This diploma thesis studies magneto-optical (MO) response of epitaxial thin films of Co-doped ceria. Thin films were characterized by XPS, LEED, STM, spectroscopic ellipsometry and measurement of MO activity. The work focuses on studying MO response of the films depending on film thickness, cobalt concentration, oxidation state of cerium and chemical state of cobalt. Spectra of MO response consist of low energy region where the MO activity is mediated by transitions from defect induced states to conduction band and high energy region where a peak of MO activity appears which we attribute to transitions from valence band to conduction band. In this work we qualitatively explain the effects of the physico- chemical states of the thin films on the structure of the obtained MO spectra, mainly on the appearance of the MO activity in the low energy region, and on the changes of the position of the MO peak. Compared to other preparation methods the epitaxial thin films allow achieving a shift of the MO peak in the direction of higher photon energy.

Plazmonika, tedy vědní obor zabývající se interakcí světla s kovovými materiály, nabízí ve spojení s nanotechnologiemi nezvyklé možnosti, jak světlo ovládat a využívat. Výsledkem tohoto spojení může být například zaostřování světla pod difrakční limit, zesilování emise nebo absorbce kvantových zářičů, či extrémně citlivá detekce molekul. Tato práce se zabývá zejména možnostmi využití plazmoniky pro vývoj plošných optických prvků, tzv. metapovrchů, a pro fotokatalytické aplikace založené na plazmonicky generovaných elektronech s vysokou energií, tzv. horkých elektronech. Nejprve jsou vysvětleny teoretické základy plazmoniky a je poskytnut přehled jejích nejvýznamnějších aplikací. Poté jsou představeny tři studie zabývající se využitím plazmonických nanostruktur pro ovládání fáze a polarizace světla, pro vytváření dynamicky laditelných metapovrchů, a pro foto-elektrochemii s horkými elektrony. Společným prvkem těchto studií je pak používání pokročilých, resp. v rámci těchto oblastí netradičních, materiálů, jako např. oxidu vanadičitého nebo dichalkogenidů přechodných kovů.

Silicon is the main material used in electronics. The evolution of power electronics and the need for more power efficient semiconductor devices led silicon to its limits. Silicon carbide is a promising material for electronic applications with a wide band-gap, high critical electric field, high thermal conductivity and saturation velocity. Except from its superiority to silicon, silicon carbide comes with a drawback of about two orders of magnitude more interface traps in the SiC/SiO2 interface compared with silicon. A result of this drawback is a flat-band voltage shift when applying a stress to the gate of MOS capacitors and power MOSFETs. In order to study the pure characteristics of the SiC/SiO2 interface, two stress methods, a current pulse stress and gate voltage upsweep, have been applied on 4H-SiC capacitors with nitrided thermal oxides at room temperature and at higher temperatures. The flat-band voltage recovery was examined. The flat-band voltage could be restored at room temperature with a gate voltage downsweep while a restoration is not needed at higher temperatures. The maximum voltage (initial voltage) and the voltage rate of the downsweep were investigated and higher initial voltages and lower voltage rates showed to lead to better VFB restoration. A 200 millisecond long current pulse stress was implemented and it had almost similar effects as the voltage upsweep which lasts 50 seconds. / Kisel är det viktigaste materialet som används i elektronik. Utvecklingen av kraftelektronik och behovet av mer energieffektiva halvledarkomponenter ledde kisel till sina gränser. Kiselkarbid är ett lovande material för elektroniska applikationer med ett brett bandgap, högt kritiskt elektriskt fält, hög värmeledningsförmåga och hög mättningshastighet. Förutom dess överlägsenhet gentemot kisel, kommer kiselkarbid med en nackdel med cirka två storleksordningar fler gränssnittsfällor i SiC / SiO2-gränssnittet jämfört med kisel. Ett resultat av denna nackdel är en förskjutning av flatbands-spänningen, VFB, när man applicerar en spänning på gaten till MOS-kondensatorer och kraft- MOSFETar. För att studera de rena egenskaperna hos SiC/SiO2-gränssnittet har två spänningsmetoder, en strömpulsstress och ett uppåtriktat gate-spänningssvep, applicerats på 4H-SiC- kondensatorer med nitriderade termiska oxider vid rumstemperatur och vid högre temperaturer. Återställning av VFB undersöktes. VFB kan återställas vid rumstemperatur med ett nedåtriktat gate-spänningssvep medan en återställning inte behövs vid högre temperaturer. Den maximala spänningen (initialspänningem) och svephastigheten för det nedåtriktade svepet undersöktes och högre initialspänningar och lägre svephastigheter visade sig leda till bättre VFB-återställning. En 200 millisekund lång strömpuls-stress implementerades och den hade nästan samma effekter som ett uppåtriktat spänningssvep

Tato doktorská práce se zabývala mikrostrukturálním vývojem vybraných oxidových keramických materiálů během konvenčního slinování (CS), rychlého slinování (RRS), flash slinování (FS) a slinování pomocí plazmatu (SPS). S ohledem na keramiku pro strukturální aplikace byly pomocí RRS připraveny relativně velké (1 cm3), bez defektní a téměř hutné pelety oxidu hlinitého a yttriem stabilizovaného oxidu zirkoničitého (YSZ) s homogenní mikrostrukturou. RRS bylo také shledáno jako optimální metoda pro přípravu vysoce hutné bezolovnaté piezoelektrické keramiky s podobnými vlastnostmi, jako byly získány po časově a energeticky náročnějším CS. Metoda SPS dále zlepšila vlastnosti bezolovnaté piezoelektrické keramiky a produkovala plně hutné vzorky, což je dobrým předpokladem pro translucenci a z níž vyplývajícím optoelektrickým vlastnostem. Nejoptimálnějších výsledků – plné hustoty a vysokých piezoelektrických vlastností – bylo dosaženo kombinací SPS a RRS. Analýzy provedené v této studii také poukázaly na důležitost eliminace těkavých nečistot před rychlým ohřevem. Jinak totiž dochází k zachycení těchto látek ve slinuté keramice, což ve výsledku limituje její konečnou hustotu. Ukázalo se, že nízké konečné hustoty RRS YSZ jsou spojeny se zachycením zbytkového chloru pocházejícího ze syntézy prášku. Pokud byl zbytkový chlor odstraněn vysokoteplotním žíháním keramických kompaktů před zahájením RRS, byly touto metodou získány téměř plně hutné YZS vzorky. Negativní vliv zbytkového chloru na zhutnění byl viditelný také u flash slinovaných YSZ vzorků. Navíc FS YSZ často vede ke zrychlení růstu zrn v jádře vzorku, v důsledku vyšší teploty a elektrochemické redukce. Ve spektru procesních parametrů použitých v rámci této práce dokonce došlo k abnormálnímu růstu zrna (AGG). Silně bimodální distribuce velikosti zrn ukázaná v této práci nebyla dříve nalezena u flash slinutého YSZ. AGG byl vysvětlen dvěma přispívajícími faktory – relativně velkou velikostí vzorku, která vedla k lokalizaci elektrického proudu a vzniku horkých míst (z angl. hot-spots), a celkově akcelerovanou kinetikou růstu zrn v jádře vzorku způsobenou elektrochemickou redukcí.

Die vorliegende Dissertation befasst sich mit dem RF- überlagerten DC-Sputtern von Indiumzinnoxid und aluminiumdotierten Zinkoxid. Bei dem dafür entwickelten synchron gepulsten RF/DC-Verfahren werden die zu untersuchenden Materialien gleichzeitig mit Hilfe eines RF- und eines PulsDC-Generators gesputtert. Ein wesentliches Resultat der Untersuchungen ist, dass durch RF- überlagertes DCSputtern Schichten abgeschieden werden können, die im Vergleich zum DC- bzw. PulsDC-Sputtern geringere spezifische Widerstände aufweisen. Dies ist auf eine Verringerung von Defekten in den abgeschiedenen Schichten zurückzuführen. Es konnte anhand der Untersuchungen gezeigt werden, dass fur die Abscheidung von Indiumzinnoxid und aluminiumdotiertem Zinkoxid die Substrattemperatur beim RF überlagerten DC-Sputtern gegenüber dem DC-Sputtern um bis zu 100°C verringert werden kann.

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This thesis consists of one chapter accepted for publication in a book and four papers published in international journals with impact factors. All of the contributions deal with the role of wood ants in energy and nutrient fluxes in forest ecosystems. Wood ant nests are known as hot spots of carbon dioxide (CO2) production and are also thought to affect methane (CH4) flux. Stable high temperatures are maintained in ant nests even in cold environments. This study is focused on quantification of CO2 and CH4 flux in wood ant nests, contribution of ants and microbes to CO2 production, properties of nest material that affect CO2 production and the role of ants and microbes in the maintenance of nest temperature. The research was conducted in temperate and boreal forests inhabited by wood ants (Formica s. str.). Gas fluxes were measured either by an infrared gas analyser or a static chamber technique. Ants and nest materials were also incubated in a laboratory. Material properties potentially influencing CO2 flux, such as moisture, nutrient content or temperature were determined. According to the results, CH4 oxidation was lower in wood ant nests than in the surrounding forest soil suggesting that some characteristics of ant nests hinder CH4 oxidation or promote CH4 production. Wood ant nests clearly are hot...

Les carbapénèmes occupent actuellement une place centrale dans la lutte contre les bactéries résistantes aux antibiotiques classiques de type pénicilline. Notre thèse a pour objectif de développer une synthèse de leurs intermédiaires dans l'optique d'une application à l'échelle industrielle. Nous avons exploité, comme stratégie de fermeture de l'hétérocycle, la formation du lien C-3/C-4 par attaque nucléophile intramoléculaire sur un époxyde. Celui-ci est obtenu à partir de la L thréonine qui fournit deux stéréocentres et permet d'induire le troisième carbone asymétrique. Nous avons utilisé le groupe benzhydryle comme groupe protecteur, nouveau dans cette chimie, pour remplacer le groupe para-anisyle habituel qui pose des problèmes industriels. Ce nouveau groupe change fortement la réactivité de l'époxyamide impliquant une optimisation délicate des conditions et un choix judicieux des substituants. De plus, une nouvelle méthode de déprotection par bromation photochimique a été mise au point, complètement compatible avec la fragilité du cycle beta-lactame. Enfin, pour générer le groupe partant en C-4, nous avons utilisé une oxydation de Baeyer-Villiger. La régiosélectivité de cette étape dépend fortement des substituants et apparaît contradictoire avec les exigences de la fermeture de cycle. L'étude de l'influence des substituants sur ces deux étapes nous a permis de sélectionner le substituant optimal. Dans la seconde partie de cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à l'introduction du 4e centre asymétrique caractéristique des carbapénèmes. Nous avons étudié la possibilité de l'effectuer avec des dérivés de l'acide de Meldrum pour substituer la position C-4 de l'intermédiaire-clef, suivi d'une décarboxylation asymétrique. Nous clôturons ce travail par une évaluation économique de notre synthèse d'un précurseur équivalent à l'acétoxyazétidinone. /Carbapenems occupy a central role in the fight against bacteria that are resistant to classical antibiotics such as penicillins. Our thesis has the aim to develop a synthesis of their principal intermediates with the objective to apply it at the industrial scale. We have explored, as strategy of the heterocycle closing, the formation of the C-3/C-4 bond by a nucleophilic attack on an epoxide. This one was obtained from L-threonine which brings two stereocenters and allows the induction for the creation of the third asymmetric carbon. We used the benzhydryl group as protecting group, new in this chemistry, to replace the usual para-anisyl group which causes industrial problems. This new group strongly affects the reactivity of the epoxyamide imposing a fine optimization of the conditions and an adequat choice of substituents. Furthermore, a new deprotection method by photochemical bromination was developed, entirely compatible with the fragility of the beta-lactam ring. Finally, to create the leaving group in C-4, we used a Baeyer-Villiger oxidation. Regiochemistry of this step strongly depends on substituents and appears contradictory with the requirements of the ring closing. The study of the influence of the substituents on these two steps permits us to choose the optimal substituent. In a second part of the work, we were interested in the introduction of the fourth asymmetric center of carbapenems. We studied the feasibility to perform it with Meldrum's acid derivatives by substituting the C-4 position of the key-intermediate, followed by an asymmetric decarboxylation. We ended this work by an economic evaluation of the synthesis of our precursor similar to acetoxyazetidinone.

The polymer electrolyte fuel cell converts the chemical energy in a fuel, e.g. hydrogen or methanol, and oxygen into electrical energy. The high efficiency and the possibility to use fuel from renewable sources make them attractive as energy converters in future sustainable energy systems. Great progress has been made in the development of the PEFC during the last decade, but still improved lifetime as well as lowered cost is needed before a broad commercialization can be considered. The electrodes play an important role in this since the cost of platinum used as catalyst constitutes a large part of the total cost for the fuel cell. A large part of the degradation in performance can also be related to the degradation of the porous electrode and a decreased electrochemically active Pt surface. In this thesis, different fuel cell reactions, catalysts and support materials are investigated with the aim to investigate the possibility to improve the activity, stability and utilisation of platinum in the fuel cell electrodes. An exchange current density, i0, of 770 mA cm-2Pt was determined for the hydrogen oxidation reaction in the fuel cell with the model electrodes. This is higher than previously found in literature and implies that the kinetic losses on the anode are very small. The anode loading could therefore be reduced without imposing too high potential losses if good mass transport of hydrogen is ensured. It was also shown that the electrochemically active surface area, activity and stability of the electrode can be affected by the support material. An increased activity was observed at higher potentials for Pt deposited on tungsten oxide, which was related to the postponed oxide formation for Pt on WOx. An improved stability was seen for Pt deposited on tungsten oxide and on iridium oxide. A better Pt stability was also observed for Pt on a low surface non-graphitised support compared to a high surface graphitised support. Pt deposited on titanium and tungsten oxide, displayed an enhanced electrochemically active surface area in the cyclic voltammograms, which was explained by the good proton conductivity of the metal oxides. CO-stripping was shown to provide the most reliable measure of the electrochemically active surface area of the electrode in the fuel cell. It was also shown to be a useful tool in characterization of the degradation of the electrodes. In the study of oxidation of small organic compounds, the reaction was shown to be affected by the off transport of reactants and by the addition of chloride impurities. Pt and PtRu were affected differently, which enabled extraction of information about the reaction mechanisms and rate determining steps. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell converts the chemical energy in a fuel, e.g. hydrogen or methanol, and oxygen into electrical energy. The high efficiency and the possibility to use fuel from renewable sources make them attractive as energy converters in future sustainable energy systems. Great progress has been made in the development of the PEFC during the last decade, but still improved lifetime as well as lowered cost is needed before a broad commercialization can be considered. The electrodes play an important role in this since the cost of platinum used as catalyst constitutes a large part of the total cost for the fuel cell. A large part of the degradation in performance can also be related to the degradation of the porous electrode and a decreased electrochemically active Pt surface. In this thesis, different fuel cell reactions, catalysts and support materials are investigated with the aim to investigate the possibility to improve the activity, stability and utilisation of platinum in the fuel cell electrodes. An exchange current density, i0, of 770 mA cm-2Pt was determined for the hydrogen oxidation reaction in the fuel cell with the model electrodes. This is higher than previously found in literature and implies that the kinetic losses on the anode are very small. The anode loading could therefore be reduced without imposing too high potential losses if good mass transport of hydrogen is ensured. It was also shown that the electrochemically active surface area, activity and stability of the electrode can be affected by the support material. An increased activity was observed at higher potentials for Pt deposited on tungsten oxide, which was related to the postponed oxide formation for Pt on WOx. An improved stability was seen for Pt deposited on tungsten oxide and on iridium oxide. A better Pt stability was also observed for Pt on a low surface non-graphitised support compared to a high surface graphitised support. Pt deposited on titanium and tungsten oxide, displayed an enhanced electrochemically active surface area in the cyclic voltammograms, which was explained by the good proton conductivity of the metal oxides. CO-stripping was shown to provide the most reliable measure of the electrochemically active surface area of the electrode in the fuel cell. It was also shown to be a useful tool in characterization of the degradation of the electrodes. In the study of oxidation of small organic compounds, the reaction was shown to be affected by the off transport of reactants and by the addition of chloride impurities. Pt and PtRu were affected differently, which enabled extraction of information about the reaction mechanisms and rate determining steps. / Polymerelektrolytbränslecellen omvandlar den kemiska energin i ett bränsle, exv. vätgas eller metanol, och syrgas  till elektrisk energi. Den höga verkningsgraden samt möjligheten att använda bränsle från förnyelsebara källor gör dem attraktiva som energiomvandlare i framtida hållbara energisystem. En enorm utveckling har skett under det senaste årtiondet men för att kunna introducera polymerelektrolytbränslecellen på marknaden i en större skala måste livstiden öka och kostnaden minska. Elektroderna har en central del i detta då den platina som används som katalysator står för en stor del av kostnaden för bränslecellen. En stor del av prestandaförsämringen med tiden hos bränslecellen kan också relateras till en degradering av den porösa elektroden och en minskad elektrokemiskt aktiv platinayta. I denna avhandling studeras olika bränslecellsreaktioner samt olika katalysatorer och supportmaterial med målet att undersöka möjligheten att förbättra platinakatalysatorns aktivitet, stabilitet och utnyttjandegrad i bränslecellselektroder. Utbytesströmtätheten, i0, för vätgasoxidationen i bränslecell bestämdes till 770 mA cm-2Pt genom försök med modellelektroderna. Denna var högre än vad som framkommit tidigare i litteratur, vilket visar att de kinetiska förlusterna på anoden är mycket små. Katalysatormängden på anoden borde därför kunna minskas utan några större potentialförluster så länge masstransporten av vätgas är tillräcklig. Den elektrokemiskt aktiva ytan, aktiviteten och stabiliteten hos elektroden visade sig kunna påverkas av supportmaterialet. Platina deponerad på volfram oxid hade en högre aktivitet vid höga potentialer vilket relaterades till den förskjutna oxidbildningen på ytan. Elektroder med platina på volframoxid och iridiumoxid var mer stabila än elektroder med platina på kol. Det var även platina på ett icke grafitiserat kol med låg yta jämfört med platina på grafitiserade kol med en hög yta. Platina på metalloxidskikt av volfram och titan visade en högre elektrokemiskt aktiv yta i de cykliska voltamogrammen än platina på kol, vilket förklarades med att båda metalloxiderna har en bra protonledningsförmåga. CO-stripping gav det säkraste måttet på den elektrokemiskt aktiva ytan i en elektrod i bränslecell. CO-stripping visade sig även vara användbart för karaktärisering av degraderingen av en elektrod. Oxidationen av små organiska föreningar påverkades av borttransporten av intermediärer samt av kloridföroreningar. Pt aoch PtRu påverkades olika vilket gjorde det möjligt att få fram information om reaktionsmekanismer och hastighetsbestämmande steg. / QC 20101014

This work is part of the inter-laboratory collaboration to study the stability of seven distinct sets of state-of-the-art organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices prepared by leading research laboratories. All devices have been shipped to and degraded at RISØ-DTU up to 1830 hours in accordance with established ISOS-3 protocols under defined illumination conditions. In this work, we apply the Incident Photon-to-Electron Conversion Efficiency (IPCE) and the in situ IPCE techniques to determine the relation between solar cell performance and solar cell stability. Different ageing conditions were considered: accelerated full sun simulation, low level indoor fluorescent lighting and dark storage. The devices were also monitored under conditions of ambient and inert (N2) atmospheres, which allows for the identification of the solar cell materials more susceptible to degradation by ambient air (oxygen and moisture). The different OPVs configurations permitted the study of the intrinsic stability of the devices depending on: two different ITO-replacement alternatives, two different hole extraction layers (PEDOT:PSS and MoO3), and two different P3HT-based polymers. The response of un-encapsulated devices to ambient atmosphere offered insight into the importance of moisture in solar cell performance. Our results demonstrate that the IPCE and the in situ IPCE techniques are valuable analytical methods to understand device degradation and solar cell lifetime. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.