L'objectif de cette thèse est de synthétiser de nouveaux monomères éthers vinyliques porteurs de groupements phosphonate, dans le but d'étudier leur efficacité comme retardateurs de flamme. Les produits phosphorés s'avèrent de bonnes alternatives aux retardateurs de flamme halogénés, qui présentent des problèmes environnementaux. Dans un premier temps, nous avons réalisé la synthèse des éthers vinyliques phosphonés par transéthérification de l'éthylvinyl éther en présence d'alcools phosphonés. Ensuite, nous avons choisi la copolymérisation radicalaire (A/D) afin de préparer des copolymères à base d'éthers vinyliques phosphonés et de différents accepteurs. Des études cinétiques par Infra-Rouge en temps réel et plusieurs méthodes d'analyses ont été effectuées afin de caractériser ces copolymères. Dans un second temps, nous avons réalisé des cinétiques de photocopolymérisation radicalaire du 2-vinyloxyéthylphosphonate de diméthyle avec une série de monomères accepteurs, par exemple, les maléimides avec qui ce monomère forme des complexes forts. La photopolymérisation cationique a aussi été réalisée et offre de meilleurs résultats que la photopolymérisation radicalaire. Un bilan de tous les polymères phosphonés a été réalisé dans le but de tester leurs performances en tant que retardateurs de flamme. Les caractérisations thermogravimétriques et microcalorimétriques de ces copolymères ont montré une quantité importante de résidus et des valeurs de chaleur dégagée encourageantes en vue d'une utilisation de ceux-ci en tant que retardateurs de flamme. / The aim of this work is the synthesis of new vinyl ethers monomers bearing phosphonate groups, in order to study their efficiency as flame retardants. Phosphorus products are known to be a good alternative to halogenated flame retardants, which are involved in environmental problems. Initially, the synthesis of phosphonated vinyl ethers was performed by trans-etherification of ethylvinyl ether in the presence of phosphonated alcohols. Then, the radical copolymerization (A/D) was used to prepare copolymers based on phosphonated vinyl ether and various electron-accepting monomers. Kinetic studies by real-time Infrared and several methods of analyzes were used to characterize these copolymers. In a second step, the radical photocopolymerization of 2-dimethylvinyloxyethylphosphonate was led with a series of electron-accepting monomers, for instance maleimides which form strong complexes with vinyl ethers. The cationic photopolymerization of these phosphonated vinyl ethers is also possible and affords better results than radical photopolymerization. An assessment of all phosphonated polymers was performed in order to test their performances as flame retardants. Thermogravimetric and microcalorimetric characterizations showed good amount of released residues showing that these copolymers are good candidates as flame retardants.

Poly(ether-b-amide) (Pebax® grade 1074) is a waterproof breathable block copolymer containing soft poly(ethylene oxide) and rigid polyamide 12 segments. Its intrinsic gas permeabilities to nitrogen, oxygen, methane, helium, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide were tested under different feed pressures (0.3 – 2.5 MPa) and temperatures (20 – 80 °C). This helps to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the polymer, because prior work reported in the literature addressed only a few gases and used inconsistent membrane preparation and test methods. Relatively high polar (or quadrupolar)/nonpolar gas selectivity were observed. CO2/N2 selectivity was demonstrated to be as high as 105±0.4 in Pebax®1074, with CO2 permeability coefficient of approximately 180±1 Barrer at room temperature. Additionally, the effects of solvent used in membrane preparation, heat treatment, membrane thickness, and polymer solution concentration on the membrane permeability were evaluated. Pebax® is a highly breathable material, thus its application as breathable chemically-resistant protective clothing was studied. Dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) – a sarin simulant – was selected as the challenge agent. The liquid pervaporation of pure water (simulating perspiration) and pure DMMP were measured for Pebax®1074, Pebax®2533, nitrile, latex, poly(vinyl chloride), low density polyethylene, silicone, and silicone-polycarbonate copolymer under pervaporation mode. Pebax®1074 was not only the most water permeable material but also the most selective of all the tested materials for water/DMMP – making it a very promising material for this application.

Poly(ether-b-amide) (Pebax® grade 1074) is a waterproof breathable block copolymer containing soft poly(ethylene oxide) and rigid polyamide 12 segments. Its intrinsic gas permeabilities to nitrogen, oxygen, methane, helium, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide were tested under different feed pressures (0.3 – 2.5 MPa) and temperatures (20 – 80 °C). This helps to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the polymer, because prior work reported in the literature addressed only a few gases and used inconsistent membrane preparation and test methods. Relatively high polar (or quadrupolar)/nonpolar gas selectivity were observed. CO2/N2 selectivity was demonstrated to be as high as 105±0.4 in Pebax®1074, with CO2 permeability coefficient of approximately 180±1 Barrer at room temperature. Additionally, the effects of solvent used in membrane preparation, heat treatment, membrane thickness, and polymer solution concentration on the membrane permeability were evaluated. Pebax® is a highly breathable material, thus its application as breathable chemically-resistant protective clothing was studied. Dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) – a sarin simulant – was selected as the challenge agent. The liquid pervaporation of pure water (simulating perspiration) and pure DMMP were measured for Pebax®1074, Pebax®2533, nitrile, latex, poly(vinyl chloride), low density polyethylene, silicone, and silicone-polycarbonate copolymer under pervaporation mode. Pebax®1074 was not only the most water permeable material but also the most selective of all the tested materials for water/DMMP – making it a very promising material for this application.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2010.

Il a été mis en évidence que le canal SK3 est un médiateur de la migration de cellules cancéreuses mammaires, une propriété essentielle à la formation de métastases. Par ailleurs, ce canal est inhibé par l’édelfosine, un éther-lipide ayant des propriétés anti-tumorales in vitro mais son usage en clinique a été abandonné en raison d’effets secondaires. Une première partie de ce travail a permis de déterminer les parties de l’édelfosine nécessaires à l’inhibition du canal SK3 et de la migration cellulaire. Ceci nous a permis de sélectionner l’Ohmline (1-O-Hexadécyl-2-O-Méthyl-sn-glycéro-lactose), un analogue non toxique de l’édelfosine qui conserve son activité inhibitrice de SK3 et de la migration. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons testé ce lipide dans un modèle murin de développement tumoral et nous avons montré qu’il réduisait le développement des métastases sans modifier la tumeur primaire. En conclusion, nous avons décrit l’Ohmline qui est le premier inhibiteur lipidique de SK3 et qui pourrait devenir le premier membre d’une famille de composés lipidiques inhibiteurs de la formation de métastases. / It has been shown that SK3 channel was a mediator of breast cancer cells migration, a fundamental property for metastasis formation. In addition, edelfosine inhibits SK3 channel. This ether-lipid owns a high anti cancerous potential in vitro but its clinical use was hampered by some side effects, Firstly, we showed the structural parts of edelfosine required for SK3 channel inhibition and cell motility inhibition. Moreover, we selected Ohmline (1-O-Hexadécyl-2-O-Méthyl-sn-glycéro-lactose), an edlefosine’s analogue that preserves SK3 channel and motility inhibitory properties. Secondly, we evaluated this lipid on tumor development in nude mice model. We showed that this lipid reduces metastasis formation without effect on primary tumor. To conclude, we described Ohmline, the first lipid inhibitor of SK3. This compound should become the first member of a new family of metastasis lipid inhibitors.

Litter-decay fungi have recently been shown to secrete heme-thiolate peroxygenases that oxidize various organic chemicals, but little is known about the physiological role or the mechanism of these enzymes. The aromatic peroxygenase of Agrocybe aegerita (AaeAPO) was purified and catalytically characterized. An overall reaction mechanism was proposed. The results show that AaeAPO catalyzed diverse H2O2-dependent monooxygenations (two-electron oxidations) including (a) the cleavage of aliphatic and aromatic ethers, (b) the regio- and enantioselective hydroxylation of aromatic compounds, (c) the stepwise oxygenation of benzylic compounds, (d) the N-dealkylation of secondary amines and (e) the dehalogenation of halogenated aliphatic compounds as well as typical peroxidase reactions (suggested to involve one-electron oxidation) such as (f) oxidation and polymerization of phenols and (g) halogenations. The enzyme failed to oxidize polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). Mechanistic studies with several model substrates provided information about the reaction cycle of AaeAPO: (1) stoichiometry of tetrahydrofuran cleavage showed that the reaction was a two-electron oxidation that generated one aldehyde group and one alcohol group, yielding the ring-opened product 4-hydroxybutanal, (2) steady-state kinetics results with methyl 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl ether, which was oxidized to 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, gave parallel double reciprocal plots suggestive of a ping-pong mechanism, (3) the cleavage of methyl 4-nitrobenzyl ether, the hydroxylation of aromatics such as diclofenac and nitrophenol and the oxygenation of benzylic compounds, resulted in incorporation of 18O into the reaction product in the presence of H218O2, and (4) the demethylation of 1-methoxy-4-trideuteromethoxybenzene showed an distinct observed intramolecular deuterium isotope effect. These results support a mechanism similar to that envisaged for the peroxygenase activity of P450s in which the enzyme heme is oxidized by H2O2 to give an iron species that carries one of the peroxide oxygen. This intermediate then abstracts a hydrogen from the substrate, which is followed by rebound of an •OH equivalent to produce the monooxygenated reaction product (hydrogen abstraction and oxygen rebound mechanism). AaeAPO may accordingly have a role in the biodegradation of natural and anthropogenic low molecular weight compounds in soils and plant litter. Moreover, the results raise the possibility that fungal peroxygenases may be useful for versatile, cost-effective, and scalable syntheses of drug metabolites and herbicide precursors. / Die Peroxygenase des Südlichen Ackerling (Agrocybe aegerita, AaeAPO) wurde gereinigt, ihr Katalysepotential ermittelt und ein allgemeiner Reaktionsmechanismus postuliert. Die AaeAPO katalysiert sowohl H2O2-abhängige Monooxygenierungen (Zwei-Elektron Oxidationen) wie (a) die Spaltung aliphatischer und aromatischer Ether, (b) die regio- und enantioselektive Hydroxylierung von Aromaten, (c) die schrittweise Monooxygenierung von Toluolderivaten, (d) die N-Dealkylierung sekundärer Amine und (e) die Dehalogenierung chlorierter Aliphaten als auch typische Reaktionen bekannter Peroxidasen (vermutlich Ein-Elektron-Oxidation) unter anderem (f) die Oxidation/ Polymerisierung von Phenolen und (g) die Halogenierung von Aromaten. Polymere Verbindungen wie Polyethylenglycol (PEG) werden nicht oxidiert. Mechanistische Untersuchungen zur Etherspaltung am Beispiel der AaeAPO haben Einblick in den generellen Reaktionsmechanismus dieses neuen Enzymtyps ermöglicht: (1) die Stöchiometrie der Spaltung von Tetrahydrofuran entspricht der einer zwei-Elektron-Oxidation, (2) die Spaltung von Methyl-3,4-Dimethoxybenzylether zu 4-Dimethoxybenzaldehyd und Methanol ergaben parallele Verläufe für die ermittelten Ausgleichsgeraden in der doppelt reziproken Darstellung, was einem „Ping-Pong“-Reaktionsmechanismus entspricht (3) die Monooxygenierungen haben stets den Einbau eines aus dem Peroxid (H2O2) stammenden Sauerstoffatoms in das Produkt zur Folge, (4) die O-Dealkylierung von 1-Methoxy-4-Trideuterummethoxybenzol zeigt einen ausgeprägten Deuterium Isotopen Effekt, was auf die primäre Abspaltung eines Wasserstoffatoms vom Substratmolekül hindeutet. Demnach verläuft die Peroxygenase-katalysierte Monooxygenierung über Wasserstoffabstraktion und eine unmittelbar anschließende Sauerstoffrückbindung (hydrogen abstraction - oxygen rebound mechanism). Diese Reaktionsabfolge ähnelt dem sogenannten peroxide "shunt" pathway, der von einer Reihe Cytochrom-P450-abhängiger Monooxygenasen her bekannt ist. Die physiologische Funktion der AaeAPO besteht möglicherweise in der extrazellulären Transformation und Detoxifikation niedermolekularer Pflanzeninhaltsstoffe, mikrobieller Metabolite und anthropogener Xenobiotika. Aufgrund der Stabilität und Unabhängigkeit der AaeAPO von teuren Kofaktoren ergeben sich vielversprechende biotechnologische Möglichkeiten zum Einsatz isolierter Biokatalysatoren in selektiven (bio)chemischen Synthesen monooxygenierter Metabolite.

The purity of the disulfonated monomer, such as 3,3"-disulfonated-4,4"-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone (SDCDPS), was very important for obtaining high molecular weight copolymers and accurate control of the oligomer's molecular weight. A novel method to characterize the purity of disulfonated monomer, SDCDPS, was developed by using UV-visible spectroscopy. This allowed for utiliziation of the crude SDCDPS directly in the copolymerization to save money, energy, and time. Three series of tert-butylphenyl terminated disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers (BPSH35, 6FSH35, and 6FSH48) with controlled molecular weightsï¼ Mnï¼ , 20 to 50 kg·mol-1, were successfully prepared by the direct copolymerization method. The molecular weight of the copolymer was controlled by a monofunctional monomer tert-butylphenyl, and characterized by the combination of 1H NMR spectra and modified intrinsic viscosity measurements in NMP with 0.05 M LiBr, which was added to suppress the polyelectrolyte effect. The mechanical properties of the membranes, such as the modulus, strength and elongation at break, were improved by increasing the molecular weights, but water uptake and proton conductivities found insensitive to copolymers" molecular weights. Three series of disulfonated poly(arylene ether ketone) random copolymers have been synthesized and comparatively studied, according to their different chemical structures, for use as proton exchange membranes. The copolymers containing more flexible molecular structures had higher water uptake and proton conductivity than the rigid structures at the same ion exchange capacity. This may be due to the more flexible chemical structures being able to form better phase separated morphology and higher hydration levels. A new hydrophobic-hydrophilic multiblock copolymer has been successfully synthesized based on the careful coupling of a fluorine terminated poly(arylene ether ketone) (6FK) hydrophobic oligomer and a phenoxide terminated disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BPSH) hydrophilic oligomer. AFM images and the water diffusion coefficient results confirmed that the multiblock copolymer formed better proton transport channels. This multiblock copolymer showed comparable proton conductivity and fuel cell performance to the Nafion® control and had much better proton transport properties than random ketone copolymers under partially hydrated conditions. This suggested that the multiblock copolymers are promising candidates for proton exchange membranes especially for applications at high temperatures and low relative humidity. / Ph. D.

Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s with dendritic terminal groups were synthesized by step-growth polymerization of two difunctional monomers in the presence of preformed dendritic end-cappers. These polymers were characterized by NMR, SEC, DSC, TGA, melt rheology and tensile tests. The melt viscosities of these polymers in the high frequency region were lower than the control while the stress-strain properties were comparable to those of the control, suggesting that it is possible to reduce the high shear melt viscosities of this type of polymers without affecting the stress-strain properties by introducing bulky dendritic terminal groups. Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s with hyperbranched terminal groups were also synthesized. These polymers were synthesized by reacting fluoro-terminated poly(arylene ether sulfone) chains with an arylene ether ketone AB2 monomer. The terminal groups of these polymers were capped by tert-butylphenol. The results from NMR and SEC showed that multiple tert-butyl units were successfully introduced onto the polymer chains, suggesting that this synthetic method could be useful for introducing multiple functional groups onto the polymer chain ends in fewer synthetic steps than an analogous method using preformed dendritic end-cappers. It was also demonstrated that multiple sulfonated phenols were attached to the terminal groups of polysulfones by this method. A novel cyclohexyl-containing difunctional monomer was prepared and successfully incorporated into poly(arylene ether sulfone) backbones. These polymers were characterized by NMR, SEC, DSC, TGA, DMA and tensile tests and compared to terephthaloyl analogs. Tensile tests and DMA showed the cyclohexyl units impart a higher magnitude of secondary relaxation than the terephthaloyl units while maintaining high modulus, suggesting that these polymers may have higher impact strength than the ones with no cyclohexyl units. / Ph. D.

The natural hip joint in healthy people has a very low friction with very little (or no) wear. It works as a dynamically loaded bearing and is subjected to about 1-2 million cycles of loading per year. The applied load is the body weight which is tripled when walking and even higher during other activities such as running and jumping. Unfortunately these joints are not always healthy due to various causes such as fractures or disease leading to severe pain which necessitates joint replacement. Currently, the orthopaedic industries are working towards developing an ideal artificial hip joint with low wear, low friction, good lubrication, better fixation/stability and biocompatibility. Many different designs and materials have been investigated with some promising new implants which can be used depending on patients' individual need (large or small joint), activity and age. In this work, two types of artificial hip joints were tested for friction and lubrication studies: Metal-on-Metal (MoM) Biomet hip resurfacing ReCaps with large diameters (>35-60 mm) and different diametral clearances (~ 60-350 µm), and Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA) heads against carbon-fibre-reinforced poly-ether-ether ketone (CFR PEEK) cups with different diameters (>35-60 mm) and diametral clearances (60-1860 µm). Seven serum-based lubricants with different viscosities were used with and without carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) additions as gelling agent to increase viscosity depending on the CMC content. The maximum load applied was 2000 N for the stance phase with a minimum load of 100 N for the swing phase. A Pro-Sim friction hip simulator was used to investigate the frictional torque generated between the articulating surfaces so as the friction factor can be calculated. Stribeck analysis was then employed to assess the mode of lubrication. For the metal-on-metal hip resurfacing joints, the friction factors were in the range 0.03-0.151 and those for the ZTA ceramic heads versus CFR PEEK cups were in the range 0.006-0.32. Stribeck analyses showed mainly mixed lubrication for both MoM and ZTA ceramic-on-CFR PEEK joints. The experimental results were in agreement with most of the theoretical calculations suggesting mixed lubricating regimes at low viscosities and moving on to fluid film lubrication at higher viscosities. Joints with larger-diameters, lower clearances and lower surface roughness exhibited a higher lambda ratio suggesting improved lubrication. Viscosity flow curves for the serum-based lubricants having viscosity ≤ 0.00524 Pas showed non-linear relationship between viscosity and shear rate indicating non-Newtonian flow with pseudoplastic or shear-thinning characteristic, i.e. viscosity decreased as shear rate increased up to shear rates of ~ 1000 s⁻¹. However, at shear rates greater than 1000 s⁻¹ Newtonian flow became dominant with almost constant viscosity, i.e. a linear relationship between shear stress and shear rate. On the other hand, viscosity flow curves for the lubricants with viscosity ≥ 0.0128 Pas showed non-Newtonian behaviour up to a shear rate of 3000 s⁻¹ with shear-thinning characteristic.

Total hip joint prostheses made of CoCrMo heads versus ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) cups have a limited lifetime, mainly due to the wear of the UHMWPE cups as a result of high friction between the articulating surfaces leading to osteolysis and implant loosening with revision surgery becoming inevitable in more active patients. Tribology plays an important role in developing the design, minimizing wear and reducing friction of hip joint prostheses in order to improve their long-term performance, with good lubricating properties. Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing prostheses have shown significantly lower wear rates compared with conventional metal-on-polyethylene implants and thus osteolysis is potentially reduced leading to increased lifetime of the prosthesis. Nevertheless, excessive wear of metal-on-metal joints leads to metal ion release, causing pseudo-tumours and osteolysis. An alternative approach to such bearings is the use of newly developed carbon fiber-reinforced poly-ether-ether-ketone (CFR PEEK) acetabular cups articulating against ceramic femoral heads due to their better wear resistance compared to UHMWPE. In this study, therefore, friction and lubrication properties of large diameter, as cast, Co-Cr-Mo metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants with various diameters and clearances have been investigated and compared to those of the newly developed zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramic femoral heads articulating against carbon fiber reinforced poly-ether-ether-ketone (CFR PEEK) acetabular cups with different diameters and clearances. Friction hip simulator was used to measure frictional torque and then friction factors were calculated along with Sommerfeld numbers leading to Stribeck analysis and hence the lubricating mode was also investigated. This involved using lubricants based on pure bovine serum (BS) and diluted bovine serum (25 vol. %BS+75 vol. %distilled water) with and without carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (as gelling agent). Standard Rheometer was used to measure lubricant viscosity ranged from 0.0014 to 0.236 Pas at a shear rate of 3000 . Pure bovine serum, diluted bovine serum without CMC and with CMC (25BS+75DW+0.5gCMC and +1gCMC) showed pseudoplastic flow behaviour up to shear rate of ~139 s⁻¹ above which a Newtonian flow with significant increase in shear stress was observed. The viscosity flow curves for the 25BS+75DW+2gCMC, +3.5gCMC and +5gCMC showed only shear thinning up to a shear rate of 3000 . The shear rate application modified the flow behaviour of bovine serum from a pseudoplastic to a Newtonian flow depending on its purity and CMC content. This will cause a different frictional behaviour depending on joint diameter and clearance, as seen in this work. The experimental data were compared with theoretical iv predictions of the lubricating regimes by calculating theoretical film thickness and lambda ratio. The metal-on-metal Biomet ReCaps showed similar trends of Stribeck curves, i.e. friction factors decreased from ~0.12 to ~0.05 as Sommerfeld numbers increased in the range of viscosities ~0.001-0.04Pas indicating mixed lubrication regimes above which the friction factor increased to ~0.13 at a viscosity of 0.236Pas. The Stribeck analyses suggested mixed lubrication as the dominant mode with the lowest friction factor in the range ~0.09 - ~0.05 at the physiological viscosities of ~0.01 to ~0.04 Pas and that such joints can be used for more active patients as compared to the conventional total hip replacement joints with 28mm diameter. The Stribeck curves for all ZTA ceramic-on-CFR PEEK components illustrated a similar trend with BS fluids showing higher friction factors (in the range 0.22-0.13) than the diluted BS+CMC fluids (in the range 0.24-0.05). The friction tests revealed boundary-mixed lubrication regimes for the ZTA ceramic-on-CFR-PEEK joints. The results, so far, are promising and suggest clearly that the newly developed ZTA ceramic femoral heads articulating against CFR PEEK cups have similar friction and lubrication behaviour at optimum clearances to those of currently used metal-onmetal hip resurfacing implants at the range of viscosities 0.00612 to 0.155Pas. These results clearly suggest that the ZTA ceramic-on-CFR-PEEK joints showed low friction at the physiological viscosities of ~0.01Pas in the range ~0.1-0.05, suggesting that these novel joints may be used as an alternative material choice for the reduction of osteolysis. The result of this investigation has suggested that the optimum clearance for the 52mm diameter MOM Biomet ReCaps could be ~170μm. However, 48 and 54mm joints showed lower friction due to clearances to be >200μm. For the 52mm ZTA ceramic-on-CFR-PEEK joints the optimum clearance seems to be ≥ 630μm radial clearance. These results suggested that increased clearance bearings have the potential to generate low friction and hence no risk of micro- or even macro-motion for the ceramic-on-CFR-PEEK joints. This study found no correlation between theoretical predictions and experimental data for all metal-onmetal and ZTA ceramic-on-CFR PEEK bearings at the physiological viscosity (0.0127Pas). However, at lubricant viscosity of 0.00157Pas, the theoretical prediction of lubrication regime correlated well with the experimental data, both illustrating boundary lubrication. As expected, a decrease in viscosity resulted decrease in the film thickness.