De nouveaux nano-objets anisotropes fluorescents sont obtenus par l’assemblage d’acènes spécifiquement conçus. Dans des cristaux, nano-rubans et nanoparticules anisotropes de 2,3-dialkyldiphenylanthracènes, les efficacités et la polarisation de l’émission bleue sont remarquables. La couleur de l’émission est accordée par le dopage avec des émetteurs verts et oranges (di- et tétra-phényltétracènes). La microscopie confocale de fluorescence permet d’étudier les cinétiques des états excités et des transferts d’énergie photo-induits, ainsi que la dispersion et les orientations des émetteurs. Pour la première fois, l’influence de la largeur de nano-rubans sur la cinétique d’annihilations triplet-triplet de tétracènes est mise en évidence. La microscopie révèle également le polymorphisme inhabituel d’un dérivé diéthynylphényl-anthracène. Ce travail ouvre des perspectives pour le développement et l’étude de processus fondamentaux de nano-matériaux luminescents. / New fluorescent anisotropic nano-objects are obtained by the assembly of specifically designed acenes. In crystals, nano-ribbons and anisotropic nanoparticles of 2,3-dialkyldiphenylanthracenes, the efficiencies and the polarization of the blue emission is remarkable. The color of the emission is tuned by doping with green and orange emitters (di-and tetra-phenyltetracenes). Confocal fluorescence microscopy is used to study the kinetics of excited states and photo-induced energy transfers, as well as the dispersion and orientation of the emitters. For the first time, the influence of the width of the nano-ribbons on the kinetics of tetracene triplet-triplet annihilations is highlighted. Microscopy also reveals the unusual polymorphism of a diethynylphenyl anthracene derivative. This work opens perspectives for the development and study of fundamental processes of luminescent nano-materials.

This thesis is devoted to first-principles simulations of bio- and nano-materials,focusing on various soft x-ray spectra, ground-state energies and structures of isolated largemolecules, bulk materials, and small molecules in ambient solutions. K-edge near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra, x-ray emission spectra, andresonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectra of DNA duplexes have been studied by means oftheoretical calculations at the density functional theory level. By comparing a sequence of DNAduplexes with increasing length, we have found that the stacking effect of base pairs has verysmall influence on all kinds of spectra, and suggested that the spectra of a general DNA can bewell reproduced by linear combinations of composed base pairs weighted by their ratio. The NEXAFS spectra study has been extended to other realistic systems. We have used cluster modelswith increasing sizes to represent the infinite crystals of nucleobases and nucleosides, infinitegraphene sheet, as well as a short peptide in water solution. And the equivalent core holeapproximation has been extensively adopted, which provides an efficient access to these largesystems. We have investigated the influence of external perturbations on the nitrogen NEXAFSspectra of guanine, cytosine, and guanosine crystals, and clarified early discrepancies betweenexperimental and calculated spectra. The effects of size, stacking, edge, and defects to theabsorption spectra of graphene have been systematically analyzed, and the debate on theinterpretation of the new feature has been resolved. We have illustrated the influence of watersolvent to a blocked alanine molecule by using the snapshots generated from molecular dynamics. Multi-scale computational study on four short peptides in a self-assembled cage is presented. It isshown that the conformation of a peptide within the cage does not corresponds to its lowest-energyconformation in vacuum, due to the Zn-O bond formed between the peptide and the cage, and theconfinement effect of the cage. Special emphasis has been paid on a linear-scaling method, the generalized energy basedfragmentation energy (GEBF) approach. We have derived the GEBF energy equation at the Hartree-Focklevel with the Born approximation of the electrostatic potential. Numerical calculations for amodel system have explained the accuracy of the GEBF equation and provides a starting point forfurther refinements. We have also presented an automatic and efficient implementation of the GEBFapproach which is applicable for general large molecules. / QC 20110404

De nos jours, les biocapteurs électrochimiques constituent des outils rapides, fiables, rentables et sans marquage pour la détection sur site des polluants environnementaux et l’évaluation des critères de sécurité alimentaire et pour la détection des résidus militaires sur le terrain. Nous avons développé des biocapteurs d’affinité basés sur des récepteurs biologiques pour la détection électrochimique de l'estradiol dans des échantillons environnementaux et de molécules odorantes dans l'adultération de viande de porc. Des biocapteurs sensibles, sélectifs, rapides, simples reproductible, stables et efficaces ont été élaborés. En outre, une autre stratégie basée sur des nanomatériaux intégrés a été employée pour élaborer un capteur biomimétique pour la détection d’explosifs, qui a montré de bonnes qualités dans la protection de l'environnement. A la fin du manuscrit, certaines perspectives sont discutées / Nowadays, electrochemical biosensors are rapid, reliable, cost-effective and label-free tools for in field monitoring of environmental pollutants, for assessing the food safety criterion and for detection of the territory military residues. We developed biological receptors based affinity biosensors for electrochemical detection of estradiol in environment samples and odorant molecules in pork meat adulteration. The sensitive, selective, rapid, simple, repetitive, stable and effective biosensors were produced. In addition, another strategy entrapment based on integrated nano-material was used to produce a biomimetic sensor for explosives detection, which has shown good valuable in environmental protection and homeland security. In the end, certain significant prospective are discussed

Folien aus mehrwandigen Kohlenstoffnanoröhren, auch Buckypaper genannt, stellen eine vielversprechende Alternative zu herkömmlichen Schirmmaterialien für elektromagnetische Strahlung dar. Zum Aufbau eines grundlegenden Verständnisses und zur Verbesserung der Verarbeitbarkeit gegenüber kommerziell erhältlichem Buckypaper, wurden nach Auswahl eines geeigneten Herstellungsverfahrens Buckypaper aus unterschiedlichen Nanomaterialien hergestellt. Zur Untersuchung der Auswirkung ausgewählter Herstellungsparameter erfolgte dabei eine Parametervariation mittels statistischer Versuchsplanung. Zusätzlich wurden im Vorfeld weitere Einflussfaktoren betrachtet. Dadurch konnten unterschiedliche Einwaagemengen und Rohmaterialien, verschiedene Lösungsmittel und Konzentrationen der Nanomaterialien sowie diverse Prozessparameter des angewandten Nassprozesses untersucht werden. Im Rahmen der Charakterisierung der hergestellten Proben, mittels unter anderem Vierleiter- und Schirmdämpfungsmessung sowie Rasterelektronenmikroskopie, wurden die signifikanten Einflüsse der untersuchten Parameter identifiziert und beschrieben. Es konnten dadurch sehr homogene Buckypaper mit hoher Leitfähigkeit und guter Schirmungseffektivität hergestellt werden, die eine verbesserte Grundlage für die weitere Entwicklung mikrostrukturierter Schutzfolien bilden. Aus dem Ergebnis der Arbeit lassen sich optimale Herstellungsparameter von Buckypaper für den Einsatz als Schirmmaterial im Bereich der elektromagnetischen Verträglichkeit ermitteln. / Freestanding multiwalled carbon nanotube sheets, also known as buckypaper, represent a promising alternative for various applications, especially for electromagnetic interference shielding. In order to develop a fundamental understanding and improve the processability compared to commercially available buckypaper, sheets from different nanotube materials were produced after a suitable manufacturing process had been selected. Design of experiments was used to investigate the effects of various manufacturing parameters. Other influencing factors were considered in advance. Several raw materials of different weights, varying solvents and concentrations of the nanomaterials as well as various processing parameters of the applied wet process were thereby examined. Significant influences on the properties of produced buckypaper were identified during characterization by, among other means, four-point probe, shielding attenuation measurements and scanning electron microscopy. From the result, optimal manufacturing parameters can be determined. Thus, very homogeneous buckypaper with high electrical conductivity as well as good mechanical strength and shielding effectiveness could be produced. This provides a solid foundation for further development of frequency selective electromagnetic interference shields.

No description available.

Three-way catalysis (TWC) involves simultaneous removal of the three pollutants (i.e., CO, NOx, and HCs) which led to the branch of auto-exhaust catalysis. CeO2 has become the main component of TWC catalyst because of its oxygen storage storage (OSC) property to supply oxygen under excess fuel condition and store oxygen under lean condition. Substitution of smaller isovalent cations like Ti4+, Zr4+ and Hf4+ ions in CeO2 forming Ce1-xMxO2 (M = Ti, Zr &Hf) solid solution enhance the OSC property. XRD along with EXAFS study showed that cations arrange in FCC lattice but oxygen coordination around metal ions is split into 4 + 4 coordination in Ce1-xMxO2 instead of ideal 8 coordination in CeO2. The longer Ce/Ti/Zr – O bonds are weakly bound and can be easily removed by H2 giving high OSC value than pure CeO2. Among the three OSC systems studied here, Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 showed exceptionally high OSC which lead to formation of a new a pyrochlore, Ce2Zr2O6.3. This compound is nearly metallic. Ce0.85-xTi0.15PtxO2- (x = 0.01 & 0.02) crystallizes in fluorite structure and Pt is ionically substituted with 2+ and 4+ oxidation states. H/Pt atomic ratio at 30 oC over Ce0.84Ti0.15Pt0.01O2- is 5 and over Ce0.99Pt0.01O2-δ is 4 against just 0.078 for 8 nm Pt metal particles. Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon oxidation activity are much higher over Ce1-x-yTixPtyO2 (x= 0.15, y= 0.01, 0.02) compared to Ce1-xPtxO2 (x= 0.01, 0.02). Synergistic involvement of Pt2+/Pt0 and Ti4+/Ti3+ redox couples in addition to Ce4+/Ce3+ due to the overlap of Pt(5d), Ti(3d), and Ce(4f) bands near EF is shown to be responsible for enhanced redox property and higher catalytic activity. On substitution of Pd ion in Ce1-xTixO2, more lattice oxygen is found to be more labile than Pd in CeO2. The easy removal of oxygen from the more reducible Ti4+ containing support plays a major role in showing higher catalytic activity of this material for CO oxidation, N2O and NO reduction by CO. The catalyst shows 100% N2 selectivity  240 oC in NO+CO reaction. It has been shown that oxide ion vacancy creation created by removal of lattice oxygen by CO is responsible for dissociation of NO or N2O at a lower temperature. Ionicity of Pd2+ ion in different support could be varied by varying the ionicity of the oxide support itself. Rates of CO oxidation increases or activation energy decreases over Ce1-xPdxO2-δ, Ti1-xPdxO2-δ and Ce1-x-yMxPdyO2-δ (M = Ti, Zr, Hf ; x = 0.25, 0.4 ; y = 0.02) is increased with ionicity of Pd2+ ion. The substitution of Sn in CeO2 forming Ce1-xSnxO2 (x = 0.1-0.5) solid solution was prepared using tin oxalate precursor by solution combustion method. These oxides can be promising support for noble metals because of the Sn4+  Sn2+ redox couple in addition to Ce3+/Ce4+. The two electron process involved in the redox reaction of Sn as well as easy reducibility of Sn4+ to Sn2+ offers a far better redox catalytic system hitherto not reported. Ce1-xSnxO2 solid solutions as well as Pd ion substituted Ce1-xSnxO2 was prepared for the first time.

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Untersuchung der gekoppelten Einflüsse ‎von Gasart, Porengröße und Porengrößenverteilung auf die effektive ‎Wärmeleitfähigkeit nicht-durchströmter poröser Materialien (Dämmstoffe). Diese ‎Zusammenhänge sind bisher nur ansatzweise bekannt und für eine spätere ‎praktische Anwendung von zunehmend großer Bedeutung. Um dies zu erreichen ‎wurden 12 verschiedene hoch poröse Materialien (Porosität höher als 70 %) ‎ausgewählt, die unterschiedlichen Porengrößenverteilungen im Makro- Mikro- und ‎Nanobereich haben. Die effektive Wärmeleitfähigkeit wurde hauptsachlich in zwei ‎unterschiedlichen Messverfahren untersucht. Die Messungen erfolgt bei normalem ‎Druck in vier Gas Atmosphären ‎(Kr, Ar, N2 and He) bei Temperaturen bis maximal 900 °C. Kritische Analyse zum ‎jeweiligen Messverfahren und Auswertungsalgorithmus wurden durchgeführt. Ein ‎mathematisches Model basiert auf die Porengrößenverteilung mit Berücksichtigung ‎des Knudsen Effekts wurde entwickelt um die Änderung der effektiven ‎Wärmeleitfähigkeit beim Wechsel der Gas Atmosphäre auszuwerten. Diese führt zu ‎besser Ergebnisse als die ausgewertet Ergebnisse von den vorhandenen Modellen ‎aus der Literatur. ‎ / In the present work, the influences of exchanging the filling gas accompanied with Knudsen effect on effective thermal conductivity were investigated with experiments and physical mathematical modeling. This work is thought to be the first intensive study in this area of the research, which includes twelve different porous insulation materials. Analysis of the huge number of experimental results leaded to new observations regarding various coupling effects. An improved model for predicting the change in effective thermal conductivity due to exchanging the filling gas has been developed with regards to the Knudsen effect based on models for rarefied gases and parallel arrangements models for effective thermal conductivity.

In this thesis, a novel in-situ method for incorporating nanoscale ceramic particles into metal has been developed. The ceramic phase is introduced as an organic-polymer precursor that pyrolyzes in-situ to produce a ceramic phase within the metal melt. The environment used to shield the melt from burning also protects the organic precursor from oxidation. The evolution of volatiles (predominantly hydrogen) as well as the mechanical stirring causes the polymer particles to fragment into nanoscale dispersions of a ceramic phase. These “Polymer-based In-situ Process-Metal Matrix Composites” (PIP-MMCs) are likely to have great generality, because many different kinds of organic precursors are commercially available, for producing oxides, carbides, nitrides, and borides. Also, the process would permit the addition of large volume fractions of a ceramic phase, enabling nanostructural design, and production of MMCs with a wide range of mechanical properties, meant especially for high temperature applications. An important and noteworthy feature of the present process, which distinguishes it from other methods, is that all the constituents of the ceramic phase are built into the organic molecules of the precursor (e.g., polysilazanes contain silicon, carbon, and nitrogen); therefore, a reaction between the polymer and the host metal is not required to produce the dispersion of the refractory phase. The polymer precursor powder, with a mean particle size of 31.5 µm, was added equivalent to 5 and 10 weight % of the melt (pure magnesium) by a liquid metal stir-casting technique. SEM and OM microstructural observations show that in the cast structure the pyrolysis products are present in the dendrite boundary region in the form of rod/platelets having a thickness of 100 to 200 nm. After extrusion the particles are broken down into fine particles, having a size that is comparable to the thickness of the platelets, in the 100 to 200 nm range, and are distributed more uniformly. In addition, limited TEM studies revealed the formation of even finer particles of 10-50 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the presence of a small quantity of an intermetallic phase (Mg2Si) in the matrix, which is unintended in this process. There was a significant improvement in mechanical properties of the PIP-MMCs compared to the pure Mg. These composites showed higher macro-and micro-hardness. The composite exhibited better compressive strength at both room temperature and at elevated temperatures. The increase in the density of PIP-composites is less than 1% of Mg. Five weight percent of the precursor produced a two-fold increase in the room-temperature yield strength and reduced the steady state creep rate at 723 K by one to two orders of magnitude. PIP-MMCs showed higher damping capacity and modulus compared to pure Mg, with the damping capacity increasing by about 1.6 times and the dynamic modulus by 11%-16%. PIP-composites showed an increase in the sliding wear resistance by more than 25% compared to pure Mg.

Les matériaux poreux silicatés ont été mis à profit pour encapsuler différents types de molécules, clusters ou nano-objets fonctionnels, donnant lieu à des nanocomposites hybrides organiques-inorganiques à propriétés physiques, chimiques ou biologiques remarquables. Élucider l'organisation structurale à l'échelle moléculaire de tels nanocomposites est indispensable pour l'analyse et la compréhension des propriétés macroscopiques qui en découlent. Ainsi, les techniques de diffusion totale associées à la fois à l'analyse Debye et la Fonction de Distribution de Paires (PDF) sont des méthodes de choix pour la caractérisation des propriétés structurales de matériaux hybrides nano-structurés. Le principal objectif de ce travail consiste à l'utilisation des approches basées sur la diffusion totale de rayons X pour l'analyse structurale complète de molécules photoactives confinées dans des matrices silicatées amorphes avec différentes tailles de pores, afin d'étudier l'influence de l'organisation structurale sur les propriétés optiques et d'explorer également les limites de ces approches d'analyse. Nous avons étudié deux systèmes photoactifs. L'analyse structurale du premier complexe confiné, Na2[Fe(CN)5NO].2H2O (SNP), a été entreprise par une approche multi-échelle combinant la RMN du solide et l'analyse PDF. Cette approche a permis l'identification de la nature des espèces incorporées, l'arrangement des cations et des anions ainsi que la distinction des différentes phases existantes : molécules isolées et nanoparticules. Les analyses Debye et PDF sur le deuxième composé étudié, [NdCl2(H2O)6]Cl, montrent que l'organisation structurale du complexe confiné est différente de celle du matériau massif cristallin. De plus, les cations Nd3+ changent de coordination de 8 à 9 durant le processus d'imprégnation et adoptent ainsi un arrangement structural très similaire à celui en solution aqueuse. Cette modification structurale est en accord avec le changement des propriétés luminescentes de ce complexe / Silica xerogels are versatile host materials for the inclusion of molecules, clusters, or nano-objects yielding host-guest compounds with unique physical, chemical or biological properties. The knowledge of the structural organization of the guest within the host is crucial for the understanding of its properties. Total scattering methods, based on Debye function analysis (DFA) and Pair Distribution Function (PDF), have become powerful tools for structural characterization of nanostructured hybrid materials. The aim of this work is to use the X-ray total scattering method to obtain structural information on photoactive molecules embedded into amorphous silica hosts with different pore sizes, to correlate their structure with the optical properties, and to explore the limitations of the chosen method. Two different photoactive complexes have been investigated. In the first example, the combined PDF and NMR study on Na2[Fe(CN)5NO].2H2O (SNP) embedded into silica matrices allows to extract the nature of the inserted species: quasi-free isolated molecules can be distinguished from nanoparticles and in the former case a model for the arrangement of cation-anion can be proposed from the PDF analysis. In the second example, a luminescent Nd3+ complex, the PDF and DFA analysis reveal that the structural organization of the embedded Nd3+ complexes is different from that of the crystalline material. Furthermore, the Nd3+ cations change the coordination from 8 to 9 during the wet-impregnation doping and adopt very similar structural arrangement as in aqueous solution, which is in agreement with the observed change in the luminescence properties

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Untersuchung der gekoppelten Einflüsse ‎von Gasart, Porengröße und Porengrößenverteilung auf die effektive ‎Wärmeleitfähigkeit nicht-durchströmter poröser Materialien (Dämmstoffe). Diese ‎Zusammenhänge sind bisher nur ansatzweise bekannt und für eine spätere ‎praktische Anwendung von zunehmend großer Bedeutung. Um dies zu erreichen ‎wurden 12 verschiedene hoch poröse Materialien (Porosität höher als 70 %) ‎ausgewählt, die unterschiedlichen Porengrößenverteilungen im Makro- Mikro- und ‎Nanobereich haben. Die effektive Wärmeleitfähigkeit wurde hauptsachlich in zwei ‎unterschiedlichen Messverfahren untersucht. Die Messungen erfolgt bei normalem ‎Druck in vier Gas Atmosphären ‎(Kr, Ar, N2 and He) bei Temperaturen bis maximal 900 °C. Kritische Analyse zum ‎jeweiligen Messverfahren und Auswertungsalgorithmus wurden durchgeführt. Ein ‎mathematisches Model basiert auf die Porengrößenverteilung mit Berücksichtigung ‎des Knudsen Effekts wurde entwickelt um die Änderung der effektiven ‎Wärmeleitfähigkeit beim Wechsel der Gas Atmosphäre auszuwerten. Diese führt zu ‎besser Ergebnisse als die ausgewertet Ergebnisse von den vorhandenen Modellen ‎aus der Literatur. ‎ / In the present work, the influences of exchanging the filling gas accompanied with Knudsen effect on effective thermal conductivity were investigated with experiments and physical mathematical modeling. This work is thought to be the first intensive study in this area of the research, which includes twelve different porous insulation materials. Analysis of the huge number of experimental results leaded to new observations regarding various coupling effects. An improved model for predicting the change in effective thermal conductivity due to exchanging the filling gas has been developed with regards to the Knudsen effect based on models for rarefied gases and parallel arrangements models for effective thermal conductivity.