abstract: The origins of carrier mobility (μe) were thoroughly investigated in hydrogenated indium oxide (IO:H) and zinc-tin oxide (ZTO) transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films. A carrier transport model was developed for IO:H which studied the effects of ionized impurity scattering, polar optical phonon scattering, and grain boundary scattering. Ionized impurity scattering dominated at temperatures below ~240 K. A reduction in scattering charge Z from +2 to +1 as atomic %H increased from ~3 atomic %H to ~5 atomic %H allowed μe to attain >100 cm^2/Vs at ~5 atomic %H. In highly hydrogenated IO:H, ne significantly decreased as temperature increased from 5 K to 140 K. To probe this unusual behavior, samples were illuminated, then ne, surface work function (WF), and spatially resolved microscopic current mapping were measured and tracked. Large increases in ne and corresponding decreases in WF were observed---these both exhibited slow reversions toward pre-illumination values over 6-12 days. A hydrogen-related defect was proposed as source of the photoexcitation, while a lattice defect diffusion mechanism causes the extended decay. Both arise from an under-coordination of the In. An enhancement of μe was observed with increasing amorphous fraction in IO:H. An increase in population of corner- and edge-sharing polyhedra consisting of metal cations and oxygen anions is thought to be the origin. This indicates some measure of medium-range order in the amorphous structure, and gives rise to a general principle dictating μe in TCOs---even amorphous TCOs. Testing this principle resulted in observing an enhancement of μe up to 35 cm^2/Vs in amorphous ZTO (a-ZTO), one of the highest reported a-ZTO μe values (at ne > 10^19 cm^-3) to date. These results highlight the role of local distortions and cation coordination in determining the microscopic origins of carrier generation and transport. In addition, the strong likelihood of under-coordination of one cation species leading to high carrier concentrations is proposed. This diverges from the historical indictment of oxygen vacancies controlling carrier population in crystalline oxides, which by definition cannot occur in amorphous systems, and provides a framework to discuss key structural descriptors in these disordered phase materials. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 2020

Die eingereichte Dissertation befasst sich mit Übergangsmetalloxid-Nanostrukturen, wobei quasi-eindimensionale Materialien im Mittelpunkt stehen, z.B. Nanoröhren und Nanostäbe. Mittels Suszeptibilitäts- bzw. EELS-Messungen wurden magnetische und elektronische Eigenschaften verschiedener Nanoverbindungen untersucht. Zur weiteren Charakterisierung der Proben wurden außerdem Magnetisierungsmessungen (VSM, Pulsfeld), optische Spektroskopie, AC-Suszeptibilitätsmessungen, Messungen der spezifischen Wärme sowie NMR- und ESR-Experimente durchgeführt. Ein Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit sind Vanadiumoxid-Verbindungen, wobei Vanadiumoxid-Nanoröhren (VOxNT) aufgrund ihrer besonderen Morphologie eine Sonderstellung unter den vorgestellten Materialien besitzen. Suszeptibilitätsmessungen an den VOxNT offenbaren aktiviertes Verhalten bei Temperaturen T > 100 K, was auf V4+-Spindimere zurückgeführt werden kann. Zudem existieren quasi-freie V4+-Momente sowie längere Spinkettenfragmente, z.B. Trimere. Elektronische Anregungen im Valenzband können wahrscheinlich dem Platzwechsel von 3d-Elektronen zwischen V4+- und V5+-Plätzen innerhalb der gemischtvalenten V-O-Ebenen zugeschrieben werden. Durch Dotierung mit Alkalimetallen ist es möglich, die V 3d-Niveaus mit zusätzlichen Elektronen zu besetzen und dadurch die Vanadiumvalenz zu beeinflussen (V5+ -> V4+ -> V3+). Die dabei auftretenden stärkeren Coulombabstoßungen zwischen den V 3d-Elektronen beeinträchtigen die Mobilität der Ladungsträger. Ebenso wurde gezeigt, dass sich durch die Dotierung mit Ammoniak und anderen Übergangsmetallionen die Vanadiumvalenz sowie der Magnetismus der VOxNT beeinflussen lassen. Die Ergebnisse von weiteren Vanadiumoxid-Nanostrukturen - Co0.33V2O5, alpha-NaV2O5, VO2(B) sowie V3O7·H2O-Nanokristallen - zeigen, dass sehr unterschiedliches magnetisches Verhalten wie Paarbildung zwischen V4+-Spins, antiferromagnetisch gekoppelte Spinketten oder ein Phasenübergang zwischen zwei paramagnetischen Temperaturbereichen auf Nanoebene realisiert werden kann. Die magnetischen Eigenschaften von MnO2-Nanostäben sind durch starke Kopplungen und Frustration zwischen den Mn-Spins gekennzeichnet. Außerdem zeigt die Verbindung Merkmale eines Spinglases. Durch Dotierung mit Elektronen lässt sich bei diesem Material die Mn-Valenz verändern. Schließlich zeigen erste Charakterisierungsmessungen an übergangsmetalldotierten MoO3-Nanobändern paramagnetisches Verhalten dieser Systeme.

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The selective catalytic oxidation of NH3 (NH3 -SCO) into N2 and H2O is an efficient technology for NH3 abatement in diesel vehicles. However, the catalysts dedicated to NH3 -SCO are still under development. One of the groups of such catalysts constituted transition metal-based catalysts, including hydrotalcite-derived mixed metal oxides. This class of materials is characterized by tailored composition, homogenously dispersed mixed metal oxides, exhibiting high specific surface area and thermal stability. Thus, firstly, we give a short introduction to the structure and composition of hydrotalcite-like materials and their applications in NH3 -SCO. Secondly, an overview of other transition metal-based catalysts reported in the literature is given, following a comparison of both groups. The challenges in NH3 -SCO applications are provided, while the reaction mechanisms are discussed for particular systems

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In this dissertation, we used a combination of several synchrotron-based x-ray spectroscopic techniques to investigate the effects of strain, ionic defect formation, and heteroengineering in strongly-correlated electronic systems. First, we introduce a method to control and stabilize oxygen vacancies in complex transition-metal oxide thin films. In our approach, we utilized atomic layer-by-layer pulsed laser deposition (ALL laser PLD) from two separate targets to synthesize high-quality single crystalline CaMnO3 films under coherent tensile strain, varying systematically from +0.8% to +4%. An increase of the oxygen vacancy content in the single-crystalline CaMnO3 thin films with applied in-plane strain was experimentally observed using high-resolution soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in conjunction with bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES). Our experimental results were verified using first-principles theory and atomic core-hole multiplet calculations. Furthermore, our results highlight the importance of protecting the surfaces of CaMnO3 thin-films with thin Pt layers in-situ in order to stabilize the oxygen vacancy content. Next, we discuss the role of oxygen vacancies in driving the metal-insulator transition in LaNiO3 thin films. Here, we also use atomic layer-by-layer pulsed laser deposition (ALL laser PLD) from two separate targets to synthesize high-quality single-crystalline LaNiO3 films with systematically varying thicknesses, ranging from 1 u.c. to 50 u.c. An increase in the oxygen vacancy content was observed with the decreasing LaNiO3 film thickness using XAS. A higher concentration of oxygen vacancies was observed for the ultrathin insulating films (<1.5 u.c.). The experimental results were compared to first-principles theoretical calculations. We found that LaNiO3 exhibits room-temperature metallic behavior for thicknesses down to 1.5 u.c., which is the lowest value reported to date. Finally, we have investigated an atomically-abrupt interface between the paramagnetic LaNiO3 and the antiferromagnetic CaMnO3 thin films. The interface between these two complex oxides exhibits interfacial ferromagnetism, which can be tuned via a thickness-dependent metal-insulator transition in LaNiO3. Here, we used depth-resolved standing-wave photoemission spectroscopy (SW-XPS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and XAS to observe a depth-dependent charge reconstruction occurring at the LaNiO3/CaMnO3 interface. Our elemental standing-wave rocking-curve analysis revealed the depth-dependent changes of the Mn and Ni valence states at the interface, yielding increased amounts of Mn3+ and Ni2+ cations at the interface. These results suggest Mn4+-Mn3+ ferromagnetic double exchange and Ni2+-Mn4+ superexchange as possible underlying causes of the emergent interfacial ferromagnetism. / Physics

Defects in materials significantly influence their properties and enhance functionality. Hybrid functionals like HSE06, though effective for describing defects, face challenges in geometry optimization for large supercells. The r2SCAN+rVV10+U+Ud method provides a computationally efficient alternative. By selecting appropriate U and Ud values for the d orbitals of host and defect atoms, this method accurately describes defects in materials. Our study on small polaron defects in layered transition-metal oxides demonstrates this. Using literature values for U and Ud, we investigated birnessite (KnMnO2, n = 0.03) and KnNiO2, n = 0.03. With one K atom intercalated in a supercell, both materials show a localized eg polaronic state on the transition metal ion reduced by the K atom, when the geometry is calculated using published U values. The expected Jahn-Teller distortion is not observed when U=Ud=0. In layered cobalt oxide with additional potassium ions (KnCoO2, n = 1.03), a single extra K atom in the supercell leads to four localized electrons in the band gap, using standard U values, and even for U=Ud=0. Monolayer MoS2 exhibits intriguing properties and potential technological applications when subjected to strain. A recent experimental study reported that the bandgap of monolayer MoS2 on a mildly curved graphite surface decreases by 400 meV/% strain under biaxial strain with a Poisson’s ratio of 0.44. We conducted density functional theory (DFT) calculations on a free-standing MoS2 monolayer using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) PBE, the hybrid functional HSE06, and many-body perturbation theory with the GW approximation using PBE wavefunctions (G0W0@PBE). Our findings indicate that under biaxial strain with the experimental Poisson’s ratio, the bandgap decreases at rates of 63 meV/% strain (PBE), 73 meV/% strain (HSE06), and 43 meV/% strain (G0W0@PBE), which are significantly lower than the experimental rate. Additionally, PBE predicts a reduction rate of 90 meV/% strain for a Poisson’s ratio of 0.25. Spin-orbit correction (SOC) has minimal impact on the bandgap or its strain dependence. We also observed a semiconductor-to-metal transition at 10% tensile biaxial strain and a shift from a direct to an indirect bandgap, aligning with previous theoretical studies. / Physics

[ES] En este trabajo se ha llevado a cabo un estudio exhaustivo sobre la síntesis, caracterización y reactividad de óxidos metálicos mixtos que presentan la fase ortorrómbica M1, con el fin de conocer la influencia de la composición en las propiedades catalíticas de dichos materiales para la deshidrogenación oxidativa (ODH) de etano a etileno, una alternativa interesante a la producción industrial de olefinas ligeras, lo cual supondría una drástica disminución en la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero. En primer lugar, se ha estudiado la síntesis hidrotermal de óxidos bimetálicos, Mo-V-O que presentan la fase M1, considerando diferentes parámetros sintéticos como la temperatura de síntesis, atmósfera, pH del gel de síntesis, temperatura de activación o post tratamientos de purificación. Los resultados de caracterización indican que la combinación de estos parámetros es clave en la obtención no solo de la fase M1, si no de catalizadores óptimos en la ODH de etano, observándose diferencia de hasta 25 puntos porcentuales en la selectividad a etileno dependiendo de la composición de las especies en la superficie del catalizador. En segundo lugar, se ha investigado la síntesis y caracterización de óxidos trimetálicos, Mo-V-Te-O, que presentan la fase M1 con diferentes proporciones de teluro en la estructura (0 < Te/Mo < 0,17), con el fin modular la acidez, la estabilidad térmica y el comportamiento catalítico de estos catalizadores. Se ha observado que la incorporación de teluro en la estructura de la fase M1 supone un aumento considerable de la estabilidad térmica de los catalizadores, así como de la selectividad a etileno. Posteriormente, se ha llevado a cabo un estudio comparativo entre catalizadores bi-, tri- y tetrametálicos (Mo-V-Te-Nb-O), de la influencia de la composición y/o la activación térmica de los diferentes materiales sobre las propiedades catalíticas. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren una correlación entre la composición superficial y temperatura de activación de los catalizadores con la selectividad a etileno. Así, se ha encontrado una relación directa entre la concentración relativa de especies V4+ en la superficie del catalizador (obtenida mediante de espectroscopia de fotoemisión de rayos-X, XPS) y la selectividad a etileno. Además, y dado que todos estos óxidos mixtos pueden considerarse como semiconductores, se llevó a cabo un estudio electroquímico de los catalizadores. Estos resultados sugieren que, materiales que mostraron una mayor selectividad a etileno, (el catalizador Mo-V-O activado a 400 ºC; y los catalizadores Mo-V-Te-O y Mo-V-Te-Nb-O activados a 600 ºC), presentan una mayor concentración de especies V4+ en la superficie y mayores valores de resistancia eléctrica. Por último, se ha llevado a cabo un estudio comparativo entre los sistemas catalíticos que, en la literatura, presentan los mejores resultados catalíticos para ODH de etano: i) óxido de vanadio soportado sobre alúmina (VOx/Al2O3); ii) óxido de níquel promovido con estaño (Sn-NiO); y iii) el catalizador Mo-V-Te-Nb-O (M1) optimizado en este trabajo. Los resultados catalíticos obtenidos, así como los resultados de caracterización (mediante técnicas de caracterización convencionales e in situ), muestran importantes diferencias en la selectividad a etileno a altas conversiones de etano, como consecuencia de la mayor o menor degradación de etileno en cada catalizador. En ese sentido, el catalizador basado en óxidos mixtos de Mo-V-Te-Nb-O presenta una muy baja reactividad a la combustión de etileno (lo que favorece una alta selectividad durante la ODH de etano), mientras que los otros dos sistemas catalíticos presentan una reactividad para la combustión de etileno mucho mayor (lo que reduce sustancialmente la selectividad a etileno durante la ODH de etano, especialmente a altas conversiones de etano). Estos resultados se discuten en función de las propiedades de adsorción de etano y etileno en cada catalizador. / [CA] En aquest treball s'ha dut a terme un estudi exhaustiu sobre la síntesi, caracterització i reactivitat d'òxids metàl·lics mixtes que presenten la fase ortoròmbica M1, amb la finalitat de conéixer la influència de la composició en les propietats catalítiques d'aquests materials per a la deshidrogenació oxidativa (*ODH) d'età a etilé, una alternativa interessant a la producció industrial d'olefines lleugeres, la qual cosa suposaria una dràstica disminució en l'emissió de gasos d'efecte d'hivernacle. En primer lloc, s'ha estudiat la síntesi hidrotermal d'òxids bimetàl·lics, Mo-V-O que presenten la fase M1, considerant diferents paràmetres sintètics com la temperatura de síntesi, atmosfera, pH del gel de síntesi, temperatura d'activació o post tractaments de purificació. Els resultats de caracterització indiquen que la combinació d'aquestos paràmetres és clau en l'obtenció no sols de la fase M1, si no de catalitzadors òptims en la ODH d'età, observant-se diferència de fins a 25 punts percentuals en la selectivitat a etilé depenent de la composició de les espècies en la superfície del catalitzador. En segon lloc, s'ha investigat la síntesi i caracterització d'òxids trimetàl·lics , Mo-V-Te-O, que presenten la fase M1 amb diferents proporcions de tel·luri en l'estructura (0 < Te/Mo < 0,17), amb la finalitat de modular l'acidesa, l'estabilitat tèrmica i el comportament catalític dels catalitzadors. S'ha observat que la incorporació de tel·luri en l'estructura de la fase M1 suposa un augment considerable de l'estabilitat tèrmica dels catalitzadors, així com de la selectivitat a etilé. Posteriorment, s'ha dut a terme un estudi comparatiu entre catalitzadors bi-, tri- i tetrametàl·lics (Mo-V-Te-Nb-O), de la influència de la composició i/o l'activació tèrmica dels diferents materials sobre les propietats catalítiques. Els resultats obtinguts suggereixen una correlació entre la composició superficial i temperatura d'activació dels catalitzadors amb la selectivitat a etilé. Així, s'ha trobat una relació directa entre la concentració relativa d'espècies V4+ en la superfície del catalitzador (obtinguda mitjançant espectroscòpia de fotoemissió de raigs-X, XPS) i la selectivitat a etilé. A més, i atés que tots aquestos òxids mixtes poden considerar-se com a semiconductors, es va dur a terme un estudi electroquímic dels catalitzadors. Estos resultats suggereixen que, materials que van mostrar una major selectivitat a etilé, (el catalitzador Mo-V-O activat a 400 °C; i els catalitzadors Mo-V-Te-O i Mo-V-Te-Nb-O activats a 600 °C), presenten una major concentració d'espècies V4+ en la superfície i majors valors de resistència elèctrica. Finalment, s'ha dut a terme un estudi comparatiu entre els sistemes catalítics que, en la literatura, presenten millors resultats catalítics per a ODH d'età: i) òxid de vanadi suportat sobre alumina (VOx/Al2O3); ii) òxid de níquel promogut amb estany (Sn-NiO); i iii) el catalitzador Mo-V-Te-Nb-O (M1) optimitzat en este treball. Els resultats catalítics obtinguts, així com els resultats de caracterització (mitjançant tècniques de caracterització convencionals i in situ), mostren importants diferències en la selectivitat a etilé a altes conversions d'età, a conseqüència de la major o menor degradació de l'etilé en cada catalitzador. En eixe sentit, el catalitzador basat en òxids mixtes de Mo-V-Te-Nb-O presenta una molt baixa reactivitat a la combustió d'etilé (el que afavoreix una alta selectivitat durant la ODH d'età), mentre que els altres dos sistemes catalítics presenten una reactivitat per a la combustió d'etilé molt major (el que redueix substancialment la selectivitat a etilé durant la ODH d'età, especialment a altes conversions d'età). Estos resultats es discuteixen en funció de les propietats d'adsorció d'età i etilé en cada catalitzador. / [EN] Herein an exhaustive study on the synthesis, characterization and reactivity of mixed metal oxides that present the orthorhombic M1 phase has been conducted, aiming to unravel the influence of the composition on the catalytic performance of said materials in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethane to produce ethylene, an interesting alternative for the obtention of light olefins, which could suppose a drastic decrease in the greenhouse gas emissions. In a first place, the hydrothermal synthesis of a bimetallic form of the M1 phase, Mo-V-O, has been explored, taking into account all the possible parameters such as temperature, atmosphere, pH of the synthesis gel, activation temperature and post-synthesis treatments. Results indicate that the combination of these parameters is capital not only for the appropriate formation of the M1 phase, but also to the catalytic performance. This is, a set of differently synthesized Mo-V-O catalysts, all of them presenting the M1 phase, may differ in the activity and selectivity to ethylene by up to 25 % depending on the chemical composition on the surface species of the catalyst. Moreover, it was investigated the synthesis and characterization of trimetallic oxides Mo-V-Te-O presenting the M1 phase with different Te-loadings (0 < Te/Mo < 0.17), trying to modulate the acid properties, as well as the thermal stability and catalytic behavior in the ethane ODH. Accordingly, we observed that the introduction of tellurium into the structure of the M1 phase leads to an enhanced thermal stability, in addition to an increase on the selectivity to ethylene. Subsequently, it was performed a comparative study between bi-, tri- and tetrametallic (Mo-V-Te-Nb-O) catalysts about the influence of composition and/or thermal activation on the catalytic behavior. Obtained results suggest that there is a correlation between surface composition, as well as the thermal activation temperature, with the selectivity of these catalysts to ethylene. Then, it was found a direct relationship between surface V4+ species (results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS) and the selectivity to ethylene. Furthermore, since all these mixed oxides can be considered as semiconducting materials, an electrochemical parallel study was also conducted. Then, these results suggest that the oxides that showed the best selectivity to ethylene (i.e., catalyst Mo-V-O activated at 400 ºC; and Mo-V-Te-O and Mo-V-Te-Nb-O catalysts treated at 600 ºC) are also the ones that present the highest amount of V4+ species on the surface of the solid, in addition to the highest values of electric resistance. Finally, a comparative study was performed between the three catalytic systems that have offered the best properties in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane in the literature: i) alumina supported vanadium oxide (VOx/Al2O3), ii) tin promoted nickel oxide (Sn-NiO) and iii) multicomponent Mo-V-Te-Nb-O (M1) catalyst optimized in the present thesis. Thus, both the catalytic and the characterization (by means of conventional and in situ techniques) results indicate important differences in the selectivity to ethylene of these catalysts at high ethane conversion values, as a consequence of a greater or lesser degradation of the ethylene over each catalyst. In this sense, the catalyst based on mixed metal oxides, Mo-V-Te-Nb-O, shows a very low reactivity for ethylene deep oxidation (which favors a high selectivity during ethane ODH), whereas the rest of the catalytic systems display higher reactivity for deep oxidation of ethylene (which drastically reduces the selectivity to ethene during ethane ODH, specially at high ethane conversion). These results will be discussed in terms of the different adsorption properties of both ethane/ethene over the three catalytic systems. / Arriba Mateos, AD. (2024). Synthesis and Characterization of Bronze-Type Mixed Oxides for the Selective Activation of Hydrocarbons [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/202614