The main aim of this thesis was to optimalise composition of the titanium dioxide with a silica binder deposited on a PET foil. Emphasis was put on achieving maximum possible adhesion and hardness of the layer and the effect on photocatalytic activity. For the evaluation of photocatalytic activity comparative experiments with prepared layers were performed. Benzoic acid, dimethyl sulfoxide and azo dye Acid Orange 7 were used as model pollutants. Photocatalytic activity was investigated using UV-VIS spectrophotometry, formal rate constants and degree of conversion were also determined. The study results can be used for removing water pollutants from the water solution.

This thesis deals with surface analysis and characterization of optical features of thin films created by hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) plasma polymerization on silicon wafers. The RF plasma industrial deposition equipment was used for the thin layers formation. These thin films serve as protective coatings on the reflective layer in the car light or solar panels. Theoretic part gives basic information about plasma, its occurrence, features, diagnostics and applications. Thin layers, their production and characterization are discussed here, too. Theoretic description of monomer material (including the group of other organosilicones) is also presented here. The FTIR spectroscopy and elipsometry are mentioned as the main methods for thin films characterisation. Because material during its practical use degrades due to external conditions, the influence of them on the thin layer properties is studied using the accelerated aging of created films. Industrial deposition chamber AluMet 1800V made by Leybold Optics, Ltd. installed in Zlin Precision company was used for the thin films production. Thin films were created under different conditions that were selelected near to the real conditions used in technology. Various applied powers (2-5 kW) were used for the deposition under different monomer flows. Further, the influence of oxygen addition on the created film properties was investigated. The deposition process was monitored by optical emission spectroscopy. The spectrometer Jobin Yvon Triax 320 with CCD detector was used. The selected part from every samples set was exposed by UV radiation (48 hours at radiation density of 0.68 W/m2 at 340 nm) to simulate the probable conditions during the layers real use. The surface properties were investigated by measurement of reflected light spectral intensity in the visible range at different angles. The angle between incident and reflected beam was varied in the interval of 40 - 150° with 10° step. The influence of sample preparation conditions as well as their aging effect was studied at the selected angles. Spectral reflectance doesn´t depend significantly on applied discharge power and oxygen addition. The significant shift of reflectance into the red part of spectrum was observed at UV exposed samples more or less independently on the applied discharge power of monomer flow rate. Addition of oxygen during the deposition suppresses this effec significantly. Characterization of thin layer structure was done by FTIR spectroscopy. No significant changes were observed in the structure at different discharge powers of monomer flow rates except total absorption intensities that are proportional to the layr thickness. The oxygen addition, of course, changes the structure significantly. These results are only preliminary because the layers were very thin (deposition conditions were near to the common process standard) and thus the signal/noise ratio was relatively low.

Determination of mechanical properties of very thin films is rather difficult task as all of currently using testing techniques have some weakness. This master’s thesis deals with microcompressive test and bulge test. Finite element simulations of the two methods were carried out in order to better understanding of experimental record. Microcompression combines the sample preparation with the use of focused ion beam (FIB) with a compression test carried out using nanoindenter. Cylindrical specimens (pillars) were prepared from Al film deposited on Si substrate using FIB. Experimentally measured data on pillars needs correction to obtain undistorted material properties of Al thin film. A necessary correction using FE modeling is suggested in the thesis. Second part of the work is focused on modeling of bulge test. Pressure is applied on freestanding SiNx film while deflection of the film is measured. Stress state in the film is biaxial making determination of mechanical properties of the film more complicated. The goal is to present how to model the whole problem. In addition, preparation of the specimens was simulated to estimate residual stress in the film. The paper contributes to a better characterization of very thin surface layers and determination of their mechanical properties.

The work contains literature search on organic electronics, especially organic solar cells. There is described in detail their principle of function and used materials. Also there are mentioned possibilities of synthesis of conjugated systems for this applications and methods of their structural, optical and electrical characterization. In experimental section and discussion is introduced synthesis of five new, various substituted derivates of benzylidenaniline and their characterisation together with another seven derivates, whose synthesis has been described in bachelor thesis. There is investigated influence of substituents to chemical shift of hydrogen on imine bridge and to position of absorption peaks in UV-Vis spectra. There also has been found method for fabrication of thin layers and solar cells with bulk heterojunction have been fabricated. Next, V-A characteristics and impedance spectra of the cells were recorded. According to obtained results, investigated systems act as photodiodes and in case of three derivates the photoinduced increase of electric current has been observed. But for application in solar cells it is necessary to shift the position of absorption spectra towards longer wavelengths.

The master´s thesis deals with the study of optical properties of thin transparent layers on the organic materials (PPV, P3HT, TiO2, DPP) and especially with the determination of dispersion dependences of refractive index of prepared thin layers. In the theoretical part there are described principles of deposition thin layers of the analyzed materials and their properties. In addition, there are also described methods of optical properties measurements (optical and interference microscopy and ellipsometry). The combination of interference microscope with digital camera was used for determination of refractive index. The image analysis was used for the determination of parameters (with help of the software HarFA). The images of thin layers surfaces were analyzed from the side of the metal contact as well as from the side of glass. In conclusion, there are presented results of the refractive index of the thin layers obtained from the measured values.

For quite some time, the strive for more efficient acoustic absorbers keepsincreasing, driven by a number of psycho-physiological studies on health re-lated dangers of noise exposure. As the global wealth increases and with itthe global expectation of quieter living and working environments, manifestedin both politics and research, an important market for sound absorbing andnoise control systems develops in all industrialised countries. In the acousticcommunity, the main endeavours of the two last decades have been orientedtowards a better understanding of the dissipation phenomena in absorbers(and especially in poroelastic media) as well as proposing new topologies andstructures for these elements. These efforts have resulted in an abundant lit-erature and numerous improvements of the characterisation, modelling anddesign methodologies for a wide range of media and many different systems.The chosen research direction for the present thesis slightly deviates fromthis usual path of modelling absorbing materials as bulk media. Here theaim is to investigate the interfaces between the different components of typ-ical absorbers. Indeed, these interface regions are known to be difficult tocharacterise and controlling their properties is challenging for a number ofreasons. Interfaces in sound packages for instance are inherently by-productsof the assembly process and, even if they surely have an important impact onthe acoustic performance, they remain mostly overlooked in the establishedmodelling practices. Therefore, the overall objective of the current doctoralproject is to identify strategies and methods to simulate the effect(s) of un-certainties on the interface physical or geometrical parameters.The present licentiate thesis compiles three works which together form adiscussion about techniques and tools designed in an attempt to efficientlymodel thin layers and small details in rather large systems. As part of thework a section of physical model simplifications is discussed which will laythe ground for the next stages of the research. Two publications on the firsttopic are included, presenting Finite-Element-based hybrid methods that al-low for coating elements in meta-poroelastic systems to be taken into accountand reduce the computational cost of modelling small geometric features em-bedded in large domains. The third included contribution is an anticipation,to a certain extent, of the remainder of the doctoral project, discussing theuse of physical heuristics to simplify porous thin film models. Here a steptowards the modelling of interface zones is taken, departing from numericalsimulations and reflecting instead on the physical description and modellingof thin poroelastic layers. / Sedan en tid tillbaka kan en ökande efterfrågan av material och konstruk-tioner med effektivare akustiska absorptionsegenskaper skönjas. Detta drivsav ett antal psykofysiologiska studier kring hälsorisker relaterade till långva-rig bullerexponering. Till detta kommer den växande globala välfärden somger upphov till en förväntad höjning livskvalitet i form av till exempel tystareboende- och arbetsmiljöer, manifesterad i både politiska beslut och forskning.Ur detta utvecklas en viktig marknad för ljudabsorberande material, kon-struktioner och bullerreducerande system i allt fler länder. Inom forskningensom rör akustiska material och bulleråtgärder, har forskningen under de tvåsenaste decennierna framförallt varit inriktad på en bättre förståelse för dis-sipationsfenomen (omvandling av akustisk energi till andra energiformer, tillexempel värme) i absorberande material (och särskilt då i poroelastiska me-dier) samt att utveckla nya topologier och sammansatta strukturer för dennatyp av akustiska element. Dessa ansträngningar har resulterat i en omfattan-de vetenskaplig litteratur och framsteg inom karaktäriserings-, modellerings-och designmetoder, och innovativa lösningar, för olika tillämpningar .Forskningen i denna avhandling avviker något från den traditionella mo-delleringen av absorberande material, genom att undersöka gränsytorna mel-lan olika skikt och komponenter hos typiska absorbenter. Faktum är att des-sa gränssnittsregioner är kända för att vara både svåra att karaktärisera ochatt styra deras egenskaper i produktion är en utmaning av ett antal olikaskäl. Angränsande ytor i ljudabsorbenter är till exempel ofta biprodukterfrån tillverknings- och monteringsprocessen och, även om de utan tvekan haren viktig inverkan på akustiska prestanda, bortses det ofta från dessa i deflesta etablerade simuleringsmodeller. Det övergripande målet med forskning-en inom detta projektet är därför att identifiera strategier och metoder föratt modellera och simulera effekterna av osäkerheter i tillhörande fysiska ellergeometriska parametrar som används för att beskriva dessa gränsytor.I denna licentiatavhandling sammanställs tre artiklar som tillsammans ut-gör en diskussion om tekniker och verktyg utformade för att effektivt model-lera tunna skikt och små detaljer som delar i större komponenter och system.Som en del av arbetet diskuteras dessutom en del av de fysikaliska modell-förenklingar som kommer att ligga till grund för nästa etapp av forskningen.I två publikationer som berör det första ämnet ingår finita element-baseradehybridmetoder som möjliggör modellering av olika typer av täckskikt i såkallade meta-poroelastiska system, med fokus på noggrannhet och beräk-ningskostnader för modellering av små geometriska inneslutningar inbäddadei större domäner. Det tredje bidraget diskuterar användningen av heuristiska,förenklade porösa tunnfilmsmodeller som baseras på fysikaliska förenklingaroch som möjliggör modellering av tunna skikt i numeriska simuleringar somen del av sammansatta poroelastiska komponenter. / Depuis quelques temps, l’effort pour améliorer l’efficacité des absorbeursacoustique n’a cessé d’augmenter, sous-tendu par nombre d’études psycho-physiques sur les dangers de l’exposition au bruit pour la santé. Alors quecroit la richesse globale et avec elle l’envie d’environnements de travail et devie plus silencieux (ce qui se manifeste dans les politiques publiques comme enrecherche), un marché important se développe pour les systèmes d’absorptionet de contrôle du bruit dans tous les pays industrialisés. Dans la communautéacoustique, les principaux efforts au cours des vingt dernières années se sontorientés vers une meilleure compréhension des phénomènes de dissipation dansles absorbeurs (et en particulier dans les matériaux poroélastiques) ainsi quevers la recherche de nouvelles topologies et structures pour ces éléments. Cesefforts ont mené à une littérature abondante et de nombreuses améliorationsdes méthodologies de caractérisation, modélisation et conception pour unelarge gamme de média et de nombreux systèmes.L’axe de recherche choisi pour la présente thèse diffère quelque peu duchemin classique visant à modéliser le cœur des matériaux absorbants. Ici,l’objectif est d’étudier les interfaces entre les différents composants des absor-beurs classiques. En effet, ces régions sont notoirement difficiles à caractériseret contrôler leurs propriétés est un défi complexe pour un certain nombre deraisons. Les interfaces au sein des isolants acoustiques sont intrinsèquementdes sous-produits du processus d’assemblage et, bien qu’ils aient un impactimportant sur la performance acoustique, sont le plus souvent négligés dansles modèles classiques. L’objectif global du projet doctoral est ainsi d’identi-fier des stratégies et méthodes pour simuler le ou les effets d’incertitudes surles paramètres physiques ou géométriques des interfaces.La présente thèse de Licentiate compile trois travaux qui, pris ensemble,forment une discussion autour de techniques et d’outils conçus pour modéli-ser efficacement des couches et détails fins inclus dans d’assez grand systèmes.Une section de la dissertation s’attarde sur des possibles simplifications desmodèles physiques et discute ce qui formera la base des prochaines étapesde cette recherche. Deux publications traitant du premier sujet sont inclues,présentant deux méthodes hybrides basées sur la FEM qui permettent deprendre en compte les fines couches recouvrant par exemple les systèmesmeta-poroélastiques pour un coup réduit ainsi que de modéliser de petitséléments géométriques présents dans de grands domaines. La dernière contri-bution jointe à cette thèse anticipe, dans une certaine mesure, la suite duprojet doctoral en proposant l’utilisation d’heuristiques physiques pour sim-plifier un modèle pour les films acoustiques fins. Cela constitue un pas vers lamodélisation des zones d’interfaces en s’éloignant des simulations numériquesau profit d’une réflexion sur la description et la modélisation des couchesporoélastiques fines. / <p>QC 20180516</p>

Le nitrure de silicium est largement utilisé dans l’industrie verrière au sein d’empilements de couches minces permettant de fonctionnaliser le vitrage. Le dépôt de ces couches est réalisé par pulvérisation cathodique magnétron sur une large gamme de surfaces. Cette technique de dépôt génère cependant des pores nanométriques dans ces couches amorphes au détriment de la durabilité des produits au sein desquels elles sont employées. Cette thèse de doctorat présente le développement d’une approche multi-échelles de la caractérisation de cette nano-porosité en se basant sur l’association de deux techniques : la Microscopie Electronique en Transmission (TEM/STEM) et la Spectroscopie d’Impédance Electrochimique (EIS). Cette démarche est appliquée à l’étude de couches de nitrure de silicium de différentes épaisseurs. Par ailleurs, l’impact de certains paramètres comme la pression de dépôt, la pression partielle en azote ou encore la nature de la sous-couche de croissance a été investigué.La nano-porosité de ces couches est fortement dépendante des conditions de dépôt utilisées : la pression et l’épaisseur semblent déterminantes sur leur nanostructure. Dans la plupart des cas la morphologie de ces couches de nitrure de silicium se divisent en deux principales zones dans l’épaisseur : une couche homogène proche du substrat et une structure colonnaire occupant la partie supérieure de la couche. Une description quantitative de la porosité de cette zone colonnaire est proposée et comprend l’estimation du diamètre et de la densité des pores, l’évolution de leur morphologie dans l’épaisseur, leur percolation, ou encore la surface accessible en fond des pores traversant la couche. / Silicon nitride is widely used in glass industry embedded in stacks of thin layers applied to functionalize glass for thermal, optical (antireflection) or self-cleaning applications. The deposition of these layers is made by magnetron sputtering on large surfaces with a great versatility. However, nanometric pores can be produced in these amorphous layers deposited with this technique which is detrimental for the durability of the products containing theses layers. This PhD thesis presents the development of a multiscale approach in order to characterize this nano-porosity combining two techniques: Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM/STEM) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). This analysis route is applied to study silicon nitride layers of different thicknesses. Furthermore, the impact of several parameters like the deposition pressure, the nitrogen partial pressure or the nature of the seed layer has been investigated.The nano-porosity of these layers is strongly dependent on the deposition conditions: pressure and thickness seem to be crucial for their nanostructure. For most of the cases, the morphology of this silicon nitride layer is divided in two main areas: a homogeneous area near the substrate and a columnar structure in the upper part of the layer. A quantitative description of the columnar area porosity is proposed and includes the estimation of the pores diameter and density, their change in morphology with the layer thickness, their percolation and the substrate accessible surface at the bottom of the through pores.

Le contexte de cette thèse est la récupération d'énergie afin de rendre des capteurs autonomes. L'objectif de ce travail est de répondre à la problématique du couplage des microgénérateurs piézoélectriques résonants à la source de vibration mécanique. Cela nécessite de travailler à plus basse fréquence et sur des gammes de fréquences plus importantes. Pour travailler à plus basses fréquences, des poutres encastrées libres utilisant l'AlN comme matériau piézoélectrique ont été conçues, fabriquées et caractérisées. La possibilité de récupérer 0.6µW à 214Hz pour un volume de moins de 3mm3 a été prouvée. Comparées à la littérature, de très bonnes figures de mérite ont été démontrées. Pour travailler sur des gammes de fréquences plus importantes, une méthode innovante de raidissement non linéaire de la structure a été proposée et prouvée expérimentalement, avec une adaptation de la fréquence de résonance de plus de 50% en dessous de 500Hz / This PhD thesis context is about energy harvesting in order to have autonomous sensors. The problematic of the coupling of piezoelectric mechanical energy harvesters with the mechanical vibration source has been studied. To be efficient, the harvesters have to work at lower frequencies and on larger frequency ranges. To work at lower frequencies, we designed, fabricated and characterized AlN piezoelectric clamped free beams. We proved that it was possible to harvest 0.6µW for a volume of less than 3mm3. Our devices have very good figures of merit compared to literature. To work on wider frequency ranges, we propose an innovative nonlinear hardening method. It has been proven experimentally, with an adaptability of the resonance frequency of more than 50% under 500Hz.

Diploma thesis deals with preparation of multilayered organic-inorganic nanostructures via PECVD technology and analysis of optical properties of these layers by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The theoretical part handles the definition of thin layers, layered and gradient nanostructures, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and principles of spectroscopic ellipsometry. In the experimental part, used materials and chemicals are described, afterwards follow a complete description of the apparatus used for sample preparation and a description of the sample preparation procedure. The results part consists of methodology of preparing material models necessary for ellipsometric measurements and evaluation of optical properties of deposited nanolayers.

This diploma thesis deals with milling of dispersed particles of WO3 using low-cost wet ball milling. Thin layers of WO3 were formed from them. These layers were characterized by profilometry, turbidity measurements, XRD and SEM. The photocatalytic activity was studied by the electrocatalytic properties of these layers. Profilometric measurements showed declining trends with milling time. XRD measurements confirmed the milling process and revealed a change in the crystalline phase during this process. Electrophotocatalytic measurements confirmed the photocatalytic activity of these layers and revealed its trends.