Universität Stuttgart

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    Oleathydratase katalysierte stereoselektive Hydratisierungsreaktionen kurzkettiger Alkene
    (2025) Härterich, Natalie; Hauer, Bernhard (Prof. Dr.)
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    Growth of oxide materials with Ruddlesden-Popper- and garnet-type structures via the optical float zone method: investigations of scintillation, optical, and magnetic properties, and post-growth modifications of single crystals via topochemical routes
    (2025) Yilmaz, Hasan; Clemens, Oliver (Prof. Dr.)
    With the continuous progress in materials science, the global market demand for high-performance functional materials, especially those with customized optical and magnetic properties, has increased significantly due to their critical role in next-generation technologies such as photonic devices, data storage systems, quantum computing, and biomedical applications. With this motivation, this dissertation is focused on the growth of high-quality oxide single crystals with Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) and garnet-type structures using the optical floating zone (OFZ) method and the detailed investigation of their scintillation, optical and magnetic properties. Furthermore, the use of chemical doping and post-growth topochemical modifications as strategies to modify material properties and stabilise metastable structures is also covered. With these approaches, we can classify this study into two parts: optical and magnetic properties. In the first part of this work, RP-type n = 1 LaSrGaO4 (LSGO) and Garnet-type Gd3In2Ga3O12 (GIGG) single crystals doped with different Rare Earths (RE) including Eu, Sm, Ho, Nd have been grown via OFZ method to investigate their luminescence, decay time kinetics and scintillation properties. To compare the scintillation behaviour, a well-known commercial scintillator, Gd2.98Ce0.02Al2Ga3O12 (0.02Ce:GAGG) single crystal, was synthesised and characterised using the same methods. This limits deviations in scintillation properties caused by different synthesis methods. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Single Crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) measurements together with Rietveld analysis confirmed phase purity and crystallinity, while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX) and backscatter electron imaging (BSE) confirmed the homogeneous distribution of the dopants. In addition to these analytical methods, Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL) and luminescence decay measurements have demonstrated that these RE-doped single crystals have strong emission, which is related to the low phonon energy of their host lattices. However, scintillation measurements under 137Cs gamma-ray point source excitation resulted in a limited gamma ray response. This response was significantly weaker than observed for the well-known commercial scintillator 0.02Ce:GAGG. Inefficient absorption of high-energy excitation or inadequate energy transfer to the activator ions in these materials are responsible for this relatively low scintillation performance. The second part of the thesis is focused on bilayer Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates. Single crystals of Sr3Ni2-xAlxO7-δ (SNAO) and its Y-substituted modification YᵧSr3-yNi2-xAlxO7-δ (YSNAO) have been grown by using strategically chemical substitutions and high oxygen pressure conditions to stabilize the RP phase. XRD and SC-XRD analysis confirmed the existence of the n = 2 RP-type structure by doping with Al, while thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated successful oxygen incorporation and corresponding changes in the Ni oxidation state. Magnetic susceptibility measurements (SQUID magnetometry) have demonstrated the antiferromagnetic ordering transitions in these doped nickelate single crystals, and transport measurements have shown enhanced electrical conductivity compared to the undoped parent compound. In addition, a topochemical fluorination process has been investigated as a post-growth modification for n = 1 RP-type La2NiO4+δ single crystals. Fluorine has been introduced into the crystal lattice at moderate temperatures using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and CuF2 as fluorination reagent. PTFE has been found to be the most effective fluorinating agent, resulting in partially fluorinated La2NiO4+δ with a diffusion-limited penetration pattern. EDX and EDX-mapping analyses have demonstrated an inhomogeneous F distribution, indicating that fluorine incorporation is limited by diffusion kinetics. This inhomogeneity should be carefully considered in future structural and functional analyses as it may affect the accurate characterisation of intrinsic properties in fluorinated crystals. In summary, the results of this thesis demonstrate the flexibility of the optical floating zone technique for the growth of high-quality functional oxides and show how structural stability, and functional properties can be modified using specific chemical doping approaches. To optimise scintillation performance in novel garnet-type hosts and to improve the magnetic and electronic behaviour of RP-type nickelates, the combined approach of crystal growth and post-growth modification could provide an additional parameter for material modification.
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    Characterization and optimization of sulfurized poly(acrylonitrile) cathodes and silicon anodes
    (2023) Niesen, Stefan; Buchmeiser, Michael R. (Prof. Dr.)
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    Atom probe study on CuNi thin films : miscibility gap and grain boundary segregation
    (2023) Duran, Rüya; Schmitz, Guido (Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c.)
    In dieser Arbeit wurde die Lage der Mischungslücke, und die Korngrenzsegregation im Legierungssystem, Kupfer-Nickel, per Atomsondentomographie (APT) analysiert. Zur Untersuchung der Mischungslücke eines binären Systems mit langsamer Diffusion wurde ein neues Verfahren verwendet. Multilagen aus Cu- und Ni- Dünnschichten wurden mittels Ionenstrahlbeschichtung (IBS) auf Wolframpfosten beschichtet und durch fokussierte Ionenstrahlung (FIB) geformt. Bei drei unterschiedlichen Temperaturen, zwischen 573 und 673 K, wurden isotherme Auslagerungssequenzen an einem Ultrahochvakuumofen (UHV) durchgeführt und der Mischungsprozess analysiert. Ein Modell des Diffusionsprozesses wurde mittels mathematischer Überlegungen erstellt. Durch das Fitten der experimentellen Kompositionsprofile mittels dieses Modells konnten die Gleichgewichtskonzentrationen der Schichten auch mit relativ kurzen Auslagerungszeiten ermittelt werden. Darüber hinaus konnten aus den diffusionskontrollierten Zeit- und Temperaturdaten physikalische Eigenschaften wie der effektive Diffusionskoeffizient (Gitterdiffusion einschließlich Defektdiffusion) bestimmt werden. Dieser betrug Deff = 1.86 ∙ 10-10 m2/s ∙ exp(-164 kJ mol-1/RT). Während dem Vermischen wurde die Änderung der multilagigen Mikrostruktur bis zur vollständigen Mischung bei 623 und 673 K beobachtet, wobei Korngrenzen als schneller Diffusionsweg eine wichtige Rolle spielen. Bei 573 K wurde Nichtmischbarkeit experimentell deutlich nachgewiesen, wobei die Phasengrenzen bei cNi=26 at.% und cNi=66 at.% liegen. Mit diesen Phasengrenzen wurde die Mischungslücke über eine Redlich-Kister-Parametrisierung der Gibbs‘schen freien Energie über den gesamten Konzentrationsbereich rekonstruiert. Hierin wurde für die kritische Temperatur, TC, 608 K bei einer Konzentration von 45 at% Ni gefunden. Im zweiten Teil wurde die Korngrenzsegregation durch die FIB/tEBSD- (Transmissions-Elektronen-Rückstreubeugung) Technik, in Korrelation zu APT-Messung charakterisiert. Vier Legierungen mit einem Ni-Anteil zwischen 25 und 85 at.% wurden auf Wolframpfosten per IBS beschichtet, und bei 700 K für 24 h wärmebehandelt. Die Segregation von Cu in die Korngrenzen wurde beobachtet. Durch die Verwendung eines theoretischen Models wurde die Exzess-Kurve über den gesamten Konzentrationsbereich, und die Korngrenz-Formationsenergie auf Basis der experimentellen Daten berechnet. Die tEBSD-Analyse während der FIB-Präparation erlaubt die Identifikation der Körner und deren Orientierung. Ein neues Verfahren wurde entwickelt, um mithilfe der Orientierung benachbarter Körner, Berechnungen zur Ermittlung der Korngrenzorientierung durchzuführen und somit die Orientierung natürlicher Korngrenzen zu bestimmen. Mit diesem Verfahren konnte der zeitliche Aufwand dieser anspruchsvollen Auswertung (verglichen zur herkömmlichen Methode mittels TEM-Untersuchung) stark reduziert werden, so dass eine quantitative Analyse vieler Korngrenzen möglich wurde. Aus den einzelnen Korngrenzorientierungen wurde die Korngrenzrotation, und die jeweiligen Anteile an Kippung und Drehung berechnet. Eine Abhängigkeit der Feststoffsegregation vom Kipp- und Drehanteil der Korngrenze wurde beobachtet, die am kleinsten für die reine Kipp- und Drehrotation war. Die ermittelten Segregationsweiten sind signifikant größer als die strukturellen Korngrenzweiten und bewegen sich zwischen 12 und 85 Å. Dieses Verhalten wurde durch eine künstliche Verbreiterung der Korngrenze erklärt, die durch eine Flugbahnabweichung der Korngrenzatome während der Verdampfung verursacht wurde. Eine Korngrenzweite von w0 = (10.1 ± 1.5) Å wurde für eine unverfälschte Korngrenze gefunden.
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    Machine-learning techniques for geometry optimization
    (2023) Born, Daniel; Kästner, Johannes (Prof. Dr.)
    Geometry optimization in computational chemistry is still a challenging task. The bottleneck is the computationally expensive ab initio calculations. Thus reducing the total amount of these calculations to accelerate minimization and transition state search is essential. In recent years machine-learning techniques, like Gaussian process regression or neural networks, became popular among scientists. These can be used to calculate the surrogate surface of the potential energy surface and perform geometry optimization there. Another important aspect of geometry optimization is the choice of coordinate system. While Cartesian coordinates describe uniquely a molecule, they are highly coupled. To reduce the coupling between the coordinates, the so-called internal coordinates were developed a long time ago. In addition, these coordinates are non-redundant. With these types of coordinates, a speedup of geometry optimization was obtained. Combining internal coordinates with machine-learning technique has thus the potential to significantly improve geometry optimization. In this thesis, the improvement is demonstrated.
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    Gold nanoparticle-mediated DNA origami nanoarchitectures
    (2024) Peil, Andreas; Na Liu, Laura (Prof. Dr.)
    Since its origin in the 1980s, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) nanotechnology has established itself as a captivating nanofabrication technique with ever increasing impact that combines aspects from physics, chemistry, and biology to construct artificial nanosystems by means of molecular self assembly. Within the field of DNA nanotechnology, the DNA origami technique represents one of the most versatile fabrication tools to craft functional two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures from the bottom up. These structures offer precisely tailored geometries along with programmable functions, featuring positional addressability with sub-5 nm resolution and exceptional spatiotemporal accuracy. This thesis discusses strategies to employ the DNA origami technique to assemble intricate hybrid nanosystems with synergistically integrated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The AuNPs take over different roles; they grant (i) structural and (ii) functional features and enable the (iii) optical monitoring of the systems. This approach allows the fabrication of nanostructures piece by piece to explore their structural and functional properties at the nanoscale in detail. The first publication covers different strategies for the hierarchical assembly of topological DNA origami structures using a AuNP-templated self-assembly approach. The assembly of [2], [3], and [4]catenanes with interconnecting AuNPs is elucidated. The AuNPs can be controllably released to disconnect the individual rings, leaving only the mechanical bond of the catenane chain. In the second publication, a dynamic AuNP-DNA origami gear system is presented that is designed to emulate a planetary gearset with precise spatiotemporal control over its rotation dynamics. The AuNPs serve three crucial tasks. They (i) structurally link the origami ring modules, (ii) mediate the rotation and (iii) enable the real time optical tracking of the rotation via fluorescence spectroscopy. The system enables tightly orchestrated and programmable bidirectional rotations. In the third publication, reconfigurable chiral metastructures comprising multiple plasmonic particles that are accurately positioned in a helical manner around a DNA origami template are discussed. The implementation of a DNA ‘swingarm strategy’ enables the simultaneous and efficient relocation of multiple closely spaced AuNPs over large distances to precisely tune the chiroptical response of the system. The presented publications illustrate the beneficial synergies between DNA origami systems and rationally integrated AuNPs with the aim to advance and expand the application spectrum of these hybrid nanosystems within their scientific disciplines.