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Le sujet de ce mémoire est l’étude ab initio des nanotubes de carbone. Premièrement, une introduction du sujet est présentée. Elle porte sur l’historique, la structure géométrique et électronique et les applications possibles des nanotubes de carbone. En deuxième lieu, la stabilité énergétique des nanotubes de carbones double parois ainsi que leur structure électronique sont étudiées. On trouve entre autres que le changement d’hybridation provoque une chute de l’énergie du dernier niveau occupé pour les petits nanotubes. Troisièmement, nous présenterons une étude sur la dépendance en diamètre et en métallicité du greffage d’unité bromophényle sur la surface des nanotubes. La principale conclusion est qu’il est plus facile de fonctionnaliser les nanotubes de petit diamètre puisque ceux-ci ont déjà une partie d’hybridation sp3 dans leur structure électronique. Finalement, le dernier chapitre aborde la combustion des nanotubes par le dioxyde de carbone. On constate que cette combustion ne peut pas débuter sur une surface intacte, ni par un pontage d’oxygène dû à la grande quantité d’énergie requise. La réaction privilégiée est alors la combustion par les extrémités du nanotube. Nous proposons une dynamique de réaction qui contient une sélectivité en diamètre. / The subject of this master’s thesis is the ab initio study of carbon nanotubes. First, an introduction to the subject is presented. It covers the history, the geometric and electronic structure and potential applications of carbon nanotubes. Second, the energy stability of double-walled carbon nanotubes and their electronic structure are studied. It is found that the change of hybridization causes a lowering in the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital’s level for small nanotubes. Thirdly, a study of the diameter and metallicity dependence for the bromophenyl bonding energy on the carbon nanotubes is presented. The main conclusion is that it is easier to functionalize the nanotubes of small diameter since they already have some sp3 hybridization in their electronic structure. Finally, the last chapter discusses the burning of carbon nanotubes with carbon dioxide. It is found that combustion can not begin on a pristine surface or by a oxygen bridge due to the large amount of energy required. The favored reaction is then burning the ends of nanotubes. We suggest a path of reaction for which a diameter selectivity is apparent.

In this licentiate thesis, organic molecules, namely Cobalt Phthalocyanine (CoPc) and Biphenylene, have been studied by means of synchrotron radiation-based spectroscopic methods (Photoemission Spectroscopy (PES) and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) in combination with Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Paper I is a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of electronic structure of CoPc. addressing the atomic character of the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) and the electronic configuration of the molecular ground state. Both these aspects are still under discussion since different experimental and theoretical studies have given controversial results. Previous works have indicated the CoPc ground state to either be described by the 2A1g or 2Eg, or by a mix of the two electronic configurations. Regrading the debated the atomic character of the HOMO of CoPc, it has been suggested to be either metal 3d-like and localized on the central Co atom or originating in the organic ligand of the molecule. In this thesis the valence photoemission results for CoPc in gas phase and as adsorbed films on Au(111) together with the DFT simulations, consistently indicate that the HOMO is derived only by the organic ligand, with mainly contribution from the carbon atoms with no metal character. Moreover, the good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results, confirms that the ground state of CoPc is correctly described by the 2A1g configuration. In Paper II, PES and XAS have been used to investigate the occupied and empty density of states of biphenylene films of different thicknesses, deposited onto a Cu(111) crystal. The results have been compared to previous gas phase spectra and single molecule Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to get insights into the possible modification of the molecular electronic structure in the film induced by the adsorption on a surface. Furthermore, XAS measurements allowed the characterizion of the variation of the molecular arrangement with the film thickness and helped to clarify the substrate-molecule interaction.

Cette thèse présente des mesures de transport électronique dans des systèmes quasi-unidimensionnels (quasi-1D) sous champ magnétique intense. Deux systèmes différents présentant un confinement électrique quasi-1D ont été considérés: les peapods de carbone (C60@SWCNTs) et les nanofils d'InAs. L’objectif de ces travaux consiste à sonder les propriétés électroniques spécifiques de ces systèmes quasi-1D par les mesures de magnétotransport sur les nano-objets uniques. Dans les deux cas, les expériences sous champs magnétiques intenses ont été accompagnée par des caractérisations structurales et des mesures de conductance à champ magnétique nul.L'encapsulation de diverses molécules à l'intérieur de nanotubes de carbone (CNTs), comme par exemple les fullerènes C60, constitue une des voies prometteuses vers l'accordabilité de la conductance des CNTs. Parmi la grande variété des nanotubes de carbone remplis, les peapods représentent une structure hybride pionnière découvert en 1998. Depuis lors, leur structure électronique a fait l’objet d’études théoriques controversées avec un nombre limité de réalisations expérimentales. Dans cette thèse, les propriétés électroniques des peapods individuels ont été étudiés en combinant les mesures de spectroscopie micro-Raman et de magnétotransport sur les mêmes échantillons. Nous avons constaté que les C60 encapsulés modifient fortement la structure de bande électronique des nanotubes semi-conducteurs au voisinage du point de neutralité de charge. Cette modification comprend un déplacement rigide de la structure électronique et un remplissage partiel de la bande interdite. Nous avons aussi montré que l’excitation UV sélective des fullerènes conduit à une forte modification du couplage électronique entre les C60 et le CNT induite par la coalescence partielle des C60 et de leur distribution à l'intérieur du tube. Les résultats expérimentaux sont supportés par des simulations numériques de la densité d'états et de la conductance des nanotubes de carbone avec des fullerènes fusionnés à l'intérieur (K. Katin, M. Maslov).Les nanofils semiconducteurs (sc-NWs) font l'objet de recherches actives depuis ces dix dernières années. Ils représentent des systèmes modèles pour l’étude des propriété électronique objet quasi-1D. Ils représentent en outre des possibilités de modulation de la structure de bande aussi que de contrôle de la densité de porteurs. Dans ce domaine de recherche, les nanofils semi-conducteurs à base de composes III-V tel que InAs, ont une place particulière en raison de la faible masse effective des porteurs de charge. Nous avons étudié la conductance de nanofils individuels dans une large gamme de champs magnétiques (jusqu'à 60T). Les mesures en champ nul et en champ faible ont démontré un transport faiblement diffusif dans ces nanofils. Les mesures de transport sous champ magnétique intense ont révélé une forte chute de la conductance au dessus d'un champ critique qui s'élève clairement avec l'énergie de Fermi. Cet effet est interprété par la perte de canaux de conduction une fois que toutes les sous-bandes magnéto-électriques, décalés vers les hautes énergies par le champ magnétique, ont traversé l'énergie de Fermi. Les calculs de structure de bande préliminaires (Y-M. Niquet), en prenant en compte les confinements latéraux et magnétiques, sont en bon accord qualitatif avec les résultats observés dans le régime de champ magnétique intense. Ce résultat est la première observation des effets de structure de bande dans les expériences de magnéto-transport sur les sc-NWs / The scope of this thesis is related to the electronic properties of quasi 1D systems probed by high field magnetotransport. Two different systems exhibiting quasi-1D confinement have been considered: carbon C60 peapods (C60@SWCNTs) and InAs semiconductor nanowires. The magnetotransport measurements on single nano-objets have been used to investigate the specific electronic structure of these 1D systems. In both cases, the high magnetic fields experiments have been supported by structural characterisation and conductance measurements at zero field.The encapsulation of various molecules inside carbon nanotubes (CNTs), as for instance C60 fullerenes encapsulated in SWCNT, constitutes promising routes towards the tunability of the CNT conductance. Among the wide variety of filled CNTs, peapods represent a pioneer hybrid structure discovered in 1998. Since that time, their electronic structure has been subjected to intense and controversial theoretical studies together with a limited number of experimental realizations. In this thesis the electronic properties of individual fullerene peapods have been investigated by combining micro-Raman spectroscopy and magnetotransport measurements on the same devices. We bring evidence that the encapsulated C60 strongly modify the electronic band structure of semiconducting nanotubes in the vicinity of the charge neutrality point, including a rigid shift and a partial filling of the energy gap. In addition by playing with a selective UV excitation of the fullerene, we demonstrate that the electronic coupling between the C60 and the CNT is strongly modified by the partial coalescence of the C60 and their distribution inside the tube. The experimental results are supported by numerical simulations of the Density of States and the conductance of CNTs with coalesced fullerenes inside (K. Katin, M. Maslov).Semiconductor nanowires (sc-NWs) are being the subject of intense researches started a decade ago. They represent model systems for the exploration of the electronic properties inerrant to the quasi1-D confinement. Moreover they offer the possibility to play with band structure tailoring and carrier doping. In this direction III-V sc-NWs such as InAs NWs have played a particular role due to the small electron effective mass. We have studied the high magnetic field conductance of single nanowires. Prior to the high field measurements, the zero and low field investigations have demonstrated a weakly diffusive regime of the carrier transport in these wires. The high field investigations have revealed a drastic conductance drop above a critical field, which clearly rises with the Fermi energy. This effect is interpreted by the loss of conducting channels once all the magneto-electric subbands, shifted toward the high energy range by the magnetic field, have crossed the Fermi energy. Preliminary band structure calculations (Y-M. Niquet), taking into account the lateral and magnetic confinements, are in fairly good qualitative agreement with the observed result in the high field regime. This result is the first observation of band structure effects in magneto-transport experiments on sc-NWs

Les composés intermétalliques à base d'éléments de terres rares et de métaux de transition présentent des propriétés magnétiques intéressantes pour les applications technologiques (aimants permanents, enregistrement magnétique,...). Ce travail est dédié à l'étude des propriétés structurales et magnétiques des nanomatériaux de type PrCo(3-x)Fex, dérivant de la structure PuNi3. L'état nanocristallin a pour but d'optimiser les propriétés magnétiques extrinsèques, il a été obtenu par broyage à haute énergie suivi d'un recuit. Les composés PrCo3 ont une anisotropie uniaxiale, une aimantation très importante et un champ coercitif de 12 kOe à température ambiante et de 55 kOe à T = 10 K. L'analyse des données de diffraction des rayons X par affinement Rietveld a montré que le système PrCo3-xFex est mono-phasé de type PuNi3 pour x < 1. La substitution du Co par Fe induit des améliorations significatives sur les propriétés magnétiques intrinsèques. Cette amélioration est due d'une part au renforcement du moment magnétique moyen 3d des composés substitués, et d'autre part à l'effet magnétovolumique. Parallèlement, nous avons complété cette étude expérimentale par deux études théoriques. La première approche, à l'échelle atomique, consiste à faire des calculs de type DFT des structures électroniques et des propriétés magnétiques intrinsèques des intermétalliques RCox, (R = Y, Pr et x = 2, 3, 5) et PrCo(3-x)Fex. La seconde approche correspondant à l'échelle mésoscopique a pour but d'interprêter le lien entre les propriétés magnétiques extrinsèques et la structure à l'échelle nanométrique. Elle est menée dans le cadre du micromagnétisme par une méthode de type éléments finis / The intermetallic based on rare earth and transition metal compounds present interesting magnetic properties for the technological applications (permanent magnets, magnetic recording,...). This work is dedicated to the study of the structural and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline PrCo(3-x)Fex, described in the PuNi3 type structure. The nanocrystalline state leads to optimize the extrinsic roperties, it has been obtained by high energy milling technique following by subsequent annealing. The compound PrCo3-xFex presents a very high uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy, a very important magnetization and a coercive field of 12 kOe at room temperature and 55 kOe at T = 10 K. The analysis result of X-ray diffraction pattern of PrCo(3-x)Fex using the Rietveld refinement showed that these compounds are single phase with the rhombohedral PuNi3-type structure for x < 1. The substitution of the Co by Fe leads to significant improvement on the intrinsic magnetic properties. This improvement comes from on the one hand the increase of average 3d magnetic moment on substituted compounds, and on the other hand the magnetovolumic effect. We have completed this experimental study by two theoretical investigations. The first approach, at the atomic scale, with DFT based calculations of the electronic structure and intrinsic magnetic properties of RCox (R = Y, Pr and x = 2, 3, 5) and PrCo3-xFex intermetallics. The second approach is the simulation of the extrinsic magnetic properties in the framework of micromagnetism. It has been performed in order to get a qualitative picture of the microstructure effect on the macroscopic magnetization curve, this model is treated by using the finite elements method

Le système zirconium-hydrogène est très étudié dans le cadre de la sûreté nucléaire car la précipitation d'hydrures entraîne la fragilisation des gainages, à base d'alliage de zirconium. Il s'agit de la première barrière de confinement des produits radioactifs : son intégrité doit être maintenue tout au long de la vie des assemblages combustible, en centrale y compris en cas d'accident et post-centrale (transport et entreposage). De nombreuses incertitudes demeurent quant aux cinétiques de précipitation des hydrures et à l'impact des contraintes sur leur précipitation. La modélisation à l'échelle atomique de ce système permettrait d'apporter des clarifications sur les mécanismes en jeu. Les méthodes traditionnelles de modélisation atomistique sont basées sur des approches thermostatistiques, dont la précision et la fiabilité dépendent du potentiel interatomique qui les alimente. Or il n'existe pas de potentiel rendant possible une étude rigoureuse du système Zr-H. Cette thèse a permis de développer cet outil manquant en utilisant l'approximation des liaisons fortes. Au-delà de ce nouveau potentiel, ce travail donne un guide détaillé des nombreuses étapes d'une dérivation de tels potentiels avec la prise en compte de l'hybridation spd, ajustés ici sur des calculs DFT. Ce guide est établi tant pour un métal de transition pur que dans la perspective d'un couplage métal-covalent (carbures, nitrures et siliciures métalliques). / The zirconium-hydrogen system is of nuclear safety interest, as the hydride precipitation leads to the cladding embrittlement, which is made of zirconium-based alloys. The cladding is the first safety barrier confining the radioactive products: its integrity shall be kept during the entire fuel-assemblies life, in reactor, including accidental situation, and post-operation (transport and storage). Many uncertainties remain regarding the hydrides precipitation kinectics and the local stress impact on their precipitation. The atomic scale modeling of this system would bring clarifications on the relevant mechanisms. The usual atomistic modeling methods are based on thermostatistic approaches, whose precision and reliability depend on the interatomic potential used. However, there was no potential allowing a rigorous study of the Zr-H system. The present work has indeed addressed this issue: a new tight-binding potential for zirconium hydrides modeling is now available. Moreover, this thesis provides a detailed manual for deriving such potentials accounting for spd hybridization, and fitted here on DFT results. This guidebook has be written in light of modeling a pure transition metal followed by a metal-covalent coupling (metallic carbides, nitrides and silicides).

O emprego de polímeros conjugados e blendas como camada ativa de diodos emissores de luz ou células fotovoltaicas é foco de intenso desenvolvimento científico na atualidade. O desempenho eletro-ótico de tais dispositivos é fortemente dependente das características estruturais e eletrônicas dos componentes poliméricos ou moleculares, que são difíceis de serem quantificadas, demandando a integração de resultados experimentais e modelagem teórica. A desordem intrínseca desses materiais também dificulta a modelagem e a simulação, sendo necessário o emprego de diferentes e complementares métodos e técnicas de física computacional. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo o estudo, em nível atomístico, da correlação entre propriedades morfológicas e eletrônicas de filmes poliméricos com alta desordem de: I) poli-para-fenileno-vinileno (PPV); II) poli-3-hexil-tiofeno (P3HT) e sua blenda com fulereno (C60). Empregamos modelagem por Dinâmica Molecular Clássica dos sistemas desordenados em temperatura finita; implementamos para tal adaptações específicas no Campo de Forças Universal, baseadas em cálculos quânticos de primeiros princípios. Para obtermos a estrutura eletrônica de modelos selecionados utilizamos método de Hartree-Fock semiempírico. O sistema de PPV é estudado com respeito à variação das propriedades morfológicas ao longo do processo de deformação uniaxial. Estabelecemos correspondência entre os efeitos do estiramento e o surgimento de anisotropia no espectro de fotoluminescência observado experimentalmente. Para os sistemas de P3HT simulamos diferentes tipos de empacotamento, estudamos as propriedades morfológicas e calculamos os estados eletrônicos relevantes ao transporte de buracos pelo polímero. Vemos como majoritária a ocorrência de estados com comprimento conjugado de quatro e cinco meros; além disso, com a desordem estrutural os níveis eletrônicos localizados passam a exibir grande proximidade em energia, com pouca relação ao comprimento de conjugação. Isso resulta no surgimento de uma Densidade de Estados gaussiana com largura de aproximadamente 100meV que se mostra independente das diferenças morfológicas entre os modelos simulados. / The use of organic conjugated polymers and blends as active layers of light emitting diodes and photovoltaic cells has been the focus of intense scientific development in recent years. The electro-optical performance of such devices depends strongly on the structural and electronic properties of the polymeric or molecular components, and is of difficult characterization, demanding integration of experimental results and theoretical modeling. A complicating factor to the theoretical modeling is the intrinsic disorder in these materials, which demands the use of different and complementary techniques and methods of computational physics. The goal of the present work is to study at the atomistic level the correlation between morphological and electronic properties of highly disordered films of: I) poly-para-phenylene-vinylene (PPV); II) poly-3-hexyl-thiophene (P3HT) and blends with fullerenes (C60). We applied Classical Molecular Dynamics to model the disordered systems at finite temperature employing the well-known Universal Force Field, to which we implemented specific corrections based on first-principles quantum calculations. For selected models we calculated the electronic structure through semiempirical Hartree-Fock. The PPV system was studied focusing on the effect of uniaxial stretching on morphological properties. We have established a connection between morphology effects and the anisotropy of light emission detected experimentally. For P3HT systems we simulated different packing systems and studied morphological properties, and the electronic structure of the localized states relevant to hole transport in the polymer film. We found higher occurrence of 4- and 5-mer long conjugated electronic states. Moreover, the structural disorder affects the electronic levels, reducing the energy separation of conjugated segments of different lengths. This makes possible the occurrence of a gaussian Density of States of approximately 100meV width, regardless of the different morphological signatures of the different simulated models.

Neste trabalho realizamos um estudo do comportamento do momento magnético e do deslocamento isomérico de uma impureza intersticial de Fe em hospedeiros metálicos de valências 4 (Ti, Zr), 3 (Sc, Y). Investigamos também impurezas intersticiais e substitucionais de Mo e Fe em hospedeiros divalentes. Para realizar este estudo fizemos cálculos de estrutura eletrônica utilizando o RS-LMTO-ASA (\"Real Space - Linear Muffin-Tin Orbital - Atomic Spherical Approximation\"), um método de primeiros princípios dentro da aproximação do funcional densidade local, implementado no espaço real. Calculamos o momento magnético no sítio da impureza nos sistemas acima e constatamos que a impureza intersticial de Fe é não magnética nos hospedeiros de valências 4 e 3, e que tanto as impurezas intersticiais como as substitucionais podem apresentar momento magnético nos hospedeiros divalentes. Mostramos que para os sistemas divalentes o momento magnético depende fortemente da relaxação. Os nossos resultados são explicados através de um modelo simples, baseado no modelo de Wolff. Investigamos também o comportamento do deslocamento isomérico no sítio da impureza de Fe nesses vários sistemas. Constatamos que os nossos resultados concordam razoavelmente bem com os dados experimentais e explicam o comportamento das tendências observadas. / In the present work, we have studied the magnetic moments and the behavior of the isomer shift at the interstitial Fe impurity site in Ti, Sc, Zr and Y hosts. We have also investigated interstitial and substitutional Fe and Mo impurities in Ca, Sr and Yb hosts. To perform the calculations, we have used the RS-LMTO-ASA scheme, a first principles method, within the local spin density approximation, implemented in real space. We calculated the magnetic moments at the impurity site in the above systems and all the substitucional impurities are found to be magnetic. The results show that interstitial Fe is non-magnetic in the tri- and tetravalent hosts, but interstitial Fe and Mo impurities could develop local magnetic moment in divalent hosts. \'We show that the magnetic moment at the impurity site in these divalent hosts is strongly dependent on lattice relaxation. The results can be explained using simple arguments based on Wolff model. We have investigated in a systematic way the behavior of the isomer shift of Fe impurities in these systems. We observed that our results are in generally good agreement with experiment and lead to better understanding of the observed trends in terms of the volume occupied by the Fe in each host.

Desde sua descoberta por S. Iijima em 1991, os nanotubos de carbono têm sido considerados um dos materiais nanoestruturados mais promissores para o desenvolvimento de novos dispositivos eletrônicos em escala nanoscópica. Devido _a sua alta razão entre a área superficial e o volume, esse material se destaca para aplicações como sensores de gás. No presente trabalho, estudamos através de simulações computacionais, a possibilidade de nanotubos de carbono com defeitos de nitrogênio (os chamados nanotubos CNx), poderem ser usados como sensores de moléculas gasosas. Na primeira parte do trabalho foram realizados cálculos de estrutura eletrônica baseados na Teoria do Funcional da Densidade (DFT) para diferentes sistemas formados pelo nanotubo e pela molécula. Através de cálculos de energia de ligação, foi possível identificar quais gases poderiam ou não serem adsorvidos à superfície do nanotubo. Dentre as moléculas investigadas, o monóxido de carbono e a amônia mostraram ser as mais facilmente adsorvidas ao nanotubo. Na segunda parte, foram realizados cálculos das propriedades de transporte utilizando o formalismo das funções de Green fora do equilíbrio (NEGF) recursivo. Foi possível concluir que os nanotubos estudados poderiam ser usados para detectar o monóxido de carbono e a amônia. Todavia, em relação à seletividade, os resultados indicaram que não parece possível distinguir essas duas moléculas, caso o sistema fosse inserido em um ambiente contendo uma mistura desses gases. Ainda, foram feitas simulações de nanotubos contendo defeitos aleatoriamente distribuídos, de forma a levar em conta os fatores de desordem característicos de sistemas mais realistas. / Since their discovery by S. Iijima in 1991, carbon nanotubes have been considered as one of the most promising nanostructured materials for the development of new nanoscopic electronic devices. Due to its high surface area to volume ratio, this material stands out as a candidate for possible gas sensoring applications. In this thesis, we have studied, by means of computational simulations, the possibility of using carbon nanotubes containing nitrogen defects (the so-called CNx nanotubes) as gas sensors. In the first part, we have performed electronic structure calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) of several systems to address the possible binding of different molecules to the nanotube surface. Our results indicate that, among the molecules which were investigated, carbon monoxide and ammonia adsorb more easily to the nanotube surface. In the second part of this thesis, we have performed calculations of the transport properties by means of non-equilibrium Green\'s function formalism (NEGF). The results have shown that the nitrogen-defect carbon nanotubes could be used to detect, mainly carbon monoxide and ammonia molecules. On the other hand, when dealing with the selectivity of this system, it seems to be not possible to distinguish these gases, in the case of inserting the system in a environment containing a mixture of these molecules. Finally, we have simulated carbon nanotubes with defects randomly distributed along its length, in order to take into account disordering factors usually found in more realistic nanosensors.

Utilizou-se um Hamiltoniano KP (6x6) do tipo Kane para, se estudar a estrutura de bandas e níveis de Landau para heteroestruturas de semicondutores zincblende dos grupos III-V e II-VI. Os efeitos do acoplamento entre as bandas de condução e valência, da mistura dos estados da banda de valência, da não-parabolicidade dos níveis, da total degenerescência dos níveis, do warping e das descontinuidades das massas efetivas nas heterointerfaces são levados em conta. Mostrou-se que a interação entre as bandas de condução e valência não pode ser desprezada, mesmo para semicondutores de gap largo, como citado em trabalhos existentes na literatura. Para um estudo sistemático do modelo, utilizou-se um poço quântico de GaAs Ga(Al)As e então aplicou-se o modelo a um sistema de semicondutores semi-magnéticos (poço quântico de CdTe Cd(Mn)Te). / A Kane-like (6x6) KP Hamiltonian is used to study the subband structure and Landau levels for group III-V and group II-VI zincblende semiconductor heterostructures. The effects of conduction-valence band coupling, valence band states mixing, nonparabolicity of the levels, the full degeneracy of the levels, warping and effective masses discontinuities at the heterointerfaces are taken into account. It is shown that the interaction between conduction-valence bands cannot be neglected, even so the semicondutctor have wide gap, as claimed in previous work in the literature. GaAs-Ga(Al)As quantum well was used as a model for a systematic study of the effects of each effective KP parameters. Then, it was applied to the study the subband structure of semi-magnetic semiconductor system (a quantum well of CdTe-Cd(Mn)Te.