Nous avons étudié des magmas ferrifères silicatés magnésiens à la pression du manteau terrestre en utilisant la dynamique moléculaire (First Principles Molecular Dynamics). Les résultats de l’équation d’état que nous avons obtenus à partir de nos simulations ont été utilisés pour créer un modèle chimique et minéralogique pour les zones de très basse vitesse sismique (ULVZ, anomalies régionales dans le manteau proche de la limite noyau-manteau). De plus, nous avons étudié le comportement du Ni, du Co et du Fe dans ces magmas et établi la dépendance du spin en fonction de la concentration, de la pression, de la température et du degré de polymérisation du magma silicaté. Nous avons montré qu’une baisse du spin moyen peut être corrélée au changement de pente (kink) observé précédemment pour les coefficients de partage du Ni et du Co. Nous avons analysé la structure du magma pour toutes les compositions étudiées en fonction de la pression. Nos résultats donnent un nouvel aperçu de la coordination des éléments majeurs et traces dans les magmas silicatés de différents degrés de polymérisation. Nous interprétons l’anomalie de coordination Ni-O en fonction de la pression comme un changement d’état de spin. L’effet de la polymérisation du magma silicaté sur les coefficients de partage du Co, du Ni et du W entre le métal et le magma silicaté a été étudié par expériences multi-enclumes en conditions isobares et isothermes. Nous avons réalisé des simulations FPMD de magmas à des degrés de polymérisation similaires aux expériences afin d’expliquer le caractère de plus en plus lithophile du W lorsque le degré de polymérisation du magma silicaté diminue. Nous proposons une explication structurale pour expliquer l’affinité décroissante apparente du W dans les magmas silicatés dépolymérisés. / We explore Fe-bearing Mg-silicate melts through the pressure regime of the Earth’s mantle using First Principles Molecular Dynamics (FPMD). The equation of state results we obtained from our simulations are used to create a chemical and mineralogical model for Ultra-Low Velocity Zones (anomalous region on the mantle side of the core-mantle boundary). Furthermore we study the behaviour of Ni, Co, and Fe in these melts, and asses their spin-crossover dependencies on their concentration, pressure, temperature, and the degree of polymerization of the silicate melts. We show that a decrease in the average spin can be correlated with the previously observed kink in the partitioning coefficient of Ni and Co. We investigate the melt structure of all the compositions studied as a function of pressure. Our results provide new insight into the coordination of major and trace elements in silicate melts with different degrees of polymerization. We interpret the anomalous Ni-O coordination trend with pressure as the result of the spin state change. The effect of silicate melt polymerization on the partitioning of Co, Ni, and W between a metal and silicate melt, is investigated at isobaric and isothermic conditions using multi-anvil experiments. We have performed FPMD simulations of melts with similar degrees of polymerization as the experiments in order to explain the increasing lithophile character of W with the decrease in polymerization of the silicate melt. We propose a structural explanation for tungsten’s apparent increased affinity for depolymerized silicate melts.

Ce travail consiste en l’étude par RMN multinoyaux de matériaux paramagnétiques d’électrodes positives pour batteries au Li. La RMN du solide permet une caractérisation de l’environnement local du noyau sondé grâce à l’exploitation des interactions hyperfines dues à la présence d’une certaine densité d’électrons célibataires (déplacement de contact de Fermi) ou de conduction (déplacement de Knight) sur ce noyau (densité transférée selon des mécanismes plus ou moins complexes). Les matériaux étudiés sont des phosphates de métaux de transition tels que Li3M2(PO4)3 (M = Fe, V), la famille des tavorites LiMPO4X (M = Fe, Mn; X = OH, F) ou encore les phases homéotypiques MPO4.H2O (M = Fe, Mn, V). Pour tous ces matériaux, caractérisés par RMN du 7Li, 31P et 1H, l’environnement local de ces noyaux a été étudié afin d’envisager les mécanismes de transfert de spin possibles. Des calculs ab initio ont été effectués pour reproduir les déplacements de RMN, puis établir des cartes de densité de spin afin d’étayer ou compléter la compréhension de ces mécanismes. / Paramagnetic materials for positive electrodes for Li batteries have been studied by multinuclear NMR. The local environment of the probed nucleus can be characterized by solid state NMR making use of hyperfine interactions due to transfer of some electron spin density (Fermi contact shift) on this nucleus, via more or less complex mechanisms. We studied a series of transition metal phosphates as Li3M2(PO4)3 (M = Fe, V) with anti-NASICON structure, LiMPO4X (M = Fe, Mn; X = OH, F) belonging to the tavorite family and the homeotypic phases MPO4.H2O (M = Fe, Mn, V). All these materials have been characterized by 7Li, 31P and 1H NMR, and the local environments of these nuclei have been analyzed to propose possible spin transfer mechanisms. First principles DFT calculations have been carried out to, first of all, reproduce the experimental NMR shifts, and then to confirm or complement the understanding of these mechanisms, in particular by plotting spin density maps.

Orientador: Alex Antonelli / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T11:09:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Michelon_MateusFontana_D.pdf: 2538667 bytes, checksum: 7cf68d701030ed6e318c7312b4f25a03 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Um dos objetivos da simulação atomística na ciência dos materiais é calcular as propriedades de um material virtual e propor rotas para sua fabricação em laboratório. Uma das principais propriedades que o material deve apresentar antes de ser sintetizado é a estabilidade termodinâmica. Como a estabilidade é determinada pela energia livre, o cálculo preciso desta quantidade é de fundamental importância na construção de um laboratório virtual. Neste contexto, desenvolvemos uma metodologia alternativa para a determinação da energia livre de ligas substitucionais, que leva em conta os graus de liberdade vibracionais e configuracionais com precisão controlada. A metodologia utiliza o método de Monte Carlo para simular a dinâmica de trocas e vibrações atômicas e determina a energia livre através dos métodos de ligação adiabática e escalamento reversível. Além disso, a metodologia é capaz de avaliar a influência de mecanismos associados à entropia vibracional, através da relaxação sucessiva de vínculos na dinâmica. Especificamente, permite quantificar os mecanismos de a) proporção de ligações entre átomos distintos, b) discrepância entre volumes atômicos e c) relaxação volumétrica, e identificar a origem da diferença de entropia vibracional na transição ordem-desordem. Testamos e aplicamos a metodologia para estudar um modelo semiempírico da liga Ni3Al. Observamos um aumento da entropia vibracional na transição ordem-desordem comparável com o aumento da entropia configuracional e explicado pelo aumento de volume na transição. Outra característica de um laboratório virtual é possuir modelos que descrevam satisfatoriamente os sistemas de interesse. Investigamos um potencial do tipo tight-binding e descobrimos que não é transferível para descrever fenômenos de ordem-desordem em diversas ligas. Além de investigar o fenômeno ordem-desordem em ligas, estudamos transições de fase líquido-líquido em substâncias puras. Apresentamos uma evidência teórica de transição líquido-líquido de primeira ordem em um modelo semiempírico do gálio, fornecendo suporte a uma recente evidência experimental de transição líquido-líquido no regime super-resfriado deste elemento. Além disso, as simulações atomísticas sugerem um mecanismo microscópico para esta transição. Outras características de um laboratório virtual são a possibilidade de estudar sistemas em condições experimentais inacessíveis e a capacidade de propor novos experimentos. Neste contexto, apresentamos uma evidência teórica de transição líquido-líquido em um modelo ab initio para o dióxido de carbono. A transição ocorre entre um líquido molecular e um líquido polimérico em uma região do diagrama de fases atualmente inacessível experimentalmente. Em um futuro próximo, esperamos que seja possível testar esta previsão teórica e sintetizar fases poliméricas por meios físicos. / Abstract: One of the goals of atomistic simulation in materials science is to calculate properties of a virtual material and suggest routes for its fabrication in laboratory. One of the main properties that the material must have before being synthesized is the thermodynamical stability. As the thermodynamical stability is determined by the free energy, its accurate calculation is of fundamental importance for the construction of a virtual laboratory. In this context, we developed an alternative methodology to determine the free energy of substitutional alloys, which takes into account both the vibrational and configurational degrees of freedom with controlled accuracy. The methodology uses the Monte Carlo method to simulate both the vibrational and exchange dynamics and uses the adiabatic switching and reversible scaling methods to calculate the free energy efficiently. In addition, the methodology is able to evaluate the effect of three mechanisms in the vibrational entropy, through successive relaxations of constraints associated with the dynamics. Specifically, it allows to quantify the mechanisms of a) bond proportion, b) atomic size mismatch and c) bulk volume, and thus identify the origin of the vibrational entropy difference at the order-disorder transition. We tested and applied the methodology to study a semiempirical model of the Ni3Al alloy. We observed an increasing of the vibrational entropy at the order-disorder transition comparable to the configurational entropy increasing and explained by an increasing of the bulk volume. Another expected feature of a virtual laboratory is to offer models that describe satisfactorily the systems of interest. We investigated a tight-binding potential and found out that it is not transferable to describe the order-disorder phenomena in several alloys. In addition to the study of the order-disorder phenomena in alloys, we investigated phase transitions between two liquids of a pure substance. We present a theoretical evidence of a first-order liquid-liquid phase transition in a semiempirical model of gallium, which lend support to the recent experimental evidence of a first-order liquid-liquid transition in the supercooled regime of this element. Moreover, the atomistic simulations suggest a microscopic mechanism for this phase transition. Another expected features of a virtual laboratory are the possibility to investigate systems in unreachable experimental conditions and the capacity to suggest new experiments. In this context, we present an ab initio theoretical evidence of a liquid-liquid phase transition in carbon dioxide. We predict a transition between a molecular liquid and a polymeric liquid at a temperature and pressure which are presently unreachable experimentally. We hope that in the near future it will be possible to test this theoretical prediction and synthesize polymeric phases through physical means. / Doutorado / Física da Matéria Condensada / Doutor em Ciências

La phase sigma peut servir de prototype de phases topologiquement compactes, car la phase sigma possède une large gamme d'homogénéité et il existe de nombreuses données expérimentales disponibles pour la phase sigma. Dans le présent travail, les propriétés physiques, comprenant l'ordre atomique, le volume molaire, l'enthalpie de formation et le module d’élasticité isostatique, de la phase sigma binaire ont été étudiées en utilisant les calculs de premiers principes et la méthode CALPHAD combinée aux données expérimentales de la littérature.Tout d'abord, nous avons constaté que l'ordre atomique (c'est-à-dire la distribution du constituant atomique ou la préférence d'occupation du site sur les sites non équivalents d'une structure cristalline) de la phase sigma est affecté par le facteur de taille et la configuration électronique des éléments constitutifs. En outre, nous avons dissocié les effets de ces facteurs d'influence sur l'ordre atomique. Ensuite, nous avons mis en évidence un effet de l'ordre atomique sur l'enthalpie de formation, le module d’élasticité isostatique et le volume molaire. A l'état ordonné à 0K, la phase sigma a une faible enthalpie de formation et un grand module d’élasticité isostatique. L'influence de l'ordre atomique sur le volume molaire de la phase sigma dépend de la configuration électronique des deux éléments constitutifs. Par ailleurs, la base de données des volumes molaires des phases sigma binaires a été construite, ce qui devrait grandement faciliter la conception du matériau. Enfin, nous avons discuté de la prédiction de l'occupation du site de la phase sigma en utilisant la méthode CALPHAD combinée aux calculs de premiers principes. / The sigma phase can serve as a prototype of topologically close-packed (TCP) phases, as the sigma phase bears a broad homogeneity range and there are numerous experimental data available for the sigma phase. In the present work, physical properties, including atomic order, molar volume, enthalpy of formation and bulk modulus, of the binary sigma phase were investigated by using first principles calculations and CALPHAD method combining with the experimental data from the literature. Firstly, we found that the atomic order (i.e. atomic constituent distribution or site occupancy preference on nonequivalent sites of a crystal structure) of the sigma phase is affected by the size factor and electron configuration of the constituent elements. Furthermore, we have dissociated the effect of the individual influencing factor on atomic order. Secondly, the atomic order is found affecting physical properties, such as enthalpy of formation, bulk modulus and molar volume. When in the ordered state at 0K, the sigma phase shows a low enthalpy of formation and a large bulk modulus. The influence of atomic order on the molar volume of the sigma phase depends on the electron configuration of the two constituent elements. Thirdly, the molar volume database of the binary sigma phase has been built up within the CALPHAD framework, which can greatly facilitate material design. Finally, we tentatively discussed the site occupancy prediction of the sigma phase by using the CALPHAD method combined with first-principles calculations.

The catalytic oxidation activity of platinum particles in automobile catalysts is thought to originate from the presence of highly reactive superficial oxide phases which form under oxygen-rich reaction conditions. The thermodynamic stability of platinum oxide surfaces and thin films was studied, as well as their reactivities towards oxidation of carbon compounds by means of first-principles atomistic thermodynamics calculations and molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory. On the Pt(111) surface the most stable superficial oxide phase is found to be a thin layer of alpha-PtO2, which appears not to be reactive towards either methane dissociation or carbon monoxide oxidation. A PtO-like structure is most stable on the Pt(100) surface at oxygen coverages of one monolayer, while the formation of a coherent and stress-free Pt3O4 film is favoured at higher coverages. Bulk Pt3O4 is found to be thermodynamically stable in a region around 900 K at atmospheric pressure. The computed net driving force for the dissociation of methane on the Pt3O4(100) surface is much larger than on all other metallic and oxide surfaces investigated. Moreover, the enthalpy barrier for the adsorption of CO molecules on oxygen atoms of this surface is as low as 0.34 eV, and desorption of CO2 is observed to occur without any appreciable energy barrier in molecular dynamics simulations. These results, combined, indicate a high catalytic oxidation activity of Pt3O4 phases that can be relevant in the contexts of Pt-based automobile catalysts and gas sensors.

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The thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity of Zr, ZrC, and ZrN were calculated using first-principles density functional theory (DFT) and the Boltzmann transport equation. The electron-phonon scattering was modeled via the self-energy relaxation time approximation (SERTA), and the phonon-phonon scattering via the analogous single-mode relaxation time approximation (SMRTA). The results obtained from Abinit's electron-phonon coupling code EPH is in good agreement with experimental reference data for Zr and ZrN. Notably, the calculated electrical resistivity of ZrC was found to be significantly lower than the available reference data, likely due to deviations from a perfect Zr/C stoichiometric ratio in the experimental samples. Additionally, it was observed that the calculated lattice thermal conductivity was overestimated at low temperatures, possibly attributed to the neglect of electron-phonon scattering that otherwise appears in metallic systems. / Värmeledningsförmågan och den elektriska resistiviteten för Zr, ZrC och ZrN beräknades med hjälp av täthetsfunktionalteori (DFT) och Boltzmanns transportekvation. Elektron-fononspridningen modellerades via 'self-energy relaxation time approximation' (SERTA), och fonon-fononspridningen via den motsvarande 'single-mode relaxation time approximation' (SMRTA). Resultaten från Abinits elektron-fononkopplingskod EPH stämmer väl överens med experimentella referensdata för Zr och ZrN. Den beräknade elektriska resistiviteten för ZrC visade sig emellertid vara betydligt lägre än all tillgänglig referensdata, troligtvis på grund av avvikelser från ett perfekt Zr/C-stökiometriskt förhållande i de experimentella proverna. Dessutom observerades att det beräknade fononbidraget till värmeledningsförmågan överskattades vid låga temperaturer, vilket möjligen beror på försummelsen av elektron-fononspridning som annars framträder i metalliska system.

Depuis la mise en évidence des potentialités du phosphate LiFePO4 comme électrode positive de batteries lithium-ion, un très fort regain d’intérêt pour les phosphates de fer est actuellement observé. Dans cette optique de recherche de nouveaux matériaux, notre intérêt s’est porté sur la phase Na3Fe3(PO4)4 et sur des monophosphates de fer et de manganèse de type alluaudite LiXNa1-XMnFe2(PO4)3. Leurs structures, respectivement en couche et en chaines, en font de bons candidats pour des applications en tant que matériau d’électrode pour des batteries au lithium ou au sodium. Notre étude porte donc, d’une part, sur la synthèse et la caractérisation structurale de ces phases, et d’autre part sur leurs propriétés physiques et électrochimiques. / Since the discovery of highly interesting properties for LiFePO4 as a positive electrode material in lithium ion batteries, the search for novel polyanion-based insertion hosts is intense. Actually, cathodic materials based on iron phosphates exhibit high stability and economical and environmental interests. In this context, we were interested in Na3Fe3(PO4)4 with a lamellar structure and in alluaudite-like iron and manganese phosphates LiXNa1-XMnFe2(PO4)3 which structure exhibits tunnels. This work deals, in one hand, on the synthesis and the structural characterisation of these materials and in the other hand on their physical and electrochemical properties as positive electrode for lithium and sodium batteries.