Orientador: Carlos Rettori / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T05:10:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Garcia_FernandoAssis_D.pdf: 2669059 bytes, checksum: 122a24668135bef8b9e2ee683190a28a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Esta tese aborda o problema geral dos efeitos de campos cristalino e rattling modes em compostos do tipo skutterudite. Emprega, predominantemente, a técnica de ressonância de spin eletrônico (ESR, ou EPR na literatura clássica) a fim de sondar a simetria local dos estados eletrônicos associados a íons de terras raras nestes compostos e investigar as inomogeneidades decorrentes da dinâmica (rattling modes) destes íons. Desenvolvemos o nosso estudo predominantemente sob o sistema Ce1-xRxFe4P12 (R = Gd, Dy, Er, Yb), usualmente descrito como um semicondutor com gap G ¿ 0.15 eV. Nossos resultados apontam que a correta determinação dos efeitos de campo cristalino requer uma nova abordagem no estudo de compostos com simetria Th. O grupo pontual Th é um dos cinco grupos pontuais cúbicos (O, Oh, T, Th, Td) e é obtido pelo produto T x sh, onde T descreve a simetria de um tetraedro regular. Desta maneira, Th não possui as operações 6C4 e 3C¿2 e precisamos utilizar um novo parâmetro de sexta ordem para descrever todos os invariantes da simetria do grupo pontual Th Este novo parâmetro causa uma mistura na simetria do estado fundamental de sistemas cúbicos que dá origem a fenômenos não triviais discutidos na tese. Resultado igualmente importante é que, a partir do estudo deste novo parâmetro, fomos capazes de mapear a inomogeneidade de campo cristalino decorrente da dinâmica dos íons de terra rara. Desta maneira, a técnica de ESR foi utilizada pela primeira vez no estudo da dinâmica de íons em sistemas do tipo gaiola. Os estudos em sistemas S (L = 0) mostraram ainda que os efeitos desta dinâmica nos espectros de ESR não depende da presença deste parâmetro, sendo algo mais geral. Esta tese examina estes dois importantes aspectos relacionados a estrutura cristalina da família das skutterudites e discute estes resultados no contexto das possíveis aplicações destes compostos na construção de dispositivos termoelétricos e também no estudo de fenômenos fortemente correlacionados / Abstract: This thesis addresses the general problem of crystall field effects and rattling modes in skut- terudite compounds. It employs, predominantly, the electron spin resonance technique (ESR or EPR, in the classical literature) aiming to probe the local point symmetry of the electronic states associated to the rare earth ions and the inohomogenities implied by their dynamics (rattling modes). Our study was mainly directed to the Ce 1-xRxFe4P12 (R = Gd, Dy, Er, Yb) compounds, usually described as a small gap semiconductor (G ¿ 0.15 eV). Our results pointed that the correct determination of the crystall field effects requires a new approach in the case of compounds with Th symmetry. The point group Th is one the five cubic point groups (O, 0h, T, Th, Td) being generated by the product T x sh, where T describes the full symmetry of a regular tetrahedron. In this sense, Th lacks the symmetry operations 6C4 e 3C¿2 and we need a new sixth order parameter, to describe all the invariants of point group T^ symmetry. This new parameter gives rise to a mix of the ground state symmetry of cubic systems, implying in non trivial phenomena discussed in this these. Interesting enough, following these results, we were able to map the crystall field ino-homogenities due to the dynamics of the rare earth ion within the skutterudite cage. In this sense, the ESR techinique was introduced as a probe to the guest ion dynamics in cage systems. Investigation of S systems (L = 0) showed that the effects of this dynamics in our experiment does not require the presence of this new sixth order parameter, being associated to a more general role of the rattling modes. We examine these two important aspects related to crystal structure of the skutterudite family and discuss the results in the context of possible applications of these compounds in the construction of thermoelectric devices and also in the study of strongly correlated phenomena / Doutorado / Física da Matéria Condensada / Doutor em Ciências

O presente trabalho visou a construção e avaliação de eletrodos de membrana sólida cristalina seletivos a cobre e prata. Obteve-se o sulfeto de prata, material eletroativo usado na preparação de membranas seletivas a íons Ag+, por precipitação com gás sulfídrico em meio ácido. Eletrodos com membranas de 1,0 e 0,50 mm de espessura apresentaram respectivamente limites nernstianos de 10-4 e 10-5 Mol.L-1 e precisão de ± 0,1 e 1 mV nas leituras de potencial. Os sulfetos de cobre e prata, usados na preparação de membranas seletivas para determinação de cobre, foram obtidos por precipitação simultânea com gás sulfídrico, tioacetamida em meio ácido e tiouréia em meio amoniacal. Difratogramas de Raios X revelaram que o material obtido com tiouréia corresponde ao sulfeto ternário, Cu2S.3Ag2S ou Ag1,55Cu0,45S, responsável pela resposta seletiva do sensor em soluções de Cu2+. O eletrodo construído a partir deste sulfeto, onde o cobre aparece no estado monovalente, apresentou limite nernstiano da ordem de10-7Mol.L-1, fornecendo resultados satisfatórios na determinação deste metal em amostras de aguardente e álcool. Cálculos termodinâmicos mostraram que quando membrana é constituída de CuS, um contacto elétrico efetuado através de cobre ou prata é instável, uma vez que ocorre a formação de Cu2S. Os resultados experimentais conduziram a um novo modelo para explicar o mecanismo de resposta do eletrodo, o qual se baseia na reação: Cu2S (memb) + Cu2+ (sol) ↔ CuS (memb) + 2 Cu + (sol). A atividade de Cu+ na interface eletrodo / solução é controlada pela atividade de Cu2+ nas soluções de medida, de modo que o sensor funciona como um eletrodo de Cu2S/CuS em contacto com o sistema Cu2+/Cu+. / Present work deals with the assembling and testing of solid membrane electrodes for copper and silver. The silver sulphide used to prepare the membrane selective to Ag+ was precipitated with hydrogen sulphide in acidic medium. Electrodes 1,0 and 0,50 mm thick present Nernstian limits of 10-4 and 10-5 Mol.L-1 order with a ± 0,1 and 1 mV respectively. A mixture of silver sulphide and copper sulphides were used for the copper (II) selective electrode. This solid was prepared from Cu2+ and Ag+ in the same solution with hydrogen sulphide or thioacetamide both in acid medium and with thiourea in ammoniacal medium. X-Ray diffractograms shows that the solid prepared from thiourea solutions presents significant contribution of jalpaite Ag1,55Cu0, 45S (in fact Cu2S.3Ag2S). An important finding was the presence of copper (I) in the matrix and this has been also found to the responsible for the higher performance of this electrode with a limiting response to 10-7 Mol.L-1 copper (II). In fact thermodinamic calculation has show instability of a contact of Ag or Cu with CuS solid, as Cu2S must be formed in any case. On this basis, the theory of the electrode is based in the following reaction which takes place on the electrode surface: Cu2S (memb) +CU2+ (sol) ↔ CuS (memb) + 2 Cu+(aq) K = 10-13 M. On this basis the Cu+ activity at the electrode / solution interface is controled by the activity of Cu2+ of the solution and the Cu2+/ Cu+ system in contact with the solid matrix is defined.

O RNA de interferência (RNAi) é um processo envolvido com o silenciamento pós-transcricional de genes, sendo elucidado por moléculas de RNAs de dupla fita de 21-25 nucleotídeos, os small interfering RNA (siRNA), que ocorre naturalmente em uma ampla variedade de animais, plantas e microrganismos. Esse processo têm demonstrado potencial utilização para o tratamento de doenças em que se observa a super-expressão de genes, pois apresentam diversas vantagens como possibilidade de se utilizar esse mecanismo regulatório apenas pelo conhecimento da sequência do gene terapêutico, menores efeitos tóxicos e alta especificidade. Contudo, o principal desafio consiste no desenvolvimento de vetores seguros e eficazes que permitem a utilização do siRNA como terapia, visto que permitem a proteção do siRNA contra degradação enzimática, apresentam meia-vida prolongada na corrente sanguínea e propiciam um efetivo escape endossomal. Nesse sentido, nanopartículas de cristais líquidos associados ao polímero catiônico polietilenoimina (PEI) foram avaliadas como potenciais vetores não-virais para o siRNA específico para a proteína-1 relacionada à tirosinase (TRP-1), como alternativa para o tratamento tópico do vitiligo. Para isso, os cristais líquidos contendo o PEI foram complexados ao siRNA e avaliados quanto à estrutura líquido cristalina por microscopia de luz polarizada e por difração de raios-X a baixo ângulo (SAXS), tamanho de partícula/polidispersividade, potencial zeta e eficiência de complexação. A citotoxicidade dos sistemas foi avaliada em melanócitos melan-A pelo ensaio do MTT e por citometria de fluxo e, a avaliação da transfecção celular foi realizada por microscopia de fluorescência e por citometria de fluxo. Os diferentes sistemas contendo o polímero PEI apresentaram estruturas líquido cristalinas de fase hexagonal e de fase lamelar pela análise por SAXS, no entanto, a análise sob microscopia de luz polarizada, demonstrou estruturas de fase hexagonal, lamelar e isotrópica. A análise do tamanho de partícula mostrou a presença de sistemas nanoestruturados que foram capazes de se complexar ao siRNA na concentração de 10 ?M. Os estudos em cultura de célula demonstraram a maior viabilidade das células melan-A após tratamento com as nanodispersões líquido cristalinas formadas por monoleína (MO), ácido oleico (AO) e PEI, em relação ao polímero catiônico PEI em sua forma livre. Em relação à transfecção celular por microscopia de fluorescência e por citometria de fluxo foi possível observar a elevada eficiência de transfecção das nanodispersões líquido cristalinas formadas pelo sistema MO:AO:PEI. Resultados de inibição da expressão da proteína TRP-1 foram observadas em células melan-A por Western Blotting, após administração das nanodispersões líquido cristalinas associadas ao siRNA-TRP-1 específico. As nanodispersões liquido cristalinas estudas também proporcionaram maior liberação de siRNA na pele em modelo animal. Esses resultados, demonstram a potencial utilização desses sistemas para a terapia anti-sense de doenças cutâneas como o vitiligo, representando assim, uma importante contribuição para a terapia gênica tópica desta doença / The RNA interference (RNAi) is a process involved with the post-transcriptional gene silencing being elucidated by double-stranded RNA molecules of 21-25 nucleotides, the small interfering RNA (siRNA) that occurs naturally in a wide variety of animals, plants and microorganisms. This process has shown potential use for the treatment of diseases in which there is overexpression of genes, as they offer several advantages such as the possibility of using this regulatory mechanism just by knowing the sequence of the therapeutic gene, lower toxicity and high specificity. However, the main challenge is to develop safe and effective vectors that enable the use of siRNA as a therapy, since they allow the protection of siRNA against enzymatic degradation, have prolonged half-life in the bloodstream and provide an effective endosomal escape. Accordingly, liquid crystal nanoparticles associated with the cationic polymer polyethylenimine (PEI) were evaluated as potential non-viral vectors for specific siRNA for the protein related to tyrosinase-1 (TyRP-1) as an alternative for the topical treatment of vitiligo. For this, the liquid crystals containing PEI were complexed to siRNA and evaluated for liquid crystalline structure by polarized light microscopy and X-ray diffraction (SAXS), particle size / polydispersity index, zeta potential and complexation efficiency. The cytotoxicity of the systems was evaluated by MTT assay and flow cytometry in melan-A melanocytes and the evaluation of cellular uptake was performed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The different systems containing the polymer PEI exhibited liquid crystalline structures of hexagonal and lamellar phases by SAXS analysis, however, the analysis under polarized light microscopy showed liquid crystalline structures of hexagonal phase, lamellar and isotropic. The analysis of particle size showed the presence of nanostructured systems that were capable of complexing to the siRNA at concentration of 10 ?M. Studies in cell culture demonstrated a higher viability of melan-A cells after treatment with the liquid crystalline nanodispersions formed by monolein (MO), oleic acid (OA) and PEI in relation to the cationic polymer PEI in its free form. Regarding cellular uptake by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry was observed the high efficiency in uptake melan-A cells mediated by liquid crystalline nanodispersions formed by system MO:OA:PEI. Results inhibition of the expression of TyRP-1 protein were observed by Western Blotting in melan-A cells, after administration of liquid crystalline nanodispersions associated with specific siRNA-TyRP-1. The liquid crystalline nanodispersions evaluated also provided greater release of siRNA in the skin in an animal model. These results demonstrate the potential use of these systems for antisense therapy of skin diseases such as vitiligo, thus representing, an important contribution to the topical gene therapy for this disease

Orientador: Rosiane Lopes da Cunha / Texto em inglês e português / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T16:01:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fasolin_LuizHenrique_D.pdf: 4514107 bytes, checksum: cbdb7bfe81fe688fefd10aac2e7238ac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Os sistemas auto-organizáveis como meio para obtenção de produtos com diferentes características têm sido estudados como uma alternativa aos métodos tradicionais de produção de emulsões e gelificação. Todavia, a formação de produtos com ingredientes biocompatíveis ainda é pouco explorada, devido à complexidade e a toxicidade de alguns dos ingredientes geralmente utilizados. Nesse contexto, o objetivo geral desse trabalho foi produzir sistemas com diferentes características a partir do estudo do diagrama de fases de sistemas compostos por água, óleo vegetal, surfactante e co-surfactante biocompatíveis, além de um biopolímero gelificante. Na primeira parte deste estudo, a influência da concentração do co-surfactante (etanol) e da insaturação do óleo (óleo de girassol comum ou óleo de girassol alto oléico, HOSO) foi investigada. Os resultados mostraram que, dependendo da composição do meio, foram obtidas diferentes estruturas (microemulsões ou líquidos cristalinos) com distintos comportamentos reológicos. A formação dessas estruturas foi influenciada pela insaturação do óleo e pela concentração de etanol. Na segunda etapa, a substituição do etanol por ácidos orgânicos (acético e propiônico) foi estudada, bem como sua influência no comportamento reológico-estrutural dos sistemas. Nesse caso, a estruturação dos sistemas foi dependente da combinação entre os ingredientes. O óleo de girassol solubilizou maior quantidade de ácido propiônico devido sua maior hidrofobicidade, enquanto o HOSO apresentou mais afinidade com o ácido acético. Essa diferença de afinidades levou a mudanças no mecanismo de difusão do co-surfactante, bem como sua susceptibilidade à partição. A fim de estudar a viabilidade da adição da goma gelana nas microemulsões para obtenção de sistemas gelificados, uma terceira etapa foi realizada com o intuito de avaliar a interação desse polissacarídeo com o surfactante. Foram observados dois comportamentos predominantes, dependendo da concentração dos componentes. Em baixas concentrações de surfactante, a rede de gelana prevaleceu formando géis fortes com claro ponto de ruptura. Com o aumento da concentração, o surfactante começou a se auto-organizar em estruturas mais complexas até que em altas concentrações sua estrutura se tornou predominante com formação de géis fracos. Na última etapa do trabalho, a goma gelana foi adicionada em alguns sistemas do diagrama de fases formulados com HOSO com ou sem ácido acético. Os géis formulados sem ácido acético foram homogêneos e dependentes da razão água/surfactante. A maior quantidade de água levou a géis mais resistentes devido à formação de uma rede de gelana mais densa. Por outro lado, maiores concentrações de surfactante levaram a géis mais fracos e ao aparecimento de uma temperatura de transição relacionada à estruturação do surfactante. A adição de ácido levou à desestabilização da estrutura cristalina, impedindo a estruturação do surfactante. Além disso, ao invés de géis homogêneos, foram formados géis particulados ou microgéis, que foram auto-sustentáveis apenas em altas concentrações de água. Por fim, este trabalho mostrou que sistemas auto-organizados são de particular utilidade na obtenção de produtos com diferentes características tecnológicas, cujas propriedades podem ser moduladas de acordo com a aplicação / Abstract: Self-assembly systems as a way to obtaining products with different characteristics have been studied as an alternative to traditional emulsification and gelation methods. However, the use of biocompatible ingredients in these systems was scarcely explored due to the complexity or toxicity of the most common ingredients. Thus, the aim of this work was to produce systems with different technological characteristics from the study of phase diagrams composed by water, edible oil, surfactant and biocompatible cosurfactants, as well as a gelling biopolymer. In the first part of this work, the influence of the cosurfactant (ethanol) concentration and oil unsaturation (sunflower oil or high oleic sunflower oil, HOSO) was investigated from the phase-diagrams construction. Results showed that depending on the systems composition different structures could be obtained (microemulsion or liquid crystalline) with different rheological behavior. Moreover, the formation of these structures was influenced by the oil unsaturation and ethanol concentration. In the second step, the replacement of ethanol by organic acids (acetic and propionic) was evaluated, as well as their influence on the rheological-structural behavior. In this case, the systems self-assemble was dependent on the ingredients combination. Sunflower oil solubilized a great amount of propionic acid due to its higher hydrophobicity, whereas HOSO presented more affinity with acetic acid. These affinity differences between oil and cosurfactant changed the diffusion mechanism of the acid through the surfactant and oil tails as well as its susceptibility to the partition phenomenon. In order to study the feasibility of gellan gum addition in the microemulsion to obtain gelled systems, a third step was carried out to evaluate the interactions between this polysaccharide and the surfactant. It was observed two prevailing behavior depending on the components concentration. At low surfactant concentration the gellan network prevailed and formed hard gels were formed with clear rupture point. With the surfactant content increase, its moieties started to self-assembly in highly organized structures until that, at high concentration, these structures became predominant with the formation of weak or soft gels. In the last part of this work gellan gum was added to some systems of the phase diagram formulated with HOSO with or without acetic acid. The gels formulated without acetic acid were homogeneous gels and dependent on the water/surfactant ratio. The higher water content led to harder gels due to the formation of a denser gellan network. On the other hand, higher surfactant concentration led to weaker gels and a transition temperature related to the surfactant structuration was observed. The acid acetic addition led to the liquid crystalline destabilization, hindering the surfactant structuration. Moreover, instead of bulky gels, particulate gels or microgels were formed, which were self-supporting only at high water concentration. Finally, this work showed that self-assembly systems are particularly useful to obtain products with different technological characteristics, whose properties can be modulated according to the application / Doutorado / Engenharia de Alimentos / Doutor em Engenharia de Alimentos

The development of a new technique capable of analyzing compounds crystallographically without first needing to crystallize them has been recently described. The present thesis aims to demonstrate the potential of such a technique, which utilizes crystalline sponges, in order to regularly order guest compounds in a porous media. The structural stability of the molecular sponges, which are highly porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), is first investigated, revealing that the Co-based MOF, 1, undergoes two remarkable transformations. This thesis also demonstrates how the technique can be employed to visualize the motion and occupancy of gaseous guests in a MOF. The Zn-based MOF, 4, was found to physisorb and chemisorb molecular iodine, leading to the formation of a variety of polyiodide species. The flexible nature of the host was determined to be an essential component in the exceptionally large iodine uptake capacity of the MOF. These results illustrate that the crystalline sponge method can be an effective strategy for directly visualizing guest molecules and obtaining vital information on the interactions formed between the host and guest.

La première partie de ce mémoire concerne l’étude en solution de systèmes à base de POMset de cations organiques de polarité/taille variables. Ainsi, l’étude des interactions entre unanion Keplerate noté {Mo132} et une large série de cations organiques (composée d’ions alkylammonium AA) a nécessité la mise en place d’une méthodologie spécifique utilisant la RMNDOSY de 1H. La méthode s’est révélée particulièrement efficace et a permis non seulement demettre clairement en évidence l’existence d’interactions anion-cation fortes mais aussil’extraction des constantes d’association à partir d’un traitement quantitatif des données. Cetteétude révèle que le facteur qui domine le processus d’association anion-cation résulte d’un« effet hydrophobe » directement lié au caractère apolaire du cation organique et polaire dusolvant. Les constantes de stabilité sont en accord avec des interactions plutôt fortes. ParParailleurs, une expérience spécifique a permis de titrer les 20 pores présents à la surface de l’ionKeplérate, montrant ainsi la spécificité du processus d’association.La seconde partie de ce mémoire concerne la conception de matériaux à base de Képlerate enjouant sur la nature des cations imidazolium qui lui sont associés. Les phases solides ont étécaractérisées par spectrométrie infrarouge, analyse élémentaire, EDX et analysethermogravimétrique. Ces études montrent que dans certaines conditions, ces systèmes seaffichent un comportement type cristal liquide.La troisième partie s’intéresse spécifiquement aux interactions ionique et/ou van der Waals àl’origine de phénomènes de structuration. L’anion cyclique[Na2K2{Mo4O4S4(H2O)3(OH)2}2(P8W48O184)]32- ( noted 1) a été isolé à l’état solide sous laforme de sels de DODA (dioctadécyl-diméthyl-ammonium) ou d’imidazolium. L’analysestructurale de ces phases par RMN MAS de 1H, 13C et 31P montre sans ambigüitél’organisation des chaines alkyles. Ces résultats croisés avec la microscopie optique polarisée,l’analyse thermique différentielle et la diffraction des rayons X aux petits angles montrentclairement la formation de phases mésomorphes lamellaires dont l’espacement estdirectement lié à la longueur des chaines alkyles. / Herein, we report the use of 1H DOSY NMR methodology to track the interaction between aninorganic multireceptor capsule, referring to the well-defined spherical Keplerate-type{Mo132} ion and a series of organic cation (including tetraalklylammonium). The obtainedresults reveal a strong dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient of the cationic guestsbalancing from the solvated to the plugging situations. Quantitative analysis of the data basedon two-site exchange regime, involving the 20 independent {Mo9O9} receptors of the capsule,allowed determining the stability constants associated to the plugging process of the pores.Surprisingly, the affinity of the capsule for a series of cationic guests increases continuouslywith its apolar character. Such observations evidence that the major factor dictating selectivityin the trapping process is mainly the so-called “hydrophobic effect”.Further investigation focused on the design of Keplerate-based materials where theammonium cations was replaced by imidazolium cations. The obtained materials werecharacterized in the solid state by FT-IR, TGA and elemental analysis. These materials exhibitliquid crystalline phase as evidenced by polarized optical microscopy and DSC, however,folding of the alkyl chain prohibit the formation of well organized mesophase. Finally, thisstrategy was extended to cyclic [Na2K2{Mo4O4S4(H2O)3(OH)2}2(P8W48O184)]32- which wasisolated as DODA or imidazolium salt. Solid state NMR evidence the well organization of thesolid. The obtained materials exhibit smectic A liquid crystalline phase and packed ashexagonal lamellar arrangement in the solid state.

Le travail présenté ici est une contribution à l’étude des propriétés de photoluminescence (PL) d’ions de terre rare (Erbium) insérés dans des matrices grand gap (AlN) de différentes morphologies et déposées sous forme de films minces. Une méthode de dépôt PVD magnétron rf a été utilisée pour obtenir des dépôts minces de nitrure d’aluminium dont les morphologies cristallines couvrent une gamme allant de la morphologie colonnaire classique jusqu’à l’état nano cristallisé et amorphe. On montre comment, plus la puissance magnétron est élevée plus les cristallites colonnaires d’AlN sont de grande dimension et comment l’application d’une polarisation négative sur les substrats de silicium permet l’obtention de dépôts nano cristallisés. Différents taux de dopage, de 0.1 à 6 at. %, sont obtenus avec une cible composite Al+Er.La PL à 1.54 [micro]m de l’atome d’Er a été étudiée en fonction des valeurs des paramètres « procédé » et donc en fonction des morphologies de AlN. Il a été montré que le maximum d'émission de PL a lieu pour un dopage de 1 at. %. L’étude montre que l'intensité de PL augmente avec la puissance magnétron et diminue avec l’intensité de polarisation des substrats. Ces deux résultats montrent que l'intensité PL est fortement corrélée à la morphologie des films. Plus les cristallites sont importantes, plus l'émission de PL est efficace. Cette corrélation entre la PL et la morphologie des matrices a permis de mettre en évidence le rôle des champs cristallins des défauts non radiatifs dans les cristallites. Le rôle des défauts a été confirmé par des mesures de luminescence résolue en temps, des mesures sur dépôts recuits et des mesures de PL à basse température. L’effet de diminution de la PL avec la température est très faible ce qui rend le matériau très prometteur pour des applications en optoélectronique et en photonique / The work presented here is a contribution to the study of the photoluminescence (PL) properties of a rare earth ions (Erbium) inserted inside wide gap matrices (AlN) of different morphologies and deposited as thin films. A physical vapour deposition magnetron rf technique has been used to obtain thin layers of aluminium nitride whose crystalline morphologies are ranging from the classical columnar morphology to the nanocrystalline state or amorphous. One shows how, the higher the magnetron power, the larger are the columnar crystallites and how the use of a negative polarization on the silicon substrates allows obtaining nano crystallized layers. Different doping rates (from 0.1 to 6 at. %) have been achieved using a Al+Er composite target.The PL of the Er atom at 1.54 [micro]m has been studied versus the process parameters and so as a function of the different AlN morphologies. It was shown that the maximum of PL emission is achieved for a rate of 1 atomic %. PL intensity was shown to increase with the magnetron power and decrease with the polarization intensity of the substrates. These two results demonstrate that PL intensity is strongly correlated to the matrix morphology. The larger the crystallites, the most efficient are the PL emission allows evidencing the role of the non radiative defects crystalline fields in the crystallites. The role of the defects was confirmed by time resolved photoluminescence measurements and by PL measurements performed on annealed samples or at low temperature. The decrease of PL with temperature is very weak, making this way the material very promising for optoelectronic and photonic applications

Les régions de socle cristallin, pourtant largement représentées à l'échelle mondiale, sont réputées pour leurs modestes ressources en eaux souterraines. La valorisation des eaux souterraines dans les régions de socle est majoritairement limitée aux formations altérées et fissurées de sub-surface. Cependant, ces ressources sont souvent négligées au profit des eaux de surface en raison de leurs faibles débits d'exploitation et de leurs vulnérabilités aux polluants anthropiques. De récentes études de prospection et de recherche ont révélé la présence de ressources souterraines importantes, au delà des horizons superficiels classiquement exploités. Cependant peu d'informations spécifiques à ces ressources profondes sont disponibles, notamment concernant la structure des systèmes aquifères et leurs particularités hydrogéologiques. Par cette étude nous mettons clairement en évidence la présence de ressources en eau conséquentes dans le socle cristallin profond du Massif Armoricain. Ces ressources sont associées à des systèmes de failles assurant des capacités de drainage des réservoirs de stockage connectés. Les réservoirs de stockage superficiels et bordiers assurent l'alimentation en eau du réseau de fracture principal. Cette capacité de drainage est dépendante de la géométrie du plan de faille perméable. Les failles sub-horizontales sont les structures les plus efficaces dans cette fonction. Le stockage dans les formations bordières au système de faille apparaît déterminant pour assurer un débit d'exploitation conséquent. Cette étude permet d'établir une conceptualisation générale de ces systèmes de faille, tant d'un point de vue hydrodynamique que géochimique, et apporte des pistes de réflexions pour la gestion et la protection de telles ressources en eau. / Crystalline basement regions, although largely represented at continental scale, are characterized by a low groundwater resources availability. Groundwater in crystalline areas appear to be mostly limited to weathered and fractured reservoirs at sub-surface depths. But these resources are often disregarded in favor of surface water because of low yields and their vulnerability to anthropogenic contaminants. Recent specific studies have revealed the presence of significant groundwater resources beyond the superficial reservoirs traditionally exploited. However, only few specific information is available concerning these type of resources, especially concerning their structural aquifer morphology and their hydrogeological properties. This study demonstrates the presence of substantial groundwater resources in the Armorican Massif crystalline basement. These resources are associated to fault systems providing drainage capacity of connected reservoir storage. Water supply of the main permeable fault domain during pumping is ensured by sub-surface and burdened reservoir storage. The drainage capacity is dependent on the geometry of the main permeable fault. Sub-horizontal faults are the most efficient structures to warrant this function. Storage in burdened formations of the fault system appears to ensure high groundwater yield. This study establishes hydrodynamic and geochemical conceptualization of a fault system, and provides thinking points in term of management and protection to ensure groundwater resources availability.

L’effet du confinement de la phase amorphe lors de la cristallisation du poly(éthylène téréphtalate) et du poly(acide lactique) a été étudié à multi-échelles. Ces polymères peuvent exister sous forme amorphe et semi-cristalline. La relation entre la microstructure et les propriétés viscoélastiques des matériaux a été mise en évidence par les expériences en diffusion des rayons X aux petits angles (SAXS) et aux grands angles (WAXS), en Calorimétrie différentielle à balayage (DSC), en traction, en analyseur mécanique dynamique (DMA) et en nanoindentation. La différence de la structure moléculaire du PET et du PLA est essentielle pour leur comportement physique et mécanique. Au cours de la cristallisation, une autre phase amorphe dont le comportement mécanique est plus rigide que la phase amorphe traditionnelle a été formée. La DSC permet de quantifier la dépendance de la fraction de cette phase amorphe rigide en fonction du taux de cristallinité. La technique de diffusion des rayons X permet d’étudier l’évolution de la microstructure (dimension de cristallites, épaisseur des phases) lors de la cristallisation. Le comportement mécanique des polymères a été étudié à différentes échelles. Les essais de DMA permettent non seulement d’étudier le comportement viscoélastique macroscopique des polymères mais aussi de quantifier les propriétés viscoélastiques de chaque phase amorphe via leur température de transition vitreuse. Cela a été utilisé comme données d’entrée dans des modèles micromécaniques. La nanoindentation permet de mesurer les propriétés mécaniques du matériau à son extrême surface. Dans la dernière partie, une approche des propriétés mécaniques macroscopiques des matériaux a été réalisée par des modèles micromécaniques d’homogénéisation en se basant sur la morphologie matrice-inclusion. / The signature of confinement effect onto the mechanical properties of the amorphous phase during crystallization of two polymers, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was investigated at multi-scale. The two polymers have the advantage of being either in bulk amorphous or in semi-crystalline state. The relation between the microstructure and the viscoelastic properties of materials is put light on by the experiments of X-Ray Scattering, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), by tensile strength tests, by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and by nanoindentation. The difference in molecular structure of PET and PLA is essential for their physical and mechanical behavior. During crystallization, the second amorphous phase whose mechanical behavior is more rigid than conventional amorphous phase was formed. DSC is used to quantify the rigid amorphous fraction dependence on the crystallinity. The technique of X-ray scattering is used to study the evolution of the microstructure (crystallite size, lamella thickness) during crystallization. The mechanical behavior of materials was studied at different scale. DMA tests allow not only to study the macroscopic behavior of viscoelastic polymers but also to quantify the viscoelastic properties of each amorphous phase through their glass transition temperature. This was used as input data in micromechanical models. Nanoindentation is used to measure the mechanical properties of the materials at the extreme surface. In the last part, the homogenization micromechanical modeling was performed based on the matrix - inclusion morphology in order to predict the macroscopic mechanical behavior laws of materials.

Geologically complex crystalline aquifers are distributed extensively in Africa and also underlie large parts of the semi-arid Limpopo Province where some of the greatest groundwater needs in South Africa occur. The importance of these basement aquifers makes it vital to identify high yielding hydrogeological zones that can be targeted for water supply, to sustain areas of high population density with few or no alternative water sources. The biggest challenge is to understand the factors that determine the secondary permeability of these weathered-fractured rock aquifers. The focus of this study was therefore to systematically analyse regional factors that may influence borehole yields and aquifer transmissivities. The study covered four distinct geological and morpho-structural domains within the Limpopo Province, covering about 23 500 km2. The borehole dataset compiled for the study consisted of over 8 000 boreholes contained in the Groundwater Resources Information Project (GRIP) Limpopo database of the South African Department of Water Affairs. Approximately 3 000 of these boreholes have been hydraulically tested and the lithology has been recorded in 1 200 cases. A commonly encountered problem of pumping tests analysis in crystalline aquifers is in choosing an appropriate model that best fits the observed drawdown response. In this thesis modern methods are proposed for the analysis of pumping test data in weathered-fractured rock aquifers and highlight the importance of diagnostic plots, especially derivatives, for the detection of flow regimes and the choice of the correct ‘theoretical’ model. Based on the classification no single analytical method can be universally applied to crystalline basement aquifers when considering the analysis of pumping test data. The GRIP borehole dataset was analysed in conjunction with spatial information to identify the relationship of regional factors such as - geology, hydrology, weathering thickness, topography, geomorphology, neo-tectonic stresses, and structural lineaments - on groundwater occurrence. Geology has a clear influence, with boreholes exploiting alluvial aquifers composed of highly permeable material, and certain rock types such as pegmatite, showing generally higher borehole productivities. Favourable borehole locations from a topographical point of view are predictably along rivers and valleys. Other identified favourable groundwater targets are the metamorphic aureoles of younger granite intrusions. Despite the local importance of the regolith as a recharge and storage mechanism for the underlying fractured bedrock, no correlation between borehole yields and depth of weathering was found. The pattern of lineament and dyke orientations in the different morpho-structural domains led to a more complex conceptual model of groundwater occurrence. This model is inconsistent with the predicted regime based on regional stress field data and suggests that local variations have a strong influence on groundwater occurrence. Due to the complex geological history of the area, it is difficult to link open discontinuities to a distinct recent or past tectonic event. It can be concluded that regional stress field data, as in this case, may not account for local, possibly highly significant, stress field variations. The hydrogeological importance of several factors on groundwater occurrence presented in this study can be used as a working reference for future groundwater development programmes. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Geology / unrestricted