Time Dependence of Self-Assembly Process For the Formation of Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Nanolayers

There is increasing interest in self-assembled materials for energy storage, flexible electronics and hydrophobic barriers. Inorganic/organic hybrid thin films and especially organosilane-based coatings already have demonstrated their ability to achieve those goals. However, some fundamental points of their formation process by molecular self-assembly remain unexplained. Although the literature widely reports the effect of temperature on the final nanostructure, until now, no one has taken into account the importance of time during their synthesis. The main objective of this study was to improve and complete the understanding of mechanisms responsible for the self-organization of organic/inorganic molecules into a highly ordered, layered structure. Indeed, by including gelation time as the main parameter during the preparation of nanostructured films, we have shown that it is among the major criteria controlling molecular conformation. By completing this research, we have filled a gap in the knowledge concerning the time dependence of the preparation of self-assembled molecules. We expect this work to be of general interest to all material engineers wanting to synthesize and control the internal structure of inorganic/organic hybrid thin films. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Li Tan, for his continuous enthusiasm, guidance and encouragement throughout this project. He was abundantly helpful and understanding and offered me the opportunity to acquire valuable experiences. I also would like to thank Lucia Fernandez-Ballester with whom I worked closely on this project and whose motivation and advice always inspired me to go further. University of Rouen for giving me the chance to take part in the EMME program and study under the best conditions. Without them, this great adventure would not have been possible. deserve a special thanks as my thesis committee members. Sincere thanks to all the persons who helped me throughout this study, Thanks to the FACE-PUF program for the financial support. Last but not least, I really appreciated the support from all my family, my friends and my girlfriend in France throughout this year. They are greatly involved in the successful realization of this thesis.