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The Thesis is focused on the properties of self-organized nanostructures. Atomic and electronic properties of different systems have been investigated using methods of electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy. Implementation of the STM technique (including design, construction, and tuning of the UHV experimental set-up) has been done in the framework of present work. This time-consuming work is reported to greater detail in the experimental part of this Thesis. The scientific part starts from the study of quantum-size effects in the electronic structure of a two-dimensional Ag film on the supporting substrate Ni(111). Distinct quantum well states in the sp-band of Ag were observed in photoelectron spectra. Analysis of thickness- and angle-dependent photoemission supplies novel information on the properties of the interface. For the first time the Ni(111) relative band gap was indirectly probed in the ground-state through the electronic structure of quantum well states in the adlayer. This is particularly important for Ni where valence electrons are strongly correlated. Comparison of the experiment with calculations performed in the formalism of the extended phase accumulation model gives the substrate gap which is fully consistent with the one obtained by ab-initio LDA calculations. It is, however, in controversy to the band structure of Ni measured directly by photoemission. These results lend credit to the simplest view of photoemission from Ni, assigning early observed contradictions between theory and experiments to electron correlation effects in the final state of photoemission. Further, nanosystems of lower dimensionality have been studied. Stepped surfaces W(331) and W(551) were used as one-dimensional model systems and as templates for self-organization of Au nanoclusters. Photon energy dependent photoemission revealed a surface resonance which was never observed before on W(110) which is the base plane of the terrace microsurfaces. The dispersion E(k) of this state measured on stepped W(331) and W(551) with angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy is modified by a strong umklapp effect. It appears as two parabolas shifted symmetrically relative to the microsurface normal by half of the Brillouin zone of the step superlattice. The reported results are very important for understanding of the electronic properties of low-dimensional nanostructures. It was also established that W(331) and W(551) can serve as templates for self-organization of metallic nanostructures. A combined study of electronic and atomic properties of sub-monolayer amounts of gold deposited on these templates have shown that if the substrate is slightly pre-oxidized and the temperature is elevated, then Au can alloy with the first monolayer of W. As a result, a nanostructure of uniform clusters of a surface alloy is produced all over the steps. Such clusters feature a novel sp-band in the vicinity of the Fermi level, which appears split into constant energy levels due to effects of lateral quantization. The last and main part of this work is devoted to large-scale reconstructions on surfaces and nanostructures self-assembled on top. The two-dimensional surface carbide W(110)/C-R(15x3) has been extensively investigated. Photoemission studies of quantum size effects in the electronic structure of this reconstruction, combined with an investigation of its surface geometry, lead to an advanced structural model of the carbide overlayer. It was discovered that W(110)/C-R(15x3) can control self-organization of adlayers into nanostructures with extremely different electronic and structural properties. Thus, it was established that at elevated temperature the R(15x3) superstructure controls the self-assembly of sub-monolayer amounts of Au into nm-wide nanostripes. Based on the results of core level photoemission, the R(15x3)-induced surface alloying which takes place between Au and W can be claimed as driving force of self-organization. The observed stripes exhibit a characteristic one-dimensional electronic structure with laterally quantized d-bands. Obviously, these are very important for applications, since dimensions of electronic devices have already stepped into the nm-range, where quantum-size phenomena must undoubtedly be considered. Moreover, formation of perfectly uniform molecular clusters of C60 was demonstrated and described in terms of the van der Waals formalism. It is the first experimental observation of two-dimensional fullerene nanoclusters with "magic numbers". Calculations of the cluster potentials using the static approach have revealed characteristic minima in the interaction energy. They are achieved for 4 and 7 molecules per cluster. The obtained "magic numbers" and the corresponding cluster structures are fully consistent with the results of the STM measurements.
In this work, the nonaqueous synthesis of binary and ternary metal oxide nanoparticles is investigated for a number of technologically important materials. A strong focus was put on studying the reaction mechanisms leading to particle formation upon solvothermal treatment of the precursors, as an understanding of the formation processes is expected to be crucial for a better control of the systems, offering the potential to tailor particle size and morphology. The synthesis of BaTiO3 was achieved by solvothermal reaction of metallic barium and titanium isopropoxide in organic solvents. Phase-pure, highly crystalline particles about 6 nm in size resulted in benzyl alcohol, whereas larger particles could be obtained in ketones such as acetone or acetophenone. In benzyl alcohol, a novel mechanism was found to lead to BaTiO3, involving a C–C coupling step between the isopropoxide ligand and the benzylic carbon of the solvent. The resulting coupling product, 4-phenyl-2-butanol, is found in almost stoichiometric yield. The particle formation in ketones proceeds via a Ti-mediated aldol condensation of the solvent, involving formal elimination of water which induces formation of the oxide. These processes also occurred when reacting solely the titanium alkoxide with ketones or aldehydes, leading to highly crystalline anatase nanoparticles for all tested solvents. In ketones, also the synthesis of nanopowders of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) was achieved, which were initially amorphous but could be crystallized by calcination at moderate temperatures. Additionally, PZT films were prepared by simply casting a suspension of the powder onto Si substrates followed by calcination.Solvothermal synthesis however is not restricted to alkoxides as precursors but is also achieved from metal acetylacetonates. The use of benzylamine as solvent proved particularly versatile, making possible the synthesis of nanocrystalline In2O3, Ga2O3, ZnO and iron oxide from the respective acetylacetonates. During the synthesis, the acetylacetonate ligand undergoes a solvolysis under C–C cleavage, resulting in metal-bound enolate ligands which, in analogy to the synthesis in ketones, induce ketimine and aldol condensation reactions. In the last section of this work, surface functionalization of anatase nanoparticles is explored. The particles were first capped with various organic ligands via a facile in situ route, which resulted in altered properties such as enhanced dispersibility in various solvents. In a second step, short functional oligopeptide segments were attached to the particles by means of a catechol linker to achieve advanced self-assembly properties.
In this work, the basic principles of self-organization of diblock copolymers having the in¬herent property of selective or specific non-covalent binding were examined. By the introduction of electrostatic, dipole–dipole, or hydrogen bonding interactions, it was hoped to add complexity to the self-assembled mesostructures and to extend the level of ordering from the nanometer to a larger length scale. This work may be seen in the framework of biomimetics, as it combines features of synthetic polymer and colloid chemistry with basic concepts of structure formation applying in supramolecular and biological systems. The copolymer systems under study were (i) block ionomers, (ii) block copolymers with acetoacetoxy chelating units, and (iii) polypeptide block copolymers.
Understanding the principles of self-organisation exhibited by block copolymers requires the combination of synthetic and physicochemical knowledge. The ability to synthesise block copolymers with desired architecture facilitates the ability to manipulate their aggregation behaviour, thus providing the key to nanotechnology. Apart from relative block volumes, the size and morphology of the produced nanostructures is controlled by the effective incompatibility between the different blocks. Since polymerisation techniques allowing for the synthesis of well-defined block copolymers are restricted to a limited number of monomers, the ability to tune the incompatibility is very limited. Nevertheless, Polymer Analogue Reactions can offer another possibility for the production of functional block copolymers by chemical modifications of well-defined polymer precursors. Therefore, by applying appropriate modification methods both volume fractions and incompatibility, can be adjusted. Moreover, copolymers with introduced functional units allow utilization of the concept of molecular recognition in the world of synthetic polymers. The present work describes a modular synthetic approach towards functional block copolymers. Radical addition of functional mercaptanes was employed for the introduction of diverse functional groups to polybutadiene-containing block copolymers. Various modifications of 1,2-polybutadiene-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer precursors are described in detail. Furthermore, extension of the concept to 1,2-polybutadiene-polystyrene block copolymers is demonstrated. Further investigations involved the self-organisation of the modified block copolymers. Formed aggregates in aqueous solutions of block copolymers with introduced carboxylic acid, amine and hydroxyl groups as well as fluorinated chains were characterised. Study of the aggregation behaviour allowed general conclusions to be drawn regarding the influence of the introduced groups on the self-organisation of the modified copolymers. Finally, possibilities for the formation of complexes, based on electrostatic or hydrogen-bonding interactions in mixtures of block copolymers bearing mutually interacting functional groups, were investigated.
Self-assembly of polymeric building blocks is a powerful tool for the design of novel materials and structures that combine different properties and may respond to external stimuli. In the past decades, most studies were focused on the self-assembly of amphiphilic diblock copolymers in solution. The dissolution of these block copolymers in a solvent selective for one block results mostly in the formation of micelles. The micellar structure of diblock copolymers is inherently limited to a homogeneous core surrounded by a corona, which keeps the micelle in solution. Thus, for drug-delivery applications, such structures only offer a single domain (the hydrophobic inner core) for drug entrapment. Whereas multicompartment micelles composed of a water-soluble shell and a segregated hydrophobic core are novel, interesting morphologies for applications in a variety of fields including medicine, pharmacy and biotechnology. The separated incompatible compartments of the hydrophobic core could enable the selective entrapment and release of various hydrophobic drugs while the hydrophilic shell would permit the stabilization of these nanostructures in physiological media. However, so far, the preparation and control of stable multicompartment micellar systems are in the first stages and the number of morphological studies concerning such micelles is rather low. Thus considerably little is known about their exact inner structures. In the present study, we concentrate on four different approaches for the preparation of multicompartment micelles by self-assembly in aqueous media. A similarity of all approaches was that hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon blocks were selected for all employed copolymers since such segments tend to be strongly incompatible, and thus favor the segregation into distinct domains. Our studies have shown that the self-assembly of the utilized copolymers in aqueous solution leads in three cases to the formation of multicompartment micelles. As expected the shape and size of the micelles depend on the molecular architecture and to some extent also on the way of preparation. These novel structured colloids may serve as models as well as mimics for biological structures such as globular proteins, and may open interesting opportunities for nanotechnology applications.
Nonaqueous synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles and their assembly into mesoporous materials
(2006)
This thesis mainly consist of two parts, the synthesis of several kinds of technologically interesting crystalline metal oxide nanoparticles via nonaqueous sol-gel process and the formation of mesoporous metal oxides using some of these nanoparticles as building blocks via evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) technique. In the first part, the experimental procedures and characterization results of successful syntheses of crystalline tin oxide and tin doped indium oxide (ITO) nanoparticles are reported. SnO2 nanoparticles exhibit monodisperse particle size (3.5 nm in average), high crystallinity and particularly high dispersibility in THF, which enable them to become the ideal particulate precursor for the formation of mesoporous SnO2. ITO nanoparticles possess uniform particle morphology, narrow particle size distribution (5-10 nm), high crystallinity as well as high electrical conductivity. The synthesis approaches and characterization of various mesoporous metal oxides, including TiO2, SnO2, mixture of CeO2 and TiO2, mixture of BaTiO3 and SnO2, are reported in the second part of this thesis. Mesoporous TiO2 and SnO2 are presented as highlights of this part. Mesoporous TiO2 was produced in the forms of both films and bulk material. In the case of mesoporous SnO2, the study was focused on the high order of the porous structure. All these mesoporous metal oxides show high crystallinity, high surface area and rather monodisperse pore sizes, which demonstrate the validity of EISA process and the usage of preformed crystalline nanoparticles as nanobuilding blocks (NBBs) to produce mesoporous metal oxides.
Wasser erweist sich immer mehr als eine der kostbarsten und zukünftig knappsten Ressourcen auf unserem Planeten. Effizienter Umgang mit dieser Ressource ist deshalb auch in Großbewässerungsgebieten weltweit zu einer obersten Priorität geworden. Dabei spielt verstärkte Mitbestimmung und Partizipation der lokalen Bevölkerung erwiesenerweise eine wichtige Rolle. In einer viermonatigen Feldstudie wurden im Bewässerungsgebiet Office du Niger, Mali, in zwei Dörfern die örtlichen „Bauernorganisationen zum Unterhalt des tertiären Bewässerungssystems“ evaluiert. Welchen Nutzen und welche Erfolge können sie vorweisen? Wo liegen Probleme in Umsetzung und Akzeptanz der lokalen Organisationsstrukturen? Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt umfassend die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen bäuerlicher Selbstorganisation zum nachhaltigen Kanalunterhalt in der Forschungsregion dar, ergründet die vorliegenden Problemfaktoren und zeigt Schritte zur Überwindung derselbigen auf.
Funktionalisierte Poly(2-oxazoline) als neue Materialien stellen sowohl unter strukturellen Gesichtspunkten als auch im Hinblick auf potentielle Anwendungen eine interessante Polymerklasse dar. Die Ausbildung von hierarchischen Strukturen mit Poly(2-oxazolinen) über intermolekulare Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen ist hierbei ein bisher nicht beachteter Aspekt. Über einen bioinspirierten Ansatz sollten gezielt funktionelle Gruppen, die für einen hierarchischen Aufbau, z.B. in Proteinen, verantwortlich sind, in vereinfachter Weise auf die synthetische Substanzklasse der Poly(2-oxazoline) übertragen werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der modularen Synthese neuer, funktionalisierter Poly(2-oxazolin) Homo- und Copolymere. Ausgehend von der Synthese von 2-(3-Butenyl)-2-oxazolin wurden definierte Präpolymere in einer kationischen Isomerisierungspolymerisation unter kontrolliert/„lebenden“ Bedingungen hergestellt. In einer anschließenden „Thio-Click“ (Thiol-En-Reaktion) Modifizierungsreaktion wurden die gewünschten funktionellen Gruppen quantitativ eingeführt. Hydroxylierte Poly(2-oxazoline) wurden hinsichtlich ihres Aggregationsverhaltens in Wasser untersucht. Bereits die jeweiligen Homopolymere bildeten aufgrund von intermolekularen Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen supramolekulare tubuläre Nanofasern aus. Durch Einsatz verschiedener analytischer Methoden konnte die innere Struktur der Nanoröhren beschrieben und ein entsprechendes Modell aufgestellt werden. Die dargestellten funktionellen Poly(2-oxazoline) wurden hinsichtlich ihrer Anwendung als potentielle, synthetische „antifreeze additives“ untersucht. Alle Polymere besitzen eine ausgeprägte Tendenz zur Nukleierung von Wasser und führen daher zu signifikanten Änderungen der Eismorphologie. Des weiteren wurde ein carboxyliertes Derivat zur biomimetischen Mineralisation von Kalziumcarbonat eingesetzt und nach phänomenologischen Gesichtspunkten untersucht.
Controlling interactions in synthetic polymers as precisely as in proteins would have a strong impact on polymer science. Advanced structural and functional control can lead to rational design of, integrated nano- and microstructures. To achieve this, properties of monomer sequence defined oligopeptides were exploited. Through their incorporation as monodisperse segments into synthetic polymers we learned in recent four years how to program the structure formation of polymers, to adjust and exploit interactions in such polymers, to control inorganic-organic interfaces in fiber composites and induce structure in Biomacromolecules like DNA for biomedical applications.
In the present thesis, the self-assembly of multi thermoresponsive block copolymers in dilute aqueous solution was investigated by a combination of turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering, TEM measurements, NMR as well as fluorescence spectroscopy. The successive conversion of such block copolymers from a hydrophilic into a hydrophobic state includes intermediate amphiphilic states with a variable hydrophilic-to-lipophilic balance. As a result, the self-organization is not following an all-or-none principle but a multistep aggregation in dilute solution was observed. The synthesis of double thermoresponsive diblock copolymers as well as triple thermoresponsive triblock copolymers was realized using twofold-TMS labeled RAFT agents which provide direct information about the average molar mass as well as residual end group functionality from a routine proton NMR spectrum. First a set of double thermosensitive diblock copolymers poly(N-n-propylacrylamide)-b-poly(N-ethylacrylamide) was synthesized which differed only in the relative size of the two blocks. Depending on the relative block lengths, different aggregation pathways were found. Furthermore, the complementary TMS-labeled end groups served as NMR-probes for the self-assembly of these diblock copolymers in dilute solution. Reversible, temperature sensitive peak splitting of the TMS-signals in NMR spectroscopy was indicative for the formation of mixed star-/flower-like micelles in some cases. Moreover, triple thermoresponsive triblock copolymers from poly(N-n-propylacrylamide) (A), poly(methoxydiethylene glycol acrylate) (B) and poly(N-ethylacrylamide) (C) were obtained from sequential RAFT polymerization in all possible block sequences (ABC, BAC, ACB). Their self-organization behavior in dilute aqueous solution was found to be rather complex and dependent on the positioning of the different blocks within the terpolymers. Especially the localization of the low-LCST block (A) had a large influence on the aggregation behavior. Above the first cloud point, aggregates were only observed when the A block was located at one terminus. Once placed in the middle, unimolecular micelles were observed which showed aggregation only above the second phase transition temperature of the B block. Carrier abilities of such triple thermosensitive triblock copolymers tested in fluorescence spectroscopy, using the solvatochromic dye Nile Red, suggested that the hydrophobic probe is less efficiently incorporated by the polymer with the BAC sequence as compared to ABC or ACB polymers above the first phase transition temperature. In addition, due to the problem of increasing loss of end group functionality during the subsequent polymerization steps, a novel concept for the one-step synthesis of multi thermoresponsive block copolymers was developed. This allowed to synthesize double thermoresponsive di- and triblock copolymers in a single polymerization step. The copolymerization of different N-substituted maleimides with a thermosensitive styrene derivative (4-vinylbenzyl methoxytetrakis(oxyethylene) ether) led to alternating copolymers with variable LCST. Consequently, an excess of this styrene-based monomer allowed the synthesis of double thermoresponsive tapered block copolymers in a single polymerization step.