Avanços recentes na síntese e manipulação de nanofios semicondutores têm aberto novas oportunidades tecnológicas. Nanofios de silício (SiNWs) pertencem a uma classe única de nanofios semicondutores, pelo fato de que, em um futuro próximo eles possam ser utilizados como elementos de integração entre dispositivos dentro do contexto da tecnologia do silício convencionais. Também há outras aplicações, tais como nanosensores químicos e biológicos a nível atômico ou molecular, possibilitando aplicações e desenvolvimento de tecnologias de sensoriamento in vivo. Realizamos uma investigação teórica da estabilidade e plasticidade de nanofios de silício usando o estado da arte em simulações de dinâmica molecular e em potenciais interatômicos. Consideramos nanofios com as direções de crescimento h100i, h110i e h112i com diversos diâmetros e tipos de facetas. Encontramos que o perímetro, e não o diâmetro, é o parâmetro relevante para descrever as dimensões dessa classe de sistema. Verificamos a performance de diversos potenciais interatômicos para o silício, e encontramos que o EDIP fornece uma melhor descrição para nanofios de silício. Encontramos que as famílias de facetas de superfície desempenham um papel central na energia total do nanofio, que segue uma lei universal como função do perímetro. Também calculamos a resposta de um nanofio de silício a uma tensão uniaxial externa, que habilita-nos a sugerir um novo método de obter nanofios de silício ultrafinos por nanodeformação. Os resultados de estabilidade e plasticidade são comparados com dados experimentais e \'ab initio\' disponíveis na literatura. / Recent advances in synthesizing and manipulating semiconductor nanowires have opened new technological opportunities. Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) belongs a unique class of semiconductor nanowires, since they could be used in conventional silicon device technology in a near future. Additionally, there are other applications, such as chemical and biological nanosensors at atomic or molecular level, opening a new range of technological applications of in vivo sensoring. Here, we carried a theoretical investigation on the stability and plasticity of silicon nanowires using the state of art of molecular dynamics and interatomic potential. We considered nanowires with h100i, h110i and h112i growth directions with several diameters and facet configurations. We found that the perimeter, and not the diameter, is the relevant parameter to describe dimensions in this class of systems. We tested the reability of several interatomic potential for silicon, and found that the EDIP model provides the best description of silicon nanowires. We found that the surface facet family plays a central role on the nanowire total energy, which follows an universal scale law as a function of perimeter. We also computed the response of a silicon nanowire to external load, which allowed us to suggest a new method to obtain ultra thin silicon nanowires by nanodeformation. The results on stability and plasticity are compared to experimental and ab initio results available in the literature.

Avanços recentes na síntese e manipulação de nanofios semicondutores têm aberto novas oportunidades tecnológicas. Nanofios de silício (SiNWs) pertencem a uma classe única de nanofios semicondutores, pelo fato de que, em um futuro próximo eles possam ser utilizados como elementos de integração entre dispositivos dentro do contexto da tecnologia do silício convencionais. Também há outras aplicações, tais como nanosensores químicos e biológicos a nível atômico ou molecular, possibilitando aplicações e desenvolvimento de tecnologias de sensoriamento in vivo. Realizamos uma investigação teórica da estabilidade e plasticidade de nanofios de silício usando o estado da arte em simulações de dinâmica molecular e em potenciais interatômicos. Consideramos nanofios com as direções de crescimento h100i, h110i e h112i com diversos diâmetros e tipos de facetas. Encontramos que o perímetro, e não o diâmetro, é o parâmetro relevante para descrever as dimensões dessa classe de sistema. Verificamos a performance de diversos potenciais interatômicos para o silício, e encontramos que o EDIP fornece uma melhor descrição para nanofios de silício. Encontramos que as famílias de facetas de superfície desempenham um papel central na energia total do nanofio, que segue uma lei universal como função do perímetro. Também calculamos a resposta de um nanofio de silício a uma tensão uniaxial externa, que habilita-nos a sugerir um novo método de obter nanofios de silício ultrafinos por nanodeformação. Os resultados de estabilidade e plasticidade são comparados com dados experimentais e \'ab initio\' disponíveis na literatura. / Recent advances in synthesizing and manipulating semiconductor nanowires have opened new technological opportunities. Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) belongs a unique class of semiconductor nanowires, since they could be used in conventional silicon device technology in a near future. Additionally, there are other applications, such as chemical and biological nanosensors at atomic or molecular level, opening a new range of technological applications of in vivo sensoring. Here, we carried a theoretical investigation on the stability and plasticity of silicon nanowires using the state of art of molecular dynamics and interatomic potential. We considered nanowires with h100i, h110i and h112i growth directions with several diameters and facet configurations. We found that the perimeter, and not the diameter, is the relevant parameter to describe dimensions in this class of systems. We tested the reability of several interatomic potential for silicon, and found that the EDIP model provides the best description of silicon nanowires. We found that the surface facet family plays a central role on the nanowire total energy, which follows an universal scale law as a function of perimeter. We also computed the response of a silicon nanowire to external load, which allowed us to suggest a new method to obtain ultra thin silicon nanowires by nanodeformation. The results on stability and plasticity are compared to experimental and ab initio results available in the literature.

This thesis examines the dynamic mechanical properties of natural silk fibres, mainly from silkworm species Bombyx mori (B. mori) and spider species Nephila edulis, using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, DMTA. The aim is not only to provide novel data on mechanical properties of silk, but also to relate these properties to the structure and morphology of silk. A systematic approach is adopted to evaluate the effect of the three principal factors of stress, temperature and hydration on the properties and structure of silk. The methods developed in this work are then used to examine commercially important aspects of the ‘quality’ of silk. I show that the dynamic storage modulus of silks increases with loading stress in the deformation through yield to failure, whereas the conventional engineering tensile modulus decreases significantly post-yield. Analyses of the effects of temperature and thermal history show a number of important effects: (1) the loss peak at -60 °C is found to be associated the protein-water glass transition; (2) the increase in the dynamic storage modulus of native silks between temperature +25 and 100 °C is due simply to water loss; (3) a number of discrete loss peaks from +150 to +220°C are observed and attributed to the glass transition of different states of disordered structure with different intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Excess environmental humidity results in a lower effective glass transition temperature (Tg) for disordered silk fractions. Also, humidity-dynamic mechanical analysis on Nephila edulis spider dragline silks has shown that the glass transition induces a partial supercontraction, called Tg contraction. This new finding leads to the conclusion of two independent mechanisms for supercontraction in spider dragline silks. Study of three commercial B. mori cocoon silk grades and a variety of processed silks or artificial silks shows that lower grade and poorly processed silks display lower Tg values, and often have a greater loss tangent at Tg due to increased disorder. This suggests that processing contributes significantly to the differences in the structural order among natural or unnatural silks. More importantly, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis is proposed to be a potential tool for quality evaluation and control in silk production and processing. In summary, I demonstrate that DMTA is a valuable analytical tool for understanding the structure and properties of silk, and use a systematic approach to understand quantitatively the important mechanical properties of silk in terms of a generic structural framework in silk proteins.

Le couplage des traitements de surface mécaniques et thermochimiques a fait l’objet de nombreuses études ces dernières années. L’objectif d’un tel couplage est l’amélioration des cinétiques de diffusion d’espèces chimiques résultant en une augmentation des profondeurs de diffusion, et/ou une diminution de la température du traitement thermochimique sur les matériaux prétraités mécaniquement. Dans cette thèse, le procédé SMAT (Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment) de nanocristallisation superficiel par déformation plastique sévère a été combiné avec la nitruration plasma sur un acier inoxydable 316L de qualité médicale. Ce procédé duplex permet une amélioration notable sur la capacité de diffusion de l’azote sous la surface de l’acier SMATé. Une étape intermédiaire entre le SMAT et la nitruration plasma a été proposée ; son rôle significatif pour la diffusion de l’azote a été démontré. Ainsi, la comparaison des résultats obtenus après la nitruration plasma sur les échantillons SMATés avec ceux uniquement nitrurés a permis de constater une augmentation jusqu’à 60% de l’épaisseur des couches nitrurées. Par ailleurs, de nombreux moyens de caractérisation ont été mis en œuvre à travers divers essais mécaniques de fatigue et de tribologie. Un modèle numérique multi-échelle de diffusion a également été développé pour simuler les profils de concentration d’azote après traitement duplex. Les profils de concentration d’azote simulés sont en bon accord avec les résultats expérimentaux / Coupled mechanical and thermochemical surface treatments have been the subject of much research effort in recent years. The goal of such a coupling is to improve diffusion kinetics leading to increased penetration depths, and/or to decrease the treatment temperature for mechanically pretreated materials. In this work, SMAT (Surface Mechanical Attrittion Treatment), used to refine the grain size by severe plastic deformation, is combined with plasma nitriding of a 316L medical-grade stainless steel. This duplex process significantly improves nitrogen diffusion. An intermediate treatment between SMAT and plasma nitriding is also proposed and its significant effect on the nitrogen diffusion is demonstrated. Comparisons between nitrided-only samples and duplex-treated samples have shown up to 60% increase of the nitrided layer thickness. In order to better understand the link between the generated microstructures and the mechanical fatigue and tribological responses, the samples have been characterised by many different techniques. Also, a multiscale numerical model of the diffusion process is proposed in order to simulate the nitrogen concentration profiles after duplex treatment. The simulated and experimental profiles correspond rather well

This thesis is concerned with the influence of nanoscale boundaries and interfaces upon the electronic processes that occur within the inorganic semiconductors. Inorganic semiconductor nanowires and their blends with semiconducting polymers have been investigated using state-of-the-art ultrafast optical techniques to provide information on the sub-picosecond to nanosecond photoexcitation dynamics in these systems. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the theory and background behind the work and present a literature review of previous work utilising nanowires in hybrid organic photovoltaic devices, revealing the performances to date. The experimental methods used during the thesis are detailed in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 describes the crucial roles of surface passivation on the ultrafast dynamics of exciton formation in gallium arsenide (GaAs) nanowires. By passivating the surface states of nanowires, exciton formation via the bimolecular conversion of electron-hole plasma can observed over few hundred picoseconds, in-contrast to the fast carrier trapping in 10 ps observed in the uncoated nanowires. Chapter 5 presents a novel method to passivate the surface-states of GaAs nanowires using semiconducting polymer. The carrier lifetime in the nanowires can be strongly enhanced when the ionization potential of the overcoated semiconducting polymer is smaller than the work function of the nanowires and the surface native oxide layers of nanowires are removed. Finally, Chapter 6 shows that the carrier cooling in the type-II wurtzite-zincblend InP nanowires is reduced by order-of magnitude during the spatial charge-transfer across the type-II heterojunction. The works decribed in this thesis reveals the crucial role of surface-states and bulk defects on the carrier dynamics of semiconductor nanowires. In-addition, a novel approach to passivate the surface defect states of nanowires using semiconducting polymers was developed.