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Silicon photonics (SiP) has become a cornerstone technology of the modern age by leveraging the mature fabrication processes and infrastructure of the microelectronics industry for the cost-effective and high-volume production of compact and power-efficient photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The impact that silicon (Si)-based PICs have had on data communications, particularly data center interconnection and optical transceiver technologies, has encouraged SiP chip development and their use in other applications such as artificial intelligence, biomedical sensing and engineering, displays for augmented/virtual reality, free-space communications, light detection and ranging, medical diagnostics, optical spectroscopy, and quantum computing and optics. To expand the functionality and improve the performance of SiP circuits for these surging applications, subwavelength grating (SWG) metamaterials have been thoroughly investigated and implemented in various passive integrated photonic components fabricated on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. SWG metamaterials are periodic structures composed of two materials with different permittivities that exhibit unnatural properties by using a period shorter than the guided wavelength of light propagating through them. The ability to synthesize the constituent SiP materials without any need to alter standard fabrication procedures enables precise, flexible control over the electromagnetic field and sophisticated selectively over anisotropy, dispersion, polarization, and the mode effective index in these metastructures. This provides significant benefits to SOI devices, such as low loss mode conversion and propagation, greater coupling efficiencies and alignment tolerances for fiber-chip interfaces, ultrabroadband operation in on-chip couplers, and improved sensitivities and limits of detection in integrated photonic sensors. Parallel to the rise of SiP technology is the development of other materials compatible with mature PIC fabrication methods both in the foundry (e.g., silicon nitride (Si3N4)) and outside the foundry (e.g., high-index oxide glasses such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and tellurium oxide (TeO2)). Si3N4 offsets the pitfalls of Si as a passive waveguiding material, providing lower scattering and polarization-dependent losses, optical transparency throughout the visible spectrum, increased tolerance to fabrication error, and better handling of high-power optical signals. Meanwhile, Al2O3 and TeO2 both serve as excellent host materials for rare-earth ions, and TeO2 possesses strong nonlinear optical properties. Using a single-step post-fabrication thin film deposition process, these materials can be monolithically integrated onto Si PICs at a wafer scale, enabling the realization of complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible, hybrid SiP devices for linear, nonlinear, and active functionalities in integrated optics. While SWG metamaterials have widely impacted the design space and applicability of integrated photonic devices in SOI, they have not yet made their mark in other material systems outside of Si. Furthermore, demonstrations of their capabilities in active processes, including optical amplification, are still missing. In this thesis, we present a process for developing various SWG metamaterial-engineered integrated photonic devices in different material systems both within and beyond SOI. The demonstrations in this thesis emphasize the benefits of SWG metamaterials in these devices and realize their potential for enhancing functionality in applications such as sensing and optical amplification. The objective of the thesis is to highlight the prospects of SWG metamaterial implementation in different media used in integrated optics. This is accomplished by experimentally demonstrating SWG metamaterial waveguides, ring resonators and other components composed of different hybrid core-cladding material systems, including Si-TeO2 and Si3N4-Al2O3. Chapter 1 introduces the background and motivation for integrated optics and SWG metamaterials and provides an overview and comparison of the different materials explored in this work. Chapter 2 presents an initial experimental demonstration of TeO2-coated SOI SWG metamaterial waveguides and mode converters. It also details the design of fishbone-style SWG waveguides aimed at lowering loss and enhancing mode overlap with the active TeO2 cladding material in the hybrid SiP platform. Chapter 3 details an open-access Canadian foundry process for rapid prototyping of Si3N4 PICs, emphasizing the Si3N4 material and waveguide fabrication methods, as well as the design and characterization of various integrated photonic components included in a process design kit. The platform is compared against other Si3N4 foundries, and plans for further development are also discussed. Chapter 4 reports the first demonstration of SWG metamaterial waveguides and ring resonators fabricated using a Si3N4 foundry platform. The measured devices have a propagation loss of ∼1.5 dB/cm, an internal quality factor of 2.11·10^5, and a bulk sensitivity of ∼285 nm/RIU in the C-band, showcasing competitive metrics with conventional Si3N4 waveguides and SWG ring resonators and sensors reported in SOI. Chapter 5 presents work towards an SWG metamaterial-engineered waveguide amplifier. The fabricated device, based in Si3N4 and functionalized by an atomic layer deposited, erbium-doped Al2O3 thin film cladding, exhibited a signal enhancement of ∼8.6 dB, highlighting its potential for on-chip optical amplification. Methods to reduce the loss within the material system are proposed to achieve net gain in future devices. Chapter 6 summarizes the thesis and discusses pathways for optimizing the current devices as well as avenues for exploring new and intriguing materials and devices for future applications in integrated photonics. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

As lesões cervicais não cariosas (LCNCs) são definidas pela perda de estrutura dental na junção cemento/esmalte que envolve três mecanismos de estresse mecânico (tensão), atrito (fricção) e erosão (degradação química).. Existem tratamentos preventivos e dessensibilizantes para o principal sintoma das LCNCs, a hipersensibilidade dentinária cervical (HDC), porém, em casos que há perda de estrutura dental maior que 1mm é necessário realizar uma intervenção restauradora. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a resistência de união da dentina erodida e abrasionada modificada com diferentes pré-tratamentos e posteriormente restauradas com resina composta, através do teste de microtração. Para tanto, foram selecionados 40 molares humanos íntegros, que tiveram as porções oclusais seccionadas até exposição da dentina. Os espécimes passaram por desafio erosivo e abrasivo em uma ciclagem de 5 dias. Após os desafios, os espécimes receberam os tratamentos de superfície (n=10): G1: controle sem tratamento; G2: tratamento de superfície com ponta diamantada; G3: jateamento com óxido de alumínio, G4: ciclagem com enxaguatório fluoretado Elmex Erosion. Feito isso os espécimes foram restaurados, seccionados em palitos e submetidos ao teste de microtração em uma máquina universal de ensaios a 0,5mm/min. Para a analise estatística, foi utilizado o teste paramétrico de análise de variância (ANOVA) um fator e o teste auxiliar de Tukey. Foi observado que não houve diferença entre os tratamentos com ponta diamantada, óxido de alumínio e enxaguatório fluoretado. O único grupo a se diferenciar dos demais foi o grupo controle que apresentou valores de resistência de união inferiores. Dentro das limitações de um trabalho in vitro, conclui-se que os tratamentos de superfície estudados são procedimentos indicados para melhorar a adesão dental frente à necessidade de restaurar uma LCNC. / Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) are defined by loss of dental structure at the cement/enamel junction involving three mechanisms of mechanical stress (tension), friction and erosion (chemical degradation). There are preventive and desensitizing treatments for the the main symptom of NCCLs, cervical dentin hypersensitivity (CDH), but in cases where there is loss of tooth structure greater than 1mm, a restorative intervention is necessary. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the bond strength of the eroded and abraded dentin modified with different pre-treatments and later restored with composite resin, through the microtensile test. For this, 40 sound human molars were selected, which had the occlusal portions sectioned until exposure of the dentin. The specimens underwent erosive and abrasive challenge in a 5-day cycling. After the challenges, the specimens received the surface treatments (n = 10): G1: control without treatment; G2: surface treatment with diamond tip; G3: sandblasting with aluminum oxide, G4: cycling with fluoridated rinse Elmex Erosion. After this, the specimens were restored, sectioned on sticks and subjected to the microtensile test in a universal test machine at 0.5mm/min. For statistical analysis, the parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA) one factor and the Tukey auxiliary test were used. It was observed that there was no difference between treatments with diamond tip, aluminum oxide and fluoride. The only group to differentiate from the others was the control group that presented inferior bond strength values. Within the limitations of an in vitro work, it is concluded that the surface treatments studied are procedures indicated to improve dental adhesion in view of the need to restore NCCL.

Objetivos: verificar a influência da técnica de microinfiltração, pressão pulpar simulada, armazenamento e fadiga cíclica na microinfiltração e integridade marginal das coroas In-Ceram alumina. Material e métodos: Dentes pré-molares superiores humanos de dimensões semelhantes receberam preparos para coroa total com 4mm de altura, 6 graus de convergência e 2mm de desgaste axial e oclusal. Coroas de In-Ceram alumina com 0,5mm de espessura foram obtidas e cimentadas com Panavia F/Clearfil SE Bond (PAN-SE) e/ou Rely XARC/Adper Single Bond 2 (REL-SB). Quatro hipóteses foram testadas: 1) Ausência de diferença na microinfiltração entre uma nova técnica sugerida para verificar a microinfiltração, quando comparada à técnica convencional, 1.1) Verificar se a nova técnica é adequada para estudos laboratoriais de microinfiltração, 2) A pressão pulpar simulada (15cmH2O) não altera a microinfiltração; 3) O armazenamento (90 dias) / fadiga cíclica (500.000 ciclos, 2Hz, 5kg) não têm influência na microinfiltração marginal e 4) O armazenamento/fadiga cíclica não influenciam a integridade marginal das coroas. Grupos controle foram constituídos em todos os experimentos. Resultados: 1) Nenhuma diferença estatisticamente significante foi detectada entre as duas técnicas testadas para analisar a microinfiltração dentro de cada conjunto cimento/adesivo (p>0,05); 2) A pressão pulpar simulada alterou significativamente a microinfiltração nos conjuntos PAN-SE (Mann-Whitney, p=0,025) e REL-SB (Mann-Whitney, p=0,014); 3) O armazenamento em água (Mann-Whitney, p=0,032) e armazenamento/fadiga cíclica (Mann-Whitney, p=0,008) aumentaram significativamente a microinfiltração no conjunto PAN-SE; 4) A perda de integridade marginal foi de 4% e 10% nos conjuntos REL-SB e PAN-SE, respectivamente. Conclusões: 1) não houve diferença na microinfiltração entre uma nova técnica sugerida para verificar a microinfiltração, quando comparada à técnica convencional, 1.1) A nova técnica parece adequada para estudos laboratoriais de microinfiltração; 2) O uso da pressão pulpar alterou significativamente os valores de microinfiltração para os dois cimentos/adesivos; 3) O armazenamento/fadiga cíclica mostrou influência na microinfiltração para o cimento Panavia F; 4) O armazenamento/fadiga cíclica não tiveram influência estatisticamente significante na integridade marginal dos cimentos/adesivos testados. / Objectives: To verify the influence of microleakage technique, simulated pulpal pressure, water storage and cyclic fatigue on marginal integrity and microleakage of In-Ceram alumina crowns. Material and methods: Human premolar teeth of similar dimensions received complete crown preparation with a 6 convergence degree, 4mm-height and 2mm of axial and occlusal reduction. In-Ceram alumina copings 0.5mm-thick were obtained and cemented either with Panavia F/Clearfil SE Bond (PAN-SE) or Rely XARC/Adper Single Bond 2 (REL-SB). Four hypotheses were made: 1) No difference between a new technique and a standard one to verify microleakage, 1.1) To verify if a new microleakage technique is adequate for laboratorial studies; 2) Simulated pulpal pressure (15cmH2O) does not alter microleakage; 3) Water storage (90 days) / cyclic fatigue (500.000 cycles, 2Hz, 5kg) does not have influence on microleakage and 4) Water storage/cyclic fatigue does not influence marginal integrity of crowns. Control groups were established for all experiments. Results: 1) No statistically significant difference was detected between the two techniques to assess microleakage in each cement/adhesive combination; 2) Simulated pulpal pressure significantly altered microleakage for PAN-SE (Mann-Whitney, p=0.025) and REL-SB (Mann-Whitney, p=0.014); 3) Water storage (Mann-Whitney, p=0.032) and water storage/cyclic fatigue (Mann-Whitney, p=0.008) significantly increased microleakage only in PAN-SE groups. These parameters were not decisive in REL-SB groups even with higher microleakage values, and 4) Loss of marginal integrity was of 4% and 10% in REL-SB and PAN-SE groups, respectively. Conclusions: 1) No differences on microleakage were observed when a new technique suggest to assess microleakage was compared to a standard one. 1.1) This new technique seems adequate for laboratorial microleakage studies; 2) Simulated pulpal pressure significantly altered microleakage values for both adhesives/cements; 3) Water storage/cyclic fatigue influenced on microleakage of Panavia F and 4) Water storage/cyclic fatigue did not have influence on marginal integrity of both adhesives/cements tested.

Aluminiumfluorid (HS-AlF3), das mit Hilfe des Sol-Gel-Verfahrens unter nicht-wässrigen Bedingungen hergestellt wird, weist eine extrem große Oberfläche und eine hohe Lewis-Acidität auf, die mit den stärksten bekannten Lewis-Säuren wie SbF5 und ACF vergleichbar ist. Diese ungewöhnlichen Eigenschaften werden im Ergebnis einer neuen Sol-Gel-Synthese erhalten, die die Fluorolyse eines Aluminium-Alkoxids durch wasserfreien Fluorwasserstoff in organischen Lösungsmitteln zur Grundlage hat. Das zunächst in einer amorphen, katalytisch inaktiven Vorstufe mit großer Oberfläche gebildete Gel wird nach anschließender Trocknung mit gasförmigen Fluorierungsmitteln nachfluoriert, wobei die aktive Form des HS-AlF3 erhalten wird. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden alle Schritte dieses Syntheseweges untersucht und die Ergebnisse einschließlich einer detaillierten Analyse der erhaltenen Materialien diskutiert. Des Weiteren wurde HS-AlF3 durch eine Imprägnierungs-Methode auf das Trägermaterial Al2O3 aufgetragen, wobei verschiedene Beladungen mit HS-AlF3 getestet wurden. Die Eigenschaften des HS-AlF3/Al2O3 als Lewis-Säure-Katalysator wurden mittels der Dismutierung von CHClF2 und der Isomerisierung von CBrF2CBrFCF3 bestimmt. Die Herstellung von AlFyOx mit Hilfe des Sol-Gel-Verfahrens ist ebenfalls beschrieben, wobei das Produkt amorph ist und eine große Oberfläche von bis zu 240 m2/g aufweist. / Aluminum fluoride (HS-AlF3) prepared via sol-gel synthesis route under non-aqueous conditions exhibits high surface area and an extremely strong Lewis acidity, comparable with some of the strongest known Lewis acids such as SbF5 and ACF. The basis of its unusual properties is the sol-gel fluorination of aluminum alkoxide with anhydrous HF in organic solvents yielding first an amorphous catalytically inactive precursor with high surface area, which can be dried and eventually post-fluorinated to get HS-AlF3. In this thesis, all steps of the synthesis route were thoroughly investigated. The results of these investigations together with detailed analysis of the obtained materials are reported and discussed. HS-AlF3 supported on Al2O3 with different HS-AlF3 loadings was prepared by wet impregnation method. The properties of the HS-AlF3/Al2O3 samples as Lewis acid catalyst were evaluated for CHClF2 dismutation and CBrF2CBrFCF3 isomerization. The preparation of AlFyOx via sol-gel method is also reported. AlFyOx prepared is amorphous and have high surface are up to 240 m2/g.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo a caracterização de filmes finos de óxido de alumínio produzidos por deposição assistida por feixe de íons Ar+. Tal caracterização consiste em estabelecer a relação entre os parâmetros de produção (energia do feixe e uxo relativo de Ar), a composição e a estrutura dos lmes. Para tanto, utiliza-se técnicas de microscopia de força atômica, difração de raios-x, reetividade de raios-x e análise por feixe iônico. Resultados mostram que amostras produzidas à temperatura ambiente e à 450 oC são amorfas independentemente da energia do feixe iônico. Filmes formados com assistência de feixe possuem qualidade superior àqueles formados por deposição física de vapor. O bombardeamento de íons Ar+ mostra-se capaz de controlar a concentração de hidrogênio, a estequiometria, a rugosidade, o tamanho dos grãos e a densidade dos lmes nos. Amostras com excelente qualidade baixa rugosidade, estequiometria próxima da ideal e boa densidade foram produzidas utilizando íons com energia dentre 300 eV e 600 eV. / The scope of this work is the characterization of aluminum oxide thin films produced by Ar+ ion beam assisted deposition. This characterization consists in establishing the relationship between production parameters (ion beam energy and argon relative ux), structure and composition of these lms. In order to undertake this task, the following techniques were used: atomic force microscopy, x-ray diraction, x-ray reectivity and ion beam analysis. Results show that samples produced at room temperature and at 450 oC are amorphous regardless the ion beam energy. Films grown under ion assistance have better characteristics than the ones deposited by physical vapor deposition. The ion beam bombardment is capable of controlling hydrogen concentration, stoichiometry, roughness, grain size and density of alumina samples. High quality lms at surface and increased density lms with near ideal stoichiometry were produced with 300 eV and 600 eV ion beam energy.

Submitted by Milena Rubi (milenarubi@ufscar.br) on 2017-08-16T17:19:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CAROSSI_Lory_2017.pdf: 61131706 bytes, checksum: 687def06b5a758fcb457d49f53a494b1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Milena Rubi (milenarubi@ufscar.br) on 2017-08-16T17:19:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 CAROSSI_Lory_2017.pdf: 61131706 bytes, checksum: 687def06b5a758fcb457d49f53a494b1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Milena Rubi (milenarubi@ufscar.br) on 2017-08-16T17:19:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 CAROSSI_Lory_2017.pdf: 61131706 bytes, checksum: 687def06b5a758fcb457d49f53a494b1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-16T17:19:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CAROSSI_Lory_2017.pdf: 61131706 bytes, checksum: 687def06b5a758fcb457d49f53a494b1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Nanoporous anodic alumina films (NAA) may present different behavior to reflectance and photoluminescence techniques, with Fabry-Pérot interferences and waveguide properties. This phenomenon makes possible the use of NAA as transducer signal in optical sensors. In this work, we investigated how the pre-treatment, the number of steps of anodizing, the anodizing electrolyte mode and temperature affect electrochemical characteristics, morphological and optical mainly NAA. As a result, it was noticeable that the realization of electropolishing is necessary for both the NAA with good regularity as to make it possible to obtain a spectrum with the Fabry-Pérot interference. If the fabrication of NAA is done in two steps, it is possible to obtain reflectance spectra and luminescence fringed with better amplitudes, areas and heights. Regarding the anodizing mode, both the NAA anodized in galvanostatic how potentiostatic showed similar morphologies and spectra with fringes, but the interferences were better defined when the galvanostatic mode was performed. Regarding the temperature, it was noticeable that the change of this parameter leads influences the porous oxide thickness. The spectrum of the luminescence and reflectance increasing the electrolyte temperature caused an increase in interference. However, the range and resolution of interference decreased with increasing temperature. The oxide thicknesses were estimated by energy variation (?E), graph slope between order and 1/? and fast Fourier transform (FFT) techniques. The ratio of film thickness and pore diameter (L/dp) was performed to validate the NAA films with better waveguides property. Moreover, the surface composition analysis of NAA films anodized in phosphoric acid, oxalic acid and mixtures thereof by backscattering spectroscopy Rutherford (RBS) was performed. From simulations it was possible to note that the amount of carbon in the porous oxide structure is practically zero, which may indicate that the origin of the luminescence is related to the presence of more centers F. / Filmes de alumina anódica porosa (AAP) podem apresentar, espectros de reflectância e luminescência com interferências de Fabry-Pérot e propriedades de guias de onda. Esse fenômeno possibilita que a AAP possa ser utilizada como plataforma em sensores ópticos. Neste trabalho, foi investigado como o pré-tratamento, o número de etapas de anodização, o modo de anodização e a temperatura do eletrólito afetam características eletroquímicas, morfológicas e principalmente ópticas da AAP. Como resultado, foi possível notar que a realização do eletropolimento é necessário para obter tanto a AAP com boa regularidade como para que seja possível obter um espectro com as interferências Fabry-Pérot. Se a fabricação da AAP for feita em duas etapas, é possível obter espectros de reflectância e luminescência com franjas com melhores amplitudes, áreas e alturas. Com relação ao modo de anodização, tanto as AAPs anodizadas em modo galvanostático como potenciostático apresentaram morfologias semelhantes e espectros com franjas, mas as interferências foram melhor definidas quando o modo galvanostático foi realizado. Com relação à temperatura, foi possível notar que a mudança desse parâmetro ocasiona influencia na espessura do óxido poroso. Quanto aos espectros de luminescência e reflectância, o aumento da temperatura do eletrólito ocasionou um aumento no número de interferências. Entretanto, a amplitude e a resolução das interferências diminuíram com o aumento da temperatura. A espessura do filme poroso foi estimada pelas técnicas de variação de energia (?E), coeficiente angular do gráfico entre ordem da interferência e 1/? e através da transformada rápida de Fourier (FFT). E foi utilizada a razão entre a espessura do filme e diâmetro do poro (Esp/Dp) para averiguar os filmes de AAP com guias de onda que pudessem ser utilizadas como substratos para sensores ópticos. Além disso, foi realizada a análise de composição superficial dos filmes de AAP anodizados em ácido fosfórico, oxálico e mistura destes ácidos pela técnica de espectroscopia de retroespalhamento de Rutherford (RBS). A partir das simulações realizadas foi possível notar que a quantidade que carbono na estrutura do oxido poroso é praticamente nula, o que pode indicar que a origem da luminescência está relacionada à presença dos centros F.

Submitted by Milena Rubi (milenarubi@ufscar.br) on 2016-11-17T17:43:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RODRIGUES_Karina_2015.pdf: 7918406 bytes, checksum: 5c7eded70cc8a9dd00ce5c1b2d70d846 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Milena Rubi (milenarubi@ufscar.br) on 2016-11-17T17:43:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 RODRIGUES_Karina_2015.pdf: 7918406 bytes, checksum: 5c7eded70cc8a9dd00ce5c1b2d70d846 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Milena Rubi (milenarubi@ufscar.br) on 2016-11-17T17:43:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 RODRIGUES_Karina_2015.pdf: 7918406 bytes, checksum: 5c7eded70cc8a9dd00ce5c1b2d70d846 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-17T17:43:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RODRIGUES_Karina_2015.pdf: 7918406 bytes, checksum: 5c7eded70cc8a9dd00ce5c1b2d70d846 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / In this study, the wettability of porous anodic alumina (PAA) surfaces modified by plasma was investigated. The porous anodic alumina films were grown on aluminum substrate using a two step anodization procedure in oxalic acid solution under potentiostatic regime. The surfaces of PAA films were modified by plasma treatment or plasma deposition techniques. Prior to surface modification, the impurities were removed by a plasma cleaning procedure. Oxygen was used in plasma treatment in order to produce hydrophilic surfaces. On the other hand, the plasma deposition (in HMDSO or HMDSO + argon mixture) was performed to produce hydrophobic surfaces or less hydrophilic surface. Electropolished aluminum without PAA film were used as reference. The influence of substrate morphology on wettability was analyzed. The morphological characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microstructural analysis was carried out using Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). A goniometer was used to measure the contact angle and evaluate the wettability of electroplished aluminum and PAA films. The results showed that the wettability of the samples was affect by chemical interactions of functional groups on the surface deposited after plasma treatment. The effect of the porous surface morphology on wettability was not significant compared to the plasma treated films with new chemical interactions effects. / Neste trabalho foram investigadas as propriedades de molhabilidade das superfícies nanoestruturadas da alumina anódica porosa (AAP) modificadas por plasma. Os filmes de AAP foram produzidos sobre substrato de alumínio pelo método de anodização potenciostática em duas etapas em solução de ácido oxálico. Após a fabricação, as amostras foram submetidas a um tratamento a plasma (com oxigênio) ou a deposição a plasma (em HMDSO ou em uma mistura de HMDSO e argônio). Antes das modificações das superfícies, removeram-se as impurezas das amostras através de técnicas de limpeza a plasma. No tratamento a plasma, o gás oxigênio foi utilizado para a obtenção de superfícies hidrofílicas. Por outro lado, para tornar a superfície hidrofóbica ou menos hidrofílica, foram feitas duas séries de deposição a plasma, uma contendo uma mistura de argônio e HMDSO e outra série somente com HMDSO. O tratamento ou deposição a plasma também foram feitas em amostras de alumínio eletropolido, sem a camada de AAP, a fim de verificar a influência morfológica do substrato na molhabilidade. A caracterização morfológica dos filmes de AAP foi feita por microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), onde foi verificada a formação dos poros na superfície. A caracterização microestrutural foi feita por espectroscopia de absorção no infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR) com o objetivo de verificar as alterações químicas na superfície. A molhabilidade foi analisada utilizando um goniômetro, equipamento que realiza medição direta do ângulo de contato. Os resultados mostram que a molhabilidade da superfície é afetada por interações químicas dos grupos funcionais na superfície dos filmes. Por outro lado, o efeito da morfologia sobre a molhabilidade da superfície não é significativo nas condições estudadas.

Neste trabalho foram produzidas molas cerâmicas através do processo de moldagem por injeção em baixa pressão, utilizando-se como matéria-prima alumina submicrométrica, aditivada com ligantes a base de ceras. Dentro do tanque de uma injetora Pelstman, estes materiais foram homogeneizados e resultaram em uma suspensão de baixa viscosidade. Entre os objetivos deste trabalho estão a produção de molas cerâmicas helicoidais com perfil circular, a extração dos ligantes orgânicos utilizados durante a moldagem, a pré-sinterização das molas a 1000°C, o acabamento e a sinterização das molas em diferentes temperaturas e a medida de algumas de suas propriedades. A mudança na temperatura de sinterização é uma maneira simples de alterar as propriedades das molas cerâmicas, sem alterar sua composição ou suas dimensões. Foram produzidos três lotes de molas de alumina, que foram sinterizadas a 1550°C, 1600°C e 1650°C, com o objetivo de verificar os efeitos da temperatura sobre a constante de mola e a tensão de fratura. As molas de alumina sinterizada foram obtidas com densidades variando de 94,0% para 97,5% do limite teórico. As constantes de mola foram medidas desde a temperatura ambiente até 1100°C. Os dados obtidos nos ensaios de fratura sob compressão foram analisados de acordo com a estatística deWeibull e o método da máxima verossimilhança. Com o aumento da temperatura de sinterização, de 1550°C até 1650°C, foi observado que a constante de mola e a resistência característica de Weibull das molas de alumina aumentaram em 15% e 32%, respectivamente. Por outro lado, a temperatura de sinterização não teve muita influência sobre o módulo de Weibull. Isso acontece porque as bolhas internas e os defeitos superficiais introduzidos na fase de conformação das molas cerâmicas, possuem um efeito pronunciado na fratura das molas, mais importante do que a redução da porosidade com o aumento da temperatura de sinterização, e são fundamentais para determinar a resistência à compressão das molas cerâmicas. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-06-05T16:49:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Rodrigo Antonio Barbieri.pdf: 4044147 bytes, checksum: 645abe8dc3f878007d2ac1715ded418e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-05T16:49:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Rodrigo Antonio Barbieri.pdf: 4044147 bytes, checksum: 645abe8dc3f878007d2ac1715ded418e (MD5) / In this work, ceramic coil springs was prepared by low-pressure injection molding using alumina submicrometer-sized powder. The powder are mixed with organic binders in the Pelstman machine tank for several hours resulting in a mixture with low viscosity. This work include the production of helical ceramic springs, thermal debinding, sintering in different temperatures and measure some properties. Sintering temperature was shown to be a simple way to change the spring constant and resistence to compression of ceramics without having a significant impact in the spring´s physical dimensions. Three sets of springs were sintered at different temperatures, from 1550°C to 1650°C, in order to observe the effects on spring constant and fracture stress. Sintered alumina springs were obtained with densities ranging from 94.0% to 97.5% of the theoretical limit. Springs constants were measured from room temperature up to 1100°C. Fracture stress data was analyzed according to Weibull statistics and the maximum likelihood method. Upon increase of sintering temperature from 1550°C to 1650°C, the spring constant and the Weibull characteristic strength of the alumina springs increases by 15% and 32%, respectively. On the other hand, sintering temperature has a negligible influence on Weibull modulus. This is because internal bubbles and surface defects introduced in the production stage of the ceramic springs - more than the reduction in porosity with increasing sintering temperature - are critical in determining the compression resistance of the ceramic springs.