This thesis treats the thermopower and other thermal effects in single quantum dots (QD) and quantum dot systems. It contributes new experimental results to the broad and active field of research on thermoelectrics in low dimensional systems. The thermopower experiments discussed in this work focus on QDs which exhibit a net spin and on tunnel-coupled double QDs (DQD). Furthermore, experiments are presented which address the realization of a QD device which extracts thermal energy from a heat reservoir and converts it into a directed charge current in a novel way. The samples used for these investigations have been fabricated from GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures which contain a two dimensional electron gas. Using optical and electron beam lithography, the devices have been realized by means of the top-gate technology. All experiments have been performed at low temperature. In order to create a controllable temperature difference in the samples the current heating technique has been used. These experimental basics as well as fundamentals of electric and thermoelectric transport are introduced in Part I of this thesis. The experiments on the thermopower of a single QD are described in Part II. Essentially, they deal with the problem of how a single spin situated on a QD influences the thermoelectric properties of the system. In this context, the Kondo-effect plays a crucial role. Generally, the Kondo effect is the result of a many-body state which arises from an antiferromagnetic coupling of a magnetic impurity with the surrounding conduction electrons. Here, the magnetic impurity is represented by a QD which is occupied with an odd number of electrons so that it exhibits a net spin. For the first time the thermopower of a Kondo-QD has been studied systematically as a function of two parameters, namely the QD coupling energy and the sample temperature. Both parameters are crucial quantities for Kondo-physics to be observed. Based on these data, it is shown that the thermopower line shape as a function of QD energy is mainly determined by two competing contributions: On the one hand by the enhanced density of states around the Fermi level due to Kondo-correlations and on the other hand by thermopower contributions from the Coulomb resonances. Furthermore, the experiments confirm theoretical predictions which claim that the spectral DOS arising from Kondo-correlations shifts away from the Fermi level for those QD level configurations which are not electron-hole symmetric. Comparison with model calculations by T. Costi and V. Zlatic [Phys. Rev. B 81, 235127 (2010)] shows qualitative and partly even quantitative agreement. A finite thermovoltage at the center of the Kondo-region, which occurred in previous investigations, is also observed in the experiments presented here. It is not covered by the current theory of the Kondo effect. The dependence of this signal on temperature, coupling energy and magnetic field, which differ from non-Kondo regions, is analyzed. In order to clarify the physics behind this phenomenon further studies are desirable. Furthermore, it is shown by variation of the QD coupling energy over a wide range that Kondo-correlations can be detected in the thermopower even in the regime of very weak coupling. In contrast, no Kondo signatures are visible in the conductance in this energy range. It is found that in the limit of weak coupling the Kondo effect causes the thermopower to exhibit a diminished amplitude in close vicinity of a conductance resonance. Subsequent filling of spin-degenerate states then leads to a thermopower amplitude modulation (odd-even-effect). Although this effect had been observed in previous studies, no connection to Kondo physics had been established in order to explain the observations. Hence, the experiments on a single QD presented in this thesis provide unique insight into the complex interplay of different transport mechanisms in a spin-correlated QD. Moreover, the results confirm the potential of thermopower measurements as a highly sensitive tool to probe Kondo-correlations. In Part III thermal effects are investigated in systems which contain two coupled QDs. Such QD-systems are particularly interesting with respect to thermoelectric applications: Many proposals utilize the extremely sharp energy filtering properties of such coupled QDs and also different kinds of inter dot coupling to construct novel and highly efficient thermoelectric devices. In the present work, thermopower characterizations are performed on a tunnel-coupled DQD for the first time. The key result of these investigations is the thermopower stability diagram. Here it is found, that in such a system maximal thermopower is generated in the vicinity of the so-called triple points (TP) at which three charge states of the DQD are degenerate. Along the axis of total energy, which connects two adjacent TP, a typical thermopower line shape is observed. It is explained and modeled within an intuitive picture that assumes two transport channels across the DQD, representing the TP. For those regions which are far away from the TP, the thermopower turns out to be very sensitive to the relative configuration of the QD energies. The conductance and thermopower data are well reproduced within a model that assumes transport via molecular states. Integration of both models into one then allows model calculations for a complete stability cell in conductance and thermopower to be done. Furthermore, experiments on two capacitively coupled QDs are presented. In these studies the focus lies on testing the feasibility of such systems for the manipulation and generation of charge currents from thermal energy. In a series of experiments it is shown that such a system of QDs can be utilized to increase or decrease a current flowing between two electron reservoirs by varying the temperature in a third reservoir. This effect is based on the cross-correlation of occupation fluctuations of the individual QDs. These are positive for certain QD energy level configurations and negative for others, which increases or decreases the charge current in the experiments, respectively. In the stability diagram this is manifested in a characteristic clover leaf shaped structure of positive and negative current changes in vicinity of the TP. All main experimental results are reproduced qualitatively in simple model calculations. Due to the close analogy between electrical and thermal conductance of a QD, this effect of thermal switching can, in principle, also be used to built a thermal transistor. Finally, it is shown that a system consisting of two Coulomb-coupled QDs, which couple a hot electron reservoir electrostatically to two cold electron reservoirs, can be utilized as a novel device which extracts heat from its environment and converts it into a directed charge current. The idea of this heat-to-current converter (HCC) was first proposed by R. Sánchez and M. Büttiker [Phys. Rev. B 83, 085428 (2011)]. It is not only characterized by the novelty of its working principle but also by the fact, that it decouples the directions of charge current and energy flow. In the experiments presented here, such HCC-currents are identified unambiguously: For certain QD-level configurations an electric current between the two cold reservoirs is observed if the temperature in the third reservoir is increased. The direction of this current is shown to be independent of an external voltage. In contrast, the direction of the current exhibits a characteristic dependence on the tunneling coefficients of the QDs, as predicted by theory: By adjusting the thickness and the shape of the respective tunnel junctions, a charge current can be generated between two cold reservoirs, and it can even be inverted. The experimental observations are quantitatively reproduced by model calculations by R. Sánchez and B. Sothmann. Thus, the results represent direct evidence for the existence of HCC-currents. Due to the novelty of the working principle of the HCC and its relevance from a fundamental scientific point of view, the results presented here are an important step towards energy harvesting devices at the nano scale. / Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Thermokraft und anderen thermischen Effekten in einzelnen Quantenpunkten (QP) und Quantenpunktsystemen. Sie liefert durch neue experimentelle Ergebnisse einen Beitrag zu dem breiten und besonders in jüngster Zeit stark beachteten Themenkomplex der Thermoelektrik in niedrigdimensionalen Systemen. Im Fokus stehen hier die Thermokraft von spin-besetzten QP und tunnelgekoppelten Doppelquantenpunkten (DQP) sowie die Realisierung von neuartigen W\ärmemaschinen mit Hilfe von QP-Systemen. Die für diese Untersuchungen verwendeten Proben wurden mit Hilfe der sogenannten split-gate Technologie lithographisch in einem zweidimensionalen Elektronengas innerhalb des Halbleiterschichtsystems GaAs/AlGaAs realisiert. Sämtliche Experimente wurden bei tiefen Systemtemperaturen durchgeführt. Zur kontrollierten Erzeugung einer Temperaturdifferenz wurde die sogenannte Stromheiztechnik verwendet. Diese experimentellen Grundlagen sowie allgemeine Hintergründe zur Physik von elektrischem und thermoelektrischem Transport werden im Gundlagenteil, Teil I, behandelt. Die Thermokraftexperimente an einzelnen QP sind in Teil II dieser Arbeit beschrieben. Sie befassen sich im Kern mit der Frage, auf welche Art einzelne Spins in einem QP die Thermokraft des Systems beeinflussen. In diesem Zusammenhang ist der Kondoeffekt von zentraler Bedeutung. Der Kondoeffekt resultiert allgemein aus einem Vielteilchenzustand, der durch die antiferromagnetische Kopplung einer magnetischen Verunreinigung mit Leitungselektronen der angrenzenden Reservoire hervorgerufen wird. Die magnetische Verunreinigung wird hier durch einen QP dargestellt, der Aufgrund einer ungeraden Besetzungszahl von Elektronenspins ein magnetisches Moment besitzt. In den präsentierten Experimenten wird erstmals systematisch der Verlauf der Thermokraft eines Kondo-QP in Abhängigkeit von den beiden Parametern Kopplungsenergie und Systemtemperatur untersucht. Diese beiden Parameter legen im Wesentlichen die Ausprägung des Kondozustandes fest. Auf der Basis dieser Daten wird gezeigt, dass der Verlauf der Thermokraft maßgeblich von dem konkurrierenden Einfluss zweier Beiträge bestimmt wird: Einerseits der Thermokraft resultierend aus einer erhöhten Zustandsdichte nahe der Fermienergie aufgrund von Kondokorrelationen und andererseits dem Beitrag der Coulombresonanzen. Des Weiteren belegen die Experimente die theoretisch vorhergesagte Verschiebung der spektralen Zustandsdichte auf dem QP weg von der Fermienergie, und zwar für solche Energieniveaukonfigurationen, welche nicht elektron-loch-symmetrisch sind. Vergleiche mit numerischen Berechnungen von T. Costi und V. Zlatic [Phys. Rev. B 81, 235127 (2010)] zeigen qualitative und teilweise sogar quantitative Übereinstimmung. Eine im Zentrum des Kondobereiches entstehende, elektronenartige Thermospannung, wie sie bereits in früheren Untersuchungen zum Kondoeffekt beobachtet wurde, kann auch in den Experimenten hier festgestellt werden. Sie wird durch die gegenwärtige Theorie zum Kondoeffekt nicht erklärt. Die experimentell gefundenen Abhängigkeiten dieses Signals von Temperatur, Kopplungsenergie und Magnetfeld unterscheiden sich von denen in Nicht-Kondobereichen und werden analysiert. Zur Klärung des physikalischen Hintergrundes dieses Phänomens sind weiterführende Experimente wünschenswert. Durch Variation der Kopplungsenergie über einen sehr weiten Bereich wird zudem gezeigt dass sich Kondokorrelationen noch bis hin zu sehr schwacher Kopplung in der Thermokraft nachweisen lassen. In diesen Energiebereichen weist der entsprechende Leitwert keinerlei Kondosignaturen mehr auf. Für die Thermospannung bewirkt der Kondoeffekt im Grenzfall schwacher Kopplung eine Reduktion der Amplitude nahe der Coulombresonanzen. Bei regelmäßiger Auffüllung von spin-entartetn QP-Orbitalen führt dies zu einer Amplitudenmodulation (Ungerade-Gerade-Effekt), wie sie bereits in früheren Arbeiten beobachtet, dort jedoch nicht mit Kondokorrelationen in Verbindung gebracht wurde. In ihrer Summe geben die Experimente auf einzigartige Weise neue Einblicke in das komplexe Zusammenwirken verschiedener Transportmechanismen in einem spinkorrelierten QP. Sie belegen das Potenzial von Thermokraftmessungen als hochsensitives Instrument zur Erforschung von Kondokorrelationen. In Teil III werden thermische Effekte in Systemen untersucht, welche zwei gekoppelte QP enthalten. Solche QP-Systeme sind insbesondere für thermoelektrische Anwendungen interessant: Zahlreiche Vorschläge nutzen die besonders präzisen Energiefiltereigenschaften von gekoppelten QP, aber auch unterschiedliche Arten der Kopplung zwischen den QP, zur Konzeption von neuen, hocheffizienten thermoelektrischen Bauteilen und neuartigen Wärme-Strom-Wandlern. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden erstmalig Thermokraftmessungen an einem tunnelgekoppelten DQP in serieller Anordnung untersucht. Das zentrale Ergebnis dieser Experimente ist das Thermokraftstabilitätsdiagramm. Hier lässt sich beobachten, dass das System in der Region um die Tripelpunkte (TP), an denen drei Ladungszustände des DQP entartet sind, maximale Thermospannungen erzeugt. Entlang der Achse der Gesamtenergie wird ein charakteristischer Verlauf der Thermospannung beobachtet, der unter Annahme zweier Transportkanäle über den DQP, die TP, erklärt und modelliert werden kann. Abseits der TP zeigt sich, dass die Thermospannung höchst sensitiv auf die relative Anordnung der einzelnen QP-Energien reagiert. Eine Beschreibung des Ladungstransports durch molekülartige Zustände gibt hier die experimentellen Beobachtungen sehr gut wieder. Zusammenführung der Modelle für den Bereich nahe und fernab der TP erlaubt schliesslich die vollständige Modellierung des Stabilitätsdiagramms in Leitwert und Thermokraft. Des Weiteren werden Experimente an QP-Systemen mit zwei kapazitiv gekoppelten QP gezeigt. Hier steht die Nutzung solcher Systeme zur Manipulation oder Generation von elektrischen Strömen durch thermische Energie im Mittelpunkt. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich ein System kapazitiv gekoppelter QP eignet, den elektrischen Strom zwischen zwei Elektronenreservoiren durch Änderung der Temperatur in einem dritten Reservoir kontrolliert zu vergrössern oder zu vermindern. Der Effekt basiert dabei auf der Kreuzkorrelation der Elektronenbesetzungsfluktuation der beiden QP, welche in einigen QP-Energiekonstellationen positiv und in anderen Einstellungen negativ ist. So führt ersteres in den Experimenten bei Erhöhung der Temperatur zu einer Vergrösserung, letzters zu einer Verminderung des Stromflusses. Im Stabilitätsdiagramm erzeugt dieser Mechansimus ein charakteristisches Kleeblattmuster aus positiven und negativen Stromänderungen im Bereich der TP. Durch einfache Modellrechnungen können sämtliche experimentellen Beobachtungen qualitativ reproduziert werden. Aufgrund der Analogie zwischen Ladungstransport und Wärmetransport in einem QP ist auch eine Funktionsweise als rein thermischer Transistor denkbar. Schliesslich wird nachgewiesen, dass ein solches System aus zwei elektrostatisch wechselwirkenden QP und drei Elektronenreservoiren dazu genutzt werden kann, um auf neuartige Weise thermische Energie in einen gerichteten Ladungsstrom umzuwandeln. Das Konzept dieses Wärme-Strom-Wandlers (engl: Heat-to-Current Converter, HCC) folgt dabei einem Vorschlag von R. Sánchez und M. Büttiker [Phys. Rev. B 83, 085428 (2011)]: Es zeichnet sich nicht nur dadurch aus, dass der zugrundeliegende Mechanismus der Wärmewandlung neu ist, sondern auch dadurch, dass in diesem System die Richtungen von elektrischem Strom und Wärmestrom voneinander entkoppelt sind. In den hier präsentierten Experimenten können solche HCC-Ströme eindeutig nachgewiesen werden: Für bestimmte QP-Energiekonfigurationen wird ein elektrischer Strom zwischen den beiden kalten Reservoiren beobachtet, wenn die Temperatur in dem dritten Reservoir erhöht wird. Es wird gezeigt, dass die Richtung dieses Stroms unabhängig von einer extern angelegten Spannung ist. Die Stromrichtung läßt sich jedoch, wie durch die Theorie gefordert, durch Änderung der Tunnelkoeffizienten der QP beeinflussen. Sie kann durch Variation der Dicke und der Form der entsprechenden Tunnelbarrieren invertiert werden. Die experimentellen Beobachtungen werden durch Modellrechnungen von B. Sothmann und R. Sánchez quantitativ reproduziert. Sie sind somit ein direkter Beleg für die Existenz von HCC-Strömen. Aufgrund der Neuartigkeit des Konzepts und seiner Bedeutung für weitere thermoelektrische Anwendungen sind die hier präsentierten Ergebnisse ein wichtiger Schritt auf dem Weg hin zur Realisierung von Wärmemaschinen auf der Nanoskala.

This thesis presents an experimental study of the thermoelectrical properties of semiconductor quantum dots (QD). The measurements give information about the interplay between first order tunneling and macroscopic quantum tunneling transport effects in the presence of thermal gradients by the direct comparison of the thermoelectric response and the energy spectrum of the QD. The aim of the thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the charge and spin transport in few-electron quantum dots with respect to potential applications in future quantum computing devices. It also gives new insight into the field of low temperature thermoelectricity. The investigated QDs were defined electrostatically in a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed with a GaAs/(Al,Ga)As heterostructure by means of metallic gate electrodes on top of the heterostructure. Negative voltages with respect to the potential of the 2DEG applied to the gate electrodes were used to deplete the electron gas below them and to form an isolated island of electron gas in the 2DEG which contains a few ten electrons. This QD was electrically connected to the 2DEG via two tunneling barriers. A special electron heating technique was used to create a temperature difference between the two connecting reservoirs across the QD. The resulting thermoelectric voltage was used to study the charge and spin transport processes with respect to the discrete energy spectrum and the magnetic properties of the QD. Such a two dimensional island usually exhibits a discrete energy spectrum, which is comparable to that of atoms. At temperatures below a few degrees Kelvin, the electrostatic charging energy of the QDs exceeds the thermal activation energy of the electrons in the leads, and the transport of electrons through the QD is dominated by electron-electron interaction effects. The measurements clarify the overall line shape of thermopower oscillations and the observed fine structure as well as additional spin effects in the thermoelectrical transport. The observations demonstrate that it is possible to control and optimize the strength and direction of the electronic heat flow on the scale of a single impurity and create spin-correlated thermoelectric transport in nanostructures, where the experimenter has a close control of the exact transport conditions. The results support the assumption that the performance of thermoelectric devices can be enhanced by the adjustment of the QD energy levels and by exploiting the properties of the spin-correlated charge transport via localized, spin-degenerate impurity states. Within this context, spin entropy has been identified as a driving force for the thermoelectric transport in the spin-correlated transport regime in addition to the kinetic contributions. Fundamental considerations, which are based on simple model assumptions, suggest that spin entropy plays an important role in the presence of charge valence fluctuations in the QD. The presented model gives an adequate starting point for future quantitative analysis of the thermoelectricity in the spin-correlated transport regime. These future studies might cover the physics in the limit of single electron QDs or the physics of more complex structures such as QD molecules as well as QD chains. In particular, it should be noted that the experimental investigations of the thermopower of few-electron QDs address questions concerning the entropy transport and entropy production with respect to single-bit information processing operations. These questions are of fundamental physical interest due to their close connection to the problem of minimal energy requirements in communication, and thus ultimately to the so called "Maxwell's demon" with respect to the second law of thermodynamics. / Diese Dissertation präsentiert eine experimentelle Studie über die thermoelektrischen Eigenschaften von Halbleiterquantenpunkten. Das thermoelektrische Verhalten der Quantenpunkte wird unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer jeweiligen Energiespektren und magnetischen bzw Spin-Eigenschaften diskutiert. Die durchgeführten Messungen geben Aufschluss über das Zusammenspiel von Einzelelektronentunnelprozessen erster und höherer Ordnung unter dem Einfluss thermischer Gradienten. Somit trägt diese Dissertation zum Verständnis des Ladungs- und Spintransports in potentiellen, zukünftigen Bausteinen für die Quanteninformationsverarbeitung bei und ermöglicht neue Einblicke in das Themengebiet der Thermoelektrizität bei sehr tiefen Temperaturen. Die untersuchten Quantenpunkte wurden in einem zweidimensionalen Elektronengas (2DEG) mittels nanostrukturierter, metallischer "gates" erzeugt, die auf der Oberfläche einer GaAs/AlGaAs Heterostrukturoberfläche aufgebracht wurden. Durch das Anlegen negativer Spannungen in Bezug auf das Potential des 2DEGs, wurde das Elektronengas unter den gates verdrängt, so dass eine isolierte Insel entstand, die bis zu ca. 30 Elektronen zählte. Zwei Tunnelbarrieren dienten als elektrische Verbindung dieses Quantenpunkts zu den Zuleitungen. Unter Verwendung einer speziellen Stromheizungstechnik wurde eine Temperaturdifferenz zwischen den zwei Zuleitungsreservoirs über dem Quantenpunkt erzeugt. Die Untersuchung von Ladungs- und Spintransportprozessen erfolgte über den direkten Vergleich der resultierenden thermoelektrischen Spannung mit den jeweiligen Energiespektren der Quantenpunkte. Im Allgemeinen weist eine solche zweidimensionale Insel ein diskretes Energiespektrum auf, das vergleichbar mit dem einzelner Atome ist. Unterhalb einer Temperatur von wenigen Grad Kelvin, ist die elektrostatische Aufladungsenergie des Quantenpunkts größer als die thermische Anregungsenergie der Elektronen in den Zuleitungen. Als Folge bestimmen Elektron-Elektron-Wechselwirkungseffekte den Transport von Elektronen durch den Quantenpunkt. Die durchgeführten Messungen erklären den Verlauf der Thermokraft als Funktion des Quantenpunktpotentials einschließlich der aufgeprägten Feinstruktur sowie zusätzliche thermoelektrische Effekte, die von den Spin-Eigenschaften des Quantenpunkts hervorgerufen werden. Die Beobachtungen beweisen, dass es möglich ist Stärke und Richtung des elektronischen Wärmeflusses auf der Größenskala einzelner Verunreinigungen zu kontrollieren und gegebenenfalls zu optimieren sowie Spin-korrelierten thermoelektrischen Transport in künstlich hergestellten Nanostrukturen zu verwirklichen, welche eine gezielte Kontrolle der Transportbedingungen erlauben. Die Ergebnisse untermauern die Annahmen einer möglichen Verbesserung der Effizienz thermoelektrisch aktiver Materialien durch die Anpassung der energetischen Lage entsprechender Quantenpunktzustände und durch die Ausnutzung der thermoelektrischen Effekte im Spin-korrelierten Ladungstransport durch energetisch entartete, lokalisierte Zustände. In diesem Rahmen wurde erläutert, dass Spinentropie neben den kinetischen Beiträgen eine weitere treibende Kraft des thermoelektrischen Transports durch Quantenpunkte darstellt. Grundlegende Überlegungen, die auf einfachen Modellannahmen beruhen, lassen erwarten, dass die Beiträge der Spinentropie zum thermoelektischen Transport bei vorhandenen Fluktuationen der Anzahl der Ladungen auf dem Quantenpunkt eine signifikante Rolle spielen. Das vorgestellte Modell bietet hierzu einen geeigneten Ausgangspunkt für weitere quantitative Analysen der Thermoelektrizität im Spin-korrelierten Transportregime. Insbesondere sei darauf hingewiesen, dass die experimentelle Untersuchung der Thermokraft von Quantenpunktstrukturen, wie sie hier verwendet wurden, den Entropietransport und die Entropieerzeugung in Bezug zu Ein-Bit-Rechenoperationen setzen. Fragestellungen dieser Art sind von fundamentalem physikalischen Interesse aufgrund ihrer engen Verknüpfung mit der Frage nach dem minimalen Energieaufwand, der eine Kommunikation ermöglicht. Dieses Problem wird häufig mittels des so genannten Maxwell'schen Dämon diskutiert und hinterfragt in ihrem Ursprung den zweiten Hauptsatz der Thermodynamik.

By means of advanced molecular dynamic techniques, we predict the stability of novel materials based on carbon, germanium and PbSe. This topological solutions have been studied and characterised at a DFT/DFTB level of theory and interesting optical, mechanical, electronic and heat transport properties have been pointed out.

By means of advanced molecular dynamic techniques, we predict the stability of novel materials based on carbon, germanium and PbSe. This topological solutions have been studied and characterised at a DFT/DFTB level of theory and interesting optical, mechanical, electronic and heat transport properties have been pointed out.

The main focus of this work is the preparation, chemical and structural characterization along with the investigation of physical properties of intermetallic clathrates. Starting from the history of clathrate research, classification of clathrate types, their structural properties and possible application areas are evaluated in chapter 2. The methodologies of sample preparation and materials characterization as well as quantum chemical calculations are discussed in chapter 3. The complete characterization of Ba8Ge433 ( is a Schottky-symbol standing for vacancies),12-14 which is a parent compound for the variety of ternary variants, is the subject of chapter 4. Ba8Ge433 is a high temperature phase,12 which was prepared for the first time as single phase bulk material in this work.15, 16 In this way, the intrinsic transport properties could be investigated without influence of grain boundary and impurity effects. The transport behavior is analyzed at low and high temperatures and referred to the former results. In addition, crystal structure and vacancy ordering in terms of the reaction conditions are discussed. Chemical bonding in Ba8Ge433 is investigated by topological analysis of the electron localizability indicator and the electron density. Chapter 5 deals with the preparation, phase analysis, crystal structure and physical properties of BaGe5, which constitutes a new clathrate type oP60.17, 18 So far, two clathrate types were known in the binary system Ba – Ge, namely the clathrate cP124 Ba6Ge25,19-21 and the clathrate-I Ba8Ge433. Originally, BaGe5 was detected by optical and scanning electron microscopy within the grains of Ba8Ge433.12 Once the preparation of phase-pure Ba8Ge433 was achieved, it became possible to make detailed investigations of its decomposition along with the formation of BaGe5. A detailed theoretical and experimental analysis on the relation between crystal structure and physical properties of BaGe5 is presented. In chapter 6, a thorough structural characterization and the physical properties of clathrates in the system Ba – Ni – Ge is presented based on the subtle relation between the crystal structure containing vacancies and the thermoelectric properties. During the investigations in this system, a large single crystal was grown by Nguyen et al. 22, 23 from the melt with the composition Ba8Ni3.5Ge42.10.4. A systematic reinvestigation of the phase relations in this system was performed and the influence of different Ni content to the crystal structure and physical properties is evaluated. The Si-based ternary clathrate with composition Ba8–δNixySi46–x–y is the subject of chapter 7. The phase relations and the homogeneity range are established. The crystal structure taking into account vacancies in the framework is discussed. Physical properties of bulk pieces are analyzed and the results are related to the sample composition. In addition, first-principles electronic structure calculations are carried out to assess variations in the electronic band structure, phase stability and chemical bonding.24 Chapter 8 reports on the intermetallic compound Ba3Si4,25, 26 which was encountered during the investigations on the Ba – Ni – Si phase diagram. The discussion covers issues related to preparation, crystal structure, phase diagram analysis, electrical and magnetic properties, NMR measurements, quantum mechanical calculations and oxidation to nanoporous silicon with gaseous HCl. Besides my contributions to the NoE CMA, I studied under the Priority Program 1178 of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft “Experimental electron density as the key for understanding chemical interactions” with the project of “Charge distribution changes by external electric fields: investigations of bond selective redistributions of valence electron densities”. Chapter 9 deals with the preparation of chalcopyrites ZnSiP2 and CuAlS2 for experimental charge density analysis. Both phases show semiconducting properties and have non-centrosymmetric structures with high space group symmetry as needed to investigate the structural changes induced by external electric field. In this chapter, I describe the preparation and the crystal structure analyses of ZnSiP2 and CuAlS2 including issues related to the data collection as well as the results of NMR investigation.

The main focus of this work is the preparation, chemical and structural characterization along with the investigation of physical properties of intermetallic clathrates. Starting from the history of clathrate research, classification of clathrate types, their structural properties and possible application areas are evaluated in chapter 2. The methodologies of sample preparation and materials characterization as well as quantum chemical calculations are discussed in chapter 3. The complete characterization of Ba8Ge433 ( is a Schottky-symbol standing for vacancies),12-14 which is a parent compound for the variety of ternary variants, is the subject of chapter 4. Ba8Ge433 is a high temperature phase,12 which was prepared for the first time as single phase bulk material in this work.15, 16 In this way, the intrinsic transport properties could be investigated without influence of grain boundary and impurity effects. The transport behavior is analyzed at low and high temperatures and referred to the former results. In addition, crystal structure and vacancy ordering in terms of the reaction conditions are discussed. Chemical bonding in Ba8Ge433 is investigated by topological analysis of the electron localizability indicator and the electron density. Chapter 5 deals with the preparation, phase analysis, crystal structure and physical properties of BaGe5, which constitutes a new clathrate type oP60.17, 18 So far, two clathrate types were known in the binary system Ba – Ge, namely the clathrate cP124 Ba6Ge25,19-21 and the clathrate-I Ba8Ge433. Originally, BaGe5 was detected by optical and scanning electron microscopy within the grains of Ba8Ge433.12 Once the preparation of phase-pure Ba8Ge433 was achieved, it became possible to make detailed investigations of its decomposition along with the formation of BaGe5. A detailed theoretical and experimental analysis on the relation between crystal structure and physical properties of BaGe5 is presented. In chapter 6, a thorough structural characterization and the physical properties of clathrates in the system Ba – Ni – Ge is presented based on the subtle relation between the crystal structure containing vacancies and the thermoelectric properties. During the investigations in this system, a large single crystal was grown by Nguyen et al. 22, 23 from the melt with the composition Ba8Ni3.5Ge42.10.4. A systematic reinvestigation of the phase relations in this system was performed and the influence of different Ni content to the crystal structure and physical properties is evaluated. The Si-based ternary clathrate with composition Ba8–δNixySi46–x–y is the subject of chapter 7. The phase relations and the homogeneity range are established. The crystal structure taking into account vacancies in the framework is discussed. Physical properties of bulk pieces are analyzed and the results are related to the sample composition. In addition, first-principles electronic structure calculations are carried out to assess variations in the electronic band structure, phase stability and chemical bonding.24 Chapter 8 reports on the intermetallic compound Ba3Si4,25, 26 which was encountered during the investigations on the Ba – Ni – Si phase diagram. The discussion covers issues related to preparation, crystal structure, phase diagram analysis, electrical and magnetic properties, NMR measurements, quantum mechanical calculations and oxidation to nanoporous silicon with gaseous HCl. Besides my contributions to the NoE CMA, I studied under the Priority Program 1178 of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft “Experimental electron density as the key for understanding chemical interactions” with the project of “Charge distribution changes by external electric fields: investigations of bond selective redistributions of valence electron densities”. Chapter 9 deals with the preparation of chalcopyrites ZnSiP2 and CuAlS2 for experimental charge density analysis. Both phases show semiconducting properties and have non-centrosymmetric structures with high space group symmetry as needed to investigate the structural changes induced by external electric field. In this chapter, I describe the preparation and the crystal structure analyses of ZnSiP2 and CuAlS2 including issues related to the data collection as well as the results of NMR investigation.

The aim of the present work is to clarify the interplay between the complex technological chain of crystal preparation, chemical and structural perfection of grown crystals of intermetallic compounds and oxides and their physical properties. This technological chain includes detailed studies of unknown or insufficiently known phase diagrams, their correlation with growth conditions and optimisation of process parameters for obtaining single crystals with high chemical and physical perfection. The measurements of the physical properties of the grown crystals such as superconductivity, thermoelectric or dielectric properties not only show new features and properties for application of the materials obtained, but also allow conclusions of the crystal perfection. The studies are focused on the following systems: RENi2B2C borocarbides (RE=Y, Tb or Ho) displaying superconductivity, magnetic order and a strong interplay between magnetic and superconducting properties for YNi2B2C, TbNi2B2C, HoNi2B2C, respectively; CeSi2-?Ô and Ru2Si3 as examples of systems with magnetic and promising thermoelectric properties, respectively; MgB2 and LiBC to test of theoretical predictions of the new superconducting intermetallic compounds discovered in the last years; SrTiO3 and SrZrO3 oxide compounds with special dielectric and optical properties. For this wide spectrum of substances necessarily different growth techniques were applied. That is mainly the floating zone (FZ) or travelling solvent floating zone (TSFZ) techniques with optical heating. Flux techniques were used if the vapour pressure of composing elements is high such as for Mg and Li. The crucible free FZ technique is very attractive for the crystal growth of these intermetallic and oxide compounds to avoid contamination with the crucible material, if the melts have very high chemical reactivity, high melting temperatures and if a large crystal size (at least 3-5 mm) is desired for corresponding physical measurements. One special aim in the presented work is the optimisation of the preparation and growth process features with respect to crystal perfection, establishing new relationships between process parameters, crystal perfection, crystallographic structure, composition of grown crystals and the related physical properties. Optimisation of crystal growth process requires own constitutional studies of growth relevant parts of corresponding multicomponent phase diagrams. Therefore, parts of the phase diagrams were experimentally revealed by differential thermal analysis (DTA), optical metallography and EPMA and partially combined with CALPHAD calculations.

The assembly of nanostructures into “multi”-dimensional materials is one of the main topics occurring in nanoscience today. It is now possible to produce high quality nanostructures reproducibly but for their further application larger structures that are easier to handle are required. Nevertheless during their assembly their nanometer size and accompanying properties must be maintained. This challenge was addressed in this work. Lead chalcogenides have been chosen as an example system because they are expected to offer great opportunities as thermoelectric materials. Three different ways to achieve assemblies of lead chalcogenide nanostructures were used and the resulting structures characterized with respect to their potential application as thermoelectric material. The first means by which a “multi”-dimensional assembly of lead chalcogenide quantum dots can be produced is the formation of porous structures such as aerogels and xerogels. A procedure, where the addition of an initiator such as oxidizers or incident radiation is unnecessary, is introduced and the formation process studied by absorption spectroscopy. The time-consuming aggregation step could be significantly reduced by employing a slightly elevated temperature during gelation that does not lead to any observable differences within the resulting gel structures. After either supercritical or subcritical drying, highly porous monolithic gel structures can be achieved. During the gel formation the size and the shape of the particles changed and they were directly linked together. Nevertheless the resulting porous structures remain crystalline and size dependent effects of the optical properties could be shown. Gels produced from a mixture of PbS and PbSe QDs show a homogenous distribution of both materials but it is not clear to what extent they form an alloy. Although the particles are directly linked together the resulting porous structures possess a very high resistivity and so it was not possible to characterize the semiconductor aerogels with regard to their thermoelectric properties. To achieve an enhanced conductivity porous structures containing PbS and Au nanoparticles have been produced. As has been seen for the pure semiconductor gels the size of the PbS quantum dots has increased and elongated particles were formed. In contrast to the PbS QDs the Au nanoparticles did not change their size and shape and are unevenly distributed within the PbS network. Through the use of the gold nanoparticles the conductivity could be increased and although the conductivity is still quite small, it was possible to determine Seebeck coefficients near room temperature for a mixed semiconductor-metal gel. The second means by which QD solids could be formed was by the compaction of the QD building blocks into a material that is still nanostructured. Therefore the synthesis of PbS was optimized to achieve sufficient amounts of PbS quantum dots. The ligands used in the synthesis of the QDs unfortunately act as an insulating layer resulting in QD solids with resistivities as high as 2 Gigaohm. For this reason different surface modification strategies were introduced to minimize the interparticle distance and to increase the coupling between the QDs so as to increase the conductivity of the resulting quantum dot solids. One very promising method was the exchange of the initial ligands by shorter ones that can be destroyed at lower temperatures. By such heat treatments the resistivity could be decreased by up to six orders of magnitude. For the pressing of the quantum dots two different compaction methods (SPS and hydraulic pressing) were compared. While the grain growth within the SPS pressed samples is significantly higher the same densification can be achieved by a cold hydraulic pressing as well as by SPS. The densification could be further increased through the use of preheated PbS QDs due to the destruction of the ligands. Samples which had been surface modified with MPA and subsequently thermally treated show the best results with respect to their thermopower and resistivities. Nevertheless the conductivity of the QD solids is still too high for them to be used as efficient thermoelectric materials. The final assembly method does not involve QDs but instead with one dimensional nanowires. Therefore a synthesis was developed that enables the formation of PbS nanowires of different diameters and one that is easy up-scalable. By the use of a less reactive sulfur precursor and an additional surfactant the formation of nuclei is significantly retarded and within an annealing time of two hours nanowires can be formed presumably by an oriented attachment mechanism. Single crystalline nanowires with a diameter of 65-105 nm could be achieved with the longest axes of the nanowires being parallel to [100]. The resulting nanowires were used as building blocks for film formation on glass substrates by an easily implemented method that requires no special equipment. To characterize the films with a view to their possible application as a thermoelectric material, surface modifications of the films were performed to improve the charge transfer in the films and the Seebeck coefficients of the resulting films measured. Therefore the previous approach of using MPA was applied and a subsequent thermal treatment demonstrated very promising results. In addition an crosslinking ligand was used for surface treatment that leads to similar results as was observed for the thermally treated MPA approach. Both approaches lead to an order of magnitude decrease in the resistivity and due to the fewer grain boundaries present in the films composed of nanowires as compared to the QD assemblies the conductivity is significantly higher. The Seebeck coefficient measurements show that the thermal treatment only slightly affects the Seebeck coefficients. Therefore a significantly higher power factor could be achieved for the nanowire films than for the QD solids.

The development of materials with tailored functionalities and with continuously shrinking linear dimensions towards (and below) the nanoscale is not only going to revolutionize state of the art fabrication technologies, but also the computational methodologies used to model the materials properties. Specifically, atomistic methodologies are becoming increasingly relevant in the field of materials science as a fundamental tool in gaining understanding on as well as for pre-designing (in silico material design) the behavior of nanoscale materials in response to external stimuli. The major long-term goal of atomistic modelling is to obtain structure-function relationships at the nanoscale, i.e. to correlate a definite response of a given physical system with its specific atomic conformation and ultimately, with its chemical composition and electronic structure. This has clearly its pendant in the development of bottom-up fabrication technologies, which also require a detailed control and fine tuning of physical and chemical properties at sub-nanometer and nanometer length scales. The current work provides an overview of different applications of atomistic approaches to the study of nanoscale materials. We illustrate how the use of first-principle based electronic structure methodologies, quantum mechanical based molecular dynamics, and appropriate methods to model the electrical and thermal response of nanoscale materials, provides a solid starting point to shed light on the way such systems can be manipulated to control their electrical, mechanical, or thermal behavior. Thus, some typical topics addressed here include the interplay between mechanical and electronic degrees of freedom in carbon based nanoscale materials with potential relevance for designing nanoscale switches, thermoelectric properties at the single-molecule level and their control via specific chemical functionalization, and electrical and spin-dependent properties in biomaterials. We will further show how phenomenological models can be efficiently applied to get a first insight in the behavior of complex nanoscale systems, for which first principle electronic structure calculations become computationally expensive. This will become especially clear in the case of biomolecular systems and organic semiconductors.

The development of materials with tailored functionalities and with continuously shrinking linear dimensions towards (and below) the nanoscale is not only going to revolutionize state of the art fabrication technologies, but also the computational methodologies used to model the materials properties. Specifically, atomistic methodologies are becoming increasingly relevant in the field of materials science as a fundamental tool in gaining understanding on as well as for pre-designing (in silico material design) the behavior of nanoscale materials in response to external stimuli. The major long-term goal of atomistic modelling is to obtain structure-function relationships at the nanoscale, i.e. to correlate a definite response of a given physical system with its specific atomic conformation and ultimately, with its chemical composition and electronic structure. This has clearly its pendant in the development of bottom-up fabrication technologies, which also require a detailed control and fine tuning of physical and chemical properties at sub-nanometer and nanometer length scales. The current work provides an overview of different applications of atomistic approaches to the study of nanoscale materials. We illustrate how the use of first-principle based electronic structure methodologies, quantum mechanical based molecular dynamics, and appropriate methods to model the electrical and thermal response of nanoscale materials, provides a solid starting point to shed light on the way such systems can be manipulated to control their electrical, mechanical, or thermal behavior. Thus, some typical topics addressed here include the interplay between mechanical and electronic degrees of freedom in carbon based nanoscale materials with potential relevance for designing nanoscale switches, thermoelectric properties at the single-molecule level and their control via specific chemical functionalization, and electrical and spin-dependent properties in biomaterials. We will further show how phenomenological models can be efficiently applied to get a first insight in the behavior of complex nanoscale systems, for which first principle electronic structure calculations become computationally expensive. This will become especially clear in the case of biomolecular systems and organic semiconductors.