In this thesis we show how reactive processes can be affected by the presence of different types of spatial constraints, so much so that their nonlinear dynamics can be qualitatively altered or that new and unexpected behaviors can be produced. To understand how this interplay can occur in general terms, we theoretically investigate four very different examples of this situation. <p><p>The first system we study is a reversible trimolecular chemical reaction which is taking place in closed one-dimensional lattices. We show that the low dimensionality may or may not prevent the reaction from reaching its equilibrium state, depending on the microscopic properties of the molecular reactive mechanism. <p><p>The second reactive process we consider is a network of biological interactions between pigment cells on the skin of zebrafish. We show that the combination of short-range and long-range contact-mediated feedbacks can promote a Turing instability which gives rise to stationary patterns in space with intrinsic wavelength, without the need of any kind of motion.<p><p>Then we investigate the behavior of a typical chemical oscillator (the Brusselator) when it is constrained in a finite space. We show that molecular crowding can in such cases promote new nonlinear dynamical behaviors, affect the usual ones or even destroy them. <p><p>Finally we look at the situation where the constraint is given by the presence of a solid porous matrix that can react with a perfect gas in an exothermic way. We show on one hand that the interplay between reaction, heat flux and mass transport can give rise to the propagation of adsorption waves, and on the other hand that the coupling between the chemical reaction and the changes in the structural properties of the matrix can produce sustained chemomechanical oscillations. <p><p>These results show that spatial constraints can affect the kinetics of reactions, and are able to produce otherwise absent nonlinear dynamical behaviors. As a consequence of this, the usual understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of reactive systems can be put into question or even disproved. In order to have a better understanding of these systems we must acknowledge that mechanical and structural feedbacks can be important components of many reactive systems, and that they can be the very source of complex and fascinating phenomena.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Progress in chemomechanical functionalization was made by investigating the binding of molecules and surface coverage on the silicon surface, demonstrating functionalization of silicon with gases by chemomechanical means, analyzing atomic force microscopy probe tip wear in atomic force microscopy (AFM) chemomechanical nanografting, combining chemomechanical functionalization and nanografting to pattern silicon with an atomic force microscope, and extending chemomechanical nanografting to silicon dioxide. Molecular mechanics of alkenes and alkynes bound to Si(001)-2x1 as a model of chemomechanically functionalized surfaces indicated that complete coverage is energetically favorable and becomes more favorable for longer chain species. Scribing a silicon surface in the presence of ethylene and acetylene demonstrated chemomechanical functionalization with gaseous reagents, which simplifies sample cleanup and adds a range of reagents to those possible for chemomechanical functionalization. Thermal desorption spectroscopy was performed on chemomechanically functionalized samples and demonstrated the similarity in binding of molecules to the scribed silicon surface and to the common Si(001)-2x1 and Si(111)-7x7 surfaces. The wearing of atomic force microscope probe tips during chemomechanical functionalization was investigated by correlating change over time and force with widths of created lines to illustrate the detrimental effect of tip wear on mechanically-driven nanopatterning methods. In order to have a starting surface more stable than hydrogen-terminated silicon, silicon reacted with 1-octene was used as a starting surface for AFM chemomechanical functionalization, producing chemomechanical nanografting. Chemomechanical nanografting was then demonstrated on silicon dioxide using silane molecules; the initial passivating layer reduced the tip friction on the surface to allow only partial nanografting of the silane molecules. These studies broadened the scope and understanding of chemomechanical functionalization and nanografting.

<h4>A generalized physics-based modeling framework is presented to analyze: (a) the effects of temperature on identified degradation mechanisms, (b) interfacial debonding processes, including deterministic and stochastic mechanisms, and (c) establishing model performance benchmarks of electrochemical porous electrode theory models, as a necessary stepping stone to perform valid battery degradation analyses and designs. Specifically, the effects of temperature were incorporated into a physics-based, reduced-order model and extended for a LiCoO₂ -graphite 18650 cell. Three dimensionless driving forces were identified, controlling the temperature-dependent reversible charge capacity. The identified temperature-dependent irreversible mechanisms include homogeneous SEI, at moderate to high temperatures, and the chemomechanical degradation of the cathode at low temperatures. Also, debonding of a statistically representative electrochemically active particle from the surrounding binder-electrolyte matrix in a porous electrode was modeled analytically, for the first time. The proposed framework enables to determine the space of C-Rates and electrode particle radii that suppresses or enhances debonding and is graphically summarized into performance–microstructure maps where four debonding mechanisms were identified, and condensed into power-law relations with respect to the particle radius. Finally, in order to incorporate existing or emerging degradation models into porous electrode theory (PET) implementations, a set of benchmarks were proposed to establish a common basis to assess their physical reaches, limitations, and accuracy. Three open source models: dualfoil, MPET, and LIONSIMBA were compared, exhibiting significant qualitative differences, despite showing the same macroscopic voltage response, leading the user to different conclusions regarding the battery performance and possible degradation mechanisms of the analyzed system.</h4>