Natural archives such as lake sediments allow us to assess contemporary ecosystem responses to climate and environmental changes in a long-term context beyond the few decades to at most few centuries covered by monitoring or historical data. To achieve a comprehensive view of the changes preserved in sediment records, multi-proxy studies – ideally in high resolution – are necessary. However, this combination of including a range of analyses and high resolution constrains the amount of material available for analyses and increases the analytical costs. Infrared spectroscopic methods are a cost-efficient alternative to conventional methods because they offer a) a simple sample pre-treatment, b) a rapid measurement time, c) the non- or minimal consumption of sample material, and d) the potential to extract quantitative and qualitative information about organic and inorganic sediment components from a single measurement. The main objective of this doctoral thesis was twofold. The first part was to further explore the potential of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and visible-near infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy in paleolimnological studies as a) an alternative tool to conventional methods for quantifying biogenic silica (bSi) – a common proxy of paleoproductivity in lakes – in sediments and b) as a tool to infer past lake-water total organic carbon (TOC) levels from sediments. In a methodological study, I developed an independent application of FTIR spectroscopy and PLS modeling for determining bSi in sediments by using synthetic sediment mixtures with known bSi content. In contrast to previous models, this model is independent from conventional wet-chemical techniques, which had thus far been used as the calibration reference, and their inherent measurement uncertainties. The second part of the research was to apply these techniques as part of three multi-proxy studies aiming to a) improve our understanding of long-term element cycling in boreal and arctic landscapes in response to climatic and environmental changes, and b) to assess ongoing changes, particularly in lake-water TOC, on a centennial to millennial time scale. In the first applied study, high-resolution FTIR measurements of the 318-m long sediment record of Lake El’gygytgyn provided a detailed insight into long-term climate variability in the Siberian Arctic over the past 3.6 million years. Highest bSi accumulation occurred during the warm middle Pliocene (3.6-3.3 Ma), followed by a gradual but variable decline, which reflects the first onset of glacial periods and then the finally full establishment of glacial–interglacial cycles during the Quaternary. The second applied study investigated the sediment record of Torneträsk in subarctic northern Sweden also in relation to climate change, but only over the recent post-glacial period (~10 ka). By comparing responses to past climatic and environmental forcings that were recorded in this large-lake system with those recorded in small lakes from its catchment, I determined the significance and magnitude of larger-scale changes across the study region. Three different types of response were identified over the Holocene: i) a gradual response to the early landscape development following deglaciation (~10000-5300 cal yr BP); ii) an abrupt but delayed response following climate cooling during the late Holocene, which occurred c. 1300 cal yr BP – about 1000-2000 years later than in smaller lakes from the area; and iii) an immediate response to the ongoing climate change during the past century. The rapid, recent response in a previously rather insensitive lake-ecosystem emphasizes the unprecedented scale of ongoing climate change in northern Fennoscandia. In the third applied study, VNIR-inferred lake-water TOC concentrations from lakes across central Sweden showed that the ongoing, observed increase in surface water TOC in this region was in fact preceded by a long-term decline beginning already AD 1450-1600. These dynamics coincided with early human land use activities in the form of widespread summer forest grazing and farming that ceased over the past century. The results of this study show the strong impact of past human activities on past as well as ongoing TOC levels in surface waters, which has thus far been underestimated. The research in this thesis demonstrates that infrared spectroscopic methods can be an essential component in high-resolution, multi-proxy studies of past environmental and climate changes.

A polimerização adequada da resina composta está diretamente relacionada com o sucesso e longevidade das restaurações. Procurando esclarecer a efetividade das fontes de luz na fotoativação, foram realizados estudos laboratoriais, verificando a profundidade de polimerização (1, 2 e 3 mm) da resina composta Filtek Supreme 3M-ESPE, por meio de diferentes análises como: grau de conversão monomérica por espectroscopia com absorção no infravermelho (FT-IR), dureza Vickers, espectroscopia de fluorescência e análise térmica (calorimetria exploratória diferencial - DSC e termogravimetria TG), comparando-se três fontes de luz: lâmpada halógena (Optilux 501-Demetron-Kerr), LED (Lec 1000-MMOptics) e laser de argônio (INNOVA 100-Coherent). Para isso foram confeccionados em triplicata corpos-de-prova, devidamente padronizados para cada condição amostral. Os resultados de dureza Vickers e grau de conversão monomérica por FT-IR receberam tratamento estatístico pela análise de variância (ANOVA) a dois critérios, assim como as comparações múltiplas pelo teste de Tukey ao nível de significância de 5%. Para correlação dos testes de dureza e grau de conversão monomérica foi utilizado o teste de correlação de Pearson (p<0,05). O terceiro milímetro apresentou diferença estatística significante em relação ao primeiro e segundo milímetros tanto nos teste de dureza Vickers, como no grau de conversão monomérica por FT-IR. As fontes de luz apresentaram diferenças estatísticas entre elas na análise do grau de conversão, sendo que a lâmpada halógena obteve os melhores resultados, seguido do Led e laser de argônio. Não houve uma correlação positiva entre os testes de dureza e grau de conversão por FT-IR. Nos testes de espectroscopia de fluorescência e análise térmica foi possível observar uma mesma tendência de resultados verificado no teste de grau de conversão por FT-IR em relação às diferenças entre as fontes de luz e as profundidades de polimerização. Os testes mostraram-se efetivos na avaliação da profundidade de polimerização, porém o teste de dureza não se correlacionou com os demais testes e todas as fontes de luz se mostraram aptas a polimerização da resina composta até 2 mm de profundidade de acordo com os parâmetros utilizados nessa pesquisa. / The adequate polymerization of composite resin is directly related with the restoration success and longevity. Experimental studies were made to verify the efficiency of light sources in the photoactivation by the evaluation of the depth of cure (1, 2 and 3 mm) of composite resin Filtek Supreme 3M-ESPE by several methods: degree of monomeric conversion by spectroscopy Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Vickers hardness, fluorescence spectroscopy and thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry - DSC and termogravimetric analysis - TGA), comparing 3 light sources: halogen light (Optilux 501/Demetron-Kerr), LED (Lec 1000-MMOptics) and argon laser (INNOVA 100-Coherent). Samples were made in triplicate and standardized for each condition. The results of Vickers hardness and degree of conversion by FT-IR were subjected to statistical analysis using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test for multiple comparisons and the statistical significance was assumed at 5% (p<0.05), and for correlation the tests of Vickers hardness and degree of conversion were used the Pearson\' s test (p<0.05). The third millimeter presented statistical difference in relation with first and second millimeters for both tests: Vickers hardness and degree of conversion by FT-IR. The light sources presented statistical differences among them in the degree of conversion test: the halogen light had better values followed by LED and argon laser. And did not have a positive correlation between Vickers hardness and degree of conversion FT-IR. In the fluorescence spectroscopy and thermal analysis was possible to observe the same tendency in the results that they had in the degree of conversion test, in relation of difference in depth of cure and light sources. All tests showed strength in the evaluation of depth of cure, however the Vickers hardness test were not correlated with other tests and all light sources showed to able to polymerized the composite resin until 2 millimeters according to the parameters used in this research.

The thermal decomposition products (TDP) generated during fire suppression with 1,1,1,2,2,4,5,5,5 nonafluoro-4-trifluoromethyl pentan-3-one were studied using wet chemistry and FTIR. Small-scale testing was conducted in a 1.28-m3 (45-ft3) enclosure. The effects of fire size, agent discharge time, and agent concentration on TDP are reported. A comparison of the two methods is presented. In terms of magnitude and generation trends, the TDPs were found to be comparable to other in-kind halon alternatives.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The Subatomic Physics Department of iThemba Laboratory for Accelerated Based Sciences (iThemba LABS) conducts experiments that require a variety of particle beams in order to study nuclear properties (reaction, structure, etc.) of various nuclides. These particle beams are accelerated using the K-200 Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC) and delivered to different physics experimental vaults. Prior to acceleration, the particle beam is first ionised using an Electron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS). The main goal of this study is the production of exotic metallic beams of 60Ni8+ and 62Ni8+ using ECRIS4, which are required for the Coulomb excitation experiments approved by the Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) at iThemba LABS. In order to provide the metallic beams of nickel, a development study of organometallic materials containing 60Ni and 62Ni isotopes in a form of metallocene complexes was undertaken. The nickelocene (NiCp2) complex, a member of the organometallic family, was synthesised at the Physics Target Laboratory of iThemba LABS for the first time. Method development involved the use of natural nickel during the multi-step synthesis before the use of enriched nickel-60 (60Ni) and nickel-62 (62Ni). Nine samples of NiCp2 were synthesised; two were isotopically enriched nickelocene (60NiCp2 and 62NiCp2). The percentage yields of the synthesised nickelocene samples ranged between 16 to 50 %, and samples were characterised by investigating their crystal structure and bonding arrangements in the complexes by X-ray diffraction (XRD) , Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR). The synthesised nickelocene were further used with ECRIS4 for the production of Ni beams on the Q-line of the cyclotron. The Metal Ions from Volatile Compounds (MIVOC) technique was used for the conversion of 60Ni and 62Ni to ion species. The method used the organometallic compounds which are volatile at specific pressures at ambient temperatures. Metallic ion beams of nickel were successfully produced after a carefully pre-sample conditioning in the MIVOC container before connecting the MIVOC set-up to the new injection system of the ECRIS4. Measured beam intensities during the experiment for both 60Ni+ and 62Ni+ were approximately 30 μA, optimum for physics measurements. The development of the MIVOC technique opens up new beam-target combinations with the use of new exotic stable beams for new science cases at iThemba LABS. Reactions in inverse kinematics, multi-step Coulomb-excitation and other types of reactions will immensely benefit from these developments.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-03-19Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:41:40Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 costa_sxs_dr_arafo.pdf: 852844 bytes, checksum: 8945fe6817e7f7f0051c98cb920416e1 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O objetivo deste trabalho, dividido em três estudos, foi avaliar: (1) a influência da utilização de diferentes fontes de luz e métodos de fotoativação sobre o grau de conversão e a contração de polimerização de uma resina composta nanoparticulada; (2) a influência da utilização dos diferentes métodos de fotoativacao, disponibilizados por aparelhos LED de 2a geração, sobre a contração volumétrica das resinas compostas microhíbrida e nanopartículada e (3) as propriedades térmicas e o grau de conversão das resinas compostas microhíbrida e nanopartículada, submetidas aos diferentes métodos de fotoativação disponibilizados por aparelhos LED de 2a geracao. No primeiro estudo, o grau de conversão (GC) foi avaliado pelo metodo da espectroscopia infravermelha transformada de Fourier (FT-IR) e as forças de contração (C) mensuradas em máquina de ensaios universal (EMIC). Os dados obtidos para o GC e C foram analísados estatísticamente pelo teste da análise de variancia (ANOVA), sendo que para as forças de contração, a correção de Welch e o teste Tamhane também foram empregados. No segundo estudo, a contração volumétrica foi avaliada por um mecanismo de vídeo e imagem (AcuvolR/Bisco) e os dados obtidos foram análisados estatísticamente pelos testes ANOVA e Tukey. No terceiro estudo, o método da calorimetria exploratória diferencial foi empregado para avaliar a temperatura de transição vitrea (Tg) e de degradação dos materiais e o GC por FTIR. Os dados relativos ao GC foram análisados estatísticamente pelos testes ANOVA e Tukey. Os resultados demonstraram diferenças na contração de polimerização de acordo com o método de fotoativação empregado. No primeiro e segundo estudos, mesmo empregando diferentes metodologias, o método de fotoativação contínuo apresentou os maiores valores de contração. Por outro lado,o GC não... / The aim of this work, divided into three studies, was evaluate: (1) the influence of different light sources and photo-activation methods on degree of conversion and polymerization shrinkage of a nanocomposite resin; (2) the influence of different photo-activation methods, available by the 2nd generation LED light-curing units, on the volumetric shrinkage of microhybrid and nanocomposite resins and (3) thermal properties and degree of conversion of microhybrid and nanocomposite resins submitted to different photo-activation methods available by 2nd generation LED light-curing units. In the first study, degree of conversion (DC) was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and shrinkage forces (S) were measured in a universal testing machine (EMIC). The data obtained for DC and S were analyzed by Analysis of Variance test (ANOVA) and for S Welch’s correction and Tamhane’s tests were also employed. In the second study, volumetric shrinkage was evaluated by video-imaging device (AcuvolR/Bisco) and data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey’s test. In the third study, differential scanning calorimetry was used in order to observe glass transition temperature (Tg) and degradation peak of the materials and DC was evaluated for FT-IR. The DC data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey’s test. The results showed differences in the polymerization shrinkage according to photo-activation method employed. In the first and second studies, the continuous photo-activation methods presented the highest values for shrinkage even though different methodologies were used to assess. Moreover, DC was not influenced by the photo-activation method but was influenced by light sources. The lowest DC values were observed for halogen light-curing unit. In the second study beyond the influence of the photo-activation... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

This thesis describes an investigation of the molecular mechanism underlying solar conversion processes that occur in Type I photosynthetic reaction centers, in which P700 plays a central role. Static Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectroscopy (DS) was used to probe the electronic and structural organization of P700 and P700+. In combination with isotope labeling and site directed mutagenesis we have investigated how protein interactions such as histidine ligation and hydrogen bonding modulate this organization. Comparison of (P700+-P700) FTIR difference spectra (DS) obtained using wild type and mutant PS I led us to suggest that the 131 keto carbonyl group of PA is essentially free from hydrogen bonding in the ground state. Upon cation formation, this hydrogen bonding becomes stronger, probably because of a cation induced reorientation of the hydroxyl group of a nearby threonine residue. We also tentatively suggested that a difference band at 1639(-)/1660(+) cm-1 in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS might be due to a C=C mode of the imidazole side chain of the ligating histidine residues. Most of this thesis is geared towards investigating the validity of this interpretation. (P700+-P700) FTIR DS obtained using mutant PS I particles in which hydrogen bonding to P700 is altered can be reconciled within the context of our new interpretation. (P700+-P700) FTIR DS obtained using uniformly 2H, 15N, and 13C labeled PS I particles also support our new interpretation, and indicate that the difference band at 1639(-)/ 1660(+) cm-1 cannot be associated with a strongly hydrogen bonded keto carbonyl group of PA. To investigate if the imidazole side-chain of ligating histidine residues could contribute to bands in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS vibrational mode frequencies and intensities for several protonation forms of 4-methylimidazole were calculated. The calculations suggest that the 1639(-)/1660(+) cm-1 band in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS may not be due to a C=C mode of the imidazole side chain of the ligating histidine residues. Thus we have produced data that suggests neither of the proposed interpretations alone can adequately explain the origin of the 1639(-)/1660(+) cm-1 difference band in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS. The origin of the 1639(-)/1660(+) cm-1 difference band in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS is therefore still an open question.

This study focuses on various aspects of nanocrystals embedded in a dielectric matrix. In the first part of this work, a new approach with the use of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in the nanocrystal analysis was developed and presented. Si and Ge nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 matrix were mainly studied. This new approach is based on the analysis of structural variations of SiO2 matrix during the formation of semiconductor nanocrystlas. It is shown that the chemical and structural variations of the host matrix are directly related to the precipitation of nanocrystals in it. This correlation provides valuable information about the presences of nanocrystals in the matrix. In the second part of this work, fabrication of SiC films with and without Si nanocrystals inclusions was studied. With this aim, stoichiometric SiC and Si rich SiC thin films were fabricated by using magnetron co-sputtering and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) techniques. For SiC films, the structural and optical analyses were performed. For Si rich SiC films, the formation conditions of Si nanocrystals were investigated. Post annealing studies were carried out to track the evolution of the SiC matrix and formation of Si nanocrystals at different temperatures. Chemical and structural properties of the SiC host matrix were investigated with FTIR spectroscopy. Optimum conditions for the fabrication of stoichiometric SiC layers were determined. The crystallography of the nanocrystals was investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The variation of the atomic concentrations and bond formations were investigated with X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Raman spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were used to verify the formation of Si nanocrystals. We have shown that both single and multilayer Si nanocrystals can be fabricated in the amorphous SiC matrix for applications such as light emitting diodes and solar cells.

Large Area Maskless Photopolymerization (LAMP) is a direct digital manufacturing technology being developed at Georgia Tech to produce ceramic molds for investment casting of turbine airfoils. In LAMP, UV light incident on a spatial light modulator is projected in the form of a structured black and white bitmap image onto a platform supporting slurry comprising a ceramic particle loaded photocurable resin. Curing of the resin is completed rapidly with exposures lasting 20~160ms. Three-dimensional parts are built layer-by-layer by sequentially applying and selectively curing resin layers of 25-100 micron thickness. In LAMP, diacrylate-based ceramic particle-loaded resins with photoinitiators sensitive in the range of spectral characteristics of the UV source form the basis for an ultra-fast photopolymerization reaction. At the start of the reaction, the monomer molecules are separated by van der Waals distance (~10⁴Å). As the reaction proceeds, these monomer molecules form a closely packed network thereby reducing their separation to covalent bond lengths (~ 1 Å). This results in bulk contraction in the cured resin, which accumulates as the part is fabricated layer-by-layer. The degree of shrinkage is a direct measure of the number of covalent bonds formed. Thus, shrinkage in LAMP is characterized by estimating the number of covalent bonds formed during the photopolymerization reaction. Polymerization shrinkage and accompanying stresses developed during photopolymerization of ceramic particle-loaded resins in LAMP can cause deviations from the desired geometry. The extent of deviations depends on the photoinitiator concentration, the filler loading, the degree of monomer conversion, and the operating parameters such as energy dose. An understanding of shrinkage and stresses built up in a part can assist in developing source geometry compensation algorithms and exposure strategies to alleviate these effects. In this thesis, an attempt has been made to understand the curing kinetics of the reaction and its relation to the polymerization shrinkage. Realtime Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (RTFTIR) is used to determine the conversion of monomers into polymer networks by analyzing the changes in the chemical bonds of the participating species of molecules. The conversion data can further be used to estimate the curing kinetics of the reaction and the relative volumetric shrinkage strain due to polymerization.

Atoms construct the molecules and molecules construct the material substances (with the exceptions as well, e.g.., metals, where atoms directly construct the material substances). Intermolecular interactions play an important role in most of the branches of sciences, ranging from material sciences to biological sciences. Van der Waals interactions are weak intermolecular interactions while hydrogen bonding varies in strength from weak to strong (1 to 40 kcal/mol). The present work focuses on applying some theoretical methods (ab initio and Atoms in Molecules theory) on these interactions to differentiate them with physically meaningful parameters such as hydrogen bond radii and atoms in molecules theory parameters. 1)Defining and calculating H-bond radii have been done using atoms in molecules theory approach which can explain ruling out the presence or absence of an H-bond in an intermolecular interaction. 2) A blue-shift of 200 cm-1 for a weakly bound complex is unprecedented. Our studies on weakly bound complexes showed the blue-shift of 200 cm-1 for H3C•••CIF and shift has been found to be purely from the mixing of normal modes and not because of an interaction. 3)Methane, a symmetric top molecule can act both as H-bond acceptor and donor. The present work shows that methane is rather a better H-bond acceptor than a donor and all the calculated parameters are in favor of this description. 4) Microwave spectrometer is an ultimate tool (at least at present) for structural characterization of the weakly bound complexes accurately. The rotational spectrum of the weakly bound isotopomer weakly bound complexes accurately. The rotational spectrum of the weakly bound isotopomer 13CC5H6•••Ar, which is a symmetric top and gives only “B” rotational constant. Moreover, the A rotational constant of the complex is the same as the rotational constant for 13CC5H6, which has no dipole moment. C2H2 molecule is an astrophysically important molecule as it is present in asymptotic giant branch and T-type stars (Teff<3000K). Due to its various infrared active vibrational modes, C2H2 is one of the most important sources in cool stars. The production of C2H2 infrared spectroscopic data at high temperature is therefore essential to trace back physical characteristics of these objects and to model the radiative transfer in their envelope. The databases such as “HITRAN”, do not have enough data available for stimulating high temperature spectra. Keeping all these objectives in mind, high temperature emission spectrum of acetylene has been recorded around 3µm region of acetylene.

The accurate and safe diagnosis of breast cancer is a significant societal issue, with annual disease incidence of 48,000 women and around 370 men in the UK. Early diagnosis of the disease allows more conservative treatments and better patient outcomes. Microcalcifications in breast tissue are an important indicator for breast cancers, and often the only sign of their presence. Several studies have suggested that the type of calcification formed may act as a marker for malignancy and its presence may be of biological significance. In this work, breast calcifications are studied with FTIR, synchrotron FTIR, ATR FTIR, and Raman mapping to explore their disease specific composition. From a comparison between vibrational spectroscopy and routine staining procedures it becomes clear that calcium builds up prior to calcification formation. Raman and FTIR indicate the same size for calcifications and are in agreement with routine staining techniques. From the synchrotron FTIR measurements it can be proven that amide is present in the centre of the calcifications and the intensity of the bands depends on the pathology. Special attention is paid to the type of carbonate substitution in the calcifications relating to different pathology grades. In contrast to mammography, Raman spectroscopy has the capability to distinguish calcifications based on their chemical composition. The ultimate goal is to turn the acquired knowledge from the mapping studies into a clinical tool based on deep Raman spectroscopy. Deep Raman techniques have a considerable potential to reduce large numbers of normal biopsies, reduce the time delay between screening and diagnosis and therefore diminish patient anxiety. In order to achieve this, a deep Raman system is designed and after evaluation of its performance tested on buried calcification standards in porcine soft tissue and human mammary tissue. It is shown that, when the calcification is probed through tissue, the strong 960 cm-1 phosphate band can be used as a pseudo marker for carbonate substitution which is related to the pathology of the surrounding tissue. Furthermore, the first study in which human breast calcifications are measured in bulk tissue with a thickness of several millimetres to centimetres is presented. To date, measurements have been performed at 41 specimens with a thickness up to 25 mm. Measurements could be performed through skin and blue dye. The proposed deep Raman technique is promising for probing of calcifications through tissue but will need refinement before being adopted in hospitals.