pb2+ + e- &rarr; Pb+, atuando como força motriz da nucleação dos cristais. Esta reação catódica pôde ser validada após constatação, por Difratometria de raios X (DRX), da presença de Pb0 em amostras eletricamente tratadas durante tempos longos, o que implica supor a seguinte reação adicional: Pb+ + e- &rarr; Pb0. Por outro lado, para completude do processo de oxirredução, foi proposta a ocorrência da reação F- &rarr; e- + &frac12;F2(g)&uarr; no ânodo. A validação desta reação foi obtida através de ensaios sistemáticos de cristalização com células eletroquímicas do tipo Pt,Ag/BPP/YSZ:PbF2/Ag,Pt, onde YSZ:PbF2. representa um compósito condutor iônico, o qual foi usado para garantir um controle, através de um mecanismo percolativo, do grau de liberdade da migração dos íons F- em direção ao ânodo. Completam esta investigação estudos elétricos no domínio do tempo, tendo sido possível estimar, para os processos de polarização ocorrentes durante a cristalização na interface material-eletrodo, capacitâncias características de reações eletroquímicas (~ 10-3 F), corroborando com a interpretação dada, neste trabalho, para a indução elétrica de cristalização nestes vidros. Por fim, em termos de características microestruturais, notou-se que a fase cristalina formada (&beta;-PbF2) apresentou uma morfologia ramificada (dendrítica), o que é, de fato, típico de cristalização na presença de campo elétrico, o fenômeno passando por reações do tipo redox e envolvendo, segundo a literatura científica, processos eletroconvectivos nos sistemas estudados. / The influence of PbF2 addition in various properties, of general and particular interest, of lead oxyfluoroborate glasses was evaluated in this work. The studied samples were prepared by the melt-quenching technique following the formula 50BO1,5-(50-x)PbO-xPbF2 (BPP), with x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 cationic %. The BPP structural modification, caused by PbF2 introduction into the glass matrix, was evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Moreover, the implications of these structural changes on the optical, thermal and electrical properties were monitored, respectively, through Ultraviolet-Visible Optical Absorption (UV-Vis), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Impedance Spectroscopy techniques. For the electric field-treated glassy samples, a non-spontaneous crystallization phenomenon was observed, resulting in &beta;-PbF2 phase formation, surprisingly even below the glass transition temperature. From a systematic study, it was possible to associate the development of this phenomenon with a reduction process: Pb2+ + e- Pb+, which acts as the driving force for crystals nucleation. This cathodic reaction was validated after noting, through X-ray Difratometry (XRD), presence of metallic lead (Pb0) in those samples electrically treated during long times, what implies to infer the following additional reaction: Pb+ + e- &rarr; Pb0. On the other hand, for completeness of the redox process, occurrence of the anodic reaction F- &rarr; e- + &frac12;F2(g)&uarr; was proposed. This reaction was validated through systematic crystallization experiments with electrochemical cells of type Pt,Ag/BPP/YSZ:PbF2/Ag,Pt, where YSZ:PbF2 represents composite-like mixtures used in order to guarantee a control, through a percolative mechanism, of the degree of freedom for fluoride migration towards the anode. This investigation is completed by electrical studies in the time domain, from which it was possible to estimate, for processes occurring at the material-electrodes interface, capacitance values (~ 10-3 F) which are characteristic of electrochemical reactions, in agreement with the interpretation given, in this work, for the electrically-induced crystallization in these glasses. Finally, in terms of (micro)structural aspects, it was noted that the formed crystalline phase (&beta;-PbF2) appears with a branched (dendritic) morphology, what is usual during crystallization phenomena in presence of an electric field, these phenomena being likewise a result of redox-type reactions involving, according to scientific literature, electroconvective processes in the studied systems.

Vidros de spins são sistemas extremamente complexos caracterizados por um número enorme de estados estáveis e meta estáveis. Se identificarmos cada um desses estados com uma informação memorizada, esses sistemas podem ser utilizados como memórias associativas ou endereçáveis por conteúdo. O modelo de vidro de spins passa então a ser chamado de rede de neurônios. Neste trabalho estudamos a termodinâmica e alguns aspectos dinâmicos de uma rede de neurônios com processamento paralelo ou síncrono - o Modelo de Little de memória associativa - no regime em que o número de informações memorizadas p cresce como p = &alpha;N, onde N é o número de neurônios. Usando a teoria simétrica em relação às réplicas obtemos o diagrama de fases no espaço de parâmetros do modelo no qual incluímos um termo de autointeração dos neurônios.A riqueza do diagrama de fases que possui uma superfície de pontos tricríticos é devida à competição entre os dois regimes assintóticos da dinâmica síncrona: pontos fixos e ciclos de período dois. / Spin glasses are very complex systems characterized by a huge number of stable and metastable states. If we identify each state with a memorized information then spin glasses may be used as associative or content addressable memories. This spin glass model is then called a neural network. In this work we study the thermodynamics and some dynamical aspects of a neural network with parallel or synchronous processing - Little\'s model of associative memory -in the regime where the number of memorized informations p grows as p = &alpha;N, where N is the number of neurons. Using the replica symmetric theory we determine the phase diagram in the space of the model\'s parameters, in which we include a neural self interaction term. The richness of the phase diagram which possesses a surface of tricritical points is due to the competition between the two asymptotic dynamical behaviours of the synchronous dynamics: fixed points and cycles of lenght two.