[pt] A síntese de nanopartículas (NP) de níquel metálico via rota solvotérmica foi estudada com o intuito de produzir estruturas híbridas destas NP ancoradas na superfície de titanatos nanoestruturados. Inicialmente os parâmetros ideais para a formação das NP com os menores e monodispersos diâmetros foram determinados com o auxílio das técnicas de difração de raios X e de microscopia eletrônica. Em seguida, nanotubos de titanatos foram sintetizados via rota hidrotérmica alcalina. Esses titanatos foram adicionados à rota solvotérmica já estudada, buscando a nucleação heterogênea das NP de Ni metálico em sua superfície. Os produtos das sínteses foram analisados por diversas técnicas de caracterização a fim de determinar a nanoestrutura dos produtos formados, a estabilidade térmica das NP, assim como identificar os subprodutos da síntese solvotérmica e medir as eficiências catalíticas e fotocatalíticas dos materiais. Os resultados permitiram concluir sobre as características estruturais dos materiais e a eficácia da ancoração, bem como os mecanismos envolvidos na síntese solvotérmica para a redução do Ni2, presente no precursor organometálico, para Ni0, apresentando uma nova rota para a produção destas NP. / [en] The synthesis of metallic nickel nanoparticles (Ni-NP) via a solvothermic route was studied to produce hybrid structures of these NP anchored to the surface of nanostructured titanates. Initially the ideal parameters for the formation of NP with the smallest and monodisperse diameters were determined with the aid of Xray diffraction and electron microscopy techniques. Then, titanate nanotubes were synthesized via alkaline hydrothermal route. These titanates were added to the studied solvothermic route, seeking the heterogeneous nucleation of Ni-NP on its surface. The synthesis products were analyzed by several characterization techniques to determine the nanostructure of the products, the thermal stability of the NP, to identify the by-products of the solvothermic synthesis and to measure the catalytic and photocatalytic efficiencies of the materials. The results include the structural characteristics of the materials and the anchoring efficiency, as well as the mechanisms involved in the solvothermic synthesis to reduce the Ni2 ion, a component of the organometallic precursor, to Ni0, introducing a new route for the synthesis of these NPs.

Communication and reconnaissance systems are requiring increasing flexibility concerning functionality and efficiency for multiband and broadband frequency applications. Circuit-based reconfiguration mechanisms continue to promote radio frequency (RF) application flexibility; however, increasing limitations have resulted in hindering performance. Therefore, the implementation of a "wireless" reconfiguration mechanism provides the required agility and amicability for microwave circuits and antennas without local overhead. The wireless reconfiguration mechanism in this thesis integrates dynamic, fluidic-based material systems to achieve electromagnetic agility and reduce the need for "wired" reconfiguration technologies. The dynamic material system component has become known as electromagnetically functionalized colloidal dispersions (EFCDs). In a microfluidic reconfiguration system, they provide electromagnetic agility by altering the colloidal volume fraction of EFCDs - their name highlights the special considerations we give to material systems in applied electromagnetics towards lowering loss and reducing system complexity. Utilizing EFCDs at the RF device-level produced the first circuit-type integration of this reconfiguration system; this is identified as the coaxial stub microfluidic impedance transformer (COSMIX). The COSMIX is a small hollowed segment of transmission line with results showing a full reactive loop (capacitive to inductive tuning) around the Smith chart over a 1.2 GHz bandwidth. A second microfluidic application demonstrates a novel antenna reconfiguration mechanism for a 3 GHz microstrip patch antenna. Results showed a 300 MHz downward frequency shift by dielectric colloidal dispersions. Magnetic material produced a 40 MHz frequency shift. The final application demonstrates the dynamically altering microfluidic system for a 3 GHz 1x2 array of linearly polarized microstrip patch antennas. The parallel microfluidic capillaries were imbedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Both E- and H-plane designs showed a 250 MHz frequency shift by dielectric colloidal dispersions. Results showed a strong correlation between decreasing electrical length of the elements and an increase of the volume fraction, causing frequency to decrease and mutual coupling to increase. Measured, modeled, and analytical results for impedance, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), and radiation behavior (where applicable) are provided.

Three-way catalysis (TWC) involves simultaneous removal of the three pollutants (i.e., CO, NOx, and HCs) which led to the branch of auto-exhaust catalysis. CeO2 has become the main component of TWC catalyst because of its oxygen storage storage (OSC) property to supply oxygen under excess fuel condition and store oxygen under lean condition. Substitution of smaller isovalent cations like Ti4+, Zr4+ and Hf4+ ions in CeO2 forming Ce1-xMxO2 (M = Ti, Zr &Hf) solid solution enhance the OSC property. XRD along with EXAFS study showed that cations arrange in FCC lattice but oxygen coordination around metal ions is split into 4 + 4 coordination in Ce1-xMxO2 instead of ideal 8 coordination in CeO2. The longer Ce/Ti/Zr – O bonds are weakly bound and can be easily removed by H2 giving high OSC value than pure CeO2. Among the three OSC systems studied here, Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 showed exceptionally high OSC which lead to formation of a new a pyrochlore, Ce2Zr2O6.3. This compound is nearly metallic. Ce0.85-xTi0.15PtxO2- (x = 0.01 & 0.02) crystallizes in fluorite structure and Pt is ionically substituted with 2+ and 4+ oxidation states. H/Pt atomic ratio at 30 oC over Ce0.84Ti0.15Pt0.01O2- is 5 and over Ce0.99Pt0.01O2-δ is 4 against just 0.078 for 8 nm Pt metal particles. Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon oxidation activity are much higher over Ce1-x-yTixPtyO2 (x= 0.15, y= 0.01, 0.02) compared to Ce1-xPtxO2 (x= 0.01, 0.02). Synergistic involvement of Pt2+/Pt0 and Ti4+/Ti3+ redox couples in addition to Ce4+/Ce3+ due to the overlap of Pt(5d), Ti(3d), and Ce(4f) bands near EF is shown to be responsible for enhanced redox property and higher catalytic activity. On substitution of Pd ion in Ce1-xTixO2, more lattice oxygen is found to be more labile than Pd in CeO2. The easy removal of oxygen from the more reducible Ti4+ containing support plays a major role in showing higher catalytic activity of this material for CO oxidation, N2O and NO reduction by CO. The catalyst shows 100% N2 selectivity  240 oC in NO+CO reaction. It has been shown that oxide ion vacancy creation created by removal of lattice oxygen by CO is responsible for dissociation of NO or N2O at a lower temperature. Ionicity of Pd2+ ion in different support could be varied by varying the ionicity of the oxide support itself. Rates of CO oxidation increases or activation energy decreases over Ce1-xPdxO2-δ, Ti1-xPdxO2-δ and Ce1-x-yMxPdyO2-δ (M = Ti, Zr, Hf ; x = 0.25, 0.4 ; y = 0.02) is increased with ionicity of Pd2+ ion. The substitution of Sn in CeO2 forming Ce1-xSnxO2 (x = 0.1-0.5) solid solution was prepared using tin oxalate precursor by solution combustion method. These oxides can be promising support for noble metals because of the Sn4+  Sn2+ redox couple in addition to Ce3+/Ce4+. The two electron process involved in the redox reaction of Sn as well as easy reducibility of Sn4+ to Sn2+ offers a far better redox catalytic system hitherto not reported. Ce1-xSnxO2 solid solutions as well as Pd ion substituted Ce1-xSnxO2 was prepared for the first time.

Communication and reconnaissance systems are requiring increasing flexibility concerning functionality and efficiency for multiband and broadband frequency applications. Circuit-based reconfiguration mechanisms continue to promote radio frequency (RF) application flexibility; however, increasing limitations have resulted in hindering performance. Therefore, the implementation of a "wireless" reconfiguration mechanism provides the required agility and amicability for microwave circuits and antennas without local overhead. The wireless reconfiguration mechanism in this thesis integrates dynamic, fluidic-based material systems to achieve electromagnetic agility and reduce the need for "wired" reconfiguration technologies. The dynamic material system component has become known as electromagnetically functionalized colloidal dispersions (EFCDs). In a microfluidic reconfiguration system, they provide electromagnetic agility by altering the colloidal volume fraction of EFCDs - their name highlights the special considerations we give to material systems in applied electromagnetics towards lowering loss and reducing system complexity. Utilizing EFCDs at the RF device-level produced the first circuit-type integration of this reconfiguration system; this is identified as the coaxial stub microfluidic impedance transformer (COSMIX). The COSMIX is a small hollowed segment of transmission line with results showing a full reactive loop (capacitive to inductive tuning) around the Smith chart over a 1.2 GHz bandwidth. A second microfluidic application demonstrates a novel antenna reconfiguration mechanism for a 3 GHz microstrip patch antenna. Results showed a 300 MHz downward frequency shift by dielectric colloidal dispersions. Magnetic material produced a 40 MHz frequency shift. The final application demonstrates the dynamically altering microfluidic system for a 3 GHz 1x2 array of linearly polarized microstrip patch antennas. The parallel microfluidic capillaries were imbedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Both E- and H-plane designs showed a 250 MHz frequency shift by dielectric colloidal dispersions. Results showed a strong correlation between decreasing electrical length of the elements and an increase of the volume fraction, causing frequency to decrease and mutual coupling to increase. Measured, modeled, and analytical results for impedance, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), and radiation behavior (where applicable) are provided.

Frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) provide a variety of spatial filtering functions, such as band-pass or band-stop properties in a radome or other multilayer structure. This filtering is typically achieved through closely-spaced periodic arrangements of metallic shapes on top of a dielectric substrate (or within a stack of dielectric materials). In most cases, the unit cell size, its shape, the substrate parameters, and the inter-element spacing collectively impact the response of the FSS. Expanding this design space to include reconfigurable FSSs provides opportunities for applications requiring frequency agility and/or other properties. Tuning can also enable operation over a potentially wider range of frequencies and can in some cases be used as a loading mechanism or quasi-ground plane. Many technologies have been considered for this type of agility (RF MEMS, PIN diodes, etc.). This includes the recent use of microfluidics and dispersions of nanoparticles, or fluids with controllable dielectrics, which have entered the design space of numerous other EM applications including stub-tuners, antennas, and filters. In this work they provide a material based approach to reconfiguring an FSS. An FSS based on a four-arm spiral with tunable band-stop characteristics is presented in this work. A thin colloidal dispersion above each element provides this tuning capability. The radial expansion and contraction of this dispersion, as well as the variable permittivity of the dispersion, are used to load each element individually. This design incorporates thin fluidic channels within a PDMS layer below the substrate leading to individual unit cells that provide a closed pressure-driven subsystem that contains the dispersion. With the capability to individually control each cell, groups of cells can be locally altered (individually or in groups) to create gratings and other electromagnetically agile features across the surface or within the volume of a radome or other covering. Simulations and measurements of an S-band tunable design using colloidal Barium Strontium Titanate dispersed Silicone oil are provided to demonstrate the capability to adjust the stop-band characteristics of the FSS across the S-band.

The present research work mainly focuses on fabrication of compositionally modulated multilayers of (l−x) Pb(Mgi/3N2/3)O3 - x PbTiO3 (PMNPT) through multi target pulsed laser ablation technique. Heterostructures like compositionally varying multilayers; multilayers with graded interface and a ferroelectric [PbTiO3 (PT)] and relaxor (PMN) superlattices of different periodicities were fabricated. Role of artificially enhanced chemical heterogeneity and strain on enhancement of physical property was studied. Dimensional dependent ferroelectric and antiferroelectric type of polarization behavior was observed in the case of both compositionally varying multilayers and the superlattice structures fabricated. The dimensional dependence of various ferroelectric interactions like long-range, short-range and interfacial coupling among the layers was studied. The phase transition behavior and dielectric studies were carried out on these heterostructures. An artificial superlattice of a relaxor ferroelectric with a ferromagnetic layer was also fabricated for magnetoelectric applications. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to ferroelectric (FE) heterostructures, their technological applications and the fundamental physics involved in ferroelectric heterostructures. Initially an introduction to the technological importance and advantages of ferroelectric heterostructures is provided. A brief introduction to relaxor ferroelectrics and their characteristic structural features are discussed. A brief review of the ferroelectric heterostructures both from fundamental science and technological point of view is provided. Finally the specific objectives of the current research are outlined. Chapter 2 deals with the various experimental studies carried out in this research work. It gives the details of the experimental set up and the basic operation principles of various structural and physical characterizations of the materials prepared. A brief explanation of material fabrication, structural, micro structural and physical property measurements is discussed. Chapter 3 addresses the problem of phase formation of PMNPT over platinum substrates and the role of the template over the phase formation, micro structural evolution and polarization behavior. The surface modifications of bare Pt under the processing conditions used to fabricate PMNPT was also studied. An intermediate roughening mechanism was observed. The role of LSCO over the micro structural evolution of PMNPT, the minimum thickness of LSCO required for phase formation of PMNPT, role of LSCO on phase formation and its effect on the polarization behavior of PMNPT of constant thickness are discussed. Chapter 4 deals with fabrication of different types of relaxor based heterostructures studied in this work. Three different types of PMNPT based heterostructures was fabricated using a multi target laser ablation chamber. The first type of heterostructure is a compositionally modulated multilayer thin film with four different compositions of (1-x) PMN - x PT (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 at.%) and is represented as PMNPT multilayer (ML) further in this thesis. PMNPT ML with different individual layer thickness was fabricated (30, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 nm). The second type of heterostructure is the PMNPT ML of same dimensions, but associated with a post deposition annealing to achieve a graded interface between the multilayers present and will be named as PMNPT graded or simply graded, further in this thesis. The third type of heterostructure is an artificial superlattice of a simple relaxor ferroelectric (PMN) and a normal ferroelectric (PT), which will be named as PMN-PT superlattice (SL) further in this thesis. The crystallinity, micro structural features and the nature of the interface present in the fabricated heterostructures were studied using various experimental techniques. Chapter 5 deals with the FE studies of compositionally modulated PMNPT ML thin films and PMNPT graded thin films. The ML with individual layer thickness of 120nm exhibited a clear FE behavior but with a reduced remnant polarization and reduced non linear behavior in capacitance - voltage (C-V) characteristics. But on varying the dimensions of the individual layers (30, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120nm) a large dielectric tunability of around 74% was observed at lOOnm. The polarization behavior of these ML exhibited an interesting size dependent polarization behavior. A FE behavior was observed at low dimensions of 40 and 30nm. An AFE type of loop was observed at 60 and 80nm of individual layer thickness and at lOOnm it showed a clear paraelectric kind of behavior both in polarization hysteresis (P-E) and C-V studies. Graded films exhibited clear FE behavior at all dimensions fabricated and hence the role of interface in developing a critical polarization behavior in the case of ML was confirmed. Apart from the fundamental physics these ML and graded films permits the tunability of their physical properties on just varying the individual layer thickness. The dimensional dependence of dielectric tunability of ML and graded films were studied and it was found that in the case of a ML the dielectric tunability was high at lOOnm individual layer thickness and at 40nm in the case of a graded film. Thus the interfacial strain, interfacial coupling and chemical heterogeneity give an opportunity to engineer the physical property depending on the requirements. Chapter 6 deals with ferroelectric studies (P-E, C-V) of PMN-PT superlattice structures with different periodicities. The dimensional range in which, the interfacial coupling dominates the overall polarization behavior of the system was analyzed. A dimensional dependent FE and AFE behavior was observed in the PMN-PT SL structures. The dimensional dependent tunability of physical properties was achieved. The different interactions like short range, long range and the interfacial coupling and their dimensional dependent behavior was studied. The dimensional dependent tunability of the P-E and C-V behavior was observed both in symmetric and asymmetric SL structures. Chapter 7 deals with the relaxor behavior of the fabricated PMNPT ML, graded and PMN-PT SL structures. The dielectric phase transition of a PMNPT ML exhibited local maxima in the real part of dielectric constant with temperature. The local maxima correspond to the temperature regime at which, the individual layer dielectric maxima dominates the phase transition behavior of the ML structure. In the case of graded films an averaged behavior of all the compositions, with an enhanced diffusivity was observed. All the characteristic features of a relaxor ferroelectric were observed in the phase transition behavior of a graded thin film. The dielectric maxima exhibited a Vogel-Fulcher type of behavior with frequency, A similar averaged behavior was observed in the phase transition behavior of PMNPT ML at low dimensions (< 40 nm) of the individual layer. The dielectric phase transition behavior of PMN-PT SL structures of different periodicities was studied. No characteristic of a relaxor ferroelectric was observed for the periodicities in the range of 10 to 50 nm. At 60 nm periodicity the individual layer dominance was observed in the phase transition behavior of the SL structure. The phase transition behavior was found to be insensitive to the interfacial coupling in both the PMNPT ML and PMN-PT SL. Chapter 8 deals with the dielectric response, impedance spectroscopy and the DC leakage characteristics of the relaxor heterostructures. All the relaxor heterostructures fabricated, exhibited low frequency dispersion, similar to that of the Jonscher's universal type of relaxation behavior. The anomalous dispersion common of a relaxor ferroelectric was observed in the imaginary dielectric constant at high frequencies. A.multi debye type of relaxation behavior was observed in the impedance analysis and the relaxation time was found to obey Vogel-Fulcher type of relation with temperature. The leakage current of all the heterostructures were found to be few orders less than the homogeneous single layer thin films. A space charge limited conduction was observed in all the heterostructures fabricated. Chapter 9 deals with an attempt of realizing the magnetoelectric effect in an artificial superlattice structure consisting ferromagnetic [Lao.6Sro.4Mn03 (LSMO)] and ferroelectric (PMNPT 70-30) layers. Both symmetric and asymmetric SL structures were fabricated and the asymmetric SL exhibited both room temperature ferromagnetic and ferroelectric behavior. A weak influence of magnetic field over the polarization behavior was observed. The magnetic behavior and its influence over electrical behavior were found to be dominated by the interface and were confirmed from the Maxwell-Wagner type of relaxation. Chapter 10 gives the summary and conclusions of the present study and also discusses about the future work that could give more insight into the understanding of the relaxor heterostructures.

This work deals with the structural and dielectric properties of Bariumtitanate (BTO) / Strontiumtitanate (STO) superlattices. The investigations were carried during the research for a doctoral thesis on the IFW Dresden, Institute for Metallic Materials (under supervision of Prof. Schulz). These multilayers have been prepared on single crystalline STO of (100) and (111) orientated substrates. All films where grown in an epitaxial mode. Additional superlattices and Bariumstrontiumtitanate (BSTO) thin films on silicon substrates with platinum bottom electrodes have been prepared. Thereby, (111) fibre-textured polycrystalline superlattices were produced. According to our knowledge this result was achieved for the first time (is unique in the world at the moment). According to high resolution TEM investigations of (001) oriented superlattices multilayers with atomically thin interfaces without noticeable interdiffusion have been prepared. XRD pattern of a multilayer consisting of BTO and STO monolayers that have only a thickness adequate one unit cell of BTO respective STO confirm this assumption. Multilayers on (111) oriented STO substrates show a much higher interface roughness than (001) orientated films. Regarding to the examinations in this thesis it is suggested that the roughness is correlated with the reduction of internal stresses by deformation of the stack and not with interdiffusion between the monolayers. For electrical measurements the film thickness has been varied from 30 nm to 300 nm and the periodicity in the range from 0.8 nm to 20 nm. Additionally, BSTO films of equivalent thickness and integral chemical composition were produced. Dielectical measurements were carried out in the temperature range from 20 K to 600 K and hysteresis measurements were done. It has to be pointed out, that multilayers have always lower dielectrical performances then BSTO films. In all cases the dielectric constant (DC) decreases with decreasing film thickness. Multilayers of a small periodicity show the highest DC?s, decreasing with increasing monolayer thickness in all cases. The maximum of DC shifted with decreasing film thickness to higher temperatures thus correlating with an increase of the out of plane lattice parameter. In this paper the mismatch between the stack respectivly the BSTO layers and the substrate has widely been discussed. In the case of BSTO the dielectric data can be qualitatively explained with the theory of strained films, developed mainly by Pertsev, under the assumption of a strain gradient in the thin film. Strain effects do also play an important role in ferroelectric multilayers as well as size and coupling effects between the monolayers. An adequate theory for the description of the dielectric behaviour of the ferroelectric superlattice produced during this research does yet not exist. Some thesis where pointed out, which effects have to be essentially included in to a consistent theory of ferroelectric multilayer. Some practical tips are also given, how to prepare monolayers and superlattices with very high DC and exellent hysteretic behaviour. / Es wurden (001) und (111) orientierte symmetrische BTO/STO-Multilagen auf niobdotierten STO-Einkristallen abgeschieden. Hierbei wurde sowohl die Gesamtschichtdicke, als auch deren Periodizität variiert. Zum Vergleich wurden weiterhin Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3-Mischschichten unterschiedlicher Dicke präpariert. Aus den HRTEM und XRD Untersuchungen kann geschlossen werden, dass alle erhaltenen Schichten sowohl phasenrein als auch perfekt biaxial texturiert sind. Im Falle der (001) orientierten Multilagen konnten atomar scharfe Grenzflächen zwischen Einzellagen erhalten werden, wobei sich die Einzellagendicke bis auf eine Monolage (0.4 nm) reduzieren lässt. Aus der Schichtdickenabhängigkeit von d(001), dem mittleren out-of-plane Gitterparameter der Schicht, wird geschlossen, dass die Schichten auf den STO-Einkristallen Spannungsgradienten in den Schicht-normalen besitzen und an der Grenzfläche zum Substrat am stärksten verspannt sind. Die (111) orientierten Multilagen auf den STO-Einkristallen zeigen gegenüber den Schichten auf den (100) orientierten STO-Einkristallen eine deutlich erhöhte Interfacerauhigkeit. Vermutet wird, dass dies einerseits durch die andere kristallographische Orientierung der Wachstumsnormalen bedingt ist, weil damit jeweils keine geschlossenen SrO- bzw. BaO- und TiO3-Lagen ausgebildet werden. Andererseits zeigen die TEM-Aufnahmen eine deutliche Zunahme der Welligkeit der Einzellagen mit wachsendem Abstand vom Substrat, die rein mechanischen Effekten zugeschrieben wird. Die Verwölbung der Einzellagen könnte damit der Reduzierung der mechanischen Energie innerhalb des Systems dienen, wobei die Netzebenen dem Verlauf der Einzellagen folgen. Auf platinbeschichteten Siliziumsubstraten konnten erstmals phasenreine (111) fasertexturierte Mischschichten und BTO/STO-Multilagen abgeschieden werden. Grundlage hierfür war die Optimierung des Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si Schichtsystems hinsichtlich seiner thermischen Stabilität bis zu 800°C. Die Textur der Schichten wird von der Platingrundelektrode übernommen und deren Rauhigkeit teilweise verstärkt. Eine mechanische Verwölbung der Einzellagen konnte hier nicht beobachtet werden. Für die elektrischen Messungen wurden auf allen Schichten etwa 50 nm dicke Platinelektroden durch eine Hartmaske mittels Elektronenstrahlverdampfung im Hochvakuum bei etwa 300°C aufgebracht. Anschließend wurden die Schichten an Luft getempert, um das Sauerstoffdefizit, dass sich bei der Elektrodenabscheidung einstellt, auszugleichen. Die elektrischen Messungen zeichnen sich durch den sehr großen untersuchten Temperaturbereich aus. Temperaturabhängige Messungen im Bereich von 30-600 K finden sich für ferroelektrische Dünnschichten sehr selten in der Literatur und stellen für BTO/STO-Multilagen ein Novum dar. Auch die biasabhängige und teilweise auch temperaturabhängige Messung der Kapazität der Multilagen (C-V-Messungen) ist bisher einmalig. Durch die temperaturabhängigen Hysteresemessungen wurden Einblicke in den elektrischen Polungszustand der Schichten erhalten. Dadurch wird eine sinnvolle Interpretation der &amp;amp;#949;(T)-Kurven erst möglich. Der Vorteil der Integration des Polarisationsstromes unter Verwendung einer Dreieckspannung als Messsignal besteht in der direkten physikalischen Aussage der Strom-Spannungskurven über die Schaltspannung der Schichten.

L'étude de la microstructure de varistances à base d'oxyde de zinc et de diélectriques à base de titanate de baryum en présence de LiF a été réalisée par microscopie électronique STEM sur des échantillons amincis après traitement thermique. Une attention particulière a été portée à la structure des joints de grains, aux phases intergranulaires et aux couches de ségrégation. Cette étude a permis d'une part de corréler les microstructures et les propriétés électriques et d'autre part de préciser le mécanisme de frittage de ces céramiques.

Multiferroic materials exhibit unique properties such as simultaneous existence of two or more of coupled ferroic order parameters (ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, ferroelasticity or their anti-ferroic counterparts) in a single material. Recent years have seen a huge research interest in multiferroic materials for their potential application as high density non-volatile memory devices. However, the scarcity of these materials in single phase and the weak coupling of their ferroic components have directed the research towards multiferroic heterostructures. These systems operate by coupling the magnetic and electric properties of two materials, generally a ferromagnetic material and a ferroelectric material via strain. In this work, horizontal heterostructures of composite multiferroic materials were grown and characterized using pulsed laser ablation technique. Alternate magnetic and ferroelectric layers of cobalt ferrite and lead zirconium titanate, respectively, were fabricated and the coupling effect was studied by X-ray stress analysis. It was observed that the interfacial stress played an important role in the coupling effect between the phases. Doped zinc oxide (ZnO) heterostructures were also studied where the ferromagnetic phase was a layer of manganese doped ZnO and the ferroelectric phase was a layer of vanadium doped ZnO. For the first time, a clear evidence of possible room temperature magneto-elastic coupling was observed in these heterostructures. This work provides new insight into the stress mediated coupling mechanisms in composite multiferroics.

Les filtres céramiques représentent une solution efficace pour capturer et retenir les particules carbonées émises par les moteurs automobiles Diesel. En cas de choc thermique dû à une régénération sévère, la résistance thermomécanique de ces filtres est primordiale pour assurer une bonne efficacité de filtration pendant toute la durée de vie du véhicule. Pour cette raison, la conception de filtres à particules Diesel à base de titanate d'aluminium est une innovation prometteuse au sein de la gamme du groupe Saint-Gobain. A température ambiante comme à haute température, les caractérisations des comportements mécaniques et à la propagation de fissure du titanate d'aluminium sont les objectifs principaux de ces travaux de thèse. Basée sur différents essais mécaniques analysés par corrélation d'images 2D et 3D, une méthodologie d'identification est ainsi développée et appliquée sur la céramique à base de titanate d'aluminium pour les filtres à particules. Tout d'abord, des essais de flexion effectués à température ambiante mettent en évidence le comportement endommageable de cette céramique microfissurée fortement poreuse. Des fonctions de forme spécifiques à la flexion quatre points sont construites pour mesurer, par corrélation d'images 2D, la cinématique globale et la position de l'axe neutre. Une loi d'endommagement est identifiée pour représenter la dissymétrie entre les comportements en traction et en compression. Cette approche d'identification est appliquée à haute température, où le comportement mécanique du matériau est non-linéaire en raison du réseau de microfissures et de la viscosité de la phase secondaire. Une seconde approche de corrélation d'images 2D, basée sur les séries de Williams, est appliquée pour analyser des essais de flexion entaillée et étudie la fissuration quasi-fragile du matériau à température ambiante. Les différents modes d'endommagement sont quantifiés énergétiquement à travers l'application d'une méthode de corrélation d'images, basée sur la méthode de l'écart à l'équilibre. A haute température, la propagation de fissure apparaît également comme quasi-fragile, entre autres en raison d'importants mécanismes de renforcements vers 800°C. Parallèlement, l'essai de double-torsion est analysé car il permet de contrôler la propagation de fissures sur de longues distances. Un prototype est conçu pour réaliser des essais in situ dans un tomographe. Par corrélation d'images 3D, l'évolution du front curviligne de la fissure est observée dans l'épaisseur du matériau. Avec une simulation X-FEM, la répartition des facteurs d'intensité des contraintes le long du front de fissure est calculée pour en expliquer sa propagation. Ces travaux ont permis de caractériser les fortes déformabilité et résistance à la propagation de fissure du matériau à haute température. Ces propriétés jouent un rôle clef dans la résistance thermomécanique des filtres à particules Diesel à base de titanate d'aluminium.