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Despite increasing attention for the recently found ferro- and antiferroelectric properties, the polymorphism in hafnia- and zirconia-based thin films is still not sufficiently understood. In the present work, we show that it is important to have a good quality X-ray absorption spectrum to go beyond an analysis of the only the first coordination shell. Equally important is to analyze both EXAFS and XANES spectra in combination with theoretical modelling to distinguish the relevant phases even in bulk materials and to separate structural from chemical effects. As a first step toward the analysis of thin films, we start with the analysis of bulk references. After that, we successfully demonstrate an approach that allows us to extract high-quality spectra also for 20 nm thin films. Our analysis extends to the second coordination shell and includes effects created by chemical substitution of Hf with Zr to unambiguously discriminate the different polymorphs. The trends derived from X-ray absorption spectroscopy agree well with X-ray diffraction measurements. In this work we clearly identify a gradual transformation from monoclinic to tetragonal phase as the Zr content of the films increases. We separated structural effects from effects created by chemical disorder when ration of Hf:Zr is varied and found differences for the incorporation of the substitute atoms between powders and thin films, which we attribute to the different fabrication routes. This work opens the door for further in-depth structural studies to shine light into the chemistry and physics of these novel ferroelectric thin films that show high application relevance.

Cette thèse présente une analyse approfondie et comparative des résultats de mesures µ-XRD et µ-XAS sur des combustibles UO2 standard, dopé au sesquioxyde de chrome (Cr2O3) et MOX, irradiés ou non. Elle présente également l'interprétation des résultats en regard des effets induits par le chrome en tant que dopant ainsi que par la présence de plusieurs produits de fission. Les paramètres de maille de l’UO2 et les paramètres de densité d'énergie de déformation élastique dans les matériaux irradiés ou non ont été mesurés et quantifiés. Les données de µ-XRD ont en outre permis l'évaluation de la taille des domaines cristallins, ainsi que l’étude de la formation de sous-grains à différentes positions au sein des pastilles de combustibles irradiés. Le paramètre de maille et l'environnement atomique local du chrome dans des précipités d’oxyde de chrome présents dans les pastilles de combustible non-irradié ont également été déterminés. La structure locale du Cr dans la matrice du combustible dopé et l'influence de l'irradiation sur l'état du chrome dans la matrice de combustible ont été étudiées. Enfin, pour une comparaison du comportement des gaz de fission et du phénomène de re-solution induite par l'irradiation dans l’UO2 standard ou dopé, la dernière partie de ce travail propose une tentative d'analyse de l’environnement atomique du Kr dans ces deux combustibles irradiés. Le travail effectué par micro-faisceau XAS sur ce gaz de fission a permis la détermination des distances du Kr avec ses proches voisins, une estimation des densités atomiques des gaz de fission dans les agrégats et des pressions internes apparentes dans ces nano-phases de gaz inertes. / This thesis work reports in depth analyses of measured µ-XRD and µ-XAS data from standard UO2, chromia (Cr2O3) doped UO2 and MOX fuels, and interpretation of the results considering the role of chromium as a dopant as well as several fission product elements. The lattice parameters of UO2 in fresh and irradiated samples and elastic strain energy densities in the irradiated UO2 samples have been measured and quantified. The µ-XRD patterns have further allowed the evaluation of the crystalline domain size and sub-grain formation at different locations of the irradiated fuel pellets. Attempts have been made to determine lattice parameter and next neighbor atomic environment in chromia-precipitates found in fresh chromia-doped fuel pellets. The local structure around Cr in as-fabricated chromia-doped UO2 matrix and the influence of irradiation on the state of chromium in irradiated fuel matrix have been addressed. Finally, for a comparative understanding of fission gases behavior and irradiation induced re-solution phenomenon in standard and chromia-doped UO2, the last part of the present work tries to clarify the fission gas Kr atomic environment in these irradiated fuels. The work performed on Kr, by micro-beam XAS, comprises the determination of Kr next neighbor distances, an estimation of gas atom densities in the aggregates, and apparent internal pressures in the gas bubbles.

<p>Atoms, molecules and clusters all constitute building blocks of macroscopic matter. Therefore, understanding the electronic and geometrical properties of such systems is the key to understanding the properties of solid state objects.</p><p>In this thesis, some atomic, molecular and cluster systems (clusters of O₂, CH₃Br, Ar/O₂, Ar/Xe and Ar/Kr; dimers of Na; Na and K atoms) have been investigated using synchrotron radiation, and in the two last instances, laser light. We have performed x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on all of these systems. We have also applied ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), resonant Auger spectroscopy (RAS) and near-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS) to study many of the systems. Calculations using <i>ab initio</i> methods, namely density functional theory (DFT) and Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP), were employed for electronic structure calculations. The geometrical structure was studied using a combination of <i>ab initio</i> and molecular dynamics (MD) methods.</p><p>Results on the dissociation behavior of CH₃Br and O₂ molecules in clusters are presented. The dissociation of the Na₂ molecule has been characterized and the molecular field splitting of the Na 2<i>p</i> level in the dimer has been measured. The molecular field splitting of the CH₃Br 3<i>d</i> level has been measured and the structure of CH₃Br clusters has been determined to be similar to the structure of the bulk solid. The diffusion behavior of O₂, Kr and Xe on large Ar clusters, as a function of doping rate, has been investigated. The shake-down process has been observed from excited states of Na and K. Laser excited Na atoms have been shown to be magnetically aligned. The shake-down process was used to characterize the origin of various final states that can be observed in the spectrum of ground-state K.</p>

Atoms, molecules and clusters all constitute building blocks of macroscopic matter. Therefore, understanding the electronic and geometrical properties of such systems is the key to understanding the properties of solid state objects. In this thesis, some atomic, molecular and cluster systems (clusters of O2, CH3Br, Ar/O2, Ar/Xe and Ar/Kr; dimers of Na; Na and K atoms) have been investigated using synchrotron radiation, and in the two last instances, laser light. We have performed x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on all of these systems. We have also applied ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), resonant Auger spectroscopy (RAS) and near-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS) to study many of the systems. Calculations using ab initio methods, namely density functional theory (DFT) and Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP), were employed for electronic structure calculations. The geometrical structure was studied using a combination of ab initio and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. Results on the dissociation behavior of CH3Br and O2 molecules in clusters are presented. The dissociation of the Na2 molecule has been characterized and the molecular field splitting of the Na 2p level in the dimer has been measured. The molecular field splitting of the CH3Br 3d level has been measured and the structure of CH3Br clusters has been determined to be similar to the structure of the bulk solid. The diffusion behavior of O2, Kr and Xe on large Ar clusters, as a function of doping rate, has been investigated. The shake-down process has been observed from excited states of Na and K. Laser excited Na atoms have been shown to be magnetically aligned. The shake-down process was used to characterize the origin of various final states that can be observed in the spectrum of ground-state K.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) provide well-defined and ordered films of molecules spontaneously chemisorbed on a surface. By designing molecules with desired functionalities, such molecular film can be interesting for a range of applications from molecular electronics to catalysis. Important parameters for SAM applications are the film structure and quality, which are dependent on the structure of molecular constituents, the substrate, and the self-assembly process. In this work, SAMs on Au(111) of a variety of functionalized molecules, with thiol and silane headgroups, have been studied using high-resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HRXPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, Infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS), contact angle measurements and Kelvin probe measurements. In particular, the effects of varying the size of the backbone, varying the headgroup, inclusion of a porphyrin tailgroup, different ways of deprotection of the headgroups, and mixed molecular layers have been investigated. The first part of thesis work is focused on SAMs of oligo(phenyleneethynylene) (OPE) derivatives. First the effect of the extent of the conjugated system on the structure of SAM was investigated. As the lateral π-system in the OPE backbone increases, molecular surface densities become lower and molecular inclinations larger. Subsequently, a bulky porphyrin tailgroup was added onto the OPE molecule. Porphyrin-functionalized OPE with several headgroups were compared and the thioacetyl anchor group was found to form a high quality SAM. In the second part of the work, the molecular orientation of thiol-derivatized tetraphenylporphyrin layers was studied. The geometry of the molecular layer and the number of linkers that bind to the gold surface depend strongly on preparation schemes, i.e. whether or not the acetyl protection groups on the thiol were removed before adsorption. Finally, mixed SAMs of a ferrocene-terminated alkanethiol and alkanethiols were studied. By diluting the ferrocene-functionalized molecules in unfunctionalized alkanethiols, the orientational order and the packing density improved. The geometrical structure and the fraction of the ferrocene-terminated molecules can be tuned by controlling the parameters in the preparation scheme.

Orientadores: Gustavo de Medeiros Azevedo, Ângelo Malachias de Souza, Eduardo Granado Monteiro da Silva / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T08:06:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gasperini_AntonioAugustoMalfatti_D.pdf: 9911404 bytes, checksum: e5b4150f5a1f5f42c4d0e24b92e46c65 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Neste trabalho estudamos a formação e estrutura de nanopartículas (NPs) de GeSi encapsuladas em sílica, utilizando técnicas baseadas em luz síncrotron, complementadas com imagens de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. Obtivemos a forma, o diâmetro médio e a dispersão de tamanhos usando espalhamento de raios X a baixos ângulos em incidência rasante (GISAXS). A partir dos dados de difração de raios X (XRD) foi possível obter a fase cristalina, o parâmetro de rede e o tamanho médio dos cristalitos. Estes resultados serviram como dados de entrada em um modelo para análise através da técnica de estrutura fina de absorção de raios X (EXAFS), a qual forneceu informações sobre a estrutura local na vizinhança dos átomos de Ge. Apesar dos resultados de cada uma das técnicas acima serem comumente analisados de forma separada, a combinação destas técnicas leva a uma melhor compreensão das propriedades estruturais das NPs. Através da combinação dos resultados tivemos acesso a informações tais como a deformação da rede cristalina (strain), a fração de átomos cm ambientes cristalino e amorfo, a fração de átomos de Ge diluída na matriz e a possibilidade de formação de estruturas do tipo core-shell cristalino-amorfo. Resultados adicionais como a origem do strain e a temperatura de solidificação das NPs, dentre outros, foram obtidos através de um experimento in situ de absorção de raios X em energia dispersiva (DXAS), inédito na análise deste sistema. Por fim, utilizamos as técnicas acima citadas para acompanhar a evolução dos parâmetros estruturais em amostras tratadas termicamente durante diferentes intervalos de tempo / Abstract: In this work we study the formation and structure of GeSi nanoparticles embedded in silica matrix using synchrotron-based techniques complemented by TEM images. Shape, average diameter and size dispersion were obtained from grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering. X-ray diffraction measurements were used to obtain crystalline phase, lattice parameter and crystallite mean sizes. By using these techniques as input for extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis, the local structure surrounding Ge atoms is investigated. Although the results for each of the methods mentioned above are usually analyzed separately, the combination of such techniques leads to an improved understanding of nanoparticle structural properties. Crucial indirect parameters that cannot be quantified by other means are accessed in our work, such as local strain, possibility of forming core-shell crystalline-amorphous structures, fraction of Ge atoms diluted in the matrix and amorphous and crystalline Ge fraction. Additional results as the origin of the strain and temperature of solidification of NPs, among others, were obtained through an in situ energy dispersive X-ray absorption experiment (DXAS), unheard in this system. Finally, we use the techniques mentioned above to monitor the evolution of the structural parameters of samples annealed during different time intervals / Doutorado / Física / Doutor em Ciências

Multi-metallic aerogels have recently emerged as a novel and promising class of unsupported electrocatalyst materials due to their high catalytic activity and improved durability for various electrochemical reactions. Aerogels can be prepared by a spontaneous one-step gelation process, where the chemical co-reduction of metal precursors and the prompt formation of the nanochain-consisting hydrogels, as a preliminary stage for the preparation of aerogels take place. However, detailed knowledge about the homogeneity and chemical distribution of these three-dimensional Pd-Pt aerogels at the nano-scale as well as at the macro-scale is still unclear to date. Therefore, we used a combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to obtain a better insight into the structure and elemental distribution of the various Pd-rich Pd-Pt aerogels prepared by the spontaneous one-step gelation process. Synchrotron-based extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were employed in this work to uncover the structural architecture and chemical composition of the various Pd-rich Pd-Pt aerogels over a broad length range. The Pd80Pt20, Pd60Pt40 and Pd50Pt50 aerogels showed heterogeneity in the chemical distribution of the Pt and Pd atoms inside the macroscopic nanochain-network. Features of monometallic clusters were not detected by EXAFS or STEM-EDX, indicating alloyed nanoparticles. However, the local chemical composition of the Pd-Pt alloys strongly varied along the nanochains and thus within a single aerogel. To determine the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of the Pd-Pt aerogels for applications in electrocatalysis, we used the electrochemical CO stripping method. Due to high porosity and extended network structure, the resulting values of the ECSA for the Pd-Pt aerogels were higher than that for a commercially available unsupported Pt black catalyst. We show that the Pd-Pt aerogels possess a high utilization of catalytically active centers for electrocatalytic applications based on the nanostructured bimetallic framework. Knowledge about the homogeneity and chemical distribution of the bimetallic aerogels can help to further optimize their preparation by the spontaneous one-step gelation process and to tune their electrocatalytic reactivity.

Das grundlegende Verständnis der Adsorption, der Eigenschaften, und der Wechselwirkungen von komplexen organischen Molekülen auf Festkörperoberflächen ist für die Entwicklung neuer Anwendungen in der Nanotechnologie von entscheidender Bedeutung. Die in dieser Arbeit untersuchten funktionellen Bausteine gehören zu den Porphyrinen und Phthalocyaninen. Deren Adsorption, elektronische Struktur, und Reaktionen der Moleküle auf Edelmetalloberflächen wurden mit mehreren Methoden charakterisiert, insbesondere der Rastertunnelmikroskopie, Rastertunnelspektroskopie, Röntgen-Nahkanten-Absorptions-Spektroskopie und Photoelektronenspektroskopie, welche zudem durch theoretische Simulationen unter Verwendung der Dichtefunktionaltheorie ergänzt wurden. Tetra(p-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin Moleküle ordnen sich durch Selbstorganisation zu verschiedenen, durch Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen stabilisierten Nanostrukturen an, welche in Abhängigkeit von dem Substratoberflächengitter untersucht wurden um das komplizierte Zusammenspiel von Molekül−Molekül und Molekül−Substrat-Wechselwirkungen bei der Selbstorganisation zu verstehen. Erhitzen der Adsorbatschichten dieses Moleküls führt zu einer schrittweisen Deprotonierung, und außerdem konnte auch ein Schalten der Leitfähigkeit einzelner Porphyrin-Moleküle durch lokale Deprotonierung mittels Spannungspulsen demonstriert werden. Eine Polymerisationsreaktion, welche auf der Ullmann-Reaktion basiert, aber direkt auf einer Oberfläche stattfindet, wurde für Kupfer-octabromotetraphenylporphyrin Moleküle, die auf Au(111) adsorbiert sind, gefunden. Nach einer thermischen Abspaltung der Bromatome von den Molekülen reagieren dabei die Radikalmoleküle bei hohen Temperaturen miteinander und bilden geordnete, kovalent gebundene Netzwerke aus. Die Bromabspaltung und die nachfolgenden Reaktionen und Veränderungen der elektronischen Struktur der Moleküle wurden ausführlich für die Substratoberflächen Au(111) sowie Ag(110) untersucht. Weiterhin, wird die Adsorption und Selbstorganisation von metall-freien Phthalocyanin-Molekülen auf einer Ag(110)-Oberfläche, und deren Selbstmetallierungsreaktion mit Silberatomen des Substrats umfassend und verständlich beschrieben. Zuletzt wurden organische Hybrid-Grenzflächen zwischen verschiedenen Metall-Phthalocyaninen untersucht, wobei ein Ladungstransfer zwischen Kobalt- und Platin-Phthalocyanin-Molekülen gefunden wurde. Dotierung gemischter Metall-Phthalocyanin-Filme durch Einlagerung von Kaliumatomen und deren selektive Adsorption im Molekülgitter führt zu einer deutlichen Veränderung der elektronischen Eigenschaften, aufgrund einer Ladungsübertragung an die Kobalt-Phthalocyanin Moleküle.

Multi-metallic aerogels have recently emerged as a novel and promising class of unsupported electrocatalyst materials due to their high catalytic activity and improved durability for various electrochemical reactions. Aerogels can be prepared by a spontaneous one-step gelation process, where the chemical co-reduction of metal precursors and the prompt formation of the nanochain-consisting hydrogels, as a preliminary stage for the preparation of aerogels take place. However, detailed knowledge about the homogeneity and chemical distribution of these three-dimensional Pd-Pt aerogels at the nano-scale as well as at the macro-scale is still unclear to date. Therefore, we used a combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to obtain a better insight into the structure and elemental distribution of the various Pd-rich Pd-Pt aerogels prepared by the spontaneous one-step gelation process. Synchrotron-based extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were employed in this work to uncover the structural architecture and chemical composition of the various Pd-rich Pd-Pt aerogels over a broad length range. The Pd80Pt20, Pd60Pt40 and Pd50Pt50 aerogels showed heterogeneity in the chemical distribution of the Pt and Pd atoms inside the macroscopic nanochain-network. Features of monometallic clusters were not detected by EXAFS or STEM-EDX, indicating alloyed nanoparticles. However, the local chemical composition of the Pd-Pt alloys strongly varied along the nanochains and thus within a single aerogel. To determine the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of the Pd-Pt aerogels for applications in electrocatalysis, we used the electrochemical CO stripping method. Due to high porosity and extended network structure, the resulting values of the ECSA for the Pd-Pt aerogels were higher than that for a commercially available unsupported Pt black catalyst. We show that the Pd-Pt aerogels possess a high utilization of catalytically active centers for electrocatalytic applications based on the nanostructured bimetallic framework. Knowledge about the homogeneity and chemical distribution of the bimetallic aerogels can help to further optimize their preparation by the spontaneous one-step gelation process and to tune their electrocatalytic reactivity.