In this study, advanced techniques in the synthesis of germanium nanoparticles have been investigated. Based on physical and chemical production methods, including stain etching, liquid-phase pulsed laser ablation, sol-gel synthesis and two benchtop colloidal synthesis techniques, germanium nanoparticles with various surface terminations were formed. Out of those, colloidal synthesis by benchtop chemistry (named CS1) were found to be the most promising synthesis route in terms of yield and stability of the as-prepared Ge qdots and its luminescence with almost no oxides present. For the characterisation of Ge nanoparticles, Raman spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and selective area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques were utilised before conducting X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements. The structure and morphology of Ge quantum dots formed using colloidal synthesis routes were found to fit best to the model of a nanocrystalline core surrounded by disordered Ge layers. Optically-detected X-ray absorption studies have enabled us to establish a direct link between nanoparticles structure and the source of the luminescence. The most important outcome of this study is that it provides a direct experimental route linking synthesis conditions and properties of nanosized Ge quantum dots. Furthermore, using annealing, we can control surface termination even further, as well as change particle size and possibly produce metastable phases.

Germanium nanoparticles (Ge NPs) may be fascinating for their electronic and optoelectronic properties, as the band gap of Ge NPs can be tuned from the infrared into the visible range of solar spectru. Further functionalization of those nanoparticles may potentially lead to numerous applications ranging from surface attachment, bioimaging, drug delivery and nanoparticles based devices. Blue luminescent germanium nanoparticles were synthesized from a novel top-down mechanochemical process using high energy ball milling (HEBM) of bulk germanium. Various reactive organic molecules (such as, alkynes, nitriles, azides) were used in this process to react with fresh surface and passivate the surface through Ge-C or Ge-N bond. Various purification process, such as gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Soxhlet dailysis etc. were introduced to purify nanoparticles from molecular impurities. A size separation technique was developed using GPC. The size separated Ge NPs were characterize by TEM, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy to investigate their size selective properties. Germanium nanoparticles with alkyne termini group were prepared by HEBM of germanium with a mixture of n-alkynes and α, ω-diynes. Additional functionalization of those nanoparticles was achieved by copper(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne ""click"" reaction. A variety of organic and organometallic azides including biologically important glucals have been reacted in this manner resulting in nanopartilces adorned with ferrocenyl, trimethylsilyl, and glucal groups. Additional functionalization of those nanoparticles was achieved by reactions with various azides via a Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne ""click"" reaction. Various azides, including PEG derivatives and cylcodextrin moiety, were grafted to the initially formed surface. Globular nanoparticle arrays were formed through interparticle linking via ""click"" chemistry or ""host-guest"" chemistry. Copper(I) catalyzed ""click"" chemistry also can be explored with azido-terminated Ge NPs which were synthesized by azidation of chloro-terminated Ge NPs. Water soluble PEGylated Ge NPs were synthesized by ""click"" reaction for biological application. PEGylated Ge NP clusters were prepared using α, ω-bis alkyno or bis-azido polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivatives by copper catalyzed ""click"" reaction via inter-particle linking. These nanoparticles were further functionalized by azido β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and azido adamantane via alkyne-azide “click” reactions. Nanoparticle clusters were made from the functionalized Ge NPs by “host-guest” chemistry of β-CD functionalized Ge NPs either with adamantane functionalized Ge NPs or fullerene, C60. / acase@tulane.edu

This diploma thesis deals with the structural analysis of semiconductor nanowires by transmission electron microscopy. The construction of microscope is introduced together with its basic imaging modes and with the function of each construction element in these modes. In the experimental part the results of analysis of several germnaium nanowires are discussed, with emphasis on their crystallographic structure and orientation.

Orientadores: Gustavo de Medeiros Azevedo, Ângelo Malachias de Souza, Eduardo Granado Monteiro da Silva / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T08:06:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gasperini_AntonioAugustoMalfatti_D.pdf: 9911404 bytes, checksum: e5b4150f5a1f5f42c4d0e24b92e46c65 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Neste trabalho estudamos a formação e estrutura de nanopartículas (NPs) de GeSi encapsuladas em sílica, utilizando técnicas baseadas em luz síncrotron, complementadas com imagens de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. Obtivemos a forma, o diâmetro médio e a dispersão de tamanhos usando espalhamento de raios X a baixos ângulos em incidência rasante (GISAXS). A partir dos dados de difração de raios X (XRD) foi possível obter a fase cristalina, o parâmetro de rede e o tamanho médio dos cristalitos. Estes resultados serviram como dados de entrada em um modelo para análise através da técnica de estrutura fina de absorção de raios X (EXAFS), a qual forneceu informações sobre a estrutura local na vizinhança dos átomos de Ge. Apesar dos resultados de cada uma das técnicas acima serem comumente analisados de forma separada, a combinação destas técnicas leva a uma melhor compreensão das propriedades estruturais das NPs. Através da combinação dos resultados tivemos acesso a informações tais como a deformação da rede cristalina (strain), a fração de átomos cm ambientes cristalino e amorfo, a fração de átomos de Ge diluída na matriz e a possibilidade de formação de estruturas do tipo core-shell cristalino-amorfo. Resultados adicionais como a origem do strain e a temperatura de solidificação das NPs, dentre outros, foram obtidos através de um experimento in situ de absorção de raios X em energia dispersiva (DXAS), inédito na análise deste sistema. Por fim, utilizamos as técnicas acima citadas para acompanhar a evolução dos parâmetros estruturais em amostras tratadas termicamente durante diferentes intervalos de tempo / Abstract: In this work we study the formation and structure of GeSi nanoparticles embedded in silica matrix using synchrotron-based techniques complemented by TEM images. Shape, average diameter and size dispersion were obtained from grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering. X-ray diffraction measurements were used to obtain crystalline phase, lattice parameter and crystallite mean sizes. By using these techniques as input for extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis, the local structure surrounding Ge atoms is investigated. Although the results for each of the methods mentioned above are usually analyzed separately, the combination of such techniques leads to an improved understanding of nanoparticle structural properties. Crucial indirect parameters that cannot be quantified by other means are accessed in our work, such as local strain, possibility of forming core-shell crystalline-amorphous structures, fraction of Ge atoms diluted in the matrix and amorphous and crystalline Ge fraction. Additional results as the origin of the strain and temperature of solidification of NPs, among others, were obtained through an in situ energy dispersive X-ray absorption experiment (DXAS), unheard in this system. Finally, we use the techniques mentioned above to monitor the evolution of the structural parameters of samples annealed during different time intervals / Doutorado / Física / Doutor em Ciências