La complexation des ions Th(IV), U(VI), Am(III) et Pu(IV) avec le ligand hydrophile SO3-Ph-BTP4- et des ions Th(IV) et Pu(IV) avec le ligand hydrophile SO3-Ph-BTBP4– a été étudiée. Ces nouveaux ligands ont été proposés dans le cadre du recyclage des combustibles nucléaires usés, pour la séparation sélective d’actinides(III) par rapport aux lanthanides(III) et aux produits de fission. L’objectif de ce travail était d’étudier la capacité de ces ligands à complexer les actinides de degré supérieur, soit IV et VI. Après des essais infructueux par spectroscopie directe, la méthode appliquée pour atteindre cet objectif est une étude par extraction liquide-liquide. Le système d'extraction est composé de deux ligands chélatants qui sont en compétition pour complexer les ions actinides: l’extractant tétraoctyldiglycolamide (TODGA), molécule neutre, lipophile, donneur oxygéné tridenté et le complexant anionique hydrophile tridenté (ou tétradenté) SO3-Ph-BT(B)P4–. La méthode consiste à mesurer l’évolution de l’extraction du cation par le TODGA (DM) lors de l’ajout de quantité croissante de complexant en phase aqueuse, tout en fixant une force ionique constante en phase aqueuse. Un modèle mathématique est établi en prenant en compte les équilibres d’extraction et de complexation, il permet d’évaluer la stœchiométrie des complexes formés et leurs constantes de stabilité relatives. Les expériences réalisées ont permis de conclure à la présence des complexes An:SO3-Ph-BTP4– 1:1 et 1:2 pour tous les actinides testés et du complexe 1:1 pour An(IV):SO3-Ph-BTBP4–.Deux séries de constantes conditionnelles de stabilité de ces complexes ont été déterminées dans nos expériences: des constantes de stabilité conditionnelles, αL,i, valables pour une solution 1 M en nitrate et faciles à évaluer et des constantes ßL,i, considérant de manière explicite la complexation des cations par les nitrates, toujours pour une force ionique I = 1 M. En considérant les constantes conditionnelles de stabilité ßL,i, des actinides pour les ligands SO3-Ph-BTP4- et SO3-Ph-BTBP4-, l'ordre suivant est observé: UO22+ < Am3+ < Th4+ < Pu(IV), conformément à l’augmentation du potentiel ionique z/r2, où z est la charge formelle et r est le rayon de l'ion métallique. L'analyse des valeurs ßL,i suggère que les effets électrostatiques jouent un rôle plus important dans la formation des complexes entre les ligands azotés polydentés et les ions actinide.Pour les complexes de Am3+ avec le ligand SO3-Ph-BTP4– tridenté, si on compare nos résultats avec l’étude menée par TRLFS (fluorescence laser à résolution temporelle) pour des complexes analogues de Cm3+, les constantes de stabilité de stoechiométrie 1:1 et 1:2, déterminées par extraction liquide-liquide sont plus faibles. En outre, la stœchiométrie 1:3 décrite pour Cm3+ n'a pas été détectée dans notre étude. Les constantes de stabilité des complexes SO3-Ph-BTP et SO3-Ph-BTBP avec les actinides(IV) n'ont pas été rapportées dans la littérature. Néanmoins les complexes supérieurs n’ont pas été observés: 1:3 avec le ligand tridenté SO3-Ph-BTP4– et 1:2 avec le ligand tétradenté SO3-Ph-BTBP4–. Ces observations surprenantes à priori peuvent provenir du traitement mathématique simplifié des équilibres chimiques et nécessiteraient des vérifications supplémentaires par des techniques permettant d’identifier les complexes en solution. Cependant, les données de partage obtenues ont permis de proposer des constantes de stabilité conditionnelles qui peuvent être exploitées pour modéliser le comportement des actinides (III), (IV) et (VI) dans un procédé de séparation. / The complexation of Th(IV), U(VI), Pu(IV) and Am(III) with the hydrophilic ligand SO3-Ph-BTP4–, and of Th(IV) and Pu(IV) with the hydrophilic SO3-Ph-BTBP4– ligand was studied. These new hydrophilic aromatic poly-N-dentate ligands are proposed, in the frame of recycling spent nuclear fuel, for a selective separation of actinides(III) from lanthanides(III) and from other fission products. The aim of this work was to compare the ability of the actinide ions to coordinate these N-dentate molecules. After some disappointing tests with classical spectroscopies, the method of liquid-liquid (solvent) extraction was applied to reach this goal. The extraction system consisted of two chelating ligands that competed for the actinide ions: a lipophilic tri-O-dentate neutral molecule of dioctylamide (TODGA) and a hydrophilic tri(or tetra)-N-dentate anion SO3-Ph-BT(B)P4–. The simple model we applied, well known in literature, considered chemical equilibria resulting in accumulation of the metal complexes with the lipophilic ligand in the organic phase, and those with the hydrophilic ligand – in the aqueous phase. With increasing concentration of the hydrophilic ligand (the concentration of the lipophilic ligand being constant) the equilibrium shifted towards the complexes with the hydrophilic ligand, and the distribution ratio of the metal decreased.The results have been interpreted in terms of the formation of 1:1 and 1:2 actinide complexes with tridentate SO3-Ph-BTP4– and only single 1:1 An(IV) complexes with tetradentate SO3-Ph-BTBP4– ligands in the two-phase systems studied. Two series of conditional stability constants of the complexes have been determined in our experiments: one set of the conditional stability constants, αL,i, related to 1 M nitrate media, whereas the other, βL,i, – to aqueous solutions of ionic strength I = 1 M, where the complexation by nitrates was taken into account. In the latter case, when the effect of the actinide complexation by nitrates was deducted, the conditional stability constants, βL,1, of the actinide complexes with SO3-Ph-BTP4– increase in the order UO22+ < Am3+ < Th4+ < Pu(IV), in accordance with the increasing z/r2 ratio (where z is the formal charge and r is the radius of the metal ion). The analysis of the βL,i values suggests that the electrostatic effects play the major role in the formation of the complexes between the poly-N-dentate ligands and actinides ions.Concerning the complexation of Am3+ with the tri-N-dentate SO3-Ph-BTP4– ligand, if we compare our results with the literature values for the analogous Cm3+ complexes studied by a spectroscopic (TRLFS) technique, the stability constants of 1:1 and 1:2 complexes of Am3+ are much lower, and its 1:3 complex has not been found by the solvent extraction method. The stability constants of the SO3-Ph-BTP and SO3-Ph-BTBP complexes with the actinides(IV) have not been reported yet in literature, therefore such comparison was impossible in this case. However, the expected 1:3 complexes of Pu(IV) and Th(IV) with the SO3-Ph-BTP4– ligand have not been found in our solvent extraction experiments as well. Similarly, only 1:1 Pu and Th complexes with the tetra-N-dentate SO3-Ph-BTBP4– ligand have been found by solvent extraction, in spite of that the 1:2 complexes were also expected. These surprising results could be a result of oversimplification of the used model of extraction, and should be completed by further spectroscopic studies to identify all the complexes formed in the two-phase system studied. Nevertheless, the stability constants determined in the solvent extraction experiments (“practical” stability constants) allow us to correctly describe and to predict the behaviour of metal ions in such two-phase systems.

abstract: Compound semiconductors tend to be more ionic if the cations and anions are further apart in atomic columns, such as II-VI compared to III-V compounds, due in part to the greater electronegativity difference between group-II and group-VI atoms. As the electronegativity between the atoms increases, the materials tend to have more insulator-like properties, including higher energy band gaps and lower indices of refraction. This enables significant differences in the optical and electronic properties between III-V, II-VI, and IV-VI semiconductors. Many of these binary compounds have similar lattice constants and therefore can be grown epitaxially on top of each other to create monolithic heterovalent and heterocrystalline heterostructures with optical and electronic properties unachievable in conventional isovalent heterostructures. Due to the difference in vapor pressures and ideal growth temperatures between the different materials, precise growth methods are required to optimize the structural and optical properties of the heterovalent heterostructures. The high growth temperatures of the III-V materials can damage the II-VI barrier layers, and therefore a compromise must be found for the growth of high-quality III-V and II-VI layers in the same heterostructure. In addition, precise control of the interface termination has been shown to play a significant role in the crystal quality of the different layers in the structure. For non-polar orientations, elemental fluxes of group-II and group-V atoms consistently help to lower the stacking fault and dislocation density in the II-VI/III-V heterovalent heterostructures. This dissertation examines the epitaxial growth of heterovalent and heterocrystalline heterostructures lattice-matched to GaAs, GaSb, and InSb substrates in a single-chamber growth system. The optimal growth conditions to achieve alternating layers of III-V, II-VI, and IV-VI semiconductors have been investigated using temperature ramps, migration-enhanced epitaxy, and elemental fluxes at the interface. GaSb/ZnTe distributed Bragg reflectors grown in this study significantly outperform similar isovalent GaSb-based reflectors and show great promise for mid-infrared applications. Also, carrier confinement in GaAs/ZnSe quantum wells was achieved with a low-temperature growth technique for GaAs on ZnSe. Additionally, nearly lattice-matched heterocrystalline PbTe/CdTe/InSb heterostructures with strong infrared photoluminescence were demonstrated, along with virtual (211) CdZnTe/InSb substrates with extremely low defect densities for long-wavelength optoelectronic applications. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2019

A series of dioxidomolybdenum(VI) complexes, [MoVIO2L1–6] (1–6) and [MoVIO2L1–6(solv)] (1a–6a) {where solv (solvent) = DMSO (1a, 3a, 5a and 6a) and H2O (2a and 4a)} have been synthesized using thiosemicarbazone ligands, H2L1–6. Furthermore, six monooxidomolybdenum(IV) complexes [MoIVOL1–6(N-N)] (7–12) {where co-ligand (N-N) = 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) (7, 10 and 11) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) (8, 9 and 12)} have also been synthesized from the corresponding Mo(VI) precursors, [MoVIO2L1–6] (1–6) by oxygen atom transfer (OAT) reaction. Complexes have been characterized by conventional methods, including X-ray crystallography, and DFT (density functional theory) calculations. OAT reactivity of Mo(VI) and Mo(IV) complexes have been successfully established through the formation of OPPh3 and Me2S. These OAT products have been characterized by 31P NMR (OPPh3), UV–Vis spectroscopy and GC–MS (Me2S) and DFT simulations supported this finding through the prediction of ΔGtotsol for the reaction of oxygen atom transfer. DFT methods suggested that the oxygen atom transfer from [MoVIO2L] species to PPh3 to give [MoIVOL(bipy)] and from DMSO to [MoIVOL(bipy)] to yield [MoVIO2L] is strongly favored, whereas the formation of μ-oxido dimer [MoV2O3L2], is much less probable.