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

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

No description available.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / One of the most powerful aspects of conducting polymers is their ability to be nanostructured through innovative, synthetically manipulated, transformations, such as to tailor-make the polymers for specialized applications. In the exponentially increasing wide field of nanotechnology, some special attention is being paid to innovative hybrid dendrimer-core based polymeric smart materials. Star copolymers are a class of branched macromolecules having a central core with multiple linear polymer chains extending from the core. This intrinsic structural feature yields a unique 3D structure with extended conjugated linear polymer chains, resulting in star copolymers, which have higher ionic conductivities than their corresponding non-star conducting polymer counterparts. In this study an in-depth investigation was carried out into the preparation and characterization of specialized electronic smart materials. In particular, the preparation and characterization of novel conducting dendrimeric star copolymers which have a central poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimer core with conducting polypyrrole (PPy) chains extending from the core was carried out. This involved, first, the preparation of a series of dendrimeric polypyrrole poly(propylene imine) star copolymers (PPI-co-PPy), using generations 1 to 4 (G1 to G4) PPI dendrimer precursors. The experimental approach involved the use of both chemical and electrochemical synthesis methods. The basic procedure involved a condensation reaction between the primary amine of a diamino functional PPI dendrimer surface and 2-pyrrole aldehyde, to afford the pyrrole functionalized PPI dendrimer (PPI-2Py). Polymerization of the intrinsically contained monomeric Py units situated within the dendrimer backbone was achieved via two distinctly different routes: the first involved chemical polymerization and the second was based on potentiodynamic oxidative electrochemical polymerization. The star copolymers were then characterized using various sophisticated analytical techniques, in-situ and ex-situ. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1HNMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to determine the structures. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine the morphology. Themogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to study the thermal stability of the prepared materials. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) was used to study the structural make-up of phases, crystallinity and amorphous content. Hall effect measurements were carried out to determine the electrical conductivity of the chemically prepared star copolymers. The PPI-co-PPy exhibited improved thermal stability compared to PPI-2Py, as confirmed by TGA. SEM results showed that the surface morphology of the functionalized dendrimer and star copolymer differed. The surface morphology of the chemically prepared star copolymers resembled that of a flaky, waxy material, compared to the ordered morphology of the electrochemically grown star copolymers, which resembled that of whelk-like helixes. In the case the electrochemically grown star copolymers, SEM images recorded at higher magnifications showed that the whelk-like helixes of the star copolymers were hollow tubes with openings at their tapered ends, and had an average base diameter of 2.0 mu;m. X-ray diffraction analysis of the first generation star copolymer G1PPI-co-PPy revealed a broadly amorphous structure associated with PPy, and crystalline peaks for PPI. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques were used to study and model the electrochemical reactivity of the star copolymer materials. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data showed that the G1PPI-co-PPy exhibited slightly higher ionic conductivity than pristine PPy in lithium perchlorate. The second generation star copolymer G2PPI-co-PPy electrochemically deposited on a platinum (Pt) electrode had a lower electrochemical charge transfer resistance compared to electrodeposited polypyrrole (PPy) on a Pt electrode, and bare Pt. The decrease in charge transfer resistance was attributed to an increase in the conjugation length of the polymer as a result of the linking of the highly conjugated PPy to the PPI dendrimer. Bode impedimetric analysis indicated that G2PPI-co-PPI was a semiconductor, with a maximum phase angle shift of 45.3° at 100 MHz. The star copolymer exhibited a 2- electron electrochemistry and a surface coverage of 99%. Results of Hall effect measurements showed that the star copolymer is a semiconducting material, having a conductivity of 0.7 S cm-1, in comparison to the 1.5 S cm-1 of PPy. To the best of my knowledge, these new star copolymers have not been reported in the open literature. Their properties make them potentially applicable for use in biosensors. / South Africa

L’objectif de ma thèse a été de développer de nouvelles sondes utilisables en imagerie biomédicale, basées sur l’utilisation d’aptamères, pour la détection de deux types de tumeurs : les glioblastomes et les mélanomes. Les traceurs développés ont pour objectif de cibler la protéine matricielle hMMP-9. Lors d’une thèse précédente, un aptamère anti hMMP-9 noté F3B a été obtenu. Afin de transformer cet aptamère en une sonde pour l’imagerie biomédicale, différents conjugués F3B ont été préparés: Cy5, DOTA ou MAG3. L’affinité des nouveaux conjugués pour l’hMMP-9 a été évaluée par SPR et sur coupes de tumeurs. Des études de biodistribution des conjugués F3B-DOTA et F3B-MAG3 ont été réalisées sur des souris portant le mélanome, les résultats ont montré que les deux aptamères marqués détectent spécifiquement l’hMMP-9. De plus, la détection de la protéine hMMP-9 par le conjugué F3B-CY5 a été confirmée par imagerie de fluorescence. Afin d’améliorer la sensibilité de détection des tumeurs, deux types de modifications ont été envisagées, développer des structures multimériques de F3B et élaborer d’un système bi-fonctionnel. Pour ces deux approches, nous avons synthétisé un dendrimère à point focal, pouvant donner accès à une imagerie multi-modale. Ce dendrimère porte deux ou trois bras espaceur porteurs d’un groupement azoture utilisé pour le couplage avec les aptamères par la chimie «click». Le dendrimère porte au point focal une fonction amine NH2 utilisée pour fixer une biotine, afin de déterminer l'affinité Kd de cette nouvelle sonde par SPR. Par la suite un ligand DOTA sera fixé afin de pouvoir visualiser ce traceur en TEMP. / The aim of my thesis was to develop new probes that can be used in biomedical imaging, based on the use of aptamers for the detection of two types of tumors: glioblastomas and melanomas. Tracers have been developed with the aim to target the matrix protein hMMP-9. In a thesis, an aptamer anti-hMMP-9 noted F3B was obtained. Based on this compound, different derivatives were prepared for using in biomedical imaging: F3B-Cy5, F3B-DOTA or F3B-MAG3. The affinity of the new conjugates for hMMP-9 was evaluated by SPR and on sections of human melanomas. Biodistribution studies of F3B-DOTA conjugates and F3B-MAG3 were performed at on melanoma bearing mice, the results showed that both radiolabeled aptamers specifically detected the hMMP-9. In addition, optical fluorescence imaging confirmed the binding to hMMP-9 by F3B-CY5. In order to improve tumor detection sensitivity, two types of modifications were investigated: developing of F3B multimeric structures and a bi-functional system. For both these approaches, we synthesized a dendrimer with a focal point, which could give access to a multi-modal imaging. This dendrimer has two or three spacers bearing an azide group used for coupling with aptamers by "click" chemistry. The dendrimer carrying at the focal point an amine function NH2 used for fixing biotin in order to determine the affinity Kd of this new probe by using SPR. A DOTA ligand will be fixed later in order to view this tracer in SPECT.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-10-01Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:14:08Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 gabrieljunior_s_me_ilha.pdf: 1458989 bytes, checksum: 61fbe8b93b56e59134558e478f7ab91e (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O presente trabalho descreve a preparação, caracterização e as aplicações eletroanalíticas de silsesquioxanos e dendrímeros modificados suportados na superfície da sílica gel. A primeira etapa consistiu em ancorar o silsesquioxano ([H2N(CH2)3]8Si8O12) e o dendrímero Hexadecaamino Poli(propileno)imina (DAB-Am- 16) na superfície da 3-cloropropil sílica gel. Os materiais obtidos, SAC e SD, respectivamente, foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de Infravermelho (FTIR), RMN 29Si e 13C no estado sólido e Energia Dispersiva de Raios-X (EDX). A segunda etapa foi interagir o SAC e o SD com íons de Cu2+ e Ni2+ e posterior complexação com substâncias eletroativas, tais como: ferricianeto de potássio e nitroprussiato de sódio formando, dessa forma, os complexos binucleares: CuHCFSAC, NiHCFSAC, CuNPSAC, CuHCFSD, NiHCFSD e CuNPSD que foram caracterizados por Infravermelho (FTIR) e voltametria cíclica (VC). Os espectros na região do Infravermelho dos materiais supracitados exibiram freqüências próximas ou iguais a 2090 cm-1, atribuídas ao estiramento n(C N) característico do hexacianoferrato e nitroprussiato formados na superfície da SAC e SD. Utilizou-se estes materiais na construção do eletrodo de pasta de grafite os quais foram testados na oxidação eletrocatalítica de substâncias biologicamente importantes tais como a dipirona sódica e nitrito de sódio após um rigoroso estudo sobre o comportamento voltamétrico. O eletrodo de pasta de grafite contendo o CuHCFSAC exibiu dois pares redox com potenciais médios (Em) de: (Em)1= 0,29 V e (Em)2= 0,72 V vs Ag/AgCl (KCl =1.0 molL-1; v = 20 mV s-1) ambos atribuídos aos processos redox Cu(I)/Cu(II) e [Fe(II)(CN)6]4- / [Fe(III)(CN)6]3-, respectivamente, valores estes bem próximos para o CuHCFSD. Os eletrodos de NiHCFSAC e NiHCFSD exibiram... / This work describes the preparation, characterization and electroanalytical properties of modified silsesquioxanes and dendrimers supported onto the silica gel surface. The first step was to anchor the silsesquioxane [(H2N(CH2)3] 8Si8O12) and dendrimer Hexadecaamino Poly(propylene)imine (DAB-Am-16) onto the 3-chloropropyl silica gel surface. The materials obtained, SAC and SD, respectively, were characterized by infrared (FTIR), 29Si NMR and 13C solid state and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The second step was interact the SAC and SD with Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions and subsequent complexation with electroactive substances, such as: ferricyanide of potassium and sodium nitroprusside forming binuclear complexes: CuHCFSAC, NiHCFSAC, CuNPSAC, CuHCFSD, NiHCFSD and CuNPSD which were characterized by Infrared (FTIR) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The spectra in the infrared region of the above materials exhibited frequencies near or equal to 2090 cm-1 assigned to stretching n(C N) characteristic of nitroprusside and hexacyanoferrate formed onto the SD and SAC surface. We used these materials in the construction of carbon paste electrode which were tested in the electrocatalytic oxidation of biologically important substances such as sodium dipyrone and sodium nitrite after a rigorous study about voltammetric behavior. The graphite paste electrode containing CuHCFSAC exhibited two redox couples with midpoint potentials (Em) of: (Em)1 = 0.29 V and (Em)2 = 0.72 V vs. Ag/AgCl (KCl = 1.0 mol L-1, v = 20 mV s-1) both assigned to the redox processes Cu(I)/Cu(II) and [Fe(II)(CN)6]4- / [Fe(III)(CN)6]-3, respectively, values very near to the CuHCFSD. The electrodes of NiHCFSAC and NiHCFSD each exhibited two redox couples with midpoint potentials (Em): (Em)1 = 0.29 V and (Em)2 = 0.51 V vs Ag/AgCl (KCl = 1.0 mol L-1, v = 20 mV s- 1) both... (Summary complete electronic access click below)

Synthesis and Studies of Dendritic Poly(Ether Imine) Boronates and Cholesteryl-Functionalized Mesogens SYNOPSIS Dendrimers are hyperbranched synthetic macromolecules having branches-upon-branches structures, high molecular weights, globular shapes and monodispersities. Dendrimers possess a large number of modifiable functional groups at their peripheries. Initial efforts were largely concerned with the synthesis, design and development of new dendrimers. Exploring the chemical, biological and material applicability of these macromolecules are relevant to current interests, as a result of the unique structural features of dendrimers. Incorporation of transition metals and organic moieties at the peripheries of the dendrimers was studied to determine their efficacies in catalysis. Evolution of dendritic effects was observed in few instances, that were non-linear in nature. On the other hand, dendritic peripheries were also utilized to study mesogenic properties in liquid crystals. Chapter 1 of the Thesis gives an overview of the types of dendrimers, its structural features and their application in catalysis and as liquid crystalline materials. Chapter 2 describes the synthesis of a new type of poly(ethyl ether imine) dendrimer, having nitrogen as a branching unit, ethylene moiety as the spacer and an oxygen as the connecting linker. Synthesis, characterization, and studies of the photophysical properties of these dendrimers are described in this chapter. The molecular structure of second generation dendrimer is shown in Figure 1. Synthesis of this dendrimer was initiated using 2,2'-oxy-bis(ethan-1¬amine) as the core. The reaction sequence of two alternate nucleophilic substitutions and two alternate reductions, involving ethyl bromoacetate and bromoacetonitrile as monomers was employed in the synthesis of the dendrimer. The formation of dendrimers having ether linkage and tertiary amines as branching unit was established by spectroscopies and mass spectrometry. A number of functional groups, such as, acid, alcohol, amine, ester and nitrile are present at the peripheries of each generation the dendrimers that open up the possibilities for further studies. Carboxylic acid terminated poly(ethyl ether imine) dendrimers are substituted iminodiacetic acids, belonging to the class of polyaminocarboxylic acid. Methyl iminodiacetic acid boronates with NB coordination have emerged as an excellent substitute for unstable boronic acids. Upon increasing the steric bulk on the nitrogen moiety, the hydrolytic stability of the boronates to a base-catalyzed hydrolysis is increased. Combining the structure of carboxylic acid terminated dendrimer and the stability of the dendritic boronates, such dendritic iminodiacetic acids were reacted with arylboronic acids to prepare bis-and tetrakis-boronates (Figure 2). Kinetic hydrolytic studies of boronates were conducted to assess the stabilities of the newly synthesized dendritic boronates. From the studies it was observed that the tetrakis-boronate was ~20 times more stable in comparison with dimeric and monomeric boronates (Figure 3). Subsequent to synthesis and hydrolytic stability studies, C-C bond-forming Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions were conducted. A comparison of the reactivities among monomeric, dimeric and tetrameric arylboronates in C-C bond-forming reactions showed a higher reactivity of monomeric and dimeric boronates, than the tetrameric aryl boronate to construct ter-and tetra-aryl in one-pot iterative manner (Figure 4). Chapter 3 of this Thesis describes the synthesis and characterization of dendritic boronates and studies of their hydrolytic stability in Suzuki-Miyaura cross¬coupling reactions to construct ter-and tetraaryls. Figure 4. Synthesis of (a) ter-(6) and (b) tetra-aryls (7) by following one-pot iterative cross-coupling reactions. Step-wise iterative synthesis of dendrimer allows a uniform branching throughout the structure. The first and second generation poly(ether imine) dendrimer series, having hydroxyl groups at their peripheries were chosen for further modification. A versatile mesogenic group, namely, cholesterol was covalently attached at the peripheries of the dendrimers with succinic moiety as linker, so as to install 4 and 8 cholesteryl moieties at the peripheries of the dendrimers (Figure 5), that were characterized by H, C NMR spectroscopies and elemental analysis, so as to confirm their structural homogeneities. Figure 5. Molecular structures of the first and second generation dendritic mesogens. Subsequent to synthesis and characterization, liquid crystalline properties of all the dendritic mesogens was assessed through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. In POM study, broken fan or leaf like texture revealed the lamellar arrangement, whereas homeotropic appearance of texture on surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) coated substrate indicated the lamellar nature of G1-Et-(OCS)4, G1-Pr-(OCS)4 and G2-Pr-(OCS)8 (Figure 6). From DSC studies, the change in enthalpy was found to increase with increase in generation and change in enthalpy per mesogenic unit was found to be ~ -1 1-2 kJ mol, which indicated the mesophase arrangement to be lamellar. Decrease in the length of spacer dendritic backbone and increase in the generation increased the isotropization temperature of the dendritic liquid crystals. Variable temperature XRD studies were undertaken to characterize the mesophase property. Two sharp peaks in small angle region and a diffused halo in wide angle region in XRD pattern of the material suggested the smectic A (SmA) liquid crystalline arrangement of G1-Et-(OCS)4, G1-Pr-(OCS)4 and G2-Pr-(OCS)8 (Figure 7). Figure 6. POM textures of (a) G1-Et-(OCS)4 at 136 oC; (b) G2-Et-(OCS)8 at 129 oC; (c) G1-Pr-(OCS)4 at 92 oC; (d) G2-Pr-(OCS)8 at 118 oC and (e) transition temperatures for dendromesogens (DSC second heating cycle, heating-cooling rate = 10 oC min-1). Figure 7. Small angle XRD profiles of: (a) G1-Pr-(OCS)4 and (b) G2-Et-(OCS)8 at 60 o C (black), 150 oC (red) and 180 oC (green), (Insets: Lorentzean fit of wide angle peak). The second generation ethyl-linker dendrimer G2-Et-(OCS)8 exhibited a layered structure with a superimposed in-plane modulation (SmÃ), the length of which corresponded to a rectangular column width. Chapter 4 describes the synthesis, characterization and studies of mesophase property and fluorescence property of cholesterol functionalized homologous pairs of the PETIM dendritic liquid crystals. Peripheral functionalization of the dendrimers provides an easy access to dendritic liquid crystalline materials. The covalent functionalization was extended further with the dendrimers for both the series, so as to have 2, 4, 8 and 16 cholesteryl groups at the peripheries of 0, 1, 2 and 3 generation dendrimers, respectively, having succinic amide and phthalic ester functionalities for 1, 2 and 3 generation dendrimers with 4, 8 and 16 cholesteryl groups. Molecular structures of third generation dendrimers are shown in Figure 8. Figure 8. Molecular structures of third generation G3-Pr-(NHCS)16 and G3-Pr-(OCP)16. Subsequent to synthesis and characterization, mesophase property was studied through POM, DSC and XRD techniques. In POM study, a birefringent texture was observed in heating and cooling cycles. Leaflet, broken fan or bâtonnet like texture suggested the layered arrangement of the molecules (Figure 9). In DSC studiues, it was observed that the amide-linked dendrimers showed higher glass transition and isotropization temperatures than that of ester-linked dendrimers within the same generation irrespective of the back-bone of the dendrimer. Succinic moiety linked dendrimers showed lower glass transition temperature than that of phthalic moiety linked dendrimers and consequently, larger mesophase range. The change in enthalpy for isotropization was found to increase with increase in generation, whereas change in -1 enthalpy per mesogenic unit was 1-2 kJ mol, indicative of a layered arrangement in the mesophase. Figure 9. POM textures (20x) of (a) G3-Pr-(NHCS)16 at 90 oC; (b) G3-Pr-(OCS)16 at 90 ooo C; (c) PG1-(NHCS)4 at 134 C; (d) G3-Pr-(OCP)16 at 98 C and (e) transition temperatures for dendromesogens (second cycle, heating-cooling rate = 10 oC min-1). Appearance of two sharp peaks in small angle region and a wide halo in wide angle region in XRD pattern supported lamellar mesophase property of the material (Figure 10). On decreasing the temperature, increase in the layer thickness also suggested the smectic A arrangement of the molecules except third generation phthalate derivative G3-Pr-(OCP)16, which showed rectangular columnar mesophase. For all the dendromesogens, the layer thickness increased with the increase in generation. Upon protonation, the first generation dendrimer showed a change in mesophase from simple smectic A to modulated smectic A with decrease in layer thickness. The change in liquid crystal property of the dendromesogens from lamellar to columnar mesophase by changing the linker of the mesogen is unknown so far in the dendrimer liquid crystals. Chapter 5 gives details of synthesis, characterization and mesophase property study of ester-and amide-linked dendritic liquid crystals. Overall, the Thesis establishes a synthetic methodology for the synthesis of a new homologous series of poly(ether imine) dendrimers with ethyl spacer; synthesis of dendritic boronates and their studies in cross-coupling reactions through in-situ slow release of boronic acid; hydrolytic stability study showed higher stability of dendritic boronates which was used in one-pot iterative cross-coupling reactions to construct ter-and tetra-aryls. decrease in linker length in dendrimer backbone modified the thermal, as well as, mesophase behavior of the dendritic liquid crystals; change in the linker functionality from ester to amide changed the thermal behavior of dendritic liquid crystals; a switching of mesophase property from lamellar to columnar was observed by changing the rigidity of the linker from succinate to phthalate without changing the linker length. The results of the above chapters are in different stages of publications: 1 Dendritic iminodiacetic acids and their boronates in Suzuki-Miyaura cross¬coupling reactions. Sharma, A.; Kumar, P.; Pal, R.; Jayaraman, N. Revised Manuscript submitted. 2 In-plane modulated smectic à vs smectic A lamellar structures in homologous pairs of dendritic liquid crystals. Kumar, P.; Rao, D. S. S.; Prasad, S. K.; Jayaraman, N. Revised Manuscript submitted. 3 Effect of protonation on dendritic liquid crystals of poly(ether imine) dendrimers: structure property relationship studies. Kumar, P.; Rao, D. S. S.; Prasad, S. K.; Jayaraman, N. Manuscript submitted. 4 Smectic to rectangular columnar switch from succinic to phthalic linker alteration in poly(ether imine) dendritic liquid crystals. Kumar, P.; Rao, D. S. S.; Prasad, S. K.; Jayaraman, N. Manuscript in preparation.

This thesis is devoted to the investigation of mechanical properties and self-assembly process of materials at the nanoscale. Various nanostructured materials such as nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires and thin films are used as constituent elements of nanodevices. Hence, knowledge of the mechanical properties of materials at the nanoscale is extremely important for understanding their functionality in nanodevices. Mechanical properties of nanostructured materials may significantly differ from those of their bulk counterparts due to the high surface to volume ratio in nanostruc-tures. We particularly focus on the role of the surface region on the stiffness of nanomaterials. We have shown that the stiffness of a nanomaterial can be tuned over a wide range by introducing appropriate coating on the nanostructure surface. We have also explored the effects of the surface region on the stability of various phases in a nanostructure. In the second part of this thesis, we have described the self-assembly process of nanostructures mediated by drendrimers. Self-assembly techniques are frequently used to decorate nanostructures into specific networks. The motivation of this study is to investigate the mechanisms which control the effective interaction and the inter-particle distance between nanoparticle-dendrimer compos-ites. Control over the inter-particle separation is very important since it has a strong influence on the electronic and optical properties of the nanostructures. In the following paragraphs, we sum-marize the results of our study. We start with a brief introduction to the mechanical properties and self-assembly process of nanostructures in the first chapter. A brief review of the work done on these topics in the recent past is presented in this chapter. We discuss the results and conclusions of various experimental and numerical studies on these topics. We also mention the motivation for the studies we have carried out. At the end, we briefly describe the numerical methods (molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT)) which have been used in our investigations. In the second chapter, we discuss the effects of the surface region on the mechanical properties of nanostructures. We have investigated the size and growth direction dependence of the mechanical properties of ZnS nanowires and thin films as a case study. We observe that the Young’s modulus of nanowires and thin films strongly depends on their size and growth direction. This size and growth direction dependence of the stiffness of nanostructured materials can be explained in terms of their surface modifications. Since the energy of the surface region is usually higher than that of the core region in a nanostructure, the surface atoms move their positions to minimize the surface energy. As a result, bond lengths at the surface region are usually different from their bulk values. We observe that in ZnS nanowires and thin films, the average bond length at the surface region is lower than that in the core region which remains unchanged from its bulk value. This decrease in the bond length (or equivalently increase in the bond energy) increases the effective stiffness of the entire nanostructure. As the size of the nanowire/thin film increases, the effect of the surface region gradually decreases and hence the Young’s modulus value converges to the bulk value. Since the surface region has a strong influence on the mechanical properties of nanostructures, the stiffness of a nanostructure can be tuned by modifying the surface region with other materials. In chapter three, we have shown that the stiffness of ZnS nanowires can be tuned by introducing a thin CdS shell on top of the ZnS surface. In general, the stiffness of a nanostructure can be increased (decreased) by coating the surface region with a stiffer (less stiff) material. However, the stiffness of the core/shell nanostructures strongly depends on the properties of the interface between the core and the shell. We observe that the binding energy between the core and shell regions is relatively low due to the lattice mismatch at the interface region of core/shell nanostructures. This lower binding energy strongly affects the stiffness of core/shell nanostructures. We have also shown that thermal properties such as thermal conductivity and melting temperature of core/shell structures can be tuned by changing the coating material. In chapter four, we discuss the effects of the surface region on the stability of various phases in a nanostructure. The surface atoms may stabilize a particular phase in a nanostructure which is not a stable phase in the bulk material. In this chapter, we investigate the stability of the h-MgO phase, an intermediate structure found during the wurtzite to rock salt transformation, in CdSe nanostructures. We observe that this five-fold coordinated phase is more stable at lower temperatures and smaller sizes of the nanowires. The appearance of this phase has not been observed till now in experiments. We show that this phase is not stable for larger CdSe nanocrystals on which the experiments have been done. In the rest of the thesis, we have presented the results of our studies of self-assembly of nanostructures mediated by DNAs and dendrimers. First we describe in chapter five the nature of the effective interaction between two PAMAM dendrimers. Dendrimers are frequently used to coat surfaces of nanoparticles to prevent the nanoparticles from aggregation. The interaction between such nanoparticle-dendrimer composites depends strongly on the nature of the effective interac-tion between dendrimers. We have used fully atomistic MD simulations to calculate the potential of mean force (PMF) between two PAMAM dendrimers. We show that the effective interaction strongly depends on the size (generation) and protonation level of the dendrimers. The PMF profiles of nonprotonated dendrimers show a global minimum which represents the attractive nature of the interaction between the dendrimers up to a certain center-to-center distance. On the other hand, the interaction between protonated dendrimers is repulsive throughout their interaction re-gion. The PMF profiles are fitted very well by a sum of an exponential and a Gaussian function. This observation is in contradiction with some of the results of existing coarse-grained simulations which predicted the effective interaction between dendrimers to be Gaussian. Our atomistic simulation which includes all the local fluctuations is expected to give more accurate results. Information about the effective interaction between two dendrimers helps in understanding how dendrimer molecules can be used to control the interaction strength and the preferred inter-particle distance between two nanostructures. In chapter six, we discuss the effective interaction between two dendrimer grafted gold nanoparticles. We observe that dendrimer molecules can get adsorbed spontaneously on the surface of a gold nanoparticle. These grafted dendrimers significantly alter the interaction between the gold nanoparticles. We have explored the effects of proto-nation level and the density of the grafted dendrimers on the effective interaction between two gold nanoparticle-dendrimer composites. We observe that these nanoparticle-dendrimer composites at-tract each other at low grafting density. However, the interaction strength and the inter-particle distance at the minimum of the potential are much lower and higher, respectively than those between two bare gold nanoparticles. Interestingly at higher grafting density, the nature of the interaction between the nanocomposites depends on the protonation level of the grafted dendrimers. Nanoparticles grafted with nonprotonated dendrimers still attract each other but with lower inter-action strength and higher inter-particle distance compared to the values for low grafting density. On the other hand, nanocomposites grafted with protonated dendrimers repel each other at high grafting density. Thus we show that the effective interaction and the optimal inter-particle distance between the nanostructures can be tuned over a wide range by using a suitable grafting density and protonation level of the dendrimers. In the seventh chapter, we describe a strategy to assemble dendrimers with the help of sin-gle stranded DNA (ssDNA). We attach an ssDNA to one dendrimer and a complementary ssDNA to a second dendrimer. These two complementary ssDNAs bind with each other through base pair formation to assemble the dendrimers into a single structure. The complementary ssDNAs form a dsDNA which is rigid enough to maintain the inter-dendrimer distance almost the same as the length of the DNA. The inter-dendrimer distance can be tuned by changing the DNA length. However, this method strongly depends on the protonation level of the dendrimers. It works well only for nonprotonated dendrimers. Since the protonated dendrimers are positively charged, they strongly interact with the negatively charged ssDNAs through electrostatic interaction. As a result, ssDNAs wrap the dendrimer surface and hence the inter-dendrimer distance can not be controlled. We have also verified that this method works for multiple nonprotonated dendrimers as well. In the final chapter of this thesis, we summarize the main results and conclude with a brief discussion of future directions of research on the problems considered in the thesis.

La thérapie photodynamique (PDT) est une méthode de lutte contre le cancer basée sur l’utilisation de la lumière et d’un composé sensible à la lumière, appelé photosensibilisateur (PS). Le PS absorbe la lumière et, en présence d’oxygène, engendre la production des dérivés réactifs de l'oxygène (DRO), lesquels sont toxiques et provoquent la régression de la tumeur. La limitation principale des PSs utilisés dans les tests cliniques est leur faible sélectivité envers les tissus cancéreux. Le but principal de ce projet est de créer des agents multifonctionnels combinant sur une même molécule l’activité PDT, la vectorisation et l’imagerie optique proche infrarouge. Dans cette région du spectre optique, les cellules possèdent une faible autofluorescence, et la lumière proche infrarouge pénètre plus profondément dans les tissus biologiques que la lumière visible. Nous proposons ici de modifier une structure dendrimérique de type poly(amidoamine) de génération 3, en tant que plateforme polyvalente. En effet, ce dernier possède trente-deux groupes terminaux qui peuvent être facilement substitués par des PSs. De plus, cette macromolécule peut complexer dans ses cavités jusqu’à 8 cations lanthanides émettant dans le proche infrarouge. Quatre nouveaux ligands dendrimère ont été synthétisés avec différents PSs tels que des dérivés de naphtalimide, d’anthraquinone et de tétraphénylporphyrine. De plus, le naphtalimide a été couplé avec des groupes dérivés de l’acide folique pour assurer la vectorisation envers les tissus cancéreux. Les complexes de lanthanide émettant dans le proche infrarouge ont été préparés pour chaque dendrimère. La caractérisation des performances des différents complexes a été réalisée. La production de DRO et la présence de complexes d’Yb(III) a été démontrée dans les cellules HL60. Les dendrimères modifiés par les groupes anthraquinone et tétraphénylporphyrine en tant que PS, ont montré, dans les cellules vivantes, une émission proche infrarouge lorsqu’ils sont sous la forme de complexe d’Yb(III). Les résultats obtenus montrent que les complexes de lanthanides formés avec des ligands dendrimères peuvent servir comme des agents de PDT et des rapporteurs luminescents proche infrarouge in cellulo. / PDT is a cancer treatment that uses the combination of a nontoxic photoactivated molecule (photosensitizer), an appropriate source of light excitation and molecular oxygen to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to the decrease of size or to the destruction of tumors. However, the PDT efficiency of currently used drugs is limited by the selectivity for the cancer tissue. The main goal of this work is to develop a multifunctional agent which combines a PDT activity, a tumor targeting and near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging. The use of reporters that absorb at low energy is justified by low tissue autofluorescence and high tissue penetration depth in the NIR spectrum window. For this purpose, we have chosen the generation-3 poly(amidoamine) dendrimers as a versatile platform. Such macromolecules can incorporate eight NIR emitting lanthanide ions inside their branches forming species with thirty-two end groups at the periphery that can be substituted by suitable photosensitizers. Four new dendrimer ligands were synthesized with different photosensitizers, such as derivatives of naphthalimide, anthraquinone, and porphyrin. In addition the naphthalimide photosensitizer was functionalized with a targeting molecule, based on folic acid, to induce selectivity of the molecule towards cancer tissues. The corresponding NIR emitting lanthanide complexes were prepared for each dendrimer. Four Yb(III)-dendrimer complexes were characterized for their photophysical and ROS production properties. All complexes demonstrated a ROS production. The dendrimer functionalized with anthraquinone and tetraphenylporphyrin photosensitizers show strong NIR emission in living cells. These new multifunctional Yb(III)-dendrimer complexes have been designed to broaden the current scope of PDT agents and of NIR optical imaging agents.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Synthese von Carbosiloxandendrimeren der dritten Generation durch repetitive Alkoholyse-Hydrosilylierungs-cyclen auf dem divergenten Syntheseweg beschrieben. Im Mittelpunkt der Arbeit stand jedoch die Funktionalisierung dieser Dendrimere mit einer Vielzahl metallorganischer (Ferrocenyl-, Übergangsmetallcarbonyl-verbindungen) bzw. organischer (stickstoffhaltige Ligandsysteme) Einheiten. Zudem wird die Darstellung amphiphiler und bifunktionaler Carbosiloxandendrimere vorgestellt. Die neu synthetisierten Verbindungen wurden analytisch umfassend charakterisiert, wobei die 29Si-{1H}-NMR-Spektroskopie sowie die Massenspektrometrie einen besonderen Stellenwert einnehmen.