The swelling properties of Bentonite are highly affected by clay content and the clay-water interactions that arise from the ion distribution in the diffuse double layer formed near the charged montmorillonite (or smectite) surfaces. Existing continuum models describing the electric double layers, such as classical Poisson-Boltzmann and DLVO theory, ignore the ion-ion correlations, which are especially important for multivalent ions at high surface charge and ionic strength. To better understand the clay-water interactions, atomistic models were developed using both density functional theory of fluids (DFT) as well as classical molecular dynamics (MD) methods. In order to increase our understanding of water-saturated, swelling smectite clays, a DFT, technique was initially developed that allowed more accurate predictions of important thermodynamic properties of the diffuse double layers. This DFT approach was then extended to handle systems with mixtures of different sizes and charges. The extended DFT model was verified against experiments and Monte-Carlo simulations. One practical application was to predict the ion exchange equilibria in Bentonite clays, which have wide practical usage in different areas. Nevertheless, in the DFT work it was realized that DFT demands that the particles, ions in this case, which are described as hard spheres, realistically cannot be described as such at low water loadings, when ion specific hydration forces govern the electric double layer properties. To study how the deformation of the hydration shells of Ca2+ influences the properties of compacted smectite clays, MD simulations using the CLAYFF forcefield were employed in order to account for the deformation of the hydration shells. Comparisons of DFT and MD modeling then allowed to demonstrate under which conditions DFT modeling becomes increasingly inaccurate and when it still can give accurate results. / Under senare år har mycket forskning ägnats åt att förstå egenskaperna hos svällande leror som används för att skydda mot läckage av föroreningar från kontaminerade områden och från framtida slutförvar av radionuklider. Den fria svällningen förorsakas av de starka osmotiska krafter som uppstår när vatten tränger in mellan de tunna elektriskt negativt laddade lermineralskikten och löser de laddningskompenserande jonerna i det diffusa dubbelskiktet. I flera arbeten användandes av sk. kontinuum-teori har vattenmolekylens form, specifika orientering och bindning till katjonerna i de nanometerstora utrymmen mellan lerpartiklarna ej beaktats samt ej heller hur de hydratiserade jonerna orienteras på de atomärt ojämna ytorna. Detta möjliggörs dock genom modellering av de enskilda atomernas och jonernas interaktioner med molekyldynamik simuleringar, MD. I detta arbete har programmet Gromacs använts tillsammans med kraftfältet CLAYFF för att studera dessa fenomen i montmorillonitleror med natrium- och kalciumjoner. Simuleringarna visar att natrium bildar transienta innersfärkomplex vilka orienterar sig i bi-triangulära fördjupningar på ytan, ungefär 3.8 Å från mitt-planet mellan lerytorna. Denna orientering observeras ända upp till att avståndet mellan ytorna ökat till större än motsvarande fem lager vattenmolekyler mellan lerpartiklarnas ytor. Detta sker inte med kalcium, oberoende av avståndet mellan ytorna. Natriumjoner koordineras med fyra vattenmolekyler och en syreatom på leran vid ett lager vatten mellan ytorna och med fem till sex vattenmolekyler, ortogonalt orienterade med ökande mängd vatten mellan ytorna, och med en hydratiserad jon-radie av 3.1 Å. Kalcium koordinerar till sju vattenmolekyler vid ett vattenlager mellan ytorna, men ökar till åtta ortogonalt orienterade vattenmolekyler med en jonradie på 3.3 Å vid större avstånd. Generellt visas att när avståndet mellan lerytorna är mindre än ca 10 Å, deformeras de annars symmetriskt hydratiserade jonerna. En jämförelse mellan MD simuleringar och med klassisk täthetsfunktionalteori, DFT, visar att den senare inte kan beskriva hur yttersfärkomplexen samverkar med laddningarna bundna närmast ytan, dvs i Stern-lagret. / <p>QC 20170403</p>

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a popular spectroscopic method and has widespread use in many fields. Recent developments in solid-state NMR have increased interest in experiment and, alongside simultaneous developments in computational theory, have led to the field dubbed 'NMR crystallography.' This is a suite of methodologies, complementing the capabilities of other crystallographic methods in the determination of atomic structure, especially when large crystals cannot be made and when exploring materials with phenomena such as compositional, positional and dynamic disorder. NMR J-coupling is the indirect coupling between nuclear spins, which, when measured, can reveal a wealth of information about structure and bonding. This thesis develops and applies the method of Joyce for the prediction of NMR J-coupling in condensed matter systems using plane-wave pseudopotential density-functional theory, an important requirement for efficient treatment of finite and infinite periodic systems. It describes the first-ever method for the use of ultrasoft pseudopotentials and inclusion of special relativistic effects in J-coupling prediction, allowing for the treatment of a wider range of materials systems and overall greater user friendliness, thus making the method more accessible and attractive to the wider scientific community.

À l'heure actuelle, le développement dans les piles à combustible gagne un regard considérable pour la cogénération de l'énergie propre. Plus particulièrement, les piles à combustible à conduction protonique dont leurs électrolytes sont des oxydes de type pérovskite. Nous nous sommes intéressés aux électrolytes des piles de type PCFC « Proton Ceramic Fuel Cell » dont la température de fonctionnement est intermédiaire. L'intérêt porté pour l'amélioration de la diffusion du proton au sein de ces matériaux implique une compréhension fondamentale de l'interaction du proton avec son environnement. Cette problématique a conduit à une étude systématique en appliquant l'approche de la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité sur les matériaux de BaMxZr1-xO3 (M=Y, In et Sc ; x=12,5, 25 et 37,5%). Dans un premier temps, la validation de la méthode appliquée sur le système idéal de BaZrO3 et BaZr0,625Y0,375O3 a été nécessaire afin de reproduire les propriétés électroniques, structurales et de vibration de phonon en bon accord avec les résultats expérimentaux. Dans un deuxième temps, la variation des propriétés électroniques et structurales en fonction de la nature du dopant accepteur (M=Y, In et Sc), sa répartition dans le réseau, et sa concentration ont été étudiées. Une distorsion locale autour de l'atome dopant dans le réseau a été obtenue. Par conséquent, une baisse de symétrie du réseau a été déterminée. Cette distorsion est remarquée quel que soit la nature du dopant. La différence la plus marquée de l'effet de la nature du dopant est trouvée sur les charges atomiques des ions oxygène selon trois environnement possible : Zr-O(1)-Zr, Zr-O(2)-M et M-O(3)-M. Une diminution de la charge (et donc diminution de la basicité) sur le site O3 est bien remarquée dans BaMxZr1-xO3. On attribue cette diminution de charge à la formation d'une liaison covalente à caractère anti-liant Y-O2 (O3). La liaison est ionique pour Sc-O2(O3) et covalente de faible caractère liant pour In-O2 (O3). Nous avons poursuivi nos investigations sur l'insertion d'hydrogène dans les matériaux étudiés. L'analyse des propriétés électroniques, structurales, des vibrations de phonon et l'énergie d'interaction de l'hydrogène des structures BaMxZr1-xO3H, nous ont permis d'établir une corrélation entre le caractère de la liaison chimique M-O, l'insertion du proton et la force de la liaison O-H. L'insertion de H sur le site O3 dans BaYxZr1-xO3 (x=0,25 et 0,375) n'est pas obtenue, probablement à cause de la faible basicité de l'ion oxygène dans la configuration Y-O3-Y. L'insertion du H sur le site O3 pour les deux configurations In-O-In et Sc-O-Sc est obtenue dans BaInxZr1-xO3 (x=0,25 et 0,375) et BaScxZr1-xO3 (x=0,25 et 0,375) respectivement. La variation de l'énergie d'interaction de l'hydrogène avec son environnement dévoile une stabilisation des défauts protoniques significativement plus importante dans le cas de l'atome dopant accepteur yttrium que dans le cas des dopants In et Sc. L'analyse des fréquences de vibration de valence de la liaison O-H a montrée que cette liaison est plus forte dans BaInxZr1-xO3 et BaScxZr1-xO3 que dans BaYxZr1-xO3. En conclusion, nos résultats démontrent que le matériau BaZrO3 dopé en Y favorise plus la formation des défauts protoniques avec une liaison O-H moins forte que dans les matériaux baryum zirconates dopés en In et Sc. / At the present, the development of fuel cells gains a significant interest for their application in clean energy technologies, more specifically, the proton conducting fuel cells. We are interested in the perovskite oxides electrolytes used in PCFC fuel cell “Proton Ceramic Fuel Cell” which operates at intermediate temperature. The interest for the improvement of proton diffusion in these materials necessitates a fundamental systematic understanding of the proton interaction with its environment. Therefore we applied Density Functional Theory based approach on ideal BaZrO3 and doped barium zirconates BaMxZr1-xO3 (M=Y, Sc and In ; x=12.5, 25 and 37.5%), currently known among the best candidates for PCFC electrolytes. First, the validation of the method applied to the ideal system and BaY0.375Zr0.625O3 was necessary in order to reproduce the electronic, structural and phonon vibration in good agreement with the experimental results. Second, the variation of electronic and structural properties and of the phonon vibration was studied as a function of acceptor dopant nature, positions in the lattice and concentration. A local distortion around the dopant atom in the lattice was obtained. Therefore a reduction of the symmetry system has been determined. This distortion is noticeable regardless of the nature of the dopant. The most striking difference due to the dopant nature is found for the atomic charges on three possible oxygen environments : Zr-O(1)-Zr, Zr-O(2)-M and M-O(3)-M. A decrease in the atomic charge of O3 site (decrease of basicity) is well observed in BaYxZr1-xO3. This decrease in the charge can be attributed to the formation of a covalent anti-binding Y-O2(O3) bond. The binding is ionic for Sc-O2 and slightly covalent with a maximum of 15% covalency for In-O2. Our next investigations were focused on the insertion of hydrogen in the studied materials. The analysis of the computed electronic and structural properties, phonon vibrations and hydrogen interaction energies allowed us to establish a correlation between the nature of the chemical bonding M-O, the insertion energy of the proton and the O-H bond strength. The insertion of hydrogen in O3 site in BaYxZr1-xO3 (x=0.25 and 0.375) is not obtained, probably due to the low basicity of the oxygen ion in the configuration Y-O-Y. The insertion of H at the oxygen site for both In-O3-In and Sc-O3-Sc configurations found to be energetically favored in BaInxZr1-xO3 (x=0.25 and 0.375) and BaScxZr1-xO3 (x=0.25 and 0.375) respectively. The variation of hydrogen interaction energy with its environment reveals a significantly stronger stabilization of proton defects in the case of yttrium acceptor dopant than in the two other barium zirconates doped with In and Sc. The analysis of O-H stretching vibration frequencies has shown that the O-H bond is stronger in BaInxZr1-xO3 and BaScxZr1-xO3 than in BaYxZr1-xO3. In conclusion, our results show that the Y doped barium zirconate material favors the formation of proton defects, with a weaker O-H bond than in In and Sc doped oxides.

No description available.

Mechanisms of three reactions catalyzed by microporous materials were investigated computationally; the reactions investigated include Friedländer and Knoevenagel reactions catalyzed by Cu3BTC2 metal organic framework (MOF) and an intramolecular cyclisation of unsaturated alcohols catalyzed by zeolite H-ZSM-5. It was found that the reaction mechanisms of all three reactions are controlled by a high concentration of active sites in materials. Reaction intermediates interact with more than one active site simultaneously. This novel concept of "multiple-site" interactions is described. The concerted effect of two catalytic sites leads to a decrease of activation barriers on reaction paths of Friedländer and Knoevenagel reactions. On the contrary, a simultaneous interaction of reactants with two active sites has a negative effect on reaction rate in case of alcohol cyclization catalyzed by H-ZSM-5; it was found that the interaction with dual sites results in the increase of activation barriers and diffusion limitations. In case of Knoevenagel reaction catalyzed by CuBTC, the adsorption of reaction precursor to the reaction site allows the creation of a dynamic defect in the MOF framework that subsequently catalyses the reaction. Both, the multiple sites effect and the dynamical defect formation effect...

Dans ce travail, nous avons étudié l’adsorption dissociative de l’hydrogène sur Pd(111) ainsi que la diffusion d’un atome de l’hydrogène sur ce même surface. A l’aide de la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité, nous avons mené une étude systématique de l’effet du recouvrement en surface sur l’énergétique de la dissociation de H2 sur une surface de Pd(111) couverte par des atomes de l’hydrogène. Un résultat surprenant que nous avons trouvé est que les atomes adsorbés ont non seulement un effet de poison mais peuvent aussi promouvoir la dissociation de H2 s’ils sont adsorbés sur des sites loin de la molécule d’hydrogène qui dissocie. En ce qui concerne la diffusion d’un atome d’ hydrogène sur Pd(111), nous avons déterminé le coefficient de diffusion par des simulations de dynamique moléculaire en utilisant la formule d’Einstein à différente température de la surface, Ts=500K, 300K and 250K. Une méthode de la dynamique moléculaire accélérée a été développée afin d’étudier la diffusion à bases températures. Dans notre approche, l’accélération se fait moyennant l’augmentation de l’énergie cinétique de l’atome qui diffuse suivant une distribution Maxwell-Boltzmann qui correspond à une température plus élevée et la correction de l’échelle de temps d’une façon consistante. Pour tester la validité de notre approche, nous avons effectué des simulations pour la diffusion d’un atome d’hydrogène sur Pd(111) à Ts=300K and Ts=100K. Les résultats obtenus par la méthode accélérée est en bon accord avec ceux de la simulation standard. Par la méthode accélérée, l’échelle de temps peut être étendu à l’ordre de micro-secondes. / In this thesis, we studied dissociative adsorption of hydrogen on Pd(111) with particular attention paid to the surface coverage effect and the diffusion of a hydrogen adatom on Pd(111). With the help of DFT calculations, we carried out a systematic investigation of the effect of H-adatoms on the dissociation energetics of H2 on H-covered Pd(111) surfaces at various coverages. A quite surprising finding is that the H-adatoms do not only have a poisoning effect but can also promote H2 dissociation when they are adsorbed on sites which are sufficiently far from the dissociating H2 molecule. The macroscopic diffusion coefficient of an H-adatom on Pd(111) is determined from molecular dynamics simulations with the help of Einstein formula for different surface temperatures, i.e., Ts=500K, 300K and 250K. An accelerated molecular dynamics method was developed in order to study the diffusion at low surface temperatures. In our approach, the acceleration is achieved by increasing the kinetic energy of the diffusing atom according to the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution at a higher temperature and correcting the time scale in a consistent way. For testing the validity of our method, we performed simulations for the diffusion of H adatom on Pd(111) surface at T=300K and T=100K. The diffusion coefficient obtained from the accelerated MD method is in agreement with that obtained from the direct MD and TST methods. And the physical time scale can be extended to the order of microseconds.

The study of transport in nano-structured devices and molecular junctions has become a topic of great interest with the recent call for quantum technologies. Most of our knowledge has been guided by experimental and theoretical studies of the single-electron transistor (SET), an elementary device constituted by a quantum dot coupled to two otherwise independent free electron gases. The SET is particularly interesting because its transport properties at low temperatures are governed by the Kondo effect. A methodological difficulty has nonetheless barred theoretical progress in describing accurately realistic devices. On the one hand, Density-Functional Theory (DFT), the most convenient tool to obtain the electronic structure of complex materials, yields only qualitatively descriptions of the low-temperature physical properties of quantum dot devices. On the other hand, a quantitative description of low-temperature transport properties of the SET, such that obtained through the solution of the Anderson model via exact methods, is nonetheless unable to account for realistic features of experimental devices, such as geometry, band structure and electron-electron interactions in the electron gases. DFT describes the electron gases very well, but proves inadequate to treat the electronic correlations introduced by the quantum dot. This thesis proposes a way out of this frustrating dilemma. Our contribution is founded on renormalization-group (RG) concepts. Specifically, we show that, under conditions of experimental interest, the high and low temperatures regimes of a SET corresponds to the weakly-coupling and strongly-coupling fixed points of the Anderson Hamiltonian. Based on an RG analysis, we argue that, at this low-temperature fixed point, the entanglement between impurity and gas-electron spins introduces non-local correlations that lie beyond the reach of local- or quasi-local-density approximations, hence rendering inadequate approximations for the exchange-correlation energy functional. By contrast, the weak-coupling fixed point is within the reach of local-density approximations. With a view to describing realistic properties of quantum dot devices, we therefore propose a hybrid self-consistent procedure that starts with the weak-coupling fixed point and takes advantage of a reliable numerical method to drive the Hamiltonian to the strong-coupling fixed point. Our approach employs traditional DFT to treat the weak-coupling system and the Numerical Renormalization-Group (NRG) method to obtain properties in the strongcoupling regime. As an illustration, we apply the procedure to a single-electron transistor modeled by a generalized one-dimensional Hubbard Hamiltonian. We analyze the thermal dependence of the conductance in the SET and discuss its behavior at low-temperatures, comparing our results with other self-consistent approaches and with experimental data. / O estudo de propriedades de transporte em dispositivos nano estruturados e junções moleculares tornou-se um tópico de grande interesse com a recente demanda por novas tecnologias quânticas. Grande parte do nosso conhecimento tem sido guiado por trabalhos experimentais e teóricos de um dispositivo conhecido como transístor de um elétron (SET), o qual é constituído por um ponto quântico acoplado a dois gases de elétrons independentes. O SET é particularmente interessante devido as suas propriedades de transporte a baixas temperaturas, as quais são governadas pelo efeito Kondo. Uma dificuldade metodológica, no entanto, tem barrado novos avanços teóricos para se obter uma descrição precisa de dispositivos realistas. Por um lado, a teoria do funcional da densidade (DFT), uma das ferramentas mais convenientes para calcular a estrutura eletrônica de materiais complexos, provê uma descrição apenas qualitativa das propriedades de transporte de transístores quânticos a baixas temperaturas. Por outro lado, uma descrição quantitativa satisfatória do SET a baixas temperaturas, tal como a modelagem e solução do modelo de Anderson via métodos exatos, é incapaz de levar em conta características realistas de dispositivos complexos, tal como geometria, estrutura de bandas e interações inter eletrônicas nos gases de elétrons. Embora a DFT os descreva bem, ela é inadequada para tratar correlações introduzidas pelo ponto quântico. Na presente tese propomos uma alternativa para este dilema. Nossa contribuição é fundamentada em conceitos de grupo de renormalização (RG). Especificamente, mostramos que, em condições de interesse experimental, os regimes de altas e baixas temperaturas em um SET correspondem aos pontos fixos de acoplamento fraco e forte do Hamiltoniano de Anderson. Baseando-nos em na análise do RG, mostramos que, no ponto fixo de baixas temperaturas, o emaranhamento entre a impureza e os spins dos gases eletrônicos introduz correlações não-locais que não podem ser descritas com abordagens DFT baseadas em aproximações locais ou quase locais para o potencial de troca e correlação. Em contraste, o ponto fixo de acoplamento fraco pode ser descrito por aproximações locais. Com o objetivo de obter uma descrição realista das propriedades de transístores quânticos, propomos um procedimento auto-consistente que começa do ponto fixo de acoplamento fraco e se aproveita de um método numérico eficiente para levar o Hamiltoniano para o ponto fixo de acoplamento forte. Nossa abordagem emprega DFT para tratar o sistema no limite de acoplamento fraco e o método de Grupo de Renormalização Numérico (NRG) para obter propriedades no regime de acoplamento forte. Como ilustração, aplicamos o procedimento para um transístor de um elétron modelado através do Hamiltoniano de Hubbard generalizado. Analisamos a dependência térmica da condutância no SET discutindo seu comportamento a baixas temperatura e comparamos nossos resultados com outras abordagens auto-consistentes e resultados experimentais.

This thesis supplies a contribution to the understanding of the interaction between carboncarbon surfaces, atoms with carbon-surfaces, and atoms with metallic surfaces. It is well established that the surface-surface and atom-surface interactions are interesting, important and challenging for reasons that vary from industrial interest up to the academic necessity of understanding it deeply. Currently, there are many measurements and simulations for the geometric and electronic properties of Graphite, these differ by more than 40%. This implies that our understanding of the nature of this material is quite poor. The interaction between small transition-metals clusters with a Graphene sheet is another example where our knowledge is very limited. There are many theoretical studies in the literature that describe the interaction between these clusters with a Graphene sheet, but they agree and disagree on many points, which calls for systematic study of this issue. In this thesis we will focus our efforts on studying the surface-surface and atom/clusters-surface interactions. This thesis is split into three projects. The first aims to contribute to the understanding of the interlayer interactions of the bulk Graphite. In the second, we intend to shed some light on comprehending the interaction of an adatom with a Graphene sheet. Both of these projects, are studied within DFT framework with the inclusion of the van der Waals (vdW) corrections. In the Graphite project, we found that the electronic and geometric properties depend on the vdW correction employed in the calculation. In the adatom supported on Graphene project, we combined a modified Anderson-Newns model to describe the coupling between the adatom with Graphene. In addition, we found the existence of competition between quantum and classical forces, which determine the type of site in which the adatom prefers to adsorb. The last project is a dynamical study of an atom that impinges upon a metallic surface. In this project, we focus on the calculation of the sticking coefficient, a measure of the amount of nuclear density attached to the metal surface after collision. At this time the project is not one 100% ready, but our preliminary results indicates that, a small part of the nuclear density stays stuck on the metal. / Esta tese ajuda a entender as interações entre duas superfícies de carbono. A natureza da interação de átomos ou aglomerados atômicos adsorvidos sobre uma superfície de carbono. Além disso, visa esclarecer a dinâmica de um átomo sendo adsorvido sobre uma superfície metálica. As interações superfície-superfície e átomos-superfícies são importantes por razões que variam desde o interesse industrial até a necessidade acadêmica para compreendê-la profundamente. Entendê-las ainda é um desafio. Diversos trabalhos apresentam medidas experimentais e simulações para as propriedades geométricas e eletrônicas do grafite. Tais medidas diferem em mais ide 40% umas da outra. Isso mostra que nossa compreensão sobre a natureza desse material ainda é bastante pobre. A interação entre pequenos grupos de metais de transição com uma folha de grapheno é outro exemplo em que nosso conhecimento é limitado. Existem muitos estudos teóricos na literatura que descrevem a interação desse tipo de aglomerado com uma folha de grafeno, porém há numerosas discordâncias. Tais controvérsias parecem suplicar por um estudo sistemático. Nesta tese focamos nossos estudos nas interações superfície-superfície e de átomos ou aglomerados atômicos com superfícies de carbono e de um metal. A tese foi dividida em três projetos. O primeiro visa compreender melhor a interação entre as camadas do grafite. No segundo, pretendemos lançar alguma luz no entendimento da interação de átomos e aglomerados atômicos com uma folha de grafeno. Esses dois projetos, são estudados à luz da Teoria do Funcional da Densidade com a inclusão das correções van der Waals (vdW). No Projecto sobre o grafite, mostramos que as propriedades eletrônicas e geométricas dependem do tipo de correção de vdW empregada no cálculo. No projeto sobre átomos e aglomerados atômicos adsorvidos no grapheno, combinamos um modelo modificado de Anderson-Newns para descrever o acoplamento entre um átomo adsorvido e o grafeno. Além disso, encontramos uma competição entre forças quânticas e clássicas, a qual determina o tipo de sítio no qual o átomo prefere ser adsorvido. O último projeto é um estudo dinâmico de um átomo colidindo contra uma superfície metálica. Nesse projeto o foco é posto no cálculo do coeficiente de aderência, o qual mede a taxa de densidade nuclear presa na superfície metálica após a colisão. Resultados preliminares indicam que, uma pequena parte da densidade nuclear permanece aderida ao metal depois da colisão.

Nos últimos anos, complexos de irídio tem sido sugeridos para uso em materiais luminescentes, tais como diodos orgânicos emissores de luz (OLED\'s) e células eletroquímicas emissoras de luz (LEEC\'s). Suas potenciais utilidades como dispositivo é devido as suas características físico-químicas e fotofísicas, as quais são caracterizadas por tempos de vida curtos para o tripleto, estabilidade térmica, além da possibilidade de modificar a emissão sobre uma vasta gama de cores do espectro. Atualmente, muitas pesquisas tentam encontrar complexos de irídio com emissão de luz azul. No entanto, embora emissores de luz azul já tenham sido desenvolvidos, existe o problema relacionado a agregação destes complexos. Para resolver este o problema da agregação é necessário modificar a estrutura padrão do complexo com cadeias carbônicas saturadas para evitar empilhamento &pi;-&pi;. Experimentalmente esta é uma tarefa um tanto difícil. Dessa forma, métodos computacionais têm sido viáveis como uma abordagem para entender a estrutura e propriedades eletrônicas dos sistemas estudados. Aqui, é apresentado um estudo teórico baseado na teoria do funcional da densidade (DFT) para investigar a agregação de complexos de irídio, além de predizer como esta pode ser controlada com o uso de grupos substituintes adequados. Os cálculos foram realizados usando funcional PBE0 e conjunto de base 6-31G*, o qual provou ser adequada na descrição das propriedades do complexo. Portanto, cálculos subsequentes mostraram bons resultados, onde os estados excitados foram previstos ser de natureza predominantemente MLCT (transferência de carga do metal para o ligante) para o complexo 1 e LC (carga centrada no ligante) para o complexo 2. Alterações no ambiente químico provou ter grande influência sobre os estados excitados, onde a inclusão do solvente favoreceu a estabilidade, mantendo os estados excitados tripletos com energia entre 3.01 eV e 3.03 eV. Além disso, o uso dos grupos substituintes provou ser de grande importância para prevenir a agregação, especialmente no complexo 2, em que a partir do dímero matriz (sem substituintes) para o complexo substituído 2-1 (com metil) houve uma desestabilização da energia de interação entre os monômeros no dímero por ~ 19.78 kcal/mol, sendo que a energia do primeiro foi estimada ser -39.78 kcal/mol, enquanto o segundo foi -20 kcal/mol. Nossos resultados sugerem que a modificação do complexo torna-se bastante promissora, fazendo uso de pequenos grupos substituintes e cadeias carbônicas alifáticas, evitando assim, a agregação por empilhamento &pi;-&pi;. / In the last few years, iridium complexes have been suggested for use in luminescent materials such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and light emitting electrochemical cells (LEECs)1-3. Their potential utility as luminescent devices is due to the physicochemical and photophysical properties, which are featured by short triplet emitting lifetimes (microseconds time scale), thermal stability, besides of possibility to tune the emission over desired spectral range. Actually, many researches try to find iridium complexes with efficient deep-blue emission, in order to use in these devices. Although many deep-blue emitters have been developed, there is still a big problem related to aggregation. So far, little has been reported about iridium complexes in solid environments, such as inorganic matrix of OLEDs and LEECs devices. To solve this issue is needed tune the structure of the complex in order to prevent the aggregation (steric hindrance), by means of drawing saturated carbon chains on the ligands to avoid the &pi;-&pi; stacking. Experimentally, this is a rather challenging and expensive task. In this aspect, computational methods have been performed as approaches to gain deeper insights about the structure and electronic properties of the studied systems. Here, we present a theoretical study based on density functional theory to investigate the aggregation iridium complexes, in addition to predict how this can be controlled with the use of suitable substituent groups. Calculations were performed using functional PBE0 and 6-31G* basis functions, which proved adequate in describing the properties of the complex. Therefore, subsequent calculations showed good results, where the excited state of the complex are provided, these being predominantly MLCT (metal to ligand charge transfer) nature for the complex 1 and LC (ligand centered) nature to complex 2. Changes in the chemical environment proved to have great influence on the excited states, where the inclusion of the solvent favored its stability, keeping the triplet excited states with energy between 3.01 and 3.03 eV. Furthermore, the use of substituent groups proved to be of great importance to prevent aggregation, especially in complex 2, wherein from the matrix dimer (no substituted) to complex with methyl groups there was a destabilization of the interaction energy between the monomers in the dimer by ~ 19.78 kcal / mol, being that the energy of the first was -39.78 kcal / mol, while the second was to -20 kcal / mol. Our results suggest that the modification of the complex becomes quite promising, making use of small groups and aliphatic carbon chains, thus avoiding aggregation by stacking.

Neste trabalho investigamos os efeitos do magnetismo orbital sobre o gás de elétrons tridimensional e sobre íons de camadas abertas em matrizes metálicas. Derivamos uma expressão analítica fechada para a energia de troca do gás de elétrons tridimensional na presença de fortes campos magnéticos, incluindo contribuições do segundo nível de Landau e polarização de spin arbitrária. Esse cálculo generaliza e corrige resultados anteriores disponíveis na literatura. Em seguida, realizamos um cálculo numérico da energia de troca do gás de elétrons tridimensional na presença de campos magnéticos, permitindo a ocupação de um número ilimitado de níveis de Landau, possibilitando assim a obtenção da energia de troca para quaisquer valores de campo magnético e densidade. Em uma abordagem independente, usamos as aproximações de Thomas-Fermi e Thomas-Fermi-Dirac para construir modelos simples para a função dielétrica do gás de elétrons tridimensional no regime de campos magnéticos muito fortes (apenas o primeiro nível de Landau ocupado). Finalmente, estabelecemos vínculos entre os tratamentos fenomenológicos e de primeiros princípios do magnetismo orbital em íons de camadas abertas em matrizes metálicas. Esses vínculos forneceram um embasamento teórico para o uso dos termos de polarização orbital em cálculos Kohn-Sham e levaram à obtenção de expressões aproximadas para os funcionais de troca-correlação da teoria do funcional da densidade de corrente. / In this work, we investigate the effects of orbital magnetism in the three-dimensional electron gas and in open-shell ions in a solid. We derive a closed analytical expression for the exchange energy of the three-dimensional electron gas in strong magnetic fields including the contribution of the second Landau level and arbitrary spin polarization. This calculation generalizes and corrects earlier results available in the literature. Next, we perform a numerical calculation of the exchange energy of the three-dimensional electron gas in a magnetic field, allowing several Landau levels to be occupied, to obtain the exchange energy for arbitrary values of magnetic field and density. In an independent approach, we use the Thomas-Fermi and Thomas-Fermi-Dirac approximations to construct simple model dielectric functions for the three-dimensional electron gas in the strong magnetic field regime (where only the lowest Landau level is occupied). Finally, we establish links between the phenomenological and the first-principles treatment of orbital magnetism in open-shell ions in solids. These links provide a theoretical foundation for the use of orbital polarization terms in Kohn-Sham calculations and allow to obtain approximations to the exchange-correlation functionals of current-density functional theory.