This diploma thesis studies magneto-optical (MO) response of epitaxial thin films of Co-doped ceria. Thin films were characterized by XPS, LEED, STM, spectroscopic ellipsometry and measurement of MO activity. The work focuses on studying MO response of the films depending on film thickness, cobalt concentration, oxidation state of cerium and chemical state of cobalt. Spectra of MO response consist of low energy region where the MO activity is mediated by transitions from defect induced states to conduction band and high energy region where a peak of MO activity appears which we attribute to transitions from valence band to conduction band. In this work we qualitatively explain the effects of the physico- chemical states of the thin films on the structure of the obtained MO spectra, mainly on the appearance of the MO activity in the low energy region, and on the changes of the position of the MO peak. Compared to other preparation methods the epitaxial thin films allow achieving a shift of the MO peak in the direction of higher photon energy.

No description available.

No / Here we report a hierarchical composite structure composed of few-layers molybdenum disulfide nanosheets supported by vertical graphene on conductive carbon cloth (MDNS/VG/CC) for high-performance electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In the fabrication, 3D vertical graphene is first prepared on carbon cloth by a micro-wave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) and then few-layers MoS2 nanosheets are in-situ synthesized on the surface of the vertical graphene through a simple hydrothermal reaction. This integrated catalyst exhibits an excellent HER electrocatalytic activity including an onset potential of 50 mV, an overpotential at 10 mA cm(-2) (eta(10)) of 78 mV, a Tafel slop of 53 mV dec(-1), and an excellent cycling stability in acid solution. The excellent catalytic performance can be ascribed to the abundant active edges provided by the vertical MoS2 nanosheets, as well as the effective electron transport route provided by the graphene arrays on the conductive substrate. Moreover, the vertical graphene offers robust anchor sites for MoS2 nanosheets and appropriate intervals for electrolyte infiltration. This not only benefits hydrogen convection and release but also avoids the damaging or restacking of catalyst in electrochemical processes. / This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 61176007, 51372213, and 51402343).

Die grundlegenden Aspekte chemischer Reaktionen auf Oberflächen können anhand von geeigneten Modelsystemen unter Vakuumbedingungen untersucht werden. Siliciumdioxid (SiO2) als wichtiges Material für hochmoderne Technologieanwendungen in der Mikroelektronik, Photonik und Katalyse, war Gegenstand zahlreicher Studien, um die Beziehungen zwischen der atomaren Struktur und funktionalen Eigenschaften von Silizium-basierten Materialien zu erklären. Diese Arbeit untersucht die Wechselwirkung von Gasen mit epitaktisch gewachsenen Silikat-Dünnschichten auf einem Ru(0001) Einkristall. Unter Verwendung von Infrarot-Reflexions-Absorptions-Spektroskopie (IRAS) und temperaturprogrammierter Desorptionspektroskopie (TPD) konnten die Hydroxy-Spezies auf reinen Silikatfilmen als isolierte Silanole (Si-OH) identifiziert werden. Isotopenexperimente haben gezeigt, dass sich thermisch stabile Oberflächenhydroxylate hauptsächlich aus der Adsorption von Wassermolekülen bilden. Ein Austausch der Silanole mit Sauerstoffatomen im Kristallgitter während des Dehydroxylierungsprozesses wurde nicht beobachtet. Durch die Adsorption von Gasen wie CO, H2 und O2 bei erhöhtem Druck, lässt sich auf komplexere Prozesse schließen. Dies beinhaltet Gastransport durch Poren im Film, was mit strukturellen Defekten in dem Silikatfilm verbunden ist, sowie nachfolgende Adsorption und Diffusion auf dem unterliegenden Ru(0001)-Substrat. Während der Einlagerung der Moleküle in die Silikatschicht bleibt der Oxidfilm auch unter hohem Druck (~ 10 mbar) sowie hoher Temperatur (~900 K) intakt. Solch ein Hybridsystem, welches eine robuste Siliciumdioxidmembran mit einem sich darunter befindlichen, chemisch aktiven Metall kombiniert, könnte ein interessantes Materialsystem für technische Anwendungen darstellen, insbesondere zur Herstellung von Katalysatoren und Sensoren sowie für Korrosionsanwendungen. / The fundamental aspects of the chemical reactions at surfaces can be elucidated by using well-defined model systems under the controlled conditions provided by vacuum-based techniques. Silicon dioxide (SiO2) as one of the crucial materials in modern technological applications, including microelectronics, photonics, and catalysis, has been subjected to numerous studies in order to rationalize relationships between the atomic structure and functional properties of silica-based materials. This work marks the attempt to understand interaction of ambient gases with a well-ordered, ultrathin silicate film grown on a Ru(0001) substrate. Using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD), hydroxo species, primarily in the form of isolated silanols (Si-OH), were identified on pristine silicate films. Isotopic experiments demonstrated that surface hydroxyls form primarily from the water molecules. Silanols do not undergo scrambling with the lattice oxygen atoms upon dehydroxylation. Steps on a silicate sheet and/or “holes” in these ultrathin films are proposed as active sites for hydroxylation. Adsorption of gases such as CO, H2 and O2 at elevated pressures revealed a more complex behavior. It involves gas transport through the pores, associated with structural defects in the silicate film, subsequent adsorption, and diffusion across the Ru(0001) surface underneath. During this intercalation, the silicate film stays intact even under high pressure (~10 mbar) and high temperature conditions (~900 K). The silicate layer does however strongly passivate the Ru surface towards RuO2(110) formation that readily occurs on bare Ru(0001) under the same conditions. Such a hybrid system, which combines a robust silica “membrane” and a chemically active metal underneath, could become an interesting material for technological applications, in particular in catalysis, sensors and anti-corrosion applications.

Die Herstellung von ultradünnen Germaniumdioxidfilmen auf Metallsubstraten ist erstmals erfolgreich gelungen. Die Filmstruktur konnte mittels oberflächensensitiven Techniken mit atomarer Präzision und chemischer Sensitivität aufgelöst werden. Zur Untersuchung werden STM-Bilder analysiert und durch niederenergetische Elektronenbeugung (LEED), eine dynamischen LEED-Studie und extern ausgeführte Dichtefunktionaltheorieberechnungen (DFT) ergänzt. In dieser Arbeit werden atomar aufgelöste Rastertunnelmikroskopiebilder (STM) von ultradünnen Germaniumdioxid- und Siliziumdioxidfilmen direkt verglichen. Ziel der Analyse ist es, den Einfluss des Metallsubstrats auf die Struktur von Oxidfilmen zu untersuchen. Zu diesem Zweck werden ultradünne Germaniumdioxid-Filme auf Ru(0001), Pt(111) und Au(111) abgeschieden und mit Siliziumdioxid-Filmen auf verschiedenen Substraten verglichen, die in früheren Studien untersucht wurden. Germaniumdioxid und Siliziumdioxid sind eng miteinader verknüpft. Hierbei sind Struktur und chemische Eigenschaften als äquivalent anzusehen. Es wurden drei verschiedene Netzwerkstrukturen aufgeklärt: Monolagen-, Zickzack- und Bilagenfilme. Die einzelnen Bausteine in diesen Filmsystemen bestehen aus verzerrten Tetraedern, in denen ein Germaniumatom von vier Sauerstoffatomen umgeben ist. Benachbarte Tetraeder sind durch Ge-O-Ge-Bindungen miteinander verknüpft und binden im Fall der Monolagenfilme an das darunterliegende Metallsubstrat. In Bilagenfilmen hingegen gibt es keine chemischen Bindungen zum Substrat, wodurch die Filmstruktur flexibler wird. Durch Variation der Herstellungsbedingungen kann man rein kristalline, amorphe oder Phasen mittlerer Ordnung erhalten. Es ist wichtig hervorzuheben, dass der amorphe Germaniumdioxid-Bilagenfilm ein neues amorphes zweidimensionales Material darstellt. / The preparation of metal-supported ultrathin films of germanium dioxide, termed also germania, has been successfully achieved for the first time. The structure of the films is elucidated with atomic precision and chemical sensitivity using surface science techniques. The investigation is performed by analyzing STM images and is complemented by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) patterns, a dynamical LEED study, and external support from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In this work, we compare side-by-side atomically-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of ultrathin films of germania and silica. The analysis aims to investigate the impact of the metal support on the structure of oxide films. For that purpose, ultrathin germania films are grown on Ru(0001), Pt(111) and Au(111), and compared with previously reported silica ultrathin films supported on different substrates. Germania has been widely associated with silica since they are considered to be structural and chemical equivalent materials. Three main network structures have been characterized: monolayer, zigzag and bilayer films. In all systems, the building block consists of a distorted tetrahedron with a germanium atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms. Adjacent tetrahedra connect to each other through Ge-O-Ge bonds and, in the case of the monolayer films, they also bind to the metal support. Conversely, in bilayer films there are no chemical bonds to the metal substrate, thus providing more flexibility to the film structure. Through a meticulous control of the preparation conditions one can obtain a purely crystalline phase, an amorphous one, or one with intermediate order. It is important to highlight that the amorphous germania bilayer film represents a new 2-dimensional amorphous material.

In dieser Dissertation wird die Struktur von ultradünnen Schichten auf atomar ebenen Festkörperoberflächen durch die streifende Streuung von Atomen und Molekülen untersucht. Dabei werden Atome mit kinetischen Energien im keV-Bereich unter flachem Einfallswinkel von etwa 1° an der Oberfläche gestreut und mit einem ortsauflösenden Detektor nachgewiesen. Bei hinreichend kleinen Projektilenergien werden Beugungserscheinungen beobachtet, die durch Interferenz von Materiewellen erklärt werden können. Die Auswertung der Intensität der Beugungsreflexe ermöglicht die Bestimmung von Atompositionen. Wird die Probe azimutal verdreht, ändern sich die seitliche Ablenkung der Projektile und die Zahl der während des Streuprozesses an der Oberfläche emittierten Elektronen. Dies wird zur Identifikation von Richtungen mit dichtgepackten Atomketten genutzt und der Vergleich mit Trajektoriensimulationen gestattet Rückschlüsse auf die Atompositionen der obersten Lage. Beim System einer Atomlage SiO2/Mo(112) kann durch mehrere Messmethoden eindeutig zwischen zwei konkurrierenden Strukturmodellen unterschieden und die Atompositionen eines Modells mit hoher Genauigkeit bestätigt werden. Die Adsorption von Sauerstoff auf einer Mo(112)-Oberfläche wird detailliert studiert und für mehrere Überstrukturphasen werden Modelle aufgestellt. Für V2O3/Au(111) kann durch Triangulationsmessungen eine geringfügige Modifikation eines existierenden Strukturmodells abgeleitet werden. Auf einer Cu(001)-Oberfläche werden dünne, kristalline FeO und Fe3O4-Schichten präpariert und untersucht. Die Inkommensurabilität der quadratischen Substrat- und der hexagonalen Adsorbateinheitszelle führt zu komplexen LEED-Mustern, die durch Mehrfachstreuung erklärt werden können. Dies ist auch der Schlüssel zur Erklärung der Beugungsbilder bei Adsorbatstrukturen der chiralen Aminosäure Alanin auf Cu(110) und damit die Grundlage für die Aufstellung eines Strukturmodells für dieses System. / In this thesis the structure of ultrathin films on atomically flat crystal surfaces is investigated by means of grazing scattering of atoms and molecules. Atoms with kinetic energies in the keV regime are scattered from the surface under small angles of incidence of approximately 1° and are detected by means of a position-sensitive detector. For sufficiently small projectile energies diffraction phenomena are observed which can be explained by interference of matter waves. The analysis of the intensities of diffraction spots makes it possible to determine atomic positions. When the sample is rotated azimuthally the deflection of projectiles and the number of emitted electrons during the scattering process at the surface varies. This is used to identify directions with close-packed strings of atoms and comparison with trajectory simulations gives information on atomic positions of the topmost layer. For the system of one atomic layer of SiO2/Mo(112) it can be unambiguously distinguished between two competing structural models. The positions of atoms of one model are confirmed with high accuracy by the use of several methods. The adsorption of oxygen on a Mo(112) surface is studied in detail and for several superstructure phases models are proposed. For the surface of a V2O3 layer on a Au(111) substrate a slight modification of an existing structural model is derived by means of triangulation measurements. On a Cu(001) surface thin crystalline FeO and Fe3O4 films are grown and studied. The incommensurability of the quadratic substrate with the hexagonal adsorbate surface unit cell gives rise to complex pattern for low energy electron diffraction, which can be explained by multiple scattering. This is also the key to the explanation of diffraction images for adsorbate structures of the chiral amino acid alanine on Cu(110) and the basis for developing a structural model for this system.

Catalysis using nanostructures has been a topic of substantial interest for fundamental studies and for practical applications in energy and environmental sectors. The growing demand for production of energy and in the cleaning of polluting hazardous vehicles/industrial wastes has led to several studies in catalysis. Despite the substantial growth of heterogeneous catalytic technologies in last decade, they are still far from reaching their full potential in terms of efficiency, selectivity as well as durability. It is often difficult to simultaneously tackle all the mentioned issues with single component catalysts. Most of these challenges are being overcome with heterostructures/supported hybrid catalysts by modifying their interfaces. The properties of heterostructures hybrids arises not only from the individual contributions of the individual components but also from strong synergetic effect arising from the interface. Engineering the interfaces provides pathways to promote the catalytic performance and hence has been explored. In this regard, we have focused on the progress in investigating the active interfaces that affect the performance of metal oxide-metal, semiconductor-metal and coupled semiconductor nanocatalyst hybrids. We explored a wide spectrum of their applications in photo catalytic, electrocatalytic as well as gas-phase reactions and highlighted the importance of the interface for overall performance. The entire study reported in the thesis is organized as follows: Chapter 1 is a general introduction of hybrid nanocatalyst and their role in wide spectra of catalytic reactions in photo/electro catalysis as well as gas-phase reactions. This chapter describes the motivation behind modulating the interface between two or more nanostructures to obtain multifunctional nanocatalysts. Nan catalysts to achieve high throughput with active interfaces are elaborated while indicating the role of morphology, internal induced state, charge transfer, geometric, support, as well as electronic effect for enhanced performance. Motivation behind specific nanocatalyst hybrid, synthesis routes as well as characterization techniques are detailed in the respective chapters. Specific details for different hybrids are described in the following chapters. Chapter 2 describes the synthesis of high dense ultrathin Au wires on ZnO nanorods for electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol, where the prerequisite step is the formation of amine-modified support. Oleylamine modification not only serves to anchor Au nanowires on ZnO but also passivates surface defects of ZnO, which in turn enhances the photocurrent. In addition to the stability, the support induces electronic effect on Au nanowires, which facilitates redox process at low potential. Most importantly, the support promotes the activity of Au nanowires upon photoirradiation, and thus leading to synergy between electro and photooxidation current. This is of immense importance for photofuel cell technologies. Moreover, the method enabled the first time electrocatalysis on these nanowires that revealed ultrathin nanowires are potentially interesting systems for catalysis applications provided they are stabilized by a suitable support. Chapter 3 deals with the growth of ultrathin Au nanowires on metal oxide (TiO2) coupled with graphene hybrid support in order to overcome the low conductivity of metal oxide. Oleylamine, used for growth of Au nanowires simultaneously functionalizes the support and leads to room temperature GO reduction. With respect to catalytic activity, we also synthesized the binary counterparts (rGO/Au, TiO2/Au ultrathin nanowires) to delineate the contribution of each of the components to the overall electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol. Comparative analysis of photo and electrocatalytic activity between the different binary and ternary hybrids provides interesting information. Both, electronic effect of TiO2 and electrical conductivity of rGO add their specific beneficial to the nanowires, leading to superior ternary system. Chapter 4 rGO supported ultrathin Au nanowires exhibits high electrocatalytic performance for oxidation of borohydride with a lower onset potential compared to rGO/Au nanoparticles. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements display abnormal inductive behavior of the synthesized hybrids, indicative of Au surface reactivation. DFT calculations indicate that the origin of the high activity stems from the shift in the position of the Au d-band center. Chapter 5 Different aspect ratio ZnO nanostructures are obtained by varying the solvothermal reaction time. We observed a direct correlation between observed photocatalytic activity, measured photocurrent and length of the ZnO nanorods. Furthermore, photoresponse of the high aspect ratio ZnO nanorods are improved by attaching Au nanoparticles, intimate contact of two components leads to band bending. Thus, the synthesized ZnO/Au heterostructure favors for prominent separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Chapter 6 TiO2 and PbO/TiO2 hybrids are synthesized via non–hydrolytic sol–gel combustion method. Hybrid exhibits higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of dye than TiO2. The estimated photogenerated species reveals that the origin of enhanced activity stems from the direct oxidization of dye via photogenerated hole rather than radicals. The semiconductors are matched based on their band edge positions, for the formation of energetic radicals to degrade the pollutants. Based on this study, we infer that semiconductors should not neglected (for example Si) based on calculated mismatch of their valence band edges position for photooxidation reaction via radicals. Chapter 7 describes the Pd dopant associated band engineering, a strategy for tuning the optoelectronic properties of ZnO towards enhanced photocatalytic activity. Incorporated Pd heterocation induces internal energy states within the ZnO band gap. The created energy level leads to trends mismatch between photocatalytic activity and measured photocurrent. Formed energy level arrests the photogenerated electrons, which make them not contribute for the photocurrent generation. Hence, the isolated photogenerated hole efficiently oxidizes the pollutants through hydroxyl radicals, and thus leads to enhanced photocatalytic activity. Chapter 8 employed Pd-substituted zinc stannate for CO oxidation as heterogeneous catalyst for the first time. Compared with SnO2 support, zinc stannate based materials exhibits abnormal sudden light-off profiles at selective temperatures. On the basis of DRIFT studies under relevant conditions, we find that the initially formed product gets adsorbed over the catalyst surface. It leads to the accumulation of carbonates as a consequence, both lattice oxygen mobility and further CO interactions are disabled. As soon as Sn redox nature dominates over the accumulated carbonates, this leads to sudden release of lattice oxygen, and thus leads to a sudden full conversion. Therefore, choosing the suitable support material greatly influences the nature of the light-off CO oxidation profile. Chapter 9 Although, reducible oxide supported gold nanostructures exhibits the highest CO oxidation activity; they still suffer from problems such as limited selectivity towards CO in the presence of H2. Both ex-situ and in-situ experiments demonstrate that, Au nanoparticles supported on Zn2SnO4 matrix selectively oxidizes CO. DRIFT experiments revealed that the involvement of OH groups leads to the formation of hydroxycarbonyl under PROX conditions. Chapter 10 This chapter discusses the conclusions for the previous chapters and highlights the possibilities for future scope for the developed nanocatalysts hybrids for energy and environmental applications.

Les progrès rapides de la microélectronique sont liées à la miniaturisation du transistor MOS. Pour limiter les courants de fuite, SiO2 a déjà été remplacé par HfO2.mais de nouveaux diélectriques de grande constante diélectrique (high-k) devront être intégrés pour poursuivre cette progression. Le microscope à force atomique (AFM) en mode Conductive-AFM (C-AFM) est aujourd'hui un outil incontournable pour la caractérisation électrique des diélectriques en couche mince à l'échelle nanométrique. Dans nos travaux, nous avons cherché à étudier les limites du C-AM. Le C-AFM consiste à utiliser une pointe AFM comme électrode supérieure afin de faire des mesures de type I(V) ou des cartographies de courant. Nous avons cherché à identifier le phénomène qui conduit à la dégradation de la couche diélectrique par l'application d'une tension de pointe positive, matérialisée par la déformation de la surface. Nous avons montré qu'il s'agissait d'un effet thermique due à la forte densité de courant, ne s'apparentant pas à la DBIE observée sur dispositif, et pouvant aller jusqu'à la détérioration du substrat à l'interface. Ce phénomène, sans en être la conséquence, est largement favorisé par la présence d'eau. Ceci confirme qu'il est préférable de réaliser les caractérisations électriques sous ultra-vide malgré les contraintes expérimentales. Les études du diélectriques sont ainsi compromises puisque le mode de dégradation est en partie propre à la technique AFM et ne permet pas aisément d'extrapoler le comportement du matériau intégré dans un dispositif. De plus, l'étude statistique la dégradation de la couche (Weibull), couramment utilisée, est affectée par un biais d'interdépendance. De la même façon, la modélisation de la conduction à travers la couche doit être utilisée avec précaution, car la surface du contact électrique pointe-diélectrique demeure un paramètre incertain. La technique de pompage de charges permet de caractériser les pièges à l'interface oxyde/semi- conducteur en les sollicitant par l'application d'une tension de grille périodique. Elle permet d'extraire la densité d'état Dit(E) les sections efficaces de capture (σ(E)), mais ne donne pas d'information sur leur répartition spatiale. Nous avons donc adapté cette technique à la microscopie champ proche, la pointe AFM conductrice faisant office de grille. Sur des transistors dépourvus de grille spécialement préparés pour l’occasion, nous avons pu montrer la faisabilité de la technique, en accord satisfaisant avec les mesures macroscopiques. Nous mesurons un signal que nous associons à un courant pompé. Cependant, le signal est déformé comparativement aux mesures macroscopiques. Un modèle physique reste à développer puisque dans notre cas, les charges minoritaires doivent traverser depuis la source et le drain un espace non polarisé par la grille. Par la suite, un dispositif de cartographie des défauts d'interface, éventuellement résolue en énergie, pourra être développé. / The rapid progress of the microelectronic is obtained by the strong reduction of the dimensions of the MOS transistor. In order to reduce the leakage currents SiO2 is nox replaced by HfO2, but new dielectrics with a high permittivity (high-k) will have to be integrated in the future so that the progession continues. The atomic force microscope (AFM) in Conductive-AFM (C-AFM) mode is an ideal tools for the electrical characterization of thin oxide films at the nanometric scale. In our work, we have tried to study the limits of the C-AFM. C-AFM consists in using an AFM tip as a top electrode in order to perform Intensity-Current (I-V) curves or mapping the current. We have tried and identify the phenomenon which lead to the degradation of the dielectric layer during the application of the positive voltage bias on the tip, which results in a deformation of the surface under study. We have shown that it is a thermal effect due to a large density of current, which is different from dielectric induced breakdown epitaxy (DBIE) observed on the devices, and which may even lead to the degradation of the susbstrate at the interface. This phenomon is favored by the presence of water on the surface although it is not its consequence. This confirms that such electrical measurements should be performed in ultra-high vacuum in spite of the consequences in terms of complexity of the measurement setup. As a consequence, the study of the dielectric material are questionned since the degradation process is partly due to the AFM technique itself and does not allow to extrapolate easily the behaviour of the integrated device. Moreover, the statistical study of the degradation of the layer (Weibull), commonly used, is affected by a bias (measurements are interdependent). In the same way, the modeling of the conduction through the layer must be questionned because the surface of the electrical contact between the tip and the dielectric layer remains a very variable parameter. The charge pumping technique, which consists in caracterizing the traps at the semiconductor / dielectric interface by filling/emptying them with the application of an alternating gate voltage. It allows to extract the states density (Dit(E) and the capture cross section (σ(E)) but does not provide any information about their repartition on the interface. So, we have adapted this technique to the scanning probe microscopy with the conducting AFM probe as a gate. Using gate-less transistors fabricated in the frame of this work, we have demonstrated the feasability of this technique with a satisfying agreement with macroscopic measurements. We are able to measure a signal that can be related to charge pumping. However, the signal is distorted compared to macroscopic measurements. Modeling is needed because in our case, minority carriers must travel from source to drain via a non polarised area. As a perspective, an energetically resolved method to map the interfacial defects might be developed.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Les performances exceptionnelles des composites naturels comme la nacre ou le bois émergent de l’arrangement précis d’éléments souples et rigides à l’échelle nanométrique. L’assemblage couche-par-couche permet la fabrication de films avec un contrôle nanométrique de l’organisation et de la composition. Ce travail décrit l’assemblage et les propriétés de nouveaux nano-composites contenant des nano-renforts 1-D (fibrilles de cellulose) et 2-D (plaquettes d’argile). Nous avons combiné les argiles avec une matrice extrêmement souple de poly(diméthylsiloxane) dans une architecture lamellaire imitant celle de la nacre. Nous avons étudié des composites à base de fibrilles de cellulose aléatoirement orientées dans le plan, puis alignées dans une direction pour mieux imiter les parois cellulaires du bois. Les propriétés mécaniques de ces composites bio-inspirés égalent ou surpassent celles de leurs homologues naturels, tout en étant transparents et dans certains cas auto-réparants. / Natural materials such as nacre or wood gain their exceptional mechanical performances from the precise organisation of rigid and soft components at the nano-scale. Layer-by-layer assembly allows the preparation of films with a nano-scale control over their organisation and composition. This work describes the assembly and properties of new nano-composites containing 1-D (cellulose nano-fibrils) and 2-D (clay nano-platelets) reinforcing elements. The clay platelets were combined with an extremely soft matrix (poly(dimethylsiloxane)) to mimic the lamellar architecture of nacre. Cellulose based composites with a random in plane orientation of the fibrils were studied first, later we aligned the fibrils in a single direction to mimic further the cell wall of wood. The mechanical properties of these bio-inspired composites match or surpass those of their natural counterparts, while being transparent and in one case self-repairing.