Le XXIe siècle est une ère de progrès technologique sans précédent : jamais auparavant il ne nous n’a été possible de se déplacer et de communiquer aussi vite et loin. La démocratisation des transports et des appareils de communication modernes réduit cependant la disponibilité de ressources naturelles causant des problématiques socio-économiques et sanitaires globales comme la pollution ou des conflits politiques. Le contenu de cette thèse tente proposer des façons dont la conception rationnelle de matériaux organiques aux propriétés programmées pourrait améliorer la durabilité et les performances des cathodes de batteries Li-ion. Dans un premier temps, des stratégies permettant la construction contrôlée et ascendante d’assemblages cristallins organiques (essentiellement faits de carbone, hydrogène, oxygène et azote) seront présentées. Ensuite, différentes manières dont ces stratégies de constructions sont mises à contribution du développement de batteries Li-ion plus vertes seront exposées. Finalement, un projet de recherche reposant sur une expertise en chimie organique et en ingénierie cristalline pour la génération de matériaux aux propriétés pertinentes à de telles applications sera détaillé. / The 21st century marks an unprecedented era of technological advancement. Never before have we been able to travel and communicate as swiftly and extensively as we can now. While the accessibility of modern transportation and communication devices democratizes these capabilities, it also diminishes the availability of natural resources, giving rise to global socio-economic and health-related challenges such as pollution and political conflicts. The objective of this thesis is to propose methods by which the rational design of organic materials with programmed properties could improve both durability and sustainability of Li-ion batteries. Initially, the thesis outlines strategies for the controlled and bottom-up construction of organic crystalline assemblies primarily composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Subsequently, various ways in which these construction strategies contribute to the development of more environmentally friendly Li-ion batteries are discussed. Finally, a research project is presented, centered around expertise in organic chemistry and crystal engineering for generating materials with properties relevant to such applications.

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I rotaxaner följs förflyttningen av makrocykeln vanligtvis med 1H-NMR spektroskopi. Målet med detta projekt är i stället att utveckla ett system som möjliggör att förflyttningen av makrocykeln kan observeras med hjälp av luminiscerande lantanid emission. Detta bör vara ett kraftfullt verktyg, då luminiscerande emission skulle möjliggöra att makrocykelns position längs med tråden kan avläsas direkt med blotta ögat. För att lantanid-baserade system ska kunna luminiscera krävs det att en aktiverande antennmolekyl finns i närheten av lantaniden. I detta projekt placerades en lantanidligand i den ena stoppande änden av en [2]rotaxan och en antennmolekyl sattes på den trådade makrocykeln. En förändring av pH:t medför att makrocykeln förflyttas närmre till lantanidliganden, vilket i sin tur medför att antennen aktiverar lantaniden och den luminiscerande emissionen startar. Baserat på styrkan av luminiscensen bör man då kunna avgöra makrocykelns position i rotaxanen. I framtiden hoppas vi kunna använda detta visualiseringsverktyg för att kunna börja använda rotaxaner som biosensorer för medicinsk diagnostik. / In rotaxanes, the movement of the macrocycle is usually tracked using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The goal of this project is to instead develop systems so one can follow the macrocycle movement through luminescent lanthanide emission. This should be a powerful tool, as luminescence emission would allow for a direct visual readout of the macrocycle position along the thread with the naked eye. To allow luminescence in lanthanide-based systems, a sensitizing antenna molecule needs to be present in close proximity to the lanthanide. In this project, a lanthanide ligand was placed at the stoppered end of a [2]rotaxane, and a sensitizing antenna was attached to the threaded macrocycle. A change in pH induces the macrocycle to move closer to the lanthanide stopper, which causes the antenna to sensitize the lanthanide and start the luminescence emission. Based on the strength of the luminescence, one should then be able to determine the location of the macrocycle in the rotaxane. We hope to use this visual readout tool to eventually turn rotaxanes into useful point-of-care biosensors for medical diagnostics.

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Imaging membrane potential is a promising technique in the elucidation of the interactions of large networks of neurons. The membrane potential in a neuron varies as an action potential, the basic electrical signal of neuronal communication, travels along the length of the cell. Voltage sensitive dyes play a key role by providing an optical readout of the electric field generated across a neuron membrane by the action potential. However, none of the dyes reviewed in Chapter 1 generate sufficient signal change with changes in membrane potential; this sensitivity problem limits the ability of the imaging membrane potential technique to allow the high spatial and temporal resolution necessary for neuronal networks to be better understood. This thesis features two avenues of research that are expected to result in the necessary enhancements to voltage sensitive dyes to improve the signal change. The first avenue is based on the effect of an electric field upon the non-linear optical properties of a porphyrin macromolecule. The encouraging field sensitivity of a previous porphyrin monomer voltage sensor inspired an investigation which identified optimisations to enhance the voltage sensitivity (Chapter 2). The design, synthesis and initial characterisation of optimised porphyrin voltage sensors is detailed in Chapter 3. The second avenue is based on the effect of an electric field upon the rate of intermolecular electron transfer. In a suitably designed dye, the competition between electron transfer and fluorescence, following excitation by incoming light, allows the fluorescence intensity to act as an optical indicator of the electron transfer rate. New dyes were rationally designed and synthesised, as this effect had not been applied to voltage sensitive imaging before the research detailed in Chapter 4. The challenging purification of the new amphiphilic dyes synthesised also inspired research into a novel testing method which does not require amphiphilic dyes (Chapter 5).

Chromonic liquid crystals are a relatively new class of lyotropic liquid crystals. In an effort to understand this lyotropic phase better, studies on the phase behavior, defects formed in these systems and characterization of the order were performed. We studied three chromonic liquid crystal materials in nematic and biphasic regions: Sunset Yellow FCF (SSY, a food dye), a cationic perylene diimide derivative (PDI, a conducting dye) and cromolyn sodium (DSCG, a drug). For SSY chromonics in the nematic region, order parameters ( and ) were obtained by polarized Raman measurements. Using the order parameters the flow behavior was predicted and was found to be non-flow aligning. A comprehensive viscoelastic property set of SSY chromonics was obtained by studying the statics and dynamics of defects during the formation of planar aligned monodomain. Applications of PDI thin films as vapor sensors were explored; anisotropic electronic properties of oriented PDI films show good conductivity along the columns presumably arising from the overlap between the ? systems. In the biphasic region, growth and fluctuation of SSY tactoids and interesting patterns of biphasic DSCG under capillary geometry were observed; elastic properties and surface tension were estimated based on the shape of DSCG tactoids. Polymer dispersed lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals with different drop shapes and director configurations were also fabricated using various water-soluble polymers.

This thesis has been divided into five sections. The first chapter introduces the main themes of this thesis, including the description of the concepts of supramolecular chemistry, crystal engineering, hydrogen bonding and graph set analysis. The final section of chapter one describes a typical X-ray experiment used to determine the structures of the compounds presented in this thesis. Chapter two describes the synthesis and single crystal structures of copper(I) complexes with pyridine- and pyrazine-carboxylic acids. A series of novel solvent inclusion compounds of copper(I) complexes with pyridine- and pyrazine-carboxylic acids and the hydrogen bonding patterns adopted are also discussed. Chapter three reports the potential uses of boronic acids as building blocks for the design of novel solid-state architectures utilising hydrogen bonds. Novel copper(I) pyridine-/pyrazine-carboxylate complexes with boronic acid co-crystals are presented in which the heterodimeric boronic carboxylate R22(8) ring motif is present in all cases. Chapter four discusses the synthesis of novel ditertiary phosphines bearing functional groups with hydrogen bonding potential either via a three-step or single step synthetic route which involves a well known method of reductive amination followed by an efficient Mannich-based condensation. Complexation studies of these P,P-bidentate ligands with various transition metal centres such as Pt(II), Mo(0), Ru(II) and Au(I) are also presented. The effect on the structural motifs observed in these series of compounds by the regioselective incorporation of functional groups with potential hydrogen bonding capability such as hydroxyl and amide is also given. Finally, chapter five contains the synthesis and coordination studies of new phosphorus donor ligands leading to ideas for further work.

La délivrance de médicament dans l’organisme vers des organes cibles tout en minimisant les effets secondaires représente un énorme défi scientifique. Les recherches actuelles révèlent qu’il existe de nombreuses embuches pour acheminer des composés thérapeutiques vers le système nerveux central. De nombreuses maladies (l’autisme, la schizophrénie, la maladie d’Alzheimer…) liées au système nerveux central nuisent à la qualité de vie et entrainent des coûts importants pour la société. Ce mémoire repose sur l’amélioration de l’accessibilité de composés thérapeutiques vers le cerveau en passant la barrière hémato-encéphalique, une barrière biologique difficilement franchissable. Pour introduire des médicaments dans le système nerveux central, il faut passer cette barrière, ce qui est très difficile, car elle est remarquablement efficace pour protéger le milieu cérébral. C’est pourquoi nous allons développer une nouvelle stratégie consistant à élaborer un nouveau type de transporteur. Nous proposons d’utiliser des macrolactames ayant la propriété de s’empiler sous forme de tubes supramoléculaires d’une stabilité adéquate. Il sera alors possible d’y greffer des médicaments et aussi des agents d’ouverture de la barrière hémato-encéphalique. Ce mémoire présente l’élaboration de ces nouveaux macrocycles chiraux, les résultats de différentes analyses structurales prouvant la présence de tubes et de systèmes robustes et enfin la fonctionnalisation du macrocycle par un agent médicamenteux (doxorubicine). / Abstract : Delivering drug into the body to target specific organs, while minimizing side effects, is an enormous scientific challenge. Current research reveals that there are many pitfalls for delivering therapeutic compounds to the central nervous system. Many diseases (autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, etc.) linked to the central nervous system affect the quality of life and entail significant costs for society. This thesis is based on the improvement in the accessibility of therapeutic compounds to the brain by passing the blood-brain barrier, a biological barrier difficult to cross. To introduce drugs into the central nervous system, this barrier must be overcome. This is very difficult because it is remarkably effective in protecting the brain. This is why we will develop a new strategy based on a new type of transporter. We propose to use macrolactams having the property of stacking in the form of supramolecular tubes of adequate stability. It will then be possible to graft medicines and also agents capable of opening the blood-brain barrier. This manuscript describes the development of these new chiral macrocycles, the results of various structural analyses proving the presence of robust tubes and systems, and finally the functionalization of the macrocycles by a medicinal agent (doxorubicin).