Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dosimetry using the well established dosimeter material alanine is a generally accepted dosimetric method for measurements of high absorbed doses. Alanine EPR dosimetry is however not sensitive enough for high precision measurements of low (< 5 Gy) absorbed doses using reasonably measurement times and small dosimeters. It has therefore not been possible to fully exploit the benefits of EPR dosimetry for applications in radiation therapy. The aim of this thesis was to show that sensitive EPR dosimetry is a competitive method for applications in radiation therapy fulfilling the requirements of measurement precision. Our strategy for reaching this goal was to search for new, more sensitive, EPR dosimeter materials fulfilling the criteria of being tissue equivalent, having a high radical yield and having a narrow EPR spectrum suitable for dosimetry. The best materials were found among formates and dithionates. Doping with small amounts of metal ions and recrystallisation in D2O were tested to further increase the sensitivity. Four promising candidate materials were tested regarding radical stability and dose response and among them lithium formate was chosen for dosimetry in radiation therapy applications. A high precision EPR dosimetry method was developed using lithium formate. The method included the development of a production method for EPR dosimeters with very homogenous shape, mass and composition. A read-out process was developed with maximal measurement precision for reasonably short measurement times. The method also included a dosimeter quality control before actual dose measurements. Measurement accuracy was controlled for every new dosimeter batch. This high precision lithium formate EPR dosimetry method was evaluated for pretreatment verifications of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment plans. The precision and accuracy was shown to be sufficient (< 5 %) for measurements of doses above 1.5 Gy using one single dosimeter and a measurement time of 15 minutes. The described evaluation is therefore a demonstration of the improved precision at low dose determinations that is available with our sensitive EPR dosimeter materials. While the EPR signal intensity is proportional to absorbed dose, the signal shape is in some cases dependent on the radiation quality. A new method is presented for simultaneous measurements of beam LET (linear energy transfer) and absorbed dose in heavy charged particle beams using potassium dithionate EPR dosimetry. The study shows that when irradiating a dosimeter with 35 MeV carbon ions, the ratio of the signal amplitudes from two radicals in potassium dithionate vary along the track indicating a dependence on linear energy transfer, LET. Potassium dithionate may therefore be a promising EPR dosimeter material for simultaneous measurements of absorbed dose and LET in heavy charged particle radiation fields.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-03-15Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:18:56Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 assis_ap_me_bauru.pdf: 1776544 bytes, checksum: 48c9cf6c5410b29d4895cea2f725c0da (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Um importante fator para a vida útil de dispositivos emissores de luz que utilizam compostos organometálicos como material emissor é a compreensão do seu mecanismo de degradação. O principal mecanismo de degradação destes materiais é a dissociação reversível/irreversível entre o átomo metálico central e um de seus ligantes após a excitação da molécula emissora. O complexo de carga formado em decorrência da dissociação irreversível pode ser sensível a campos magnéticos aplicados, através da interação do campo com o elétron desemparelhado. Desta forma, neste trabalho foram avaliados, através de medidas de ressonância paramagnética eletrônica (RPE), os possíveis processos de degradação em sistemas contendo a dispersão de dois compostos organometálicos fac tris(2-fenilpiridina) irídico (ir(ppy)3) e irídio bis(4,6-diflúorfenil)-piridinato-N, C2) picolinato (Flrpic) em diferentes matizes poliméricas como o poliestireno (PS), o poli(9,9-dioctifluoreno-2,7-dil) (PFO) e o polimetilmetacrilato (PMMA). Foi avaliada ainda a influência da molécula doadora de cargas 1,2,4,5-tetracianobenzeno (TCNB) na dispersão Flrpic+PS. Os processos de degradação foram estudados através da análise de diversos parâmetros, como o comportamento do sinal de RPE com a fotoexcitação, processo de relaxação do sinal em diferentes temperaturas e à avaliação do sinal de RPE dos compostos organometálicos puros e nas diferenetes dispersões em matizes poliméticas. Os resultados mostraram que um sinal de RPE relativamento baixo é obtido para o composto Flrpic puro. Entretanto a sua inserção em matrizes poliméricas promoveu um aumento significativo da intensidade do sinal. Dados de absorção e emissão óptica dos compostos evidenciaram que espécies excitadas são inicialmente fotogenadas nos complexos metálicos... / Understanding the degradation mechanism of light emitting devices based on organometallic compounds is the major point to improve their life time. The main mechanism of degradation of these materials is the reversible/irreversible dissociation between the central metallic atom and one of its ligands after the excitation of the emiting molecule. The carge complex formed due to the irreversible dissociation may be sensitive to applied magnetic fields through the field interaction with the unpaired electron. Thus, in this study the possible degradation processes in dispersion systems composed by two organometallic compounds Iridium(III)bis(4,6-fluorephenyl)-pyridiano-N, C2]picolinate (Flrpic) and iridium(III)fac-tris(2-phenylpyridine) (Ir (ppy)3) in different polymer matrices (polystyrene (PS), poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) were analysed through electron paramagnetic resonance (ERP) technique. The influence of a charge donor molecule 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (TCNB) in Flrpic+PS dispersion was also examined. The processes of degradation were studied by analysing a variety of parameters such as the behaviour or the EPR signal with the photoexcitation, the process of signal relaxation at different temperatures and the evaluation of the EPR signal of pure organometallic compounds and its dispersion in different polymeric matrices. The results showed that a relatively low EPR signal is obtained for pure Flrpic compound. However its insertion in polymeric matrices caused a significant increase in the signal intensity. The optical absorption and emission data have shown that the excited species are initially photogenerated in metal complexes of those compounds, promoting the subsequent formation of paramagnetic centres, close to Indium atom. The energy levels analysis also suggests an exciton trapping process, which were associated with... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

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A hidroxiapatita e o esmalte dental são, na atualidade, alguns dos materiais mais pesquisados pela técnica de espectroscopia por Ressonância Paramagnética Eletrônica ? RPE. O esmalte dental, que possui cerca de 97% de sua massa constituída por cristais de hidroxiapatita, se apresenta como o tecido humano preferencial para dosimetria de radiação com o uso desta técnica, principalmente no caso de exposições acidentais da população em geral. A análise de hidroxiapatitas sintéticas tem por finalidade auxiliar o entendimento do espectro do esmalte dental bem como desenvolver um dosímetro de radiação com boa eficiência e eficácia. O espectrômetro em banda-K utiliza uma freqüência intermediária aos espectrômetros em banda-X e em banda-Q, possuindo uma melhor resolução que banda-X sem as dificuldades, devido à alta sensibilidade, do banda-Q. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar espectros em banda-K de um bloco de esmalte irradiado e de hidroxiapatitas sintéticas, comparando com espectros de banda-Q e banda-X presentes na literatura, e ainda verificar a possibilidade de se fazer dosimetria de radiação com o uso deste aparelho. / Hydroxyapatite and tooth enamel are, nowadays, some of materials mostly investigated by the spectroscopic technique of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance ? EPR. Tooth enamel, that have about of 97% of its mass constituted by hydroxyapatite crystals, appears itself as the preferential human tissue for radiation dosimetry using EPR, mainly in case of accidental expositions by ordinary personnel. The analyses of synthetic hydroxyapatites have as the main goal to help the understanding of tooth enamel?s spectrum seeking the developing of a radiation dosimeter with good efficiency and accuracy. The K-band EPR spectrometer uses an intermediate frequency between the spectrometers in X-band and Q-band, possessing a better resolution than the X-band without presenting the Q-band?s difficulties. In this preliminary work the EPR spectra of a small block tooth enamel and synthetic hydroxyapatites irradiated were analyzed in K-band, comparing the results with X- and Q-band with published results, the possibility of performing radiation dosimetry at K-band was verified.

Esta tese relata um estudo pormenorizado, efetuado através da técnica de Ressonância Paramagnética Eletrônica (RPE) em bandas X (~ 9.5 GHz) e Q (~ 34.5 GHz), de amostras nas formas cristalina e pulverizada dos compostos dinucleares Cu2(TzTs)4, C40H36Cu2N8O8S8, e [Cu(flu)2DMF]2, C62H50Cu2F12N6O10. Tratamentos meticulosos dos espectros de RPE pertinentes a tais compostos propiciaram determinar tanto o parâmetro de interação antiferromagnética, J0, entre pares de íons Cu(II) existentes em uma unidade dinuclear (Hex = J0 S1·S2) como também os valores principais alusivos às matrizes g e D; onde a primeira refere-se à interação Zeeman [Hz = BB0(g1·S1 + g2·S2)] e a última reporta as interações spin-spin anisotrópicas (Hani = S1·D·S2) entre pares de íons Cu(II) presentes em uma unidade dinuclear. Ademais, medidas de RPE realizadas com um monocristal do composto Cu2(TzTs)4 permitiram detectar e estimar, no contexto interdinuclear, o fraco acoplamento de exchange, |J\'| = (0.060 ± 0.015) cm-1, existente entre unidades dinucleares vizinhas: este acoplamento existente entre uma unidade dinuclear e o meio randômico constituído pelas unidades dinucleares vizinhas conduz à decoerência (i.e. uma transição de fase quântica que colapsa a interação dipolar quando a magnitude do acoplamento de exchange isotrópico entre as unidades dinucleares vizinhas iguala-se à magnitude do acoplamento dipolar intradinuclear). No âmbito concernente ao composto [Cu(flu)2DMF]2, foi possível simular acuradamente as sete linhas de ressonância características do desdobramento hiperfino advindo de n = 2 núcleos equivalentes de centros paramagnéticos Cu2+ (I = 3/2) e, por conseguinte, os valores principais pertinentes à matriz de interação hiperfina A (Hhyper = S1·A·I1 + S2·A·I2) puderam ser precisamente determinados. / We report detailed Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) studies at X-band (~ 9.5 GHz) and Q-band (~ 34.5 GHz) of powder and single-crystal samples of the dinuclear compounds Cu2(TzTs)4, C40H36Cu2N8O8S8, and [Cu(flu)2DMF]2, C62H50Cu2F12N6O10. Meticulous investigations of their EPR data allow determining the antiferromagnetic interaction parameter, J0, between Cu(II) ions in the dinuclear unit (Hex = J0 S1·S2) as well as the principal values of both matrices g and D, where the first one is related to the Zeeman interaction [Hz = BB0(g1·S1 + g2·S2)] and the latter is associated with the anisotropic spin-spin interactions (Hani = S1·D·S2) between Cu(II) ion pairs in a dinuclear unit. In addition, EPR measurements of single-crystal samples of the compound Cu2(TzTs)4 allow detecting and estimating very weak exchange couplings between neighbour dinuclear units with an estimated magnitude |J\'| = (0.060 ± 0.015) cm-1: this coupling with the environment leads to decoherence (i.e. a quantum phase transition that collapses the dipolar interaction when the isotropic exchange coupling with neighbor dinuclear units equals the magnitude of the intradinuclear dipolar coupling). With reference to [Cu(flu)2DMF]2 compound, it was possible to simulate precisely the seven-line copper hyperfine splitting arising from n = 2 nonequivalent nuclei related to paramagnetic Cu2+ (I = 3/2) centers and, as a consequence of these accurate simulations, the principal values of the hyperfine interaction matrix A (Hhyper = S1·A·I1 + S2·A·I2) could be reliably obtained.

Decabromodiphenylether (deca-BDE) and triclosan (2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenylether) are used in consumer products as flame retardant and bactericide, respectively. Dermal contact is a major human exposure pathway. Deca-BDE and triclosan are known to be photolytically degraded to compounds like lower-BDEs and dioxins. My hypothesis is that photolysis of deca-BDE and triclosan generates free radicals and degradation products which cause toxic effects including cytotoxicity, growth inhibition, oxidative stress and genotoxicity in skin. To test this hypothesis radical formation and photolytic products of deca-BDE and toxic effects of deca-BDE and triclosan alone/with UV-exposure were determined using immortal human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and primary human skin fibroblasts (HSF). My electron paramagnetic resonance and GC-MS studies indicate that deca-BDE is photoreactive and UV irradiation of deca-BDE in organic solvents generates free radicals and lower-BDEs. The free radical formation is wavelength-dependent and positively related to the irradiation time and deca-BDE concentration. In structure-activity relationship studies with deca-BDE, octa-BDE, PBB 209, PCB 209 and diphenyl ether, the presence of halogen atoms (Br > Cl), and/or an ether bond enhance free radical formation. Debromination and hydrogen abstraction from the solvents are the mechanism of radical formation with deca-BDE, which raises concerns about possible toxic effects in UV-exposed skin. In cell culture experiments high levels of triclosan plus UV irradiation and repetitive deca-BDE and UV exposures caused synergistic cytotoxicity in HaCaT. However, neither triclosan nor deca-BDE can be regarded as a phototoxicant following the OECD test and evaluation guidelines. In HSF, no synergistic cytotoxicity was observed, although HSF were more sensitive to deca-BDE and triclosan alone than HaCaT. Contrary to expectations, the photodegradation products of triclosan were less toxic than triclosan itself to HaCaT. However, UV irradiation of triclosan-exposed cells produced a dose dependent increase in intracellular oxidative stress (dichlorofluorescein formation). Comet experiments did not show consistent results of genotoxicity in HaCaT. Overall, deca-BDE and triclosan had no or weak phototoxic potential in cells with the experimental conditions employed. To my knowledge, my research is the first prove of free radical formation during UV irradiation of deca-BDE and the first investigation of phototoxicity of deca-BDE and triclosan in human skin cells.

Esta tese relata um estudo pormenorizado, efetuado através da técnica de Ressonância Paramagnética Eletrônica (RPE) em bandas X (~ 9.5 GHz) e Q (~ 34.5 GHz), de amostras nas formas cristalina e pulverizada dos compostos dinucleares Cu2(TzTs)4, C40H36Cu2N8O8S8, e [Cu(flu)2DMF]2, C62H50Cu2F12N6O10. Tratamentos meticulosos dos espectros de RPE pertinentes a tais compostos propiciaram determinar tanto o parâmetro de interação antiferromagnética, J0, entre pares de íons Cu(II) existentes em uma unidade dinuclear (Hex = J0 S1·S2) como também os valores principais alusivos às matrizes g e D; onde a primeira refere-se à interação Zeeman [Hz = BB0(g1·S1 + g2·S2)] e a última reporta as interações spin-spin anisotrópicas (Hani = S1·D·S2) entre pares de íons Cu(II) presentes em uma unidade dinuclear. Ademais, medidas de RPE realizadas com um monocristal do composto Cu2(TzTs)4 permitiram detectar e estimar, no contexto interdinuclear, o fraco acoplamento de exchange, |J\'| = (0.060 ± 0.015) cm-1, existente entre unidades dinucleares vizinhas: este acoplamento existente entre uma unidade dinuclear e o meio randômico constituído pelas unidades dinucleares vizinhas conduz à decoerência (i.e. uma transição de fase quântica que colapsa a interação dipolar quando a magnitude do acoplamento de exchange isotrópico entre as unidades dinucleares vizinhas iguala-se à magnitude do acoplamento dipolar intradinuclear). No âmbito concernente ao composto [Cu(flu)2DMF]2, foi possível simular acuradamente as sete linhas de ressonância características do desdobramento hiperfino advindo de n = 2 núcleos equivalentes de centros paramagnéticos Cu2+ (I = 3/2) e, por conseguinte, os valores principais pertinentes à matriz de interação hiperfina A (Hhyper = S1·A·I1 + S2·A·I2) puderam ser precisamente determinados. / We report detailed Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) studies at X-band (~ 9.5 GHz) and Q-band (~ 34.5 GHz) of powder and single-crystal samples of the dinuclear compounds Cu2(TzTs)4, C40H36Cu2N8O8S8, and [Cu(flu)2DMF]2, C62H50Cu2F12N6O10. Meticulous investigations of their EPR data allow determining the antiferromagnetic interaction parameter, J0, between Cu(II) ions in the dinuclear unit (Hex = J0 S1·S2) as well as the principal values of both matrices g and D, where the first one is related to the Zeeman interaction [Hz = BB0(g1·S1 + g2·S2)] and the latter is associated with the anisotropic spin-spin interactions (Hani = S1·D·S2) between Cu(II) ion pairs in a dinuclear unit. In addition, EPR measurements of single-crystal samples of the compound Cu2(TzTs)4 allow detecting and estimating very weak exchange couplings between neighbour dinuclear units with an estimated magnitude |J\'| = (0.060 ± 0.015) cm-1: this coupling with the environment leads to decoherence (i.e. a quantum phase transition that collapses the dipolar interaction when the isotropic exchange coupling with neighbor dinuclear units equals the magnitude of the intradinuclear dipolar coupling). With reference to [Cu(flu)2DMF]2 compound, it was possible to simulate precisely the seven-line copper hyperfine splitting arising from n = 2 nonequivalent nuclei related to paramagnetic Cu2+ (I = 3/2) centers and, as a consequence of these accurate simulations, the principal values of the hyperfine interaction matrix A (Hhyper = S1·A·I1 + S2·A·I2) could be reliably obtained.

A hidroxiapatita e o esmalte dental são, na atualidade, alguns dos materiais mais pesquisados pela técnica de espectroscopia por Ressonância Paramagnética Eletrônica ? RPE. O esmalte dental, que possui cerca de 97% de sua massa constituída por cristais de hidroxiapatita, se apresenta como o tecido humano preferencial para dosimetria de radiação com o uso desta técnica, principalmente no caso de exposições acidentais da população em geral. A análise de hidroxiapatitas sintéticas tem por finalidade auxiliar o entendimento do espectro do esmalte dental bem como desenvolver um dosímetro de radiação com boa eficiência e eficácia. O espectrômetro em banda-K utiliza uma freqüência intermediária aos espectrômetros em banda-X e em banda-Q, possuindo uma melhor resolução que banda-X sem as dificuldades, devido à alta sensibilidade, do banda-Q. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar espectros em banda-K de um bloco de esmalte irradiado e de hidroxiapatitas sintéticas, comparando com espectros de banda-Q e banda-X presentes na literatura, e ainda verificar a possibilidade de se fazer dosimetria de radiação com o uso deste aparelho. / Hydroxyapatite and tooth enamel are, nowadays, some of materials mostly investigated by the spectroscopic technique of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance ? EPR. Tooth enamel, that have about of 97% of its mass constituted by hydroxyapatite crystals, appears itself as the preferential human tissue for radiation dosimetry using EPR, mainly in case of accidental expositions by ordinary personnel. The analyses of synthetic hydroxyapatites have as the main goal to help the understanding of tooth enamel?s spectrum seeking the developing of a radiation dosimeter with good efficiency and accuracy. The K-band EPR spectrometer uses an intermediate frequency between the spectrometers in X-band and Q-band, possessing a better resolution than the X-band without presenting the Q-band?s difficulties. In this preliminary work the EPR spectra of a small block tooth enamel and synthetic hydroxyapatites irradiated were analyzed in K-band, comparing the results with X- and Q-band with published results, the possibility of performing radiation dosimetry at K-band was verified.

The low-temperature binding of nitric oxide (NO) in the metal-organic framework MIL-100(Al) has been investigated by pulsed electron nuclear double resonance and hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy. Three NO adsorption species have been identified. Among them, one species has been verified experimentally to bind directly to an 27Al atom and all its relevant 14N and 27Al hyperfine interaction parameters have been determined spectroscopically. Those parameters fit well to the calculated ones of a theoretical cluster model, which was derived by density functional theory (DFT) in the present work and describes the low temperature binding of NO to the regular coordinatively unsaturated Al3+ site of the MIL-100(Al) structure. As a result, the Lewis acidity of that site has been characterized using the NO molecule as an electron paramagnetic resonance active probe. The DFT derived wave function analysis revealed a bent end-on coordination of the NO molecule adsorbed at that site which is almost purely ionic and has a weak binding energy. The calculated flat potential energy surface of this species indicates the ability of the NO molecule to freely rotate at intermediate temperatures while it is still binding to the Al3+ site. For the other two NO adsorption species, no structural models could be derived, but one of them is indicated to be adsorbed at the organic part of the metal-organic framework. Hyperfine interactions with protons, weakly coupled to the observed NO adsorption species, have also been measured by pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance and found to be consistent with their attribution to protons of the MIL-100(Al) benzenetricarboxylate ligand molecules.