This PhD project has expanded the knowledge in the area of profluorescent nitroxides with regard to the synthesis and characterisations of novel profluorescent nitroxide probes as well as physical characterisation of the probe molecules in various polymer/physical environments. The synthesis of the first example of an azaphenalene-based fused aromatic nitroxide TMAO, [1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-2,3-dihydro-2-azaphenalen-2-yloxyl, was described. This novel nitroxide possesses some of the structural rigidity of the isoindoline class of nitroxides, as well as some properties akin to TEMPO nitroxides. Additionally, the integral aromatic ring imparts fluorescence that is switched on by radical scavenging reactions of the nitroxide, which makes it a sensitive probe for polymer degradation. In addition to the parent TMAO, 5 other azaphenalene derivatives were successfully synthesised. This new class of nitroxide was expected to have interesting redox properties when the structure was investigated by high-level ab initio molecular orbitals theory. This was expected to have implications with biological relevance as the calculated redox potentials for the azaphenalene ring class would make them potent antioxidant compounds. The redox potentials of 25 cyclic nitroxides from four different structural classes (pyrroline, piperidine, isoindoline and azaphenalene) were determined by cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile. It was shown that potentials related to the one electron processes of the nitroxide were influenced by the type of ring system, ring substituents or groups surrounding the moiety. Favourable comparisons were found between theoretical and experimental potentials for pyrroline, piperidine and isoindoline ring classes. Substitution of these ring classes, were correctly calculated to have a small yet predictable effect on the potentials. The redox potentials of the azaphenalene ring class were underestimated by the calculations in all cases by at least a factor of two. This is believed to be due to another process influencing the redox potentials of the azaphenalene ring class which is not taken into account by the theoretical model. It was also possible to demonstrate the use of both azaphenalene and isoindoline nitroxides as additives for monitoring radical mediated damage that occurs in polypropylene as well as in more commercially relevant polyester resins. Polymer sample doped with nitroxide were exposed to both thermo-and photo-oxidative conditions with all nitroxides showing a protective effect. It was found that isoindoline nitroxides were able to indicate radical formation in polypropylene aged at elevated temperatures via fluorescence build-up. The azaphenalene nitroxide TMAO showed no such build-up of fluorescence. This was believed to be due to the more labile bond between the nitroxide and macromolecule and the protection may occur through a classical Denisov cycle, as is expected for commercially available HAS units. Finally, A new profluorescent dinitroxide, BTMIOA (9,10-bis(1,1,3,3- tetramethylisoindolin-2-yloxyl-5-yl)anthracene), was synthesised and shown to be a powerful probe for detecting changes during the initial stages of thermo-oxidative degradation of polypropylene. This probe, which contains a 9,10-diphenylanthracene core linked to two nitroxides, possesses strongly suppressed fluorescence due to quenching by the two nitroxide groups. This molecule also showed the greatest protective effect on thermo-oxidativly aged polypropylene. Most importantly, BTMIOA was found to be a valuable tool for imaging and mapping free-radical generation in polypropylene using fluorescence microscopy.

Submitted by KELY SILVEIRA BONFIM null (kely_bonfim@hotmail.com) on 2018-04-03T11:29:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO Kely S Bonfim REPOSITÓRIO.pdf: 21420988 bytes, checksum: 96c7e94b56ac3b3bb0da89a1467d1409 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Cristina Alexandra de Godoy null (cristina@adm.feis.unesp.br) on 2018-04-03T13:03:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 bonfim_ks_me_ilha.pdf: 21420988 bytes, checksum: 96c7e94b56ac3b3bb0da89a1467d1409 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-03T13:03:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 bonfim_ks_me_ilha.pdf: 21420988 bytes, checksum: 96c7e94b56ac3b3bb0da89a1467d1409 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-02 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O óxido de grafeno (OG) pertence a uma nova classe de materiais cristalinos bidimensionais que tem se destacado no campo científico inter e multidisciplinar, devido a propriedades especiais, que possibilitam a sua aplicação em nanomembranas, supercapacitores, biossensores, liberação controlada de fármacos; entre outros. A sua estrutura consiste em uma camada individual de grafeno ornamentada com grupos funcionais oxigenados que permitem que o óxido de grafeno seja modificado quimicamente com diversas moléculas, átomos ou íons metálicos, podendo resultar em um excelente sensor eletroquímico. Em vista disso, o presente trabalho descreve a modificação química do óxido de grafeno com o dendrímero PAMAM G.0 (OGP) e posterior reação com hexacianoferrato (II) e (III) de potássio e nitrato de cério (III) para aplicação eletroanalítica. Os materiais híbridos formados (OGPH(II)Ce e OGPH(III)Ce) foram caracterizados por diferentes técnicas, tais como: Espectroscopia de Fotoelétrons Excitados por Raios-X (XPS), Espectroscopia na Região do Infravermelho com Transformada de Fourier (FTIR), Espectroscopia de Energia Dispersiva de Raios-X (EDX), Microscopia Eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e Difração de Raios-X (DRX). Como aplicação eletroanalítica, os mesmos foram empregados com sucesso na eletro-oxidação catalítica de Ácido Ascórbico e Dopamina, utilizando para tal finalidade o eletrodo de pasta de grafite e a técnica de voltametria cíclica. O eletrodo de pasta de grafite modificado com OGPH(II)Ce apresentou duas regiões lineares para a eletro-oxidação catalítica do Ácido Ascórbico, sendo que a primeira região apresentou um limite de detecção (LD) de 2,14×10-7 mol L-1 e sensibilidade amperométrica (S) de 43,68 mA/mol L-1; para a segunda região, o LD foi de 2,29×10-6 mol L-1 e a S = 12,73 mA/mol L-1. O mesmo material também apresentou resposta favorável para a Dopamina, com LD = 4,09×10-7 mol L-1 e S = 195,28 mA/mol L-1 para a primeira região; LD = 1,39×10-6 mol L-1 e S = 25,10 mA/mol L-1 para a segunda região. Os resultados obtidos para o segundo material (OGPH(III)Ce) para detecção de Ácido Ascórbico, apresentaram LD = 1,37×10-7 mol L-1 e S = 78,43 mA/mol L-1 para a primeira região, LD = 4,10×10-6 mol L-1 e S = 16,55 mA/mol L-1 para a segunda região; além da detecção de Dopamina com LD = 6,62×10-7 mol L-1 e S = 85,26 mA/mol L-1. Desta forma, os materiais híbridos formados, incluem-se no rol dos materiais obtidos como potenciais candidatos para a construção de sensores eletroquímicos na detecção de Ácido Ascórbico e Dopamina. / Graphene oxide (GO) belongs to a new class of two-dimensional crystalline materials that has excelled in the inter and multidisciplinar scientific field due to special properties that enables its apllication in nanomembranes, supercapacitors, biosensors, drug releaser; among others. Its strutcture consists on an individual layer of ornate graphene with oxygenated functional groups that allow the graphene oxide to be chemically modified with several molecules, atoms or metallic ions, which can result in an excellent electrochemical sensor. Therefore, the present work describes the chemical modification of the graphene oxide with the PAMAM G.0 (GOP) dendrimer and subsequent reaction with potassium hexacyanoferrate (II) and (III) and cerium nitrate (III) for electroanalytical application. The hybrid materials formed (GOPH(II)Ce and GOPH(III)Ce) were characterized by different techniques, such as: X Rays Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X- rays Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). As an electroanalytical application, the same were successfully used in the catalytic electro-oxidation of Ascorbic Acid and Dopamine, using for this purpose the graphite paste electrode and the cyclic voltammetry technique. The graphite paste electrode modified with GOPH(II)Ce presented two linear regions for the catalytic electro-oxidation of Ascorbic Acid, wherein the first region presented a detection limit (DL) of 2,14×10-7 mol L-1 and amperometric sensitivity (S) of 43,68 mA/mol L-1; for the second region the DL was of 2,29×10-6 mol L-1 and the S = 12,73 mA/mol L-1. The same material also presented a favorable response for Dopamine, with DL= 4,09×10-7 mol L-1 and S = 195,28 mA/mol L-1 for the first region; DL = 1,39×10-6 mol L-1 and S = 25,10 mA/mol L-1 for the second region. The results obtained for the second material (GOPH(III)Ce) for ascorbic acid detection, presented DL= 1,37×10-7 mol L-1 and S = 78,43 mA/mol L-1 for the first region, DL = 4,10×10-6 mol L-1 and S = 16,55 mA/mol L-1 for the second region; besides of Dopamine detection with DL = 6,62×10-7 mol L-1 and S = 85,26 mA/mol L-1. In this way, the hybrid materials formed are included in the list of materials obtained as potential candidates for the construction of electrochemical sensors in the ascorbic acid and dopamine detection.

Orientador: Devaney Ribeiro do Carmo / Banca: Newton Luiz Dias Filho / Banca: André Luís dos Santos / Resumo: O presente trabalho descreve a preparação, caracterização e as aplicações eletroanalíticas de silsesquioxanos e dendrímeros modificados suportados na superfície da sílica gel. A primeira etapa consistiu em ancorar o silsesquioxano ([H2N(CH2)3]8Si8O12) e o dendrímero Hexadecaamino Poli(propileno)imina (DAB-Am- 16) na superfície da 3-cloropropil sílica gel. Os materiais obtidos, SAC e SD, respectivamente, foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de Infravermelho (FTIR), RMN 29Si e 13C no estado sólido e Energia Dispersiva de Raios-X (EDX). A segunda etapa foi interagir o SAC e o SD com íons de Cu2+ e Ni2+ e posterior complexação com substâncias eletroativas, tais como: ferricianeto de potássio e nitroprussiato de sódio formando, dessa forma, os complexos binucleares: CuHCFSAC, NiHCFSAC, CuNPSAC, CuHCFSD, NiHCFSD e CuNPSD que foram caracterizados por Infravermelho (FTIR) e voltametria cíclica (VC). Os espectros na região do Infravermelho dos materiais supracitados exibiram freqüências próximas ou iguais a 2090 cm-1, atribuídas ao estiramento n(C N) característico do hexacianoferrato e nitroprussiato formados na superfície da SAC e SD. Utilizou-se estes materiais na construção do eletrodo de pasta de grafite os quais foram testados na oxidação eletrocatalítica de substâncias biologicamente importantes tais como a dipirona sódica e nitrito de sódio após um rigoroso estudo sobre o comportamento voltamétrico. O eletrodo de pasta de grafite contendo o CuHCFSAC exibiu dois pares redox com potenciais médios (Em) de: (Em)1= 0,29 V e (Em)2= 0,72 V vs Ag/AgCl (KCl =1.0 molL-1; v = 20 mV s-1) ambos atribuídos aos processos redox Cu(I)/Cu(II) e [Fe(II)(CN)6]4- / [Fe(III)(CN)6]3-, respectivamente, valores estes bem próximos para o CuHCFSD. Os eletrodos de NiHCFSAC e NiHCFSD exibiram... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work describes the preparation, characterization and electroanalytical properties of modified silsesquioxanes and dendrimers supported onto the silica gel surface. The first step was to anchor the silsesquioxane [(H2N(CH2)3] 8Si8O12) and dendrimer Hexadecaamino Poly(propylene)imine (DAB-Am-16) onto the 3-chloropropyl silica gel surface. The materials obtained, SAC and SD, respectively, were characterized by infrared (FTIR), 29Si NMR and 13C solid state and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The second step was interact the SAC and SD with Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions and subsequent complexation with electroactive substances, such as: ferricyanide of potassium and sodium nitroprusside forming binuclear complexes: CuHCFSAC, NiHCFSAC, CuNPSAC, CuHCFSD, NiHCFSD and CuNPSD which were characterized by Infrared (FTIR) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The spectra in the infrared region of the above materials exhibited frequencies near or equal to 2090 cm-1 assigned to stretching n(C N) characteristic of nitroprusside and hexacyanoferrate formed onto the SD and SAC surface. We used these materials in the construction of carbon paste electrode which were tested in the electrocatalytic oxidation of biologically important substances such as sodium dipyrone and sodium nitrite after a rigorous study about voltammetric behavior. The graphite paste electrode containing CuHCFSAC exhibited two redox couples with midpoint potentials (Em) of: (Em)1 = 0.29 V and (Em)2 = 0.72 V vs. Ag/AgCl (KCl = 1.0 mol L-1, v = 20 mV s-1) both assigned to the redox processes Cu(I)/Cu(II) and [Fe(II)(CN)6]4- / [Fe(III)(CN)6]-3, respectively, values very near to the CuHCFSD. The electrodes of NiHCFSAC and NiHCFSD each exhibited two redox couples with midpoint potentials (Em): (Em)1 = 0.29 V and (Em)2 = 0.51 V vs Ag/AgCl (KCl = 1.0 mol L-1, v = 20 mV s- 1) both... (Summary complete electronic access click below) / Mestre

Orientador: Devaney Ribeiro do Carmo / Resumo: O óxido de grafeno (OG) pertence a uma nova classe de materiais cristalinos bidimensionais que tem se destacado no campo científico inter e multidisciplinar, devido a propriedades especiais, que possibilitam a sua aplicação em nanomembranas, supercapacitores, biossensores, liberação controlada de fármacos; entre outros. A sua estrutura consiste em uma camada individual de grafeno ornamentada com grupos funcionais oxigenados que permitem que o óxido de grafeno seja modificado quimicamente com diversas moléculas, átomos ou íons metálicos, podendo resultar em um excelente sensor eletroquímico. Em vista disso, o presente trabalho descreve a modificação química do óxido de grafeno com o dendrímero PAMAM G.0 (OGP) e posterior reação com hexacianoferrato (II) e (III) de potássio e nitrato de cério (III) para aplicação eletroanalítica. Os materiais híbridos formados (OGPH(II)Ce e OGPH(III)Ce) foram caracterizados por diferentes técnicas, tais como: Espectroscopia de Fotoelétrons Excitados por Raios-X (XPS), Espectroscopia na Região do Infravermelho com Transformada de Fourier (FTIR), Espectroscopia de Energia Dispersiva de Raios-X (EDX), Microscopia Eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e Difração de Raios-X (DRX). Como aplicação eletroanalítica, os mesmos foram empregados com sucesso na eletro-oxidação catalítica de Ácido Ascórbico e Dopamina, utilizando para tal finalidade o eletrodo de pasta de grafite e a técnica de voltametria cíclica. O eletrodo de pasta de grafite modificado com OGPH(... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Graphene oxide (GO) belongs to a new class of two-dimensional crystalline materials that has excelled in the inter and multidisciplinar scientific field due to special properties that enables its apllication in nanomembranes, supercapacitors, biosensors, drug releaser; among others. Its strutcture consists on an individual layer of ornate graphene with oxygenated functional groups that allow the graphene oxide to be chemically modified with several molecules, atoms or metallic ions, which can result in an excellent electrochemical sensor. Therefore, the present work describes the chemical modification of the graphene oxide with the PAMAM G.0 (GOP) dendrimer and subsequent reaction with potassium hexacyanoferrate (II) and (III) and cerium nitrate (III) for electroanalytical application. The hybrid materials formed (GOPH(II)Ce and GOPH(III)Ce) were characterized by different techniques, such as: X Rays Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X- rays Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). As an electroanalytical application, the same were successfully used in the catalytic electro-oxidation of Ascorbic Acid and Dopamine, using for this purpose the graphite paste electrode and the cyclic voltammetry technique. The graphite paste electrode modified with GOPH(II)Ce presented two linear regions for the catalytic electro-oxidation of Ascorbic Acid, wherein the first region present... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

L’utilisation de dioxygène lors de la délignification des pâtes à papier permet une réduction considérable des coûts de production et de l’impact environnemental du procédé de blanchiment. Seulement, le taux de délignification est limité par le fait qu’une partie de la lignine résiduelle n’est pas réactive vis-à-vis du dioxygène et que la cellulose est partiellement dépolymérisée au cours du procédé. L’utilisation de catalyseur pourrait permettre d’améliorer l’efficacité et la sélectivité de la délignification au dioxygène comme le suggèrent certaines études. Le complexe cuivre(II)-phénanthroline présente des résultats prometteurs en termes d’efficacité, mais entraîne une dégradation importante de la cellulose. Différents ligands polypyridiniques ont été étudiés dans ces travaux, afin de trouver un complexe du cuivre(II) présentant une affinité forte vis-à-vis de la lignine et faible vis-à-vis de la cellulose. Les complexes formés ont été caractérisés par spectroscopie UV/Vis et voltammétrie cyclique et étudiés comme catalyseurs de l’oxydation de différents substrats : un composé modèle de lignine non phénolique et des substrats lignocellulosiques (un modèle de cellulose, un modèle de lignine native et une pâte kraft industrielle). Les résultats ont montré que la nature même du ligand a un effet important sur l’activité catalytique du complexe de Cuivre (II) lors de l’oxydation du composé modèle de lignine. En revanche, les complexes actifs présentent une activité faible lors de la délignification d’une pâte kraft et oxydent fortement les hydrates de carbone. Ce manque de sélectivité ne permet pas une application pour la production de pâte à papier mais oriente l’utilisation de ce type de catalyseur dans de nouvelles applications n’ayant pas les mêmes contraintes sur le degré de polymérisation de la cellulose. / Dioxygen delignification considerably reduces the operating cost of the bleaching process and decreases the environmental impact of the bleaching effluent. Unfortunately the performance of dioxygen delignification is limited since part of the residual lignin is not reactive toward dioxygen while cellulose depolymerisation occurs. Studies suggested that dioxygen delignification could be improved thanks to the use of catalysts such as copper(II)–phenanthroline type complexes which have shown promising results on delignification efficiency. However cellulose was also more degraded. Different polypyridinyl ligands have been studied in this work, in an attempt to find copper(II) complexes that have more affinity toward lignin and less toward cellulose. Complexes have been characterised by UV/Vis spectroscopy, cyclic volammetry, and they were studied for the catalysed oxidation of various substrates: a non phenolic lignin model compound and lignocellulosic substrates (a model of cellulose, a model of native lignin and an industrial kraft pulp). It has been shown that the nature of the ligand had a significant effect on the catalytic activity of Cu(II) complexes in the oxygen oxidation of the lignin model compound. However, the active complexes only show a limited activity during the delignification of a kraft pulp and oxidize carbohydrates. This lack of selectivity prevents from an industrial application for paper pulp production but may be useful for the design of products with fewer constraints on cellulose polymerization degree.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / The main objective of this work was to develop simple and sensitive electrochemical sensors for the detection of bisphenol A. To investigate the electrochemical behavior of BPA on a bare glassy carbon electrode. To apply the developed biosensor for the determination BPA by differential pulse voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectrometry, square wave voltammetry and steady-state amperometry. To characterize the synthesized PDMA-PSS by cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). / South Africa

Magister Scientiae - MSc / In electrochemical oxidation treatment of wastewater, the electrode material is an important parameter in optimizing oxidative electrochemical processes, since the mechanism and products of several anodic reactions are known to depend on the anode material. The electrochemical oxidation of benzaldehyde, nitrobenzene and m-cresol on bare boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode was investigated. Cytochrome c was then electrochemically immobilsed onto the functionalized BDD electrode by cyclic voltammetry. Oxidation and reduction reaction mechanism of each flavonoid was studied. There was one oxidation and reduction peaks for quercitin and catechin respectively, and two oxidation and two reduction peaks for rutin. The cytochrome c modified BDD electrode showed good sensitivity for all three flavonoids and low detection limits i.e. 0.42 to 11.24 M as evaluated at oxidation and reduction peaks, respectively. / South Africa

Magister Scientiae - MSc / A novel cyclopentadienylruthenium(II) thiolato Schiff base, [Ru(SC6H4NC(H)C6H4OCH2CH2SMe)(η5-C2H5]2 was synthesized and deposited as a selfassembled monolayer (SAM) on a gold electrode. Effective electronic communication between the Ru(II) centers and the gold electrode was established by electrostatically cycling the Shiff base-doped gold electrode in 0.1 M NaOH from -200 mV to +600 mV. The SAMmodified gold electrode (Au/SAM) exhibited quasi-reversible electrochemistry. The integrity of this electro-catalytic SAM, with respect to its ability to block and electro-catalyze certain Faradaic processes, was interrogated using Cyclic and Osteryoung Square Wave voltammetric experiments. The formal potential, E0', varied with pH to give a slope of about - 34 mV pH-1. The surface concentration, Γ, of the ruthenium redox centers was found to be 1.591 x 10-11 mol cm-2. By electrostatically doping the Au/SAM/Horseradish peroxidase at an applied potential of +700 mV vs Ag/AgCl, a biosensor was produced for the amperometric analysis of hydrogen peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide and tert-butylhydroperoxide. The electrocatalytic-type biosensors displayed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics with their limits of detection of 6.45 M, 6.92 M and 7.01 M for hydrogen peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide and tert-butylhydroperoxide respectively. / South Africa

Magister Scientiae - MSc / Coeliac disease (CD) is a gluten intolerance condition that results in the flattening of the villi, which line the bowel. It is the most common cause of malabsorption of food nutrients. This inability to absorb sufficient levels of nutrients causes many of the common symptoms experienced by CD patients. Some of the symptoms, which lead to an increase in mortality rate, include chronic diarrhea, fatigue, iron-deficient anemia and osteoporosis. People with CD have higher than normal levels of certain antibodies in their blood. Thus, the concentration of anti-transglutaminase antibody (anti-tTG) in human sera is an important analytical marker for the diagnosis of CD. An immunosensor is a type of biosensor that has an antigen or antibody fragment as its biological recognition component. The specificity of the molecular recognition of antigens by antibodies to form a stable complex is the basis of immunosensor technology. In this work, overoxidized polypyrrole (OvoxPpy) was electrosynthesized as a noval sensor platform on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The OvoxPpy was then doped with gold-nanoparticles (GNP) by electrodeposition using cyclic voltammetry to form GNP|OvoxPpy||GCE electrode system. Morphology and size of the GNP|OvoxPpy||GCE nanocomposite were determined using scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical immunosensor for anti-tTG antibodies was prepared by immobilizing transglutaminase antigen (tTG-antigen) onto the GNP|OvoxPpy||GCE by drop coating and allowed to incubate for 2 hrs. The electrochemical characterization of the nanocomposite platform and immunosensor were studied by voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Charge transfer resistance, Rct (obtained from EIS data fitting) of [Fe (CN)6]3-/4- redox probe was used as the analytical parameter for measuring the interfacial kinetics which occurred as a result of the bio-recognition event (affinitive binding) between the tTG-antigen and anti-tTG antibody. Rct was found to increase with increased concentration of the antibody as a result of the reluctance to the flow of redox probe charge across the interface. Antibody concentration as low as in 1:4000 dilutions was detected. / South Africa

Magister Scientiae - MSc / In this study two medicinal plant species, namely Galenia africana and Elytropapus rhinocerotis, the former belonging to the family Aizoceae and the latter belonging to the family Asteraceae, have been investigated and different compounds isolated and characterized. Both species are important plants used in traditional medicine in Africa and particularly in South Africa. Flavanoids are secondary metabolites found in plants. They have a protective function against UV radiation and have a defence against invading illnesses due to their important antioxidant activity. Much of the food we eat and some beverages we drink contain flavonoids. The aim of this study was to investigate the electrochemistry of flavanoids isolated from these species. / South Africa