In this research project, reduction or complete elimination of organic solvents is explored in the synthesis of cyclic imides using a technique that brings reagents into favorable position to react. Cocrystal Controlled Solid-State Synthesis (C3Sy3), takes advantage of supramolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking to form a cocrystal which can sequential be heated to complete the condensation reaction and produce a desirable product. Twenty-five successful condensation reactions result in high and clean yield. C3Sy3 of cyclic imides with auxiliary hydrogen bonding moieties like carboxylic acid, carboxylate or pyridyl groups are amenable to form additional solid-state materials. These moieties are useful in forming coordinate covalent bonds with metal cations. Using these C3Sy3 synthesized molecules as ligands, various Metal-Organic Materials (MOMs) are self-assembled. These MOMs offer unique qualities owing to the properties of the cyclic imides. With the addition of accessible carbonyl groups, they may participate as hydrogen bond acceptors or hydrophilic groups. Various degrees of rotation of N-phenyl substituents around the imide plane allow for structural flexibility as a route to supramolecular isomers in MOMs. The ease in imide synthesis may allow the fast scale-up of these ligands for industrial application. Similar ligands are generally synthesized by cross-coupling or substitution reactions that require expensive catalyst and various organic solvents. Metal-organic materials are a class of compounds amenable to crystal engineering owing to the directional coordinate covalent bonds between metal or metal clusters and organic ligands. They are characterized by X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, volumetric and gravimetric analysis. The C3Sy3 imides were used to construct various MOMs, from discrete nanostructures to extended 3-periodic frameworks that possess viable internal space for applications pertaining to porous materials. Structural characterization by single crystal X-ray diffraction and structure-function relations are addressed. Gas sorption experiments show that many of these materials are structurally robust and retain crystallinity after evacuation. Ion exchange and guest uptake experiments using the synthesized materials demonstrate their potential as agents for sequestration. The bottom-up synthesis of metal-organics materials is leading the field of crystal engineering with built-in properties, showing promise by combining attributes from both inorganic and organic components.

Research in the field of non-linear optical (NLO) devices lead to an increasing interest in new borate compounds, capable of expanding the frequency range provided by common laser sources. Lithium triborate (LBO) is a newly developed ideal non-linear optical crystal used in laser weapon, welder, radar, tracker, surgery, communication, etc. Borates containing rare-earth elements are of great interest since they are found to be superior in non-linear optical applications. In this study, synthesis and identification of rare-earth doped lithium triborate was carried out. Lithium triborate was produced from the solid-state reaction. LBO was then doped with some rare-earth elements (Gd, La, Y) in several different concentrations. Appropriate quantities of Li2CO3 and H3BO3, weighted separately, were mixed and finely powdered. Then, the mixture was heated at 750 &ordm / C for 14 hrs. The expected reaction is given below. Li2CO3 + 6H3BO3 --&gt / 2LiB3O5 + CO2 + 9H2O Prepared LiB3O5 and Gd2O3, La2O3 and Y2O3 samples were weighed separately at different concentrations and ground together. The mixture was then heated at 750 &ordm / C for 7 hrs. Characterization of the new products was done by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Infrared (IR) analysis. Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) was used for examination of the thermal properties of the compounds, morphology of new compounds was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The compounds are then subjected to thermoluminescence (TL) studies. From the XRD studies, no change in the LBO phase related to the addition of rareearth elements was observed. However, peaks of those elements were also become apparent. IR analysis showed that there is no change related to B-O link with the addition of rare earth elements. DTA studies showed that the melting point of LBO decreases with the addition of rare earth elements. In the SEM images, two phases belonging to particles of rare earth elements and lithium triborate were observed clearly. With the TL analysis, it was considered that the samples show dose response but also it was realized that they are affected by fading.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / As cerÃmicas atualmente oferecem significantes vantagens por apresentarem baixo custo de produÃÃo para dispositivos eletrÃnicos que operam em radiofrequÃncia (RF) e micro-ondas, alÃm de serem materiais de baixo peso, estÃveis com a temperatura e extremamente passÃveis de miniaturizaÃÃo (compactaÃÃo). As cerÃmicas magnÃticas possuem tambÃm menores perdas dielÃtricas e sÃo preferidas em muitas das aplicaÃÃes tecnolÃgicas atuais. Este trabalho foi dividido em duas etapas. A primeira consistiu em obter as matrizes cerÃmicas Ba2Co2Fe12O22 e CaTiO3 atravÃs da sÃntese de estado sÃlido com moagem mecÃnica de alta energia e a segunda consistiu em estudar as propriedades estruturais, dielÃtricas e magnÃticas de um sÃrie de compÃsitos cerÃmicos formado por essas matrizes. A difraÃÃo de raios-X (DRX) foi essencial na caracterizaÃÃo estrutural dos compÃsitos desejados. A morfologia das amostras foi estudada pela microscopia eletrÃnica de varredura (MEV). Experimentos foram realizados para avaliar o desempenho dielÃtrico e magnÃtico na faixa de radiofrequÃncia (RF) e micro-ondas para posterior anÃlise de uma aplicaÃÃo tecnolÃgica cabÃvel. Os experimentos realizados indicaram que à possÃvel obter compÃsitos cerÃmicos com altos valores de permissividade dielÃtrica e baixas perdas dielÃtricas, resultando em compactaÃÃo e eficiÃncia para dispositivos a serem projetados. Os compÃsitos avaliados nesse trabalho comportaram-se adequadamente como antenas ressoadoras dielÃtricas em micro-ondas, tornando-os importantes no desenvolvimento de antenas de banda larga de quarta geraÃÃo (4G) para telefones celulares, ou aplicaÃÃo em dispositivos de antenas omnidirecionais de baixo ganho e outros produtos para redes sem fio.

A literature review on the topic of ferroic and multiferroic solid solutions of BaTiO3, SrTiO3 and EuTiO3 forms the first part of this master thesis. The second part describes the experimental preparation and evaluation of the properties of samples of europium strontium titanates - EuxSr1-xTiO3. First, the high temperature solid state synthesis was carried out and relative density and open porosity of the sintered samples were evaluated. The sintered samples showed open porosity higher than 10%. The reasons for this behavior were evaluated and described from the point of view of experimental conditions and thermodynamical calculations. Finally, electric and dielectric properties of selected samples were measured. These results show that these samples are insulators and their residual conductivity is caused probably by oxygen vacancies, arising from the synthesis in a strongly reducing atmosphere of pure hydrogen.

Heteroanionic hydrides offer great possibilities in the design of functional materials. For ternary rare earth hydride oxide REHO, several modifications were reported with indications for a significant phase width with respect to H and O of the cubic representatives. We obtained DyHO and ErHO as well as the thus far elusive LuHO from solid-state reactions of RE2O3 and REH3 or LuH3 with CaO and investigated their crystal structures by neutron and X-ray powder diffraction. While DyHO, ErHO, and LuHO adopted the cubic anion-ordered half-Heusler LiAlSi structure type (F4¯3m, a(DyHO) = 5.30945(10) Å, a(ErHO) = 5.24615(7) Å, a(LuHO) = 5.171591(13) Å), LuHO additionally formed the orthorhombic anti-LiMgN structure type (Pnma; LuHO: a = 7.3493(7) Å, b = 3.6747(4) Å, c = 5.1985(3) Å; LuDO: a = 7.3116(16) Å, b = 3.6492(8) Å, c = 5.2021(7) Å). A comparison of the cubic compounds’ lattice parameters enabled a significant distinction between REHO and REH1+2xO1−x (x < 0 or x > 0). Furthermore, a computational chemistry study revealed the formation of REHO compounds of the smallest rare earth elements to be disfavored in comparison to the sesquioxides, which is why they may only be obtained by mild synthesis conditions.

Die vorliegende Arbeit enthält neuartige Ergebnisse festkörperanalytischer Untersuchungen zu Synthese, Struktur und Eigenschaften von anodischen Konversionsschichten auf Vanadium und Zirkonium. Schwerpunkte sind die Darstellung anodischer Oxidschichten auf den Metallen Vanadium und Zirkonium sowie ihre Charakterisierung mit ausgewählten Methoden der Festkörperanalytik. Am Beispiel des Vanadiums wird die anodische Schichtbildung in Essigsäurebasiselektrolyten untersucht. Unter anderem wird anhand von Strom-Spannungs-Kennlinien das unterschiedliche anodische Verhalten der physikalisch ähnlichen Metalle Vanadium und Zirkonium diskutiert. Neben den Methoden der Röntgenbeugung, Infrarotspektroskopie, Photoelektronenspektroskopie und Elektronenmikroskopie wird die Ramanspektroskopie als ein geeignetes Mittel zur Unterscheidung der Oxidphasen verwendet. Die amorphen VOx-Schichten und kristallinen ZrO2- bzw. modifizierten Schichten wurden sowohl unter anodischen als auch unter elektrochemischen Plasmabedingungen erzeugt. Die Korrelation zwischen Schichtstruktur und Syntheseverfahren wird herausgearbeitet.

xxiv, 265 p. : ill. (some col.) / Stabilizing mechanisms and design considerations for generating misfit layer compounds with a variety of different structural motifs were explored using designed precursors consisting of elemental layers. Layer order in the precursor film and the behavior of binary reaction couples was used to avoid undesirable reaction intermediates. Electron diffraction patterns of CuCr2 Se4 were inconsistent with prior reports that this compound has the spinel structure and were more consistent with a hexagonal R 3 ̄ structure. STEM imaging also suggests CuCr2 Se4 prepared using the compositionally modulated kinetic trapping approach is a new polymorph of the spinel structure. Electrical and magnetic properties were consistent with prior literature reports. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show pronounced hard and easy axes of magnetization not previously documented, which are consistent with a hexagonal crystal symmetry. The [{(PbSe)m }0.99 (WSe2 )n ] r and [{(PbSe)m }1.00 (MoSe2 )n ] r systems were investigated by STEM, XRD and density functional theory (DFT) modeling. No crystallographic registration between MSe and TSe 2 layers was observed and the diffraction observed in the hk 0 and hkl directions, where h = k = 0, can be described by diffraction from discrete layers of finite thickness. A distortion of the MX structure for m > 4 was documented. The distortion in MSe layers was largest for m = 2 and independent of TSe2 thickness. A novel family of compounds, [{(FeSe)m }1+y (NbSe 2 )n ]r , were synthesized inspired by a geological precedent. Single FeSe and NbSe2 layer thicknesses ((0.571 ± 0.005) nm and (0.653 ± 0.002) nm respectively) are consistent with literature values for the binary compounds. STEM-HAADF images of the [{(FeSe) 5 }1+y (NbSe2 )5 ]r revealed a multilayer structure with two distinct structural subunits. STEM-EELS analysis of the film showed no intermixing between the Nb and Fe regions within the limit of the measurement. Another family of misfit layer compounds, [{(NbSe2 )m }1+y (CuCr2Se4)n]r, designed to test requirements for a stable misfit layer compound, were successfully synthesized. STEM analysis of the [{(NbSe2 )5 }1+y (CuCr2 Se4 ) 1 ]r compound showed a well segregated film with two distinct subunit structures. Thicknesses for individual layers of NbSe2 or CuCr2 Se4 ((0.648 ± 0.004) nm and (1.76 ± 0.01) nm respectively) are consistent with prior literature reports of the individual binary compounds. This dissertation includes previously published and unpublished co-authored material. / Committee in charge: Dr. Mark C. Lonergan, Chair; Dr. David C. Johnson, Advisor; Dr. James Hutchison, Member; Dr. Catherine Page, Member; Dr. Stephen Gregory, Outside Member; Dr. Ian M. Anderson, Honorary Member

This work focuses on the hydration of four calcium aluminate phases – C3A, C12A7, CA and CA2. Above all, the influence of particle size and method of preparation on hydration behaviour were studied. Influence of these factors on hydration products were also investigated. Calcium aluminates were prepared by solid state synthesis and amorphous citrate method. Both methods were described in detail. The particle size was determined by laser diffraction. Isothermic calorimetry was used to investigate the process of hydration. Hydration products were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis and simultaneous thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis.

Electrocatalysis plays a vital role in the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy infrastructure. Bimetallic systems can provide enhanced electrocatalytic activity and/or selectivity due to their altered electronic and/or crystal structures. These two effects are the main parameters responsible for the enhancement of the catalytic properties of multi-metallic systems. In practice, they are often interrelated and can be difficult to distinguish from one another due to random distribution and segregation of the elements in substitutional alloys. With well-defined crystal and electronic structures, intermetallic compounds provide excellent platform materials for a knowledge-based approach aiming for the evaluation and optimization of structural and/or electronic effects in heterogeneous (electro) catalysis. The present PhD thesis focuses on the investigation of the correlations between electronic, geometric and electrocatalytic properties of anode materials in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). This is achieved by substitution of indium (three valence electrons) with tin (four valence electrons) in the isostructural series In1-xSnxPd2, which allows for a systematic variation of the total number of electrons per unit cell with a minor variation of the cell parameters. Geometric effects were evaluated by substitution of indium with gallium in the isostructural Ga1-xInxPd2 series, which allows for a systematic variation of the cell parameters (interatomic distances) with the same number of valence electrons per unit cell. By substitution of gallium with tin in the Ga1-xSnxPd2 series, both effects are combined and addressed simultaneously. Single-phase samples of the isostructural series In1-xSnxPd2, Ga1-xInxPd2 and Ga1-xSnxPd2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), were synthesized and characterized by metallography, powder X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy to establish the phase composition and to determine the variation of the lattice parameters with composition. The MOR current densities show a distinct change in slop as the fraction of tin increases in the In1-xSnxPd2 series with a minimum at x = 0.8 which is attributed to the alteration of the electronic properties of the materials. For the GaxIn1-xPd2 series, the MOR current densities show a maximum at x = 0.5 which is attributed to the alteration of the structural properties of the materials. The Ga1-xSnxPd2 series shows two maxima at x = 0.15 and 0.93. The high activity at x = 0.15 and 0.93 is attributed to a synergy of simultaneous alteration of electronic and geometric influences and the catalytic properties. The results contribute to the knowledge-based development of catalytic materials with direct experimental evidence of fine-tuning of electronic and/or geometric influences using isostructural intermetallic compounds as platform materials. This provides a basis of model catalysts for further studies to advance fundamental, as well as applied research in catalysis for the development of a green, sustainable future for the new generations.

L'hydrure d'aluminium AlH3 ou alane est à la fois un matériau très important et une espèce chimique fascinante qui reçoit actuellement un regain d'intérêt lié à son utilisation potentielle pour différentes applications : (i) comme additif énergétique pour les ergols solides, (ii) comme agent réducteur dans les piles alcalines et (iii) comme source possible d'hydrogène pour des piles à combustibles basses températures. L'alane a une capacité de stockage volumique d'hydrogène de 0,148 g mL-1 soit deux fois plus que l'hydrogène liquide (0,07 g mL-1). Sa capacité de stockage d'hydrogène est supérieure à 10 % en masse. Malheureusement, le coût de production d'alane est élevé ce qui limite son utilisation notamment dans le domaine de la propulsion. L'objectif de cette thèse était d'optimiser la synthèse de l'alane α pur, variété cristalline considérée comme la plus stable et ainsi d'en réduire les coûts de production. Différentes méthodes de synthèse sous atmosphère contrôlée ont été mises en oeuvre. Il a été montré que le traitement thermique sous vide d'un complexe éthéré de AlH3 permettait de s'affranchir de l'utilisation de toluène et ainsi de réduire la quantité de solvants et de réactifs de 25 % tout en obtenant une phase α pure mise en évidence par DRX. Des essais de stabilisation contrôlés par ATD-ATG ont montré que la température de décomposition à pression atmosphérique de l'alane α était de 174 °C contre 160 °C pour la phase α non stabilisée. Une autre voie de synthèse, sans solvant et à l'aide d'une presse fabriquée au laboratoire a été explorée. Un plan d'expériences a été réalisé afin d'identifier les paramètres influant le plus sur le rendement en alane α et la pureté de la phase obtenue. L'alane synthétisé par ces différentes méthodes a été caractérisé par DRX, MEB, MET, ATD-ATG et ICP-OES. Un transfert technologique de la synthèse en solution a été opéré vers les partenaires industriels de ce travail. / Aluminium hydride or alane (AlH3) is a very important and fascinating material that draws increasing attention due to its potential uses: (i) as an energetic component in rocket propellants, (ii) as a reducing agent in alkali batteries and (iii) as a possible hydrogen source for low temperature fuel cells. It exhibits a density of 1,48 g cm-3, a volumetric hydrogen capacity of 0,148 g mL-1, that is more than twice as much as that of liquid hydrogen (0,07 g mL-1). Its hydrogen mass capacity slightly exceeds 10 wt.-%. Unfortunately, production of alane suffers from a high cost that hinders its opportunity to be an excellent candidate for propulsion. Moreover, only the α phase of alane is known to be stable enough to be stored and used. This work aims at developing cheaper methods for alane production while keeping a maximum selectivity towards the formation of α phase. Preparation using a classical organometallic synthesis in ether was implemented. An etherate complex was formed, the ether was removed under vacuum and finally an adequate thermal treatment led to pure α phase of alane as identified by powder X-ray diffraction. A toluene free synthesis method was implemented and resulted in a cost reduction of 25 %. The stability of the material was characterized through thermal analysis (DTA-TGA). The morphology and purity of the alane were characterized using TEM, SEM and ICP-OES. Alane was synthesized using doping compounds and resulted in a significant increase in the decomposition temperature from ca. 160 °C to ca. 174 °C. Syntheses without solvent were studied using a homemade reactor and following a design of experiment to identify the key parameter towards the highest yield in α-AlH3. The synthesis method in ether was transferred to our industrial partners.