Metallic quantum clusters are stable structures that can exhibit many useful magnetic, chemical, and optical properties. Developing clusters for specific applications requires accurate methods for characterizing their physical and chemical properties. Most cluster characterization methods are ensemble-based measurements that can only measure the average values of the cluster properties. Single cluster measurements improve upon this by yielding information about the distribution of cluster parameters. This investigation describes the initial results on a new approach to detecting and characterizing individual gold nanoclusters (Au25(SG)18) in an aqueous solution with nanopore-based resistive pulse sensing. We also present a new application where the clusters are shown to increase the mean residence time of polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules within an alpha hemolysin (αHL) nanopore. The effect appears over a range of PEG sizes and ionic strengths. This increases the resolution of the peaks in the single molecule mass spectrometry (SMMS) current blockade distribution and suggests a means for reducing the ionic strength of the nanopore solute in the SMMS protocol.

Nanopore sensing is a label-free method used to characterize water-soluble molecules. Recent work describes how Au25(SG)18 clusters improve the single molecule nanopore spectrometry (SMNS) technique when analyzing polyethylene glycol (PEG). This thesis will further study and optimize the enhancement effect resulting from a cluster’s presence. Additionally, a model describing the interaction between a cluster and PEG is developed to assist in understanding this mechanism of enhancement. This thesis will also discuss expanding the SMNS method to detect peptides, using Au25(SG)18 for enhancement, and adjusting solution conditions to improve the sensitivity of the SMNS system for peptide detection. Finally, a model describing the relationship between nanopore current blockades and molecular weight is developed to demonstrate the feasibility of using SMNS as a viable analytical technique for characterizing a wide variety of water-soluble molecules.

Les clustomésogènes sont une nouvelle classe de cristaux liquides hybrides multifonctionnels découverts dans l'équipe CSM de l'Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes en 2008. Ils sont constitués d'un cœur inorganique - des clusters de métaux de transition - auquel sont associés, de manière covalente ou électrostatique, des ligands organiques pro-mésogéniques. Ces matériaux hybrides associent les propriétés d'auto-assemblage des cristaux liquides aux propriétés intrinsèques des clusters métalliques. Le présent travail s'articule autour de clustomésogènes contenant des clusters octaédriques de molybdène, phosphorescents dans le rouge-proche infra-rouge, et aux rendements quantiques compris entre 10% et 50%. Ils sont synthétisés par approche ionique en vue de leur intégration dans des dispositifs optiques. La démarche consiste à rationaliser les relations structures-propriétés afin de contrôler l'arrangement des clustomésogènes à l'échelle nanométrique. Nous créons ainsi des états nématiques sur de larges gammes de température. Le transfert de ces systèmes dans des cellules électro-optiques est renforcé par leur miscibilité dans un certain nombre de cristaux liquides commerciaux. La nature et la concentration de ces derniers permet l'ajustement des températures de fonctionnement et le contrôle de la viscosité de l'état cristal-liquide. Nous montrons qu'il est possible de faire commuter l'intensité de photoluminescence des clustomésogènes de 50% par l'application d'un champ alternatif à la manière des systèmes d'affichage. L'intégration au sein de diodes électroluminescentes constitue le dernier volet de ce travail. La maîtrise de leur structure permet d'envisager leur potentiel dans des dispositifs d'éclairage. L'ensemble de ces études ouvre la voie aux clustomésogènes de molybdène comme alternative réaliste aux émetteurs inorganiques rouges actuels. / Clustomesogens are a new class of hybrid liquid crystals developed since 2008 in our laboratory. They are a combination of an inorganic core, namely transition metal clusters, linked with promesogenic organic ligands through covalent or electrostatic interactions. These hybrid materials associate liquid crystals self-assembling abilities to the metallic clusters intrinsic properties. This work present octahedral molybdenum cluster based clustomesogens, emitting, through phosphorence mechanisms, in the deep red area and exhibiting 10% to 50% quantum efficiency. These materials are produced via an ionic approach by replacing the alkali cations of the ternary solid state compounds with tailored promesogenic organic ones. The ambition of this work is to rationalize the structures-properties relationship to control, at the nanometric scale, the clustomesogens organization. This approach allows us to observe nematic liquid crystalline phases over a wide range of temperatures. As these compounds are miscible with commercial nematic liquid crystals, we could envision their use as emissive species in the design of electroswitchable luminescent liquid crystal cells. By changing the type and concentration of commercial liquid crystals, we could adjust the operating temperature range as well as the viscosity of the mixture. We also establish that it is possible to modulate the clustomesogens' photoluminescence by 50% by applying an alternative electric field, as in display devices. In the last part of this work, we study the integration of clustomesogens as the emissive species into electroluminescent diodes. Being able to control their structure should allow their use in lighting devices. These works pave the way for using Molybdenum clustomesogens as an alternative to inorganic compounds presently used as red light emitters.

My thesis is devoted to the study of transport properties of Silicon Nanowires obtained by a bottom-up approach. The choice for the material system has been limited to undoped SiNWs because they are considered as the ultimate choice for ultrascaled electronic devices. For these systems, the problem of an effective carrier injection in the semiconductor is particularly important. The mechanism of carrier injection in Gate-All-Around Schottky barrier transistors was studied by temperature dependent measurements. Multiple gates are used to discriminate between different device switching mechanisms occurring either at the source and drain contacts, or at the level of the silicon channel. The gating scheme has proved be effective in suppressing the Schottky barrier enabling carrier injection at low temperature. Moreover, different electronic functionalities like p-n junctions and logic gates can be successfully implemented in such devices without the need of doping. I will describe a novel technique for the fabrication of metal silicide contacts to individual silicon nanowires based on an electrically-controlled Joule annealing process. This has enabled the realization of silicide-silicon-silicide tunnel junctions with silicon channel lengths down to 8nm. The silicidation of silicon nanowires by Nickel and Platinum could be observed in-situ and in real time by performing the experiments of Joule assisted silicidation in the chamber of a Scanning Electron Microscope. Lastly, signatures of resonant tunneling through an isolated Platinum Silicide cluster were detected in a Silicon tunnel junction. Tunneling spectroscopy in a magnetic field revealed the Zeeman splitting of the ground and the excited states.