Free-standing ultra-thin films and micro to nanoscale fibers offer a unique geometry in which to study the dynamics of thin film stability and polymer chain dynamics. By melting these films and investigating the subsequent processes of hole formation and growth, and fiber thinning and breakup, many interesting phenomena can be explored, including the nucleation of holes, shear-thinning during hole formation, finite-extensibility of capillary thinning viscoelastic fibers, and confinement effects on entanglement of polymer chains. Free-standing films in the melt are unstable and rupture due to instabilities. The mechanism of membrane failure and hole nucleation is modeled using an energy barrier approach which is shown to capture the dependence of hole nucleation on thickness. The formed holes grow exponentially and are found to grow under a shear thinning, nonlinear viscoelastic, high shear strain regime. These holes impinge upon each other to form suspended fibers. The fibers thin according to a model for the elasto-capillary thinning of the suspended viscoelastic fluid filaments. Monitoring fiber thinning allows for the acquisition of rheological properties as well as the transient, apparent extensional viscosity giving insight into strain hardening and eventual steady-state extensional viscosity. The decay and breakup of these fibers and their interconnected branched structure indicates the effects of confinement on chain entanglement in ultra-thin films. A transition below a critical film thickness, comparable to the dimensions of a polymer chain, shows drastically reduced interchain entanglements and a remarkably faster breakup of suspended fibers. The processes of fiber formation from the melting of ultra-thin films are explored in high detail and produce a new technique for the investigation of rheological and material properties, confinement effects, and the dynamics of thin films and polymer chains.

Lewis acidic zeolites are silica-based, crystalline microporous materials containing tetravalent heteroatoms (M4+=Ti, Sn, Zr, Hf) substituted in framework locations, and have been reported to catalyze a wide range of reactions involving oxygenates and hydrocarbons. The synthetic protocols used to prepare Lewis acid zeolites determine the structures of the active sites and the reaction pockets that confine them, which in turn influences reactivity, product selectivity, and catalyst stability. Specifically, aqueous-phase reactions of biomass-derived molecules, such as glucose isomerization, are sensitive to the hydrophobicity of confining environments, leading to changes in turnover rates. As a result, precise evaluation of the structure and behavior of reaction environments and confined active sites among catalysts of varying provenance or treatment history requires quantitative descriptions of active Lewis acid site densities, of densities of surface functional groups that determine the polarity of microporous confining environments, and of the kinetic behavior of these catalytic materials.<div><br></div><div>Methods for quantifying Lewis acid sites and silanol defects are developed here by analyzing infrared (IR) spectra collected after Lewis base (CD3CN, pyridine) titrations of Lewis acidic zeolite surfaces and are compared to vapor-phase methanol and water adsorption isotherms. Additionally, IR spectra collected under ex situ (flowing vapor-phase water) and in situ (aqueous-phase, 373 K, 0-50 wt% glucose) conditions are used to compare co-adsorbed water densities and structures within hydrophobic (low silanol density) and hydrophilic (high silanol density) confining environments within M-Beta zeolites. Under reaction conditions relevant for sugar conversion in aqueous media (353-398 K, 1-50 wt% glucose), hydrophilic reaction pockets stabilize liquid-like extended water structures within microporous environments, while hydrophobic channels stabilize vapor-phase water at lower intraporous water densities. Higher aqueous-phase glucose isomerization rates (368-383 K, 1-50 wt% glucose, per kinetically relevant active site) are observed on hydrophobic Ti-Beta (~6-12x, per Lewis acidic Ti) and Sn-Beta (~50x, per Lewis acidic Sn in open configuration) zeolites over their hydrophilic analogs. Higher turnover rates on hydrophobic M-Beta zeolites reflect the absence of an extended, hydrogen-bonded network of waters, which entropically destabilizes kinetically relevant hydride shift transition states by reducing the flexibility of their primary solvation spheres. These findings suggest catalyst design strategies to minimize the generation of silanol groups within confining reaction environments would lead to increases in turnover rates.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The methods derived herein can be applied to understanding the role of the confining environment and the associated co-adsorbed water on zeolitic materials of different topology and Lewis acid site identity. For example, the transient formation of silanol defects under aqueous-phase operating conditions is primarily responsible for the deactivation of Sn-Beta catalysts observed during aqueous-phase glucose isomerization. Further, quantifying the role of the confining environment geometry and hydrophobicity on aqueous-phase glucose isomerization rates can be used as guidance for catalyst design to increase reaction rates and selectivities toward specific isomerization products. These findings show that both the active site identity and its confining environment, which vary with zeolite topology and micropore polarity, combine to influence reactivity, selectivity and stability for aqueous-phase glucose isomerization catalysis.<br></div>

Die glasartige Dynamik in nanoskaligen Polymergeometrien ist ein hochaktuelles Forschungsgebiet, dessen Komplexität durch zahlreiche kontroverse Ergebnisse in der Fachliteratur unterstrichen wird. Die vorliegende Dissertation liefert zu dieser Thematik einen fundierten experimentellen Beitrag, indem erstmals an identisch präparierten Polymerfilmen mittels Kombination unterschiedlicher Analysemethoden (Ellipsometrie, Breitband Dielektrischer Spektroskopie, Röntgenreflektometrie) die Glasübergangstemperatur (Tg) in begrenzter Geometrie dünner Filme bestimmt wurde. Folgende Aspekte, die zum Verständnis der glasartigen Dynamik in dünnen Filmen dienen, werden in dieser Arbeit aufgegriffen: I) Welchen Einfluss haben attraktive, repulsive Grenzflächenwechselwirkungen zwischen Polymer und Substrat; II) Welche Rolle spielt die Polymerarchitektur (linear, verzweigt, hochverzweigt); III) Zeigen unterschiedliche Analysemethoden vergleichbare Ergebnisse und IV) In welcher Weise beeinflussen präparative und experimentelle Faktoren den Glasübergang in dünnen Filmen.

Zeolites are crystalline microporous solid acids composed of silica-rich frameworks with aliovalent Al heteroatoms substituted in crystallographically-distinct location sand arrangements, which generate anionic lattice charges that can be compensated by protons and extra framework metal cations or complexes that behave as catalytic active sites. Protons that charge-compensate Al are similar in Brønsted acid strength, yet differ in reactivity because their bound intermediates and transition states are stabilized by van der Waals interactions with confining microporous cavities, and by electrostatic interactions with proximal heteroatoms and adjacent protons. A diverse array of framework Al and extra framework H⁺site ensembles are ubiquitous in low-silica and low-symmetry zeolite frameworks (e.g., MFI, MOR), which cause measured turnover rates to reflect the reactivity-weighted average of contributions from each distinct site ensemble. The reactivity of distinct sites can be further masked by diffusion barriers often imparted by microporous domains and secondary reactions of primary products, which become increasingly prevalent as products encounter higher numbers of active sites during diffusion prior to egress from zeolite crystallites. Consequently,catalytic behavior often depends on zeolite material properties at orders-of-magnitude different length scales, which depend on the specific protocols used in their synthesis and crystallization.<div><br></div><div><div>In this work, CHA zeolites that contain only one symmetrically-distinct lattice site for Al substitution are used as model materials to decouple the effects of proton</div><div>location and proximity in vibrational spectra and turnover rates for acid catalysis. Interactions between proximal protons influence their equilibrium distribution among anionic lattice O atoms in AlO⁻_4/2tetrahedra, and result in temperature-dependent changes to vibrational frequencies and intensities of the asymmetric OH stretching region in infrared spectra measured experimentally and computed by density functional theory (DFT). Protolytic propane cracking and dehydrogenation, a catalytic probe reaction of the intrinsic reactivity of Brønsted acid protons, occur with turnover rates (748 K, per H⁺) that are an order-of-magnitude higher on paired protons than isolated protons, resulting from entropic benefits provided to late carbonium ion-pair transition states by proximal protons. These results indicate that cationic transition states can be stabilized entropically through multi-ion interactions with lattice anion and cation sites. Precise interpretation and quantification of the reactivity of different types and ensembles of Brønsted acid protons in zeolites requires that protolytic chemistry prevails in the absence of secondary active sites or other kinetically-relevant processes, a requirement generally met for alkane cracking but not dehydrogenation on H-form zeolites. Propane dehydrogenation activation energies vary widely (by >100 kJ mol⁻¹) among H-form zeolites of different structure (MFI, MOR, CHA) and composition (Si/Al = 10 – 140) because reactant-derived carbonaceous deposits form in situ and catalyze alkane dehydrogenation under non-oxidative conditions through hydride transfer pathways. Contributions of reactant-derived active sites to propane dehydrogenation rates are quantified through a series of transient and steady-state kinetic experiments with co-fed alkene and dihydrogen products, and are found to depend on gradients in product pressures that are present in integral reactors under non-ideal plug-flow hydrodynamics. Propane dehydrogenation rates collected at initial time-on-stream and in the presence of co-fed H₂ solely reflect protolytic reaction events and can be used to interpret differences in the reactivity of distinct proton sites and ensembles for alkane activation catalysis. The reaction conditions identified here can be used to remove or suppress the reactivity of carbonaceous active sites during catalysis, or to engineer the formation of organocatalysts on zeolite surfaces for selective dehydrogenation or hydride transfer reactions.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div>Synthetic strategies to decouple bulk and active site properties at disparate length scales, which are typically correlated in MFI zeolites crystallized hydrothermally, are developed by adding a second heteroatom and organic structure directing agent (SDA) to synthesis media. Crystallite size and morphology are independently varied from Al content by incorporating B heteroatoms into zeolitic frameworks, which generate protons that are catalytically irrelevant compared to those compensating Al, and NH₃ temperature-programmed desorption methods are developed to differentiate between these two types of proton sites. The siting of Al heteroatoms in distinct locations and ensembles is influenced by the decrease in cationic charge density among occluded SDAs, in cases where ethylenediamine is co-occluded with tetra-<i>n</i>-propylammonium cations. The co-occlusion of organic SDAs enables crystallizing MFI zeolites with different bulk properties but similar Al distributions, or with similar bulk properties and different Al distributions. MFI zeolites crystallized with these methods provide model materials that can be interrogated to decouple the effects of bulk and atomicscale properties on acid catalysis, and open opportunities to exploit these material properties by designing active site ensembles and crystallite diffusion properties for catalytic chemistries that depend on coupled reaction-transport phenomena.</div></div>

Die glasartige Dynamik in nanoskaligen Polymergeometrien ist ein hochaktuelles Forschungsgebiet, dessen Komplexität durch zahlreiche kontroverse Ergebnisse in der Fachliteratur unterstrichen wird. Die vorliegende Dissertation liefert zu dieser Thematik einen fundierten experimentellen Beitrag, indem erstmals an identisch präparierten Polymerfilmen mittels Kombination unterschiedlicher Analysemethoden (Ellipsometrie, Breitband Dielektrischer Spektroskopie, Röntgenreflektometrie) die Glasübergangstemperatur (Tg) in begrenzter Geometrie dünner Filme bestimmt wurde. Folgende Aspekte, die zum Verständnis der glasartigen Dynamik in dünnen Filmen dienen, werden in dieser Arbeit aufgegriffen: I) Welchen Einfluss haben attraktive, repulsive Grenzflächenwechselwirkungen zwischen Polymer und Substrat; II) Welche Rolle spielt die Polymerarchitektur (linear, verzweigt, hochverzweigt); III) Zeigen unterschiedliche Analysemethoden vergleichbare Ergebnisse und IV) In welcher Weise beeinflussen präparative und experimentelle Faktoren den Glasübergang in dünnen Filmen.:Inhaltsverzeichnis 1. Einleitung & Zielsetzung 1 2. Grundlagen: Ausgewählte Aspekte der Polymerchemie und –physik 4 2.1 Terminologie der Polymerklassen 4 2.1.1 Allgemeine Anmerkungen 4 2.1.2 Hochverzweigte Makromoleküle 6 2.1.3 Der Verzweigungsgrad 7 2.1.4 Oberflächenangebundene Polymerketten (Polymerbürsten) 9 2.2 Polymerisationstechniken 10 2.2.1 Allgemeine Anmerkungen 10 2.2.2 Polykondensation 11 2.2.3 Radikalische Polymerisation 13 2.2.4 „Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation“ (ATRP) 15 2.2.5 Selbstkondensierende Vinylpolymerisation (SCVP) 20 2.3 Phasenübergänge in Polymeren: Das Phänomen der glasartigen Dynamik (Glasübergangstemperatur) 23 2.3.1 Die „bulk“-Glasübergangstemperatur 23 2.3.2 Die glasartige Dynamik von Polymeren in eingeschränkter Geometrie: Experimentelle Befunde 25 2.3.2.1 Lineare Polymere 25 2.3.2.2 Hochverzweigte Polymere 29 2.3.3 Die glasartige Dynamik von Polymeren in eingeschränkter Geometrie: Theoretische Aspekte 30 3. Methodischer Teil 32 3.1 Methodenüberblick 32 3.2 Rasterkraftmikroskopie (AFM) 35 3.3 Ellipsometrie 36 3.3.1 Allgemeine Anmerkungen 36 3.3.2 Einwellenlängenellipsometrie (Nullellipsometrie) 40 3.3.3 Imaging-Ellipsometrie 41 3.3.4 Spektroskopische Ellipsometrie 41 3.3.5 Temperaturabhängige Ellipsometrie 42 3.3.6 „Total Internal Reflection Ellipsometry“ (TIRE) 43 3.4 Röntgenreflektometrie (XR) 45 4. Ergebnisse & Diskussion 48 4.1 Synthese und Charakterisierung von arbeitsrelevanten Polymer- systemen 48 4.1.1 Polyester mit spezieller Architektur 48 4.1.1.1 Hochverzweigte aromatisch-aliphatische Polyester 49 4.1.1.2 Lineare aromatisch-aliphatische Polyester 53 4.1.1.3 Hochverzweigte aromatische Polyester 54 4.1.1.4 Lineares Polyacetoxystyrol mit dendritischen Polyestergruppen 56 4.1.1.5 Hochverzweigte aliphatische Polyester 57 4.1.1.6 Hochverzweigte Polyesteramide 58 4.1.1.7 Charakterisierung 59 4.1.2 Polystyrole mit spezieller Architektur 65 4.1.2.1 Hochverzweigte Polystyrolderivate 65 4.1.2.2 Charakterisierung 69 4.1.2.3 Polymeranaloge Umsetzungen an P(4-VBC) 72 4.1.2.4 Charakterisierung 78 4.1.2.5 Hypersterne auf der Basis von P(4-VBC) 79 4.1.3 Polymerbürsten 82 4.1.3.1 Polymethylmethacrylat-Bürsten 82 4.1.3.2 Thermoresponsive PNIPAAm-Bürsten: Präparation und Charakterisierung 84 4.1.3.3 „SPR-enhanced ellipsometry“ zur Verfolgung der Synthese von PNIPAAm-Bürsten: Eine neue in-situ Ellipsometrietechnik 86 4.1.4 Zusammenfassung 90 4.2 Der Glasübergang von Polymeren unterschiedlicher Architektur und Funktionalitäten in eingeschränkter Geometrie dünner Filme 92 4.2.1 Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der temperaturabhängigen Ellipsometrie zur Untersuchung von dünnen Polymerfilmen 92 4.2.2 PMMA: Einfluss von attraktiven und repulsiven Grenz¬flächen- wechselwirkungen 97 4.2.3 Polyvinylpyridin: Einfluss von attraktiven Grenz¬flächenwechsel¬- wirkungen 103 4.2.4 Lineares Polystyrol: Variation der Molmasse 105 4.2.5 Polystyrolderivate: Einfluss der Polymerarchitektur 107 4.2.6 Polyester: Einfluss der Polymerarchitektur und der Natur funktioneller Gruppen 112 4.2.7 Einfluss von Präparationsbedingungen auf die glasartige Dynamik dünner Polymerfilme 119 5. Zusammenfassung & Ausblick 122 6. Experimenteller Teil 128 6.1 Geräte und Hilfsmittel 128 6.2 Verwendete Chemikalien und Reagenzien 133 6.3 Initiator- und Monomersynthesen 136 6.4 Polymersynthesen 141 6.4.1 Polyester 141 6.4.2 Polystyrolderivate 151 6.4.3 Polymerbürsten 161 6.5 Substratreinigung & Schichtpräparation 162 7. Abkürzungsverzeichnis 166 8. Literaturverzeichnis 169 Appendix I

Les nanotubes de carbone (NTCs), en raison de leurs propriétés exceptionnelles et d’une utilisation potentielle dans un grand nombre d'applications, constituent surement la classe la plus étudiée des nanomatériaux. Les NTCs fonctionnalisés, qui peuvent être facilement manipulés et modifiés par liaison covalente ou fonctionnalisation non covalente, apparaissent comme de nouveaux outils dans le domaine des biotechnologies et en biomédecine. En effet, les NTC ont des propriétés optiques, électroniques et mécaniques qui peuvent être exploitées dans des applications biologiques ou biomédicales. Les nanoparticules magnétiques métalliques (NPMMs) de la série 3d ainsi que leurs alliages présentent d'excellentes propriétés magnétiques contrairement à leurs homologues oxydes, qui peuvent être exploitées en biomédecine et pour l'enregistrement magnétique ultra-haute densité. Les nano-matériaux confinés dans les NTCs peuvent présenter des propriétés et des comportements différents par rapport aux matériaux massifs. Divers effets de confinement provenant de l'interaction entre les matériaux confinés et les cavités internes des nanotubes de carbone offrent des possibilités de réglage ou la conception de nouveaux nanocomposites. Cette thèse est consacrée à l’étude d’une nouvelle approche pour le développement de matériaux nanocomposites NPMMs@NTC et de leurs propriétés. Des NPMMs de taille et forme contrôlée de Co et de Fe ont été synthétisées avec de nouveaux ligands aromatiques comme stabilisants. Ces MMNPs ont ensuite été introduites de manière sélective dans la cavité de NTCs du fait d’interactions attractives/répulsives entre les nanotubes de carbone multi-parois fonctionnalisés et les NPMMs. Nous nous sommes ensuite intéressés à la protection de ces nanoparticules de l’oxydation par l’air. Les nanoparticules de fer confinées ont ainsi été revêtues par du polyisoprène. Pour ce faire, la surface des nanoparticules de Fe a été modifiée avec un catalyseur de polymérisation par échange de ligand, puis la polymérisation de l'isoprène a été réalisée à l'intérieur du canal des NTCs. La protection de l'oxydation par le polyisoprène a été évaluée par des mesures magnétiques après exposition à l'air. De façon tout à fait surprenante, cette étude a montré que les nanoparticules de fer les plus résistantes à l’oxydation étaient celles obtenues après échange de ligand et sans polymérisation. Dans ce cas seulement les propriétés des nanoparticules originales sont maintenues après mise à l’air. Enfin, des nanostructures (particules ou fils) magnétiques bimétalliques associant le Pt au cobalt ou au fer ont été obtenues et confinées dans les NTCs. Leurs structures chimiques ordonnées ont également été étudiées par des études de recuit thermique. Le travail développé dans cette thèse ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour la production de nouveaux nanocomposites MMNPs@NTC résistants à l’oxydation. / Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), because of their unique properties and potential use in a variety of applications, are probably the most studied class of nanomaterials. Functionalized CNTs, which can be easily manipulated and modified by covalent or non-covalent functionalization, appear as new tools in biotechnology and biomedicine. Indeed, CNTs have optical, electronic and mechanical properties that can be exploited in biological or biomedical applications. Metallic magnetic nanoparticles (MMNPs) of the 3d series and their alloys exhibit excellent magnetic properties unlike their oxide counterparts, which can be exploited in biomedicine and ultra-high density magnetic recording. When confined in CNTs nano-materials can have different properties and behaviors compared to bulk materials. Various confinement effects resulting from the interaction between the confined materials and the internal cavities of CNTs provide opportunities for regulating or designing new nanocomposites. This thesis is devoted to the study of a new approach for the development of nanocomposite materials MMNPs@CNTs and their properties. MMNPs of controlled size and shape of Co and Fe were synthesized with novel aromatic ligands as stabilizers. These MMNPs were then selectively introduced into the cavity of CNTs due to repulsive/attractive interactions between the functionalized multi-walled CNTs and the MMNPs. We were then interested in the protection of these nanoparticles from oxidation by air. Thus, confined iron nanoparticles have been coated with polyisoprene. To do this, the surface of the Fe nanoparticles has been modified with a polymerization catalyst by ligand exchange; then, polymerization of isoprene was conducted inside the channel of CNTs. The protection from oxidation by the polyisoprene was evaluated by magnetic measurements after exposure to air. Quite surprisingly, this study showed that the iron nanoparticles the more resistant to oxidation were those obtained after ligand exchange and without polymerization. In this case only, the original properties of the nanoparticles are maintained after venting. Finally, magnetic bimetallic nanostructures (particles or rods) combining Pt and cobalt or iron were obtained and confined in CNTs. Their chemical structure orderings were also studied by thermal annealing studies. The work developed in this thesis opens up new perspectives for the production of new MMNPs@NTC nanocomposites resistant to oxidation.

Ce travail a consisté en l’étude par Spectroscopie Diélectrique de la mobilité moléculaire dans trois systèmes nanostructurés et confinés à base de polymère. La dynamique moléculaire des films de copolymères greffés à base d’Acétate de Cellulose (chaîne principale, peu mobile) et de poly(méthyl (diéthylène glycol) méthacrylate) (chaîne greffée, très mobile) a été analysée. Nous avons dans ce cas, observé une augmentation de la mobilité de la chaîne principale et une réduction de la mobilité des greffons. Ensuite nous avons mis en évidence les effets de confinement induits par la phase cristalline sur la phase amorphe des films de Poly(éthylène naphtalène - 2,6 - dicarboxylate) (PEN) cristallisés à différents temps et températures de cristallisation, en fonction de la morphologie des matériaux. Une forte influence de la température de cristallisation sur la dynamique moléculaire du PEN a pu être observée : la mobilité des chaînes dans le cas des échantillons cristallisés aux hautes températures de cristallisation s’est révélée être plus élevée que celle des échantillons cristallisés aux basses températures. Le troisième système choisi consiste en des nanocomposites à base de Polyamide 6 (PA6) et de Montmorillonite (MMT) ont été les derniers matériaux étudiés. Aucune influence significative des feuillets de MMT sur la mobilité des chaînes de PA6 n’a été observée dans ces systèmes. Cependant, les deux relaxations interfaciales observées sont très sensibles au taux de charge. / The aim of this work was to study the molecular dynamics in several polymeric nanostructured and confined systems. Thus, by means of Dielectric Spectroscopy, the molecular mobility of cellulose acetate (rigid chain) grafted poly(methyl (diethylène glycol) methacrylate) (very mobile chains) copolymers were studied. In this case, an increase of the mobility of the main chain and a reduction of the mobility of the grafted moieties have been observed. The confinement effects induced by the presence of the crystalline lamellae on the mobility of the chains belonging to the amorphous region, was also studied as a function of the morphology, in the case of the amorphous films of Poly(ethylene naphtalene - 2,6 - dicarboxylate) (PEN) which were crystallized at different crystallization temperatures during different crystallization times. A strong influence of the crystallization temperature on the molecular dynamics of PEN has been evidenced: in the case of the samples crystallized at high temperatures, the mobility of the chains was higher than in the case of the samples crystallized at low temperatures. Finally, the confinement effects induced by the Montmorillonite (MMT) platelets on the Polyamide 6 (PA6) matrix were studied in the PA6/MMT nanocomposites. No significant influence of the filler on the molecular mobility of the PA6 chains was observed. Nevertheless, as expected, the two interfacial relaxations were very sensitive to the filler content.

Extremely small pore size, low porosity, and ultra-low permeability are among the characteristics of shale rocks. In tight shale reservoirs, the nano-confinement effects that include large gas-oil capillary pressure and critical property shifts could alter the phase behaviors, thereby affecting the oil or gas production. In this research, two in-house simulation models, i.e., a compositionally extended black-oil model and a fully composition model are developed to examine the nano-pore confinement effects on convective and diffusive multicomponent multiphase fluid transport. Meanwhile, the effect of nano-confinement and rock intrinsic properties (porosity and tortuosity factor) on predicting effective diffusion coefficient are investigated. First, a previously developed compositionally extended black-oil simulation approach is modified, and extended, to include the effect of large gas-oil capillary pressure for modeling first contact miscible (FCM), and immiscible gas injection. The simulation methodology is applied to gas flooding in both high and very low permeability reservoirs. For a high permeability conventional reservoir, simulations use a five-spot pattern with different reservoir pressures to mimic both FCM and immiscible displacements. For a tight oil-rich reservoir, primary depletion and huff-n-puff gas injection are simulated including the effect of large gas-oil capillary pressure in flow and in flash calculation on recovery estimations. A dynamic gas-oil relative permeability correlation that accounts for the compositional changes owing to the produced gas injection is introduced and applied to correct for changes in interfacial tension (IFT), and its effect on oil recovery is examined. The results show that the simple modified black-oil approach can model well both immiscible and miscible floods, as long as the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) is matched. It provides a fast and robust alternative for large-scale reservoir simulation with the purpose of flaring/venting reduction through reinjecting the produced gas into the reservoir for EOR. Molecular diffusion plays an important role in oil and gas migration in tight shale formations. However, there are insufficient reference data in the literature to specify the diffusion coefficients within porous media. Another objective of this research is to estimate the diffusion coefficients of shale gas, shale condensate, and shale oil at reservoir conditions with CO2 injection for EOR/EGR. The large nano-confinement effects including large gas-oil capillary pressure and critical property shifts could alter the phase behaviors. This study estimates the diffusivities of shale fluids in nanometer-scale shale rock from two perspectives: 1) examining the shift of diffusivity caused by nanopore confinement effects from phase change (phase composition and fluid property) perspective, and 2) calculating the effective diffusion coefficient in porous media by incorporating rock intrinsic properties (porosity and tortuosity factor). The tortuosity is obtained by using tortuosity-porosity relations as well as the measured tortuosity of shale from 3D imaging techniques. The results indicated that nano-confinement effects could affect the diffusion coefficient through altering the phase properties, such as phase compositions and densities. Compared to bulk phase diffusivity, the effective diffusion coefficient in porous shale rock is reduced by 102 to 104 times as porosity decreases from 0.1 to 0.03. Finally, a fully compositional model is developed, which enables us to process multi-component multi-phase fluid flow in shale nano-porous media. The validation results for primary depletion, water injection, and gas injection show a good match with the results of a commercial software (CMG, GEM). The nano-confinement effects (capillary pressure effect and critical property shifts) are incorporated in the flash calculation and flow equations, and their effects on Bakken oil production and Marcellus shale gas production are examined. The results show that including oil-gas capillary pressure effect could increase the oil production but decrease the gas production. Inclusion of critical property shift could increase the oil production but decrease the gas production very slightly. The effect of molecular diffusion on Bakken oil and Marcellus shale gas production are also examined. The effect of diffusion coefficient calculated by using Sigmund correlation is negligible on the production from both Bakken oil and Marcellus shale gas huff-n-puff. Noticeable increase in oil and gas production happens only after the diffusion coefficient is multiplied by 10 or 100 times. / Doctor of Philosophy / Shale reservoir is one type of unconventional reservoir and it has extremely small pore size, low porosity, and ultra-low permeability. In tight shale reservoirs, the pore size is in nanometer scale and the oil-gas capillary pressure reaches hundreds of psi. In addition, the critical properties (such as critical pressure and critical temperature) of hydrocarbon components will be altered in those nano-sized pores. In this research, two in-house reservoir simulation models, i.e., a compositionally extended black-oil model and a fully composition model are developed to examine the nano-pore confinement effects on convective and diffusive multicomponent multiphase fluid transport. The large nano-confinement effects (large gas-oil capillary pressure and critical property shifts) on oil or gas production behaviors will be investigated. Meanwhile, the nano-confinement effects and rock intrinsic properties (porosity and tortuosity factor) on predicting effective diffusion coefficient are also studied.