Publications related to Strain-driven oxygen deficiency in multiferroic SrMnO3 thin films

A compact approach to higher-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering detection using photoelectrons

The detection of inelastically scattered soft x-rays with high energy resolution usually requires large grating spectrometers. Recently, photoelectron spectrometry for analysis of x-rays (PAX) has been rediscovered for modern spectroscopy experiments at sy ...

Iop Publishing Ltd2024

Magnetism of Single Surface Adsorbed Atoms Studied with Radio-Frequency STM

Clément Marie Soulard

This thesis investigates the magnetic properties of single atoms and molecules adsorbed on thin magnesium oxide decoupling layers, grown on a silver single crystal. To address these systems experimentally, we use a low temperature scanning tunneling micros ...

EPFL2024

Microstructure - Electrochemical Surface Reactivity Relationship of Electrochemically Grown Manganese Oxides Films

Roberto Cestaro

This Thesis provides a comprehensive and correlative investigation of the microstructure, chemical state, and electrochemical reactivity of manganese oxide (MnOx) films, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of the deposition and dissolution mechanism of M ...

EPFL2024

Jahn-Teller effects in initial and final states: high-resolution X-ray absorption, photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy of allene

Majed Chergui, Luca Longetti, Thomas Roland Barillot, Camila Bacellar Cases Da Silveira, Rebecca Ann Ingle, Daniel Hollas, Ludmila Maria Diniz Leroy

Carbon K-edge resonant Auger spectra of gas-phase allene following excitation of the pre-edge 1s -> pi* transitions are presented and analysed with the support of EOM-CCSD/cc-pVTZ calculations. X-Ray absorption (XAS), X-ray photoelectron (XPS), valence ban ...

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY2023

Competition between Carrier Injection and Structural Distortions in Electron-Doped Perovskite Nickelate Thin Films

Jean-Marc Triscone, Duncan Thomas Lindsay Alexander, Jonathan Spring, Bernat Mundet

The discovery of superconductivity in doped infinite-layer nickelate thin films has brought increased attention to the behavior of the doped perovskite phase. Despite this interest, the majority of existing studies pertain to hole-doped perovskite rare-ear ...

WILEY2023

New tools for phase segmentation and denoising of analytical STEM data for enhanced chemical sensitivity, applied to Earth mantle research

Hui Chen

This thesis is dedicated to developing innovative methodologies that improve elemental quantification in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The primary motivation stems from a geochemistry pr ...

EPFL2023

Element- and enantiomer-selective visualization of molecular motion in real-time

Majed Chergui, Malte Oppermann, Jérémy Raymond Jean Maurice Rouxel

Ultrafast optical-domain spectroscopies allow to monitor in real time the motion of nuclei in molecules. Achieving element-selectivity had to await the advent of time resolved X-ray spectroscopy, which is now commonly carried at X-ray free electron lasers. ...

Nature Portfolio2023

Progress and prospects in nonlinear extreme-ultraviolet and X-ray optics and spectroscopy

Majed Chergui

Free-electron lasers and high-harmonic-generation table-top systems are new sources of extreme-ultraviolet to hard X-ray photons, providing ultrashort pulses that are intense, coherent and tunable. They are enabling a broad range of nonlinear optical and s ...

NATURE PORTFOLIO2023

A diamond spin qubit scanning probe microscope

Dinesh Kevin Mathais Pinto

The properties of a physical system only exist in relation to its environment. This thesis presents the development of a novel spin qubit scanning probe microscope operating over a wide range of environmental conditions. The qubit, which sits at the heart ...

EPFL2023

Electromagnetic processes of nuclear excitation: from direct photoabsorption to free electron and muon capture

Simone Gargiulo

In the vast expanse of the Universe and on our planet, nuclei exist in a state of excitement. These excited nuclear states (isomers) can persist for varying periods, from fractions of a second to billions of years and beyond, before decaying to their groun ...

EPFL2023

Improving time-resolution and sensitivity of in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of a powder catalyst by modulated excitation

Oliver Kröcher, Davide Ferri, Filippo Buttignol

Ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) is a powerful tool to characterize the surface structure of heterogeneous catalysts in situ. In order to improve the time resolution and the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of photoemission spectra, we ...

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY2023

Operando identification of a side-on nickel superoxide intermediate and the mechanism of oxygen evolution on nickel oxyhydroxide

Xile Hu, Lichen Bai, Seunghwa Lee

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a key electrochemical reac-tion relevant to energy storage. Ni-containing bimetallic oxyhydrox-ides are among the most active OER catalysts in alkaline medium, but the mechanism of OER on pure Ni oxyhydroxide remains ...

ELSEVIER2023

Structure, Oxygen Content and Electric Properties of Titanium Nitride Electrodes in TiNx/La:HfO2/TiNx Stacks Grown by PEALD on SiO2/Si

Philippe Buffat, Elena Suvorova Buffat

This work reports experimental results of the quantitative determination of oxygen and band gap measurement in the TiNx electrodes in planar TiNx top/La:HfO2/TiNx bottom MIM stacks obtained by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition on SiO2. Methodological ...

2022

Electron probing of oxygen-evolving oxide catalysts

Tzu-Hsien Shen

Water splitting is one of the cleanest ways to store energy. The production of hydrogen and oxygen gases can be utilized in fuel cells to generate electricity, power, and heat. In the water splitting process, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), taking pla ...

EPFL2022

Microwave plasma-assisted reactive HiPIMS of InN films: Plasma environment and material characterisation

Aïcha Hessler-Wyser, Johann Michler, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Caroline Hain, Thomas Nelis

This work focuses on the low temperature fabrication process of InN thin films via microwave plasma-assisted reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (MAR-HiPIMS). The influence of microwave plasma on the HiPIMS discharge process at various nitroge ...

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA2022

Ion temperature spectroscopic measurements in high rotation discharges by means of X-ray diagnostic at JET

Henri Weisen

Measurement of the X-ray spectra of the He-like Ni ions (Ni26+) and their dielectronic satellites (Ni25+, Ni24+, and Ni23+) plays a crucial role in determination of electronic and ion temperature of plasma in the JET device. Because n >= 3 satellites of Ni ...

2022

Solid-state synthesis of CdFe2O4 binary catalyst for potential application in renewable hydrogen fuel generation

Michael Graetzel, Shaik Mohammed Zakeeruddin

Clean energy is highly needed at this time when the energy requirements are rapidly increasing. The observed increasing energy requirement are largely due to continued industrialization and global population explosion. The current means of energy source is ...

Nature Portfolio2022

In situ work function measurements of W, WO3 nanostructured surfaces

Francisco Sanchez

Surface nanostructuring enables the fabrication of materials with highly desirable properties. Nanostructured tungsten surfaces have potential applications in solar water splitting. Exposing a polished tungsten surface to helium plasma induces various surf ...

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA2022

Application of Copper Thermal Spraying for Electrical Joints between Superconducting Nb3Sn Cables

Pierluigi Bruzzone, Vincenzo D'Auria

This manuscript reports on the application of copper thermal spraying in the manufacturing process of an electrical connection between Nb3Sn cables for superconducting magnets of fusion reactors. The joint is realized through diffusion bonding of the spray ...

MDPI2022

Stabilizing Unusual Oxidation States of Lanthanides in Molecular Complexes: Synthesis, Properties, and Reactivity

Aurélien René Willauer

The chemistry of divalent lanthanides has generated increasing interest in the past years due to their redox properties and unique reaction pathways. Notably, molecular complexes of low-valent lanthanides have been shown to be suitable one-electron reducta ...

EPFL2022