The sizes, shapes, relaxed atomic positions, eigenvalues, and total energies are calculated for selected ultra-small CdSe clusters using SIESTA, a software package for electronic structure calculations and molecular dynamics simulations of molecules and solids. The properties of these bare clusters with small numbers of constituent atoms are studied using density functional theory (DFT) for energy calculations and the conjugate gradient approximation as well as simulated annealing type of molecular dynamics techniques in relaxing the structure to find the lowest energy configurations.The ab-initio norm-conserving pseudopotentials, the exchange-correlation approximation, and parameters used in the computations by Siesta software is verified using FHI98PP, a package used to generate and test the ab-initio norm-conserving pseudopotentials. The initial position of the atomic co-ordinates is determined using ancillary software written in Matlab. / Department of Physics and Astronomy

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Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Peter Kalu, Florida State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 22, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains x, 77 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

A primeira parte desta tese consiste na preparação de compostos aromáticos contendo átomos de selênio e de telúrio. Quatro metodologias foram utilizadas para essa finalidade, a saber: orto-metalação de compostos contendo oxigênio, troca metal-halogênio em haletos aromáticos substituídos, reação de substituição eletrofílica aromática entre tetracloreto de telúrio e compostos aromáticos ativados e reação de sais de diazônio com disselenetos e diteluretos orgânicos. Alguns dos teluretos preparados foram usados em reações de acoplamento com alcinos terminais catalisada por Paládio, em reações de troca telúrio-lítio e em reações de oxidação de Te (II) a Te(IV). A segunda parte da tese consiste no uso de calcogenetos de arila em reações biocatalisadas. Inicialmente foram estudadas biotransformações em substratos não contendo átomo de selênio e de telúrio. Reações de redução de carbonila e de desracemização de álcoois foram observadas por ação de fungos e de raízes de plantas. Meta e para organosseleno acetofenonas foram reduzidas aos organosseleno feniletanóis correspondentes por ação de fermento de pão, células íntegras de fungos e por Daucus carota com conversões e excessos enantioméricos que chegaram a >99%. Orto organosseleno e metiltio feniletanóis foram resolvidos em seus isômeros R e S por ação de lipase imobilizada (Novozyme 435) em presença de acetato de vinila com excessos enantioméricos acima de 99% . / The first part of this thesis shows the preparation of organic compounds containing selenium or tellurium. For this purpose, four methodologies were applied: ortho-metallation of 1-phenylethanol, metal-halogen exchange involving aromatic halides, electrophilic aromatic substitution using tellurium tetrachloride and reactions with aryldiazonium salts and diselenides or ditellurides. Next, the aryl tellurides were applied in Palladium catalyzed coupling reactions with terminal alkynes, tellurium-lithium exchange reactions and oxidation of Te(II) to Te(IV). The second part of this thesis consists in the inverstigation of biocatalyzed reactions. Biotransformations of substrates without Se or Te atoms were initially investigated. Carbonyl reduction reactions and deracemization of secondary alcohols were observed by means of whole fungal cells and plants. Meta and para organoseleno acetophenones were then reduced with baker´s yeast, whole fungal cells and Daucus carota, yielding the corresponding organoseleno phenylethanols optically pure with enantiomeric excess up to >99%. Ortho organoseleno e methylthio phenylethanols were resolved in both enantiomeric forms by reacting them with immobilized lipase (Novozyme 435) and vinyl acetate in hexane. High values of enantiomeric excess (>99%) were obtained.

Metal chalcogenides (sulfides, selenides and tellurides) are materials of current interest due to their peculiar properties such as optoelectronic, magnetooptic, thermoelectric and piezoelectric displays. These semiconducting materials have potential applications in solar cell devices, infrared detectors and ambient thermoelectric generators. Previously, these materials have been deposited by multiple-source precursor route with several problems associated with this technique. This work describes the synthesis of metal complexes (Zn, Cd, Fe, Ni, Pd, Pt) using the imidodichalcogenodiphosphinate ligand (Woollins ligand). Their thermal decomposition together with structural and spectroscopy analysis was carried out. The complexes were used as single source precursors for the deposition of cadmium selenide, cadmium phosphide, cadmium sulfide, zinc selenide, iron selenide and the tellurides of nickel, palladium, platinum and iron as thin films and powders. These were deposited by AACVD and pyrolysis. The deposited thin films and powders were characterised by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The cadmium complexes [Cd{iPr2P(Se)NP(Se)iPr2}2] and [Cd{iPr2P(S)NP(Se)iPr2}2] deposited the mixture of hexagonal CdSe and monoclinic Cd2P3 films at the flow rate of 160 sccm at 475 and 500 °C. At the flow rate of 240 sccm, only hexagonal CdSe was deposited from [Cd{iPr2P(Se)NP(Se)iPr2}2] at all temperatures. Hexagonal CdS and the mixture of orthorhombic Cd6P7/cubic Cd7P10 were deposited from [Cd{iPr2P(S)NP(S)iPr2}2]. The zinc complexes [Zn{iPr2P(Se)NP(Se)iPr2}2] and [Zn{iPr2P(S)NP(Se)iPr2}2] both deposited cubic ZnSe at all temperatures with the flow rates of 160 and 240 sccm. The iron complexes [Fe{(SePPh2)2N}2] and [Fe{(SePPh2NPPh2S)2N}2] deposited orthorhombic FeSe2 mixed with monoclinic Fe3Se4 by pyrolysis at 500 and 550 °C. An unresolved pattern was observed from the complex [Fe{(SePPh2NPPh2S)2N}2] at 550 °C. XPS analysis of the deposited FeSe2 showed the surface oxidation of the material, while the magnetic measurements on the sample using SQUID confirmed its ferromagnetic properties. The telluride complexes of nickel, palladium, platinum and iron deposited the metal telluride respectively as: hexagonal NiTe, hexagonal PdTe, hexagonal PtTe2 (mixed with rhombohedral PtTe) and hexagonal FeTe2. Conductivity studies on NiTe and PdTe revealed them to be insulators, while the magnetic measurements on FeTe2 indicated its antiferromagnetic behaviour.

This dissertation summarizes my research in the Nuckolls group on two projects, with a central theme of achieving control of electronic coupling in various nanoscale systems. The two studies of interest aim at the study of emerging properties from alkali-doping of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and the synthesis of novel metal chalcogen molecular clusters. Chapter 1 is divided into two parts. Part one provides a brief history of the forces we associate with bond formation. We will learn that although defining a “chemical bond” is helpful, it is limited to our incomplete understanding of what forces contribute to its existence. The behavior of an electron in externally applied magnetic fields will be discussed, where the collective behavior of electrons in a material can be measured, showing a myriad of emerging properties. The known superconducting alkali-doped PAHs are introduced, followed by the unresolved problems of reproducibility and lack of structural data to accompany superconducting samples. Finally, the proximity of AFM to superconductivity is discussed, which could give us insights on further exploration of hight temperature organic superconductors. Part two introduces atomically precise clusters of atoms, also knows as superatoms. Various synthetic approaches to create metal chalcogenide superatoms are introduced. Next, a closer look into the cobalt selenide core, [Co6Se8], is presented. The ability to selectively substitute the ligands on this superatom, achieves dimensional control. The subunit can be seen as a 0-dimensional subunit, where it readily gives away its electrons. Furthermore, assembly of the clusters into 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional structures is described. Chapter 2 introduces a novel approach to acquire phase pure alkali-doped PAHs, p-terphenyl specifically. Previous reports of solution-processed doping of PAH have inspired highly reliable synthesis of these salts, by employing a chelating agent to stabilize the alkali metal. The first half of chapter 2 analyzes one such crystal in detail, describing emerging AFM fluctuations. The AFM coupling between nearest neighboring p-terphenyls occurs in all three crystallographic directions. Interestingly, this coupling can be seen as an unconventional bond between two terphenyl units along the hard axis, and resembles resonance structures seen in polyacetylene. The second half of the chapter further investigates the novel method, obtaining a library of alkali-doped p-terphenyls. This approach allows for selective variation of either the alkali-metal, the chelating agent, or the electronic structure of p-terphenyl. Obtaining nearly a dozen structures allows for a study of trends of doping level and accompanied magnetic properties. Lastly, Chapter 3 proves a new mechanism for ligand substitution of cobalt selenide superatomic clusters, using an easily removable carbene as the ligand. This approach grants access to new surface ligands and core shapes to expand the properties of these superatoms. Through this approach, larger atomically precise materials can be targeted, giving rise to new types of electronic properties.

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We use spectroscopy to study infrared optoelectronic inter and intraband semiconductor carrier dynamics. The overall aim of this thesis was to study both III-V and Pb chalcogenide material systems in order to show their future potential use in infrared emitters. The effects of bandstructure engineering have been studied in the output characteristics of mid-IR III-V laser diodes to show which processes (defects, radiative, Auger and phonon) dominate and whether non-radiative processes can be suppressed. A new three-beam pump probe experiment was used to investigate interband recombination directly in passive materials. Experiments on PbSe and theory for non-parabolic near-mirror bands and non-degenerate statistics were in good agreement. Comparisons with HgCdTe showed a reduction in the Auger coefficient of 1-2 orders of magnitude in the PbSe. Using Landau confinement to model spatial confinement in quantum dots (QDs) "phonon bottlenecking" was studied. The results obtained from pump probe and cyclotron resonance saturation measurements showed a clear suppression in the cooling of carriers when Landau level separation was not resonant with LO phonon energy. When a bulk laser diode was placed in a magnetic field to produce a quasi quantum wire device the resulting enhanced differential gain and reduced Auger recombination lowered Ith by 30%. This result showed many peaks in the light output which occurred when the LO phonon energy was a multiple of the Landau level separation. This showed for the first time evidence of the phonon bottleneck in a working laser device. A new technique called time resolved optically detected cyclotron resonance, was used as a precursor to finding the earner dynamics within a spatially confined quantum dot. By moving to the case of a spatial QD using an optically detected intraband resonance it was possible to measure the energy separation interband levels and conduction and valence sublevels within the dot simultaneously. Furthermore this technique has been shown that the inhomogeneous broadening of the photoluminescence spectrum is not purely affected by just size and composition. We suggest that other processes such as state occupancy, In roughing, and exciton binding energies may account for the extra energy.