This thesis describes investigations into the role of non-stoichiometry in the surface and bulk properties of SrTiO₃ single crystals. A family of (n×n) reconstructions, where n = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are produced by argon ion sputtering of the SrTiO₃ (111) single crystals and subsequent annealing in UHV or in an oxygen rich environment. The sputtering process introduces defects or oxygen vacancies in the surface region of the sample, whilst the annealing gives rise to surface reconstructions. The surface preparation conditions such as sputtering time, annealing temperature and environment are optimized to obtain various reconstructions in a controlled and reproducible manner. High resolution STM images of these reconstructions are also obtained and utilized in the investigation of the surface reactivity. Fullerene molecules are deposited on the reconstructed surfaces to elucidate the surface reactivity through template assisted growth. Fullerene molecules are first deposited with substrate surfaces held at room temperature. Being the most highly reduced among the (n×n) family, the 5×5 reconstruction significantly influenced the growth of fullerenes. Both C₆₀ and C₇₀ adsorb as individual molecules and produce clusters with magic numbers. The 4×4 and 6×6 reconstructed surfaces encourage the formation of close-packed structures upon the deposition at room temperature. When the surface covered with fullerenes is heated to a temperature of around 200 °C, epitaxial islands are observed. The 6×6 reconstructed surface appeared to be less reactive than the 4×4. Electrical transport, cathodoluminescence (CL) and electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments are also carried out to investigate the effect of oxygen vacancies on the bulk properties of UHV annealed SrTiO₃ single crystals. Thermal reduction leads to carrier doping of the material, which not only gives rise to electrical conduction but also induces room temperature luminescence. Both the electrical conductivity and CL intensity increases with annealing time. The work presented in this thesis provides insight into the defect driven properties in both the surface and bulk of SrTiO₃ single crystals, which could play an important role in the development of oxide-based electronic devices.

Cette thèse vise principalement à décorer des phtalocyanines avec des groupes de reconnaissance supramoléculaires pour induire leur auto-assemblage pour la première fois avec ces chromophores robustes imitant les bactériochlorophylles chlorosomales naturelles. D’autre part, cette thèse est également dédiée à la méthodologie de synthèse des complexes à trois étages avec des lanthanides complexant des porphyrines et phtalocyanines encombrantes.La première partie présente quelques concepts de base et des exemples segéstifs dans la biomimétique et l’auto-assemblage moléculaire. Les auto-assemblages biomimétiques des bactériochlorophylle c, d, e ont été examinés suivie par la synthèse, la séparation des régioisomères des phtalocyanines et des cellules solaires construites avec des phtalocyanines. La deuxième partie présente des travaux originaux sur une série d'antennes pour la coolléction de la lumière, comme les acylphthalocyanines qui font d'auto-assemblage avec des groupes carbonyle comme motifs de reconnaissance, un atome de zinc central et diverses chaînes alkyle de solubilisation. Ces nouveaux composés pourraient s’auto-assembler de la même manière que les bactériochlorophylles naturelles. La troisième partie de cette thèse se concentre sur les propriétés électrochimiques et magnétiques de lanthanides-porphyrine-phtalocyanine complexes sandwich ‘’triple deckers’’ volumineux, synthétisés par une nouvelle méthode sous irradiation avec des micro-ondes. Le site initial de l'oxydation ou de réduction de ce type de molécules à trois étages a d'abord été attribué par la combinaison de la spectroélectrochimie de couche mince. / This thesis mainly aims to decorate phthalocyanines with supramolecular recognition groups for inducing their self-assembly for the first time with these robust chromophores mimicking the natural chlorosomal bacteriochlorophylls. Meanwhile, this thesis is also dedicated to the synthetic methodology of bulky lanthanide porphyrin phthalocyanine triple-decker complexes. The first part provides some basic concepts and some delicate examples in biomimetics and molecular self-assembly, then biomimetic bacteriochlorophyll c, d, e self-assembles were simply reviewed, followed by the introduction on the synthesis, regioisomer separation of phthalocyanines and phthalocyanine-sensitized solar cells. The second part presents a series of light-harvesting antennas, namely self-assembling acyphthalocyanines, with carbonyl groups as recognition motifs, a central zinc atom and various solubilizing alkyl chains, which could self-assemble in the same way as the natural bacteriochlorophylls. These assemblies were characterized by UV-Vis, Variable-temperature UV-Vis and 1H-NMR spectra. The third part of this thesis focuses on the electrochemical and magnetic properties of bulky lanthanide porphyrin phthalocyanine triple-decker complexes synthesized by microwave-mediated, therein, the initial site of oxidation/reduction on this type of triple-decker molecules was firstly assigned by combining the thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry and the assignments of the electronic absorption spectra. Furthermore, the different single-molecule magnet behaviors of the corresponding Tb and Dy triple-decker complexes were also studied.

No description available.

In dieser Arbeit werden neue Strategien zur Wachstumskontrolle funktionaler organischer Dünnschichtmaterialien aufgezeigt, mit denen sich die Eigenschaften molekularer Schichtsysteme gezielt beeinflussen lassen. Ein Fokus liegt dabei auf der Untersuchung des Einflusses von optischen Feldern auf das Wachstumsverhalten. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt wird auf das Grundlagenverständnis von thermisch aktivierten, kinetischen Prozessen, die die Morphologie während und nach dem Schichtwachstum beeinflussen, gelegt. Zuerst wird am Beispiel des molekularen Halbleiters Sexithiophen (6T) gezeigt, wie sich Kontrolle über das Kristallphasengleichgewicht während des Wachstums auf Kaliumchlorid (KCl) erzielen lässt. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wird eine neue Herangehensweise zur direkten Ausrichtung von Molekülkristallen im optischen Feld während ihrer Entstehung studiert. Am Beispiel von Tetracene wird gezeigt wie sich so optische anisotrope Absorptionseigenschaften von Molekülen dazu nutzen lassen den Brechungsindex eines polykristallinen Films lokal durch ein photolitographisches Verfahren zu beeinflussen. Im dritten Teil wird der Einfluss von dynamisch variierenden Wachstumsbedingungen während des Schichtwachstums von PTCDI-C8 studiert. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich die Oberflächenrauigkeit stark reduzieren lässt, indem zu Beginn des Wachstums jeder individuellen molekularen Monolage die Nukleationsdichte stark erhöht und in den darauf folgenden Wachstumsphasen die Diffusivität gezielt gesteigert wird. Im vierten Teil wird das Diffusionsverhalten von n-Alkan Schichten unter thermischen Einflüssen betrachtet. Es wird gezeigt, dass die inhärente molekulare Anisotropie von C44H90 Molekülen (TTC) sowie die sehr geringe, stark anisotrope, Oberflächenenergie dieses Materials ein ungewöhnliches Diffusionsverhalten auslöst. / The research performed in the framework of this thesis focuses on new strategies to effectively control the growth of crystalline thin films of functional organic molecules and attributes the quest for additional growth control parameters in organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD). First the influence of light on the growth process of the sexithiophene (6T) is studied. We find that 6T thin films deposited as conventional in dark environments on KCl exhibit a bimodal growth with phase coexistence of two crystal polymorphs. In contrast, films grown under illumination with 532 nm light show increased phase purity. Further, we establish light-directed molecular self-assembly (LDSA) to generate permanently aligned thin films of tetracene (C18H12) and demonstrate direct patterning with light. Polarized light illumination leads to azimuthally photoaligned films on isotropic, amorphous substrates. Thus, LDSA can be regarded as a new degree of freedom in the quest for control-parameters in organic thin film growth. Next the impact of dynamic temperature oscillations on the time scales of molecular monolayer growth during organic molecular beam deposition is discussed. We strongly increase the island density during nucleation and selectively increase interlayer diffusion at later stages of monolayer growth. We analyse the interplay between molecular interlayer transport and island sizes to understand kinetic processes during growth. In a fourth experiment we show how thermal annealing can be used to improve smoothness and to increase the lateral size of crystalline islands of n-alkane (TTC, C44H90) films. We employ real-time optical phase contrast microscopy to track the diffusion across monomolecular step edges which causes the unusual smoothing during annealing. We rationalise the smoothing behaviour with the highly anisotropic attachment energies and low surface energies of TTC.

Au cours de cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à l'effet Kondo moléculaire au sein de réseaux supramoléculaires bidimensionnels en contact avec des surfaces métalliques monocristallines. Les techniques mises en oeuvre sont la diffraction d'électrons lents (LEED) et la microscopie à effet tunnel (STM) pour l'étude de la croissance ainsi que la spectroscopie à effet tunnel (STS) et la photoémission pour l'étude des propriétés électroniques. Les molécules employées dans le cadre de ce travail sont composées de macrocycles de phtalocyanine et tétraphénylporphyrine. Elles ont été choisies sur la base de l'orbitale contenant le spin moléculaire. Dans un premier cas, une phtalocyanine non métallée 2HPc a été déposée sur une surface monocristalline d'Ag(111). Un transfert de charge du métal vers la molécule conduit à l'apparition d'un effet Kondo à base température observé par STS sur des molécules individuelles ainsi que sur des auto-assemblages. Dans le deuxième cas, nous avons choisi un composé hôte à double plateaux contenant un ion cérium de type 4f. Nous avons mis en évidence l'influence du substrat sur l'effet Kondo. En effet, tandis que nous observons par STS, l'apparition d'une résonance Kondo lorsque la molécule est auto-assemblée sur Ag(111), aucun effet n'est observé sur Cu(111). Les résultats sont discutés en terme d'interactions molécule-molécule et molécule-substrat / In this work, we investigated molecular Kondo effect in two-dimensional supramolecular lattices adsorbed on metallic single crystalline surfaces by means of low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) and photoemission (PES). The molecular compounds used in this PhD thesis have been chosen in regards to their spin orbital. The first molecule under investigation is a metal free phthalocyanine adsorbed on Ag(111). A Kondo effect has been evidenced by STS for single molecules as well as for self-assembly up to one monolayer coverage at low temperature. In that case, the spin originates from charge transfer from the Ag surface to the molecule. The second molecular compound is a double-decker molecule hosting a cerium 4f-ion. In that case, a Kondo resonance is evidenced by STS when it is self-assembled on Ag(111) whereas it is absent on Cu(111). These results are discussed in terms of intermolecular and molecule-metal interactions

Ce travail de thèse est consacré à l’étude d’auto-assemblages de molécules organiques π-conjuguées par microscopie à effet tunnel (STM)sous ultra-vide sur une surface de silicium dopée bore. Le manuscrit est constitué de cinq chapitres : dans le premier chapitre, nous présentons un état de l’art des assemblages organiques sur les surfaces métalliques et sur les semi-conducteurs. Le chapitre deux décrit le dispositif expérimental utilisé au cours de cette thèse. Il présente également le substrat de Si(111)-B et fournit les concepts théoriques associés à la microscopie à effet tunnel. Le troisième chapitre décrit en détail les réseaux supramoléculaires obtenus à partir d’une molécule aromatique halogénée de symétrieC2. L’adsorption de 4,4"-dibromo-p-terphényle conduit à la formation de deux types de structures compactes (l’une en bande et l’autre en chevron) stables à température ambiante et commensurables avec la surface. Nous montrons que ces architectures sont pilotées conjointement par la liaison hydrogène, la liaison halogène et du π -stacking. Le quatrième chapitre étudie l’influence du nombre de cycles aromatiques sur la géométrie et la périodicité d’auto-assemblages obtenus sur Si (111) -B. Pour cela, nous avons synthétisé deux molécules organiques composées d’une partie centrale aromatique et de deux chaînes latérales (O-(CH2)9-CH3). La partie centrale est constituée respectivement de trois ou cinq cycles phényles terminées par des groupements cyano. Nous nous sommes également intéressés à l’influence des groupements terminaux sur l’organisation du réseau. Nous montrons que l’effet des groupements cyano sur les interactions "molécule/molécule" et sur les interactions "molécule/surface" est négligeable. A partir des travaux obtenus dans le chapitre 4, nous concluons notre manuscrit en présentant des réseaux supramoléculaires de molécules dipolaires. Ces réseaux forment des lignes de dipôles. Nous montrons que sur de petites échelles les molécules favorisent un alignement de leurs moments dipolaires. / This work is dedicated to the investigation under ultra high vacuum of _-conjugated molecule on a silicon surface by means of scanningtunneling microscopy (STM). The manuscript consists of five chapters.In the first chapter, we present a state-of-the-art of organic assembly on metal and semiconductor.Chapter two describes the experimental setup using during thesis. It also shows Si(111)-B substrate and gives theoretical conceptsassociated with the scanning tunneling microscopy.The third chapter describes in detail the supramolecular network obtained from an aromatic halogenated molecule with C2 symmetry. Theadsorption of 4,4"-dibromo-p-terphenyl leads to the formation of two kinds of compacts structures (a stripe structure and a herringbonestructure). The formed networks are stable at room temperature and commensurable with the surface. These architectures are promotedby hydrogen bond, halogen bond and _-stacking.Chapter four studies influence of benzene ring number on the geometry and the periodicity of self-assemblies on Si(111)-B. To do that,we have synthesis two organics molecules composed of an aromatic central part and two laterals chains (O-(CH2)9-CH3). The centralpart is composed of respectively three or five phenyl ring ended by cyano groups. We are also interested to the terminal groups effecton the network organisation. We show that the cyano groups effect on the "molecule/molecule" interaction and the "molecule/surface"interaction are negligible. Basis of the work conducted on the chapter four, we conclude our manuscript by presenting supramolecularsnetworks of dipolar molecule. These networks form dipole lines. We show that on small scale the molecules promote an alignment of theirdipolar moments.

The present thesis entitled “Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Nanomaterials” is divided into five chapters, staring with a general introduction. The remaining chapters focus on four different areas/projects that I have worked on. Chapter 1: Introduction to nanomaterials This chapter reviews the basic concepts of nanomaterials and their fabrication methods. Nanomaterials are defined as materials whose dimensions (at least one) are below 100 nm. One of the most exciting aspects of nanomaterials is that their properties may differ significantly from those of the corresponding bulk materials. Nanomaterials fabrication methods can be broadly classified according to whether the assembly follows either i) the bottom-up approach or ii) the top-down approach. These methods have been discussed with various examples including the self-assembly of proteins, peptides and small molecules. In the top-down approach synthetic procedures for Graphene Oxide and its application are discussed. All characterization techniques that are used for characterizing the nanomaterials are also described briefly. Chapter 2 Section A: Self-assembly of 1-Hydroxy benzotriazole (HOBT) in water The studies presented in Chapter 2 identifies HOBT as the smallest non-peptide building block that spontaneously self-assembles into hollow micro tubular structures upon evaporation of water. The tubes form under ambient conditions by rolling over of crystalline sheets of HOBT. The packing of HOBT in the tubes seem to be predominantly driven by intermolecular π-stacking interactions between the aromatic rings of HOBT. These structural and packing patterns are similar to those found in nanotubes formed by the self-assembly of peptides and other larger molecules. The cavities of these thermolabile microtubes act as molds for casting gold nanoparticles for the synthesis of gold microrods with monodisperse dimensions. The non-reacting inner surfaces of the cavities have been used to uniquely synthesize R6G-functionalized gold microrods. With these features, HOBT is an important novel non-peptide building block for accessing micro and nanometric materials for their applications in medicine, biology and molecular biotechnology. Section B: Controlling the orientation of self-assembly of HOBT microtubes The studies presented in this chapter address the self-assembly of HOBT into microtubular structures in different solvents of varying polarities (H2O and DCM:MeOH) to understand the role of solvent volatility and its direction on the orientation of the HOBT microtubes. HOBT self-assembles from DCM:MeOH mixtures in its bipolar canonical form and is coordinated with its water of hydration, similar to its crystals obtained from water. FTIR and TGA data shows that MeOH is also integrated with the microtubes. We observe for the first time that the orientation of microtubular self-assembly is controlled in the direction of evaporation of the solvent. We demonstrate further this feature by controlling the orientation of HOBT self-assembly in exclusively vertical direction through controlled vertical evaporation of the solvent mixture DCM:MeOH (9:1). Additionally, the unique transition between vertical and horizontal orientations for self-assembled HOBT microtubes is achieved by simple change of solvation between aqueous and organic solvents. These results reveal a dynamic relationship between the rate of evaporation of solvent and the rates of formation of different self-assembled morphologies. The rate of evaporation of the solvent primarily governs the rate of formation of the tubes, rather than their orientations in three dimensions. Chapter 3: Chemical origins of debris in Graphene Oxide (GO) This chapter is focused on the investigation of the carbonyl rich fragments arising from GO and provides an understanding of its formation. The fragments are expelled from GO due to an uncontrolled nucleophile driven reaction in aqueous medium leaving the holes on the sheet. These fragments are carbonyl rich small (5 ± 2 nm) nonaromatic molecules that form as by-products of oxidative chemical reactions that occur at the sp3 clusters on the basal surface of GO sheets when they are treated with nucleophilic bases under aqueous conditions. The structure and size of the debris, and hence that of the hole, depend on the size of the sp3 cluster on the sheet. These debris fall out of the GO sheet surface, leading to formation of nanometer sized holes. Formation of debris and hence the holes can be avoided by using anhydrous polar solvents. This work sheds new light on the fundamental structure of GO and the prevention of debris from it during redox reactions enabling better control over functionalization of the GO surface. Chapter 4: Measurement of mechanical properties of polypeptide fragment from Insulin like growth factor binding protein nanotubes by the Peak Force QNM method This chapter describes the discovery of Polypeptide fragment from an IGFBP-2. This fragment self-assembles spontaneously and reversibly into nanotubular structures under oxidizing conditions. These nanotubes were characterized by using Transmission electron microscopy. Notably as compared to the monomer, an increase in intrinsic fluorescence upon self-assembly. The thermal stability of these nanotubes is realized form the fluorescence studies. Peak Force Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping method of AFM was used to measure the Young’s modulus of the nanotubes. These nanotubes were found to have Young’s modulus value of ~10 Gpa, which is comparable to those of bones presumably due to intermolecular disulphide bonds. These nanotubes will have potential applications in tissue engineering. Chapter 5: Probing the pathways of n→π* interaction in peptides This chapter deals with the theoretical study of n→π* interaction in designed peptidomimetics. The n→π* interaction involves the delocalization of the lone pair of the donor group into the antibonding orbital (π*) of a carbonyl group. However despite beeing extensively studied there exists a debate over the validation of these n→π* interaction which is reminiscent to Bürgi and Dunitz trajectory. This chapter present our findings that peptidomimetics containing the 5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-oxazine (Oxa) and 5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-thiazine (Thi) functional groups at the C-terminus of Pro selectively stabilizes the cis conformer by reverse n→πi-1* interaction. These systems have been used to study the n→πi1* interaction using Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) method. Our study reveals that the energetically most favorable trajectory of a nucleophile for a favorable n→π* interaction presumably to facilitate the overlap between the lonepair of the nucleophile and the antibonding orbital of the carbonyl group. The geometrical requirements for the optimum n→π* interaction depends on the relative orientations of the orbitals that are involved. This study has implications for more accurately identifying long distant n→π* interaction.