Dentre as opções de terapias dessensibilizantes, a proposta mais recente para o tratamento da Hipersensibilidade Dentinária é o uso do biovidro. Esse novo material apresenta a capacidade de promover a formação de hidroxiapatita na superfície da dentina, representando uma união química mais estável e duradoura sobre os túbulos dentinários. Este trabalho comparou o efeito de uma nova formulação de biovidro disperso em ácido fosfórico 30%, associado ao laser de Nd:YAG e ao laser de CO2 na obliteração de túbulos dentinários expostos. Foram obtidas 96 amostras de dentina humana que foram divididas em 6 grupos experimentais (n=16) e distribuídas como a seguir: G1 -­ controle negativo (nenhum tratamento adicional);? G2 -­ laser de Nd:YAG;? G3 -­ laser de CO2;? G4 -­ pasta de biovidro (biovidro + ácido fosfórico 30%);? G5 -­ pasta de biovidro + laser de Nd:YAG;? G6 -­ pasta de biovidro + laser de CO2. Os grupos G5 e G6 foram irradiados com laser de Nd:YAG e laser de CO2, respectivamente, após tratamento com a pasta de biovidro disperso em ácido fosfórico. Ao final do experimento, os grupos foram analisados qualitativamente por Espectroscopia de Infravermelho na Transformada de Fourier (FTIR), Difração de Raios X (DRX), Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV) e Espectroscopia de Dispersão de Energia de Raios X (EDS). As análises evidenciaram que a dipersão do biovidro em ácido fosfórico 30% é capaz de formar cristais de hidrogenofosfato de cálcio e, quando a pasta formulada é aplicada sobre a dentina, ocorrem reações químicas com a estrutura dental, formando cristais de monetita. Ao irradiar os cristais formados com laser de Nd:YAG e CO2, ocorreu a desidratação desses cristais, levando à formação de hidroxiapatita. As imagens de MEV demonstram a formação de precipitados cristalinos e amorfos de dimensões variadas sobre a superfície de dentina e na entrada dos túbulos dentinários em todos os grupos que receberam o tratamento com a formulação de biovidro. O laser de CO2 foi capaz de promover alterações na morfologia do material formado de maneira ainda mais evidente especialmente nas dimensões e disposição dos cristais de hidroxiapatita formado sobre a superfície. A análise de EDS evidenciou presença de silício, composto que não está presente naturalmente na estrutura dentária, mas somente na composição do biovidro. Dessa forma, pode-­se concluir que a associação do pó de biovidro com ácido fosfórico 30% permitiu a formação de uma camada de cristais na superfície e entrada dos túbulos dentinários, evidenciando que a pasta formulada viabiliza a aplicação e manutenção do biovidro sobre a superfície dentinária. Sua associação com o laser de Nd:YAG e CO2 parece melhorar a interação desses cristais com a dentina, formando cristais de hidroxiapatita. Nesse estudo, o laser de CO2 promoveu a melhor distribuição e conformação dos cristais sobre a dentina. / Among desensitizing therapies options, the most recent proposal for Dentin Hypersensitivity treatment is the use of bioglass. This new material presents the ability to promote the formation of hydroxyapatite on dentin surface, representing a more stable and lasting chemical bond on dentin tubules. This work compared the effect of a new formulation of bioglass dispersed in 30% phosphoric acid, associated with Nd: YAG laser and CO2 laser in the obliteration of exposed dentin tubules. 96 human dentin samples were obtained, divided into 6 experimental groups (n = 16) and distributed as follows: G1 -­ negative control (no additional treatment);? G2-­ Nd: YAG laser;? G3 - CO2 laser;? G4 -­ bioglass paste (bioglass + 30% phosphoric acid);? G5 -­ bioglass paste + Nd: YAG laser;? G6 -­ bioglass paste + CO2 laser. Groups G5 and G6 were irradiated with Nd:YAG laser and CO2 laser, respectively, after treatment with the slurry dispersed in phosphoric acid. At the end of the experiment, all groups were qualitatively analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-­ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-­ray Energy Dispersion Spectroscopy (EDS). The analysis showed that the dispersion of bioglass in 30% phosphoric acid forms calcium hydrogen phosphate crystals and when the formulated paste is applied on dentin surface, chemical reactions occur with the dental structure, forming monetite crystals. When irradiating these crystals with Nd: YAG and CO2 laser, dehydration of these crystals occurred leading to the formation of hydroxyapatite. MEV images demonstrate the formation of crystalline and amorphous precipitates of varying dimensions on the dentin surface and at the entrance of dentinal tubules in all groups receiving treatment with the bioglass formulation. The CO2 laser was able to promote changes in the morphology of the formed material even more evident especially in the dimension and arrangement of hydroxyapatite crystals formed on the surface. The analysis of EDS showed the presence of silicon, a compound that is not naturally present in the tooth structure, but only in the bioglass composition. Thus, it can be concluded that the association of bioglass powder with 30% phosphoric acid allowed the formation of a layer of crystals on the surface and its entrance of the dentinal tubules, evidencing that the formulated paste enables the application and maintenance of bioglass on dentin surface. Its association with the Nd:YAG and CO2 laser seems to improve the interaction of these crystals with dentin, forming hydroxyapatite crystals. In this study. CO2 laser promoted better crystals distribution and conformation on dentin surface.

L'objectif de cette thèse est l'étude de la formation de nanoparticules carbonées dans un plasma basse pression. Les poussières sont créées par pulvérisation d'une couche de polymère déposée sur l'électrode d'une décharge radio fréquence à couplage capacitif. La présence des poudres perturbe et modifie les propriétés du plasma. La croissance des poudres peut notamment déclencher des instabilités basse fréquence qui évoluent avec la taille et la densité des poudres. Au centre du plasma, une région sans poudre, appelée void, est souvent observée. Cette région se caractérise en particulier par une forte luminosité. Différents diagnostics (mesures électriques, imagerie vidéo rapide, Fluorescence Induite par Laser) sont utilisées afin d'analyser ces différents comportements résultant des interactions entre le plasma et les poussières. L'analyse approfondie des instabilités a permis de mettre en évidence plusieurs régimes et d'extraire leurs principales caractéristiques comme leur durée et l'évolution de leurs fréquences. Ces instabilités se traduisent par la formation de petites "boules" de plasma qui se déplacent et interagissent au sein de celui-ci. Des phénomènes particulièrement surprenants de fusion et de division de ces boules ont été mis en évidence. Concernant le void, nos travaux ont confirmé la forte excitation présente dans cette zone. Dans la dernière partie de la thèse, la dissociation de l'aluminium triisopropoxide(ATI) est étudiée dans un plasma à l'aide de la Spectroscopie infrarouge à Transformée de Fourier. Ce diagnostic nous a permis de mettre en évidence l'évolution de la densité d'ATI en fonction des paramètres de la décharge. Nous avons également quantifié les différents composants hydrocarbonés formés par polymérisation. / The objective of this thesis is to study the formation of carbonaceous nanoparticles in a low pressure plasma. Dust particles are created by sputtering a polymer layer deposited on the bottom electrode of a capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharge. The presence of dust particles disturbs and changes the plasma properties. The growth of dust particles can trigger low frequency instabilities that evolve with the dust particle size and density. In the center of the discharge, the void, a dust-free region, is observed. It is characterized by an enhanced luminosity. Different diagnostics (electrical measurements, high speed imaging, Laser Induced Fluorescence) are used in order to understand these different behaviors resulting from plasma-dust particle interactions. Dust particle growth instabilities are investigated showing the existence of different instability regimes. Their main characteristics are extracted such as their duration and their evolution frequency. These instabilities are characterized by the formation of small plasma spheroids moving and interacting in the discharge. Several interesting phenomena are evidenced such as the merging and splitting of these plasma spheroids. Concerning the void, our investigations confirmed the high excitation occurring in this region. In the last part of the thesis, the dissociation of aluminium triisopropoxide (ATI) is studied in a plasma using Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy. Thanks to this diagnostic, the evolution of ATI density has been studied as a function of the discharge parameters. We have also quantified the different hydrocarbon compounds formed by polymerization.

Orientador: Rogério Pinto Mota / Resumo: Neste trabalho foram produzidos filmes finos de polímeros a partir da técnica de polimerização a plasma dos monômeros dietilenoglicol dimetil-eter (diglime), 2-metil-2-oxazolina (oxazolina) e da mistura de etilenodiamina (EDA) e o gás acetileno (C2H2), obtidos em baixa pressão. Esses materiais podem possuir um conjunto de características que são necessárias para aplicações na área da biomedicina. Os plasmas foram analisados por meio das técnicas de sonda de Langmuir (LP) e de espectroscopia ótica de emissão (OES). A caracterização dos polímeros foi realizada por meio das técnicas de medidas de ângulo de contato e energia de superfície (AC e ES), microscopia de força atômica (AFM), microscopia confocal (MC) e espectroscopia infravermelha por transformada de Fourier (FTIR). As características dos plasmas foram correlacionadas às propriedades dos polímeros a fim de se obter informações sobre os processos de polimerização, objetivando que o processo de produção de materiais com características desejáveis seja feito de forma controlada. Foram observadas temperaturas eletrônicas de elétrons frios entre 0,2 e 1,6 eV, e as densidades de plasmas foram da ordem de 10^15 m^-3. O comportamento da temperatura eletrônica em função da pressão de operação e da potência aplicada aos plasmas foi relacionado à produção de espécies CH, CO e Hα em plasmas de diglime, CH, CN, CO e NH em plasmas de 2-metil-2-oxazolina e CH, CN e NH em plasmas da mistura de EDA e C2H2. A participação dessas espécies... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Plasma polymers obtained by plasma polymerization of diethyleneglycol dimethyl-ether (diglyme), 2-methyl-2-oxazoline (oxazoline) and the mixture of ethylenediamine (EDA) with acetylene (C2H2) were produced in low pressure conditions. These materials might have a set of essential properties to biomedical applications. The plasmas were analyzed by Langmuir probe technique (LP) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) techniques. Polymer characterization was performed by contact angle and surface energy analysis (AC and ES), atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal microscopy (MC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In order to obtain details of polymerization process, plasma characteristics were correlated to polymers properties in order to control the production of materials with desired characteristics. The cold electron temperatures were observed between 0.2 and 1.6 eV and the plasmas densities about 10-15 m -3 . The electronic temperature behavior was analyzed as a function of operating pressure and applied power. This behavior was linked to production of CH, CO and Hα species in diglyme plasmas, CH, CN, CO and NH in 2- methyl-2-oxazoline plasmas and CN, CH and NH species in plasmas of EDA and C2H2 mixture. The mean roughness investigation, the bonds observed by FTIR technique and the deposition rates revealed the role of these species on polymerization processes. The CO species in diglyme plasmas and CN species in plasmas of EDA and C2H2 mixture were responsi... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

La caractérisation fine des matériaux inorganiques nécessite d'avoir accès à des informations complémentaires de celles apportées par des techniques d'analyse élémentaire ou de diffraction. La spectroscopie infrarouge à transformée de Fourier permet de caractériser les liaisons covalentes et l'environnement des groupes fonctionnels dans les matériaux. C'est donc une technique de choix pour l'étude des matériaux hydratés, amorphes ou sujets à des phénomènes de vieillissement. En couplant cette technique à une platine de déplacement, il est possible de réaliser des cartographies des phases sur quelques centimètres carrés : c'est la microscopie infrarouge. Cette thèse développe plus particulièrement l'utilisation de la lumière réfléchie au travers de l'étude de la réflexion spéculaire et de la réflexion totale atténuée (ATR).Après une première partie se focalisant sur les méthodes d'acquisitions disponibles, une seconde partie s'attache à obtenir de manière non supervisée les cartographies chimiques associées aux concentrations relatives des différents composants présents dans la zone analysée. Des techniques de réduction de données et d'analyse factorielle sont mises en place afin d'estimer le nombre de composants chimiques et leurs spectres relatifs ; des problèmes de minimisation sous contraintes sont résolus pour extraire l'information chimique. La réflexion spéculaire ne nécessite aucun contact avec l‘échantillon et, de ce fait, n'entraine aucune altération de la surface analysée. C'est sur le papier une technique de choix pour suivre l'évolution d'un matériau. Cependant, elle souffre de la complexité d'interprétation liée à l'allure des spectres obtenus. Afin de développer la cartographie issue de la réflexion spéculaire, des modèles prenant en compte l'optique géométrique, l'optique ondulatoire, des corrections d'interférogrammes et des méthodes classiques d'homogénéisation ont été développés. Ce travail a permis d'aboutir à un modèle optique liant les spectres issus de la réflexion spéculaire avec les concentrations relatives des composants. Ce modèle tient compte de la polarisation, de l'angle d'incidence et utilise les constantes diélectriques du matériau. Ce modèle a été validé sur un matériau contenant trois composants distincts facilement identifiables en infrarouge et spécialement mis en forme pour cette étude. Ce modèle a ouvert la voie à l'utilisation innovante de lumières polarisées elliptiquement pour déterminer l'indice de réfraction complexe d'un matériau. Ainsi, des spectroscopes infrarouges couplés à un accessoire de contrôle de l'angle d'incidence peuvent être utilisés en complément de l'ellipsométrie / Complementary information, to that provided by elemental analysis and diffraction techniques, is needed to characterize inorganic materials. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy enables to characterize covalent bonds and the environment of functional groups in materials. Thus, it is a technique of interest to study hydrated materials, amorphous materials or any materials, which may experience ageing phenomena. By combining this technique with a micrometric motorized stage, cartographies of chemical compounds can be obtained on several square millimeters: this is the infrared microscopy technique. This Ph.D. thesis focuses on the use of reflected light, in particular through the study of specular reflection and of Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR). After a first part focused on the different acquisition set-ups, a second part covers the unsupervised methodologies of resolution employed to obtain chemical maps. They result in one map for each component present in the analyzed area. Dimensions reduction techniques and multivariate statistics techniques are implemented to estimate the number of components and their infrared spectra; minimization problems under constraints are solved to retrieve chemical information. When specular reflection is used to acquire spectra, no contact is made with the sample, thus no damage of the analyzed area occurs during the acquisition. A priori, it is a great technique to study the evolution of a material. However, this technique suffers from the complexity of interpretation of the resulting spectra. With the objective to democratize the use of specular reflection to obtain chemical maps, models based on geometrical optics and including diffraction, correction of interferograms and classical homogenization techniques have been developed. This work resulted in an optical model linking the angle of incidence, the polarization state and the dielectric optical constants of the material with the reflected light, which is measured. A model material, constituted of three distinct phases, detectable in the infrared range, has specially been fabricated to validate this optical model. This model set the stage for the use of elliptically polarized light in the determining of the complex refractive indices of materials in the infrared range. Thanks to this development, infrared spectroscopes, equipped with a classical set-up to control the angle of incidence, can now be used in addition to ellipsometry techniques

Environmental and health aspects of road materials have been discussed for a long time, mostly regarding bitumen and bitumen fumes. However, just a few studies on other types of road materials have been reported. In this doctoral study, two types of materials, asphalt release agents and bituminous sealants, were investigated with regard to chemical characterization and emission profiles. Besides conventional test methods, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique was applied for emissions profiles screening and quantitative analysis. General description of main characteristics of asphalt release agents and bituminous sealants is given, and a comprehensive state-of-the-art on SPME technique is presented, especially on methodologies for analyzing mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs and PAHs) in different sample matrices. In the experimental study, chemical characterization of the two material types was performed using conventional methods, including fourier transform infrared spectroscopy - attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), mass spectrometry (MS) and gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS). General patterns regarding functional groups and molecular weight distribution were studied. In the case of asphalt release agents, more detailed information on chemical compositions, especially the contents of MAHs and PAHs, was obtained. General information on emission proneness of asphalt release agents was obtained using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and MS. Using headspace(HS)-SPME and GC-MS, emission profiles of asphalt release agents were characterized at different temperatures, whereas the profiles of bituminous sealants were obtained solely at room temperature. The results presented were used for ranking the materials with regard to degree of total emission as well as emission of hazardous substances. The applicability of HS-SPME for quantitative analysis of MAHs in asphalt release agents and emulsion-based bituminous sealants was investigated. The use of a surrogate sample matrix was concerned, and experimental parameters influencing the HS-SPME procedure, such as equilibration and extraction time, as well as effects of sample amount and matrices, were studied. The methods were evaluated with regard to detection limit, accuracy as well as precision. Different calibration approaches including external calibration, internal calibration and standard addition were investigated. The determination of MAHs in asphalt release agents and emulsion-based bituminous sealants using HS-SPME-GC-MS was conducted. / QC 20100913

This doctoral thesis consists of a literature review, presented in two papers, and another six papers describing experimental studies of the influence of different kinds of wax and polyphosporic acid on bitumen and asphalt concrete mixture properties. The literature review should give an extensive description of the field of knowledge concerning wax in bitumen. Effects of wax in crude oil, bitumen and asphalt concrete as well as test methods for studying these effects are described. Theories behind possible mechanisms are also discussed, and commercial wax as additive to bitumen for different purposes included. The experimental parts comprise laboratory studies involving totally five 160/220 penetration base bitumens from different sources, two isolated bitumen waxes, five commercial waxes and one polyphosphoric acid. Asphalt concrete slabs, containing base or modified bitumen were prepared and tested. Binder properties were evaluated using different types of laboratory equipment, such as dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), bending beam rheometer (BBR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), force ductilometer, as well as equipment for determining conventional parameters like penetration, softening point, viscosity, and Fraass breaking point. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC-FID) were used for chemical characterization. The binders were aged by means of the rolling thin film oven test (RTFOT) and pressure ageing vessel (PAV) in combination. Asphalt concrete properties were evaluated at low temperatures using the tensile strain restrained specimen test (TSRST) and creep test at -25°C. Dynamic creep testing was performed at 40°C, as well as complex modulus tests between 0 and 20°C. Binder test results indicated that the magnitude and type of effect on bitumen rheology depend on the bitumen itself, type of crystallizing fraction in the bitumen and/or type and amount of additive used. Bitumen composition was found to be of decisive importance. Adding polyethylene wax or polyphosphoric acid, especially to a non-waxy 160/220 penetration grade bitumen, showed no or positive effects on the rheological behaviour at low temperatures (decrease in stiffness) as well as medium and high temperatures (increase in complex modulus and decrease in phase angle). However, the corresponding positive effects could not be shown in dynamic creep testing (at 40°C) of asphalt concrete mixtures containing these modified binders. Adding FT-paraffin decreased the physical hardening index for all bitumens. Also polyethylene wax and montan wax showed this effect for some bitumens. Slack wax showed a large increasing effect on physical hardening, and polyphosphoric acid none or a minor negative effect. No correlation between physical hardening index (PHI) and wax content by DSC was found in this study, involving both natural bitumen wax and commercial wax. Addition of the commercial waxes used showed no or marginally positive influence on bitumen ageing properties for the bitumens and test conditions used. Comparing asphalt mixture test results to the corresponding binder test results, the effects on asphalt mixtures from adding commercial wax or polyphosphoric acid were less evident. Significant binder physical hardening by BBR could not be confirmed by TSRST. / QC 20101006

Soy flour (SF), a by-product of the soybean oil extraction processing, was investigated for its application in soy-polypropylene composites for interior automotive applications. The emphasis of this work was the understanding of this new type of filler material and the contribution of its major constituents to its thermal stability and impact properties. For this reason, reference materials were selected to represent the protein (soy protein isolate (SPI)) and carbohydrate (soy hulls (SH)) constituents of the soy flour. Additional materials were also investigated: the residue obtained after the protein removal from the soy flour which was called insoluble soy (IS), and the remaining liquid solution after acid precipitation of the proteins, containing mostly sugars and minerals, which was called soluble sugar extract (SSE). Two treatments, potassium permanganate and autoclave, were analyzed for their potential to modify the properties of the soy composite materials. An acid treatment with sulfuric acid conducted on soy flour was also considered. The soy materials were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) under isothermal (in air) and dynamic (in nitrogen) conditions. SPI had the highest thermal stability and SSE the lowest thermal stability for the early stage of the heating process. Those two materials had the highest amount of residual mass at the end of the dynamic TGA in nitrogen. The two treatments showed minimal effect on the isothermal thermal stability of the soy materials at 200 ??C. A minor improvement was observed for the autoclave treated soy materials. Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that the chemical surface composition differed according to type of the soy materials but no difference could be observed for the treatments within one type of soy material. Contact angle analysis and surface energy estimation indicated differences of the surface hydrophobicity of the soy materials according to type of material and treatment. The initial water contact angle ranged from 57 ?? for SF to 85 ?? for SH. The rate of water absorption increased dramatically after the autoclave treatment for IS and SPI. Both materials showed the highest increase in the polar surface energy fraction. In general, the major change of the surface energy was associated with change of the polar fraction. After KMnO4 treatment, the polar surface energy of SF, IS and SPI decreased while SH showed a slight increase after KMnO4 treatment. A relationship between protein content and polar surface energy was observed and seen to be more pronounced when high protein containing soy materials were treated with KMnO4 and autoclave. Based on the polar surface energy results, the most suitable soy materials for polypropylene compounding are SPI (KMnO4), SH, and IS (KMnO4) because their polar surface energy are the lowest which should make them more compatible with non-polar polymers such as polypropylene. The soy materials were compounded as 30 wt-% material loading with an injection moulding grade polypropylene blend for different combinations of soy material treatment and coupling agents. Notched Izod impact and flexural strength as well as flexural modulus estimates indicated that the mechanical properties of the autoclaved SF decreased when compared to untreated soy flour while the potassium permanganate treated SF improved in impact and flexural properties. Combinations of the two treatments and two selected (maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene) coupling agents showed improved impact and flexural properties for the autoclaved soy flour but decreased properties for the potassium permanganate treated soy flour. Scanning electron microscopy of the fractured section, obtained after impact testing of the composite material, revealed different crack propagation mechanisms for the treated SF. Autoclaved SF had a poor interface with large gaps between the material and the polypropylene matrix. After the addition of a maleic anhydride coupling agent to the autoclaved SF and polypropylene formulation, the SF was fully embedded in the polymer matrix. Potassium permanganate treated SF showed partial bonding between the material and the polymer matrix but some of the material showed poor bonding to the matrix. The acid treated SF showed cracks through the dispersed phase and completely broken components that did not bind to the polypropylene matrix. In conclusion, the two most promising soy materials in terms of impact and flexural properties improvement of soy polypropylene composites were potassium permanganate treated SF and the autoclaved SF combined with maleic anhydride coupling agent formulation.

This thesis focuses on the synthesis and characterisation of organoclays. X-ray diffraction has been used to study the changes in the basal spacings of montmorillonite clay and surfactant-intercalated organoclays. Variation in the d-spacing was found to be a step function of the surfactant concentration. Three different molecular environments for surfactant octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (ODTMA) within the surface-modified montmorillonite are proposed upon the basis of their different decomposition temperatures. High-resolution thermogravimetric analysis (HRTG) shows that the thermal decomposition of montmorillonite modified with ODTMA takes place in four steps attributing to dehydration of adsorbed water, dehydration of water hydrating metal cations, loss of surfactant and the loss of OH units respectively. In addition, it has shown that the decomposition procedure of DODMA and TOMA modified clays are very different from that of ODTMA modified ones. The surfactant decomposition takes place in several steps in the DODMA and TOMA modified clays while for ODTMA modified clays, it shows only one step for the decomposition of surfactant. Also TG was proved to be a useful tool to estimate the amount of surfactant within the organoclays. A model is proposed in which, up to 0.4 CEC, a surfactant monolayer is formed between the montmorillonite clay layers; up to 0.8 CEC, a lateral-bilayer arrangement is formed; and above 1.5 CEC, a pseudotrimolecular layer is formed, with excess surfactant adsorbed on the clay surface. While for dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DODMA) and trioctadecylmethylammonium bromide (TOMA) modified clays, since the larger sizes of the surfactants, some layers of montmorillonite are kept unaltered because of steric effects. The configurations of surfactant within these organoclays usually take paraffin type layers. Thermal analysis also provides an indication of the thermal stability of the organoclay as shown by different starting decomposition temperatures. FTIR was used as a guide to determine the phase state of the organoclay interlayers as determined from the CH asymmetric stretching vibration of the surfactants to provide more information on surfactant configurations. It was used to study the changes in the spectra of the surfactant ODTMA upon intercalation into a sodium montmorillonite. Surfaces of montmorillonites were modified using ultrasonic and hydrothermal methods through the intercalation and adsorption of the cationic surfactant ODTMA. Changes in the surfaces and structure were characterized using electron microscopy. The ultrasonic preparation method results in a higher surfactant concentration within the montmorillonite interlayer when compared with that from the hydrothermal method. Both XRD patterns and TEM images demonstrate that SWy-2-Namontmorillonite contains superlayers. TEM images of organoclays prepared at high surfactant concentrations show alternate basal spacings between neighboring layers. SEM images show that modification with surfactant will reduce the clay particle aggregation. Organoclays prepared at low surfactant concentration display curved flakes, whereas they become flat with increasing intercalated surfactant. Fundamentally this thesis has increased the knowledge base of the structural and morphological properties of organo-montmorillonite clays. The configurations of surfactant in the organoclays have been further investigated and three different molecular environments for surfactant ODTMA within the surface-modified montmorillonite are proposed upon the basis of their different decomposition temperatures. Changes in the spectra of the surfactant upon intercalation into clay have been investigated in details. Novel surfactant-modified montmorillonite results in the formation of new nanophases with the potential for the removal of organic contaminants from aqueous media and for the removal of hydrocarbon spills on roads.

Despite the possible common histopathological features at diagnosis, cancer cells present within breast carcinomas are highly heterogeneous in their molecular signatures. This heterogeneity is responsible for disparate clinical behaviors, treatment responses and long-term outcomes in breast cancer patients. Although the few histopathological markers can partially describe the diversity of cells found in tumor tissue sections, the full molecular characterization of individual cancer cells is currently impossible in routine clinical practice. In this respect, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopic imaging of histological sections allows obtaining, for each pixel of tissue images, hundreds of independent potential markers, which makes this technique a particularly powerful tool to distinguish cell types and subtypes. As a complement to the conventional clinicopathological evaluation, this spectroscopic approach has the potential to directly reveal molecular descriptors that should allow identifying different clonal lineages found within a single tumor and therefore provide knowledge relevant to diagnosis, prognosis and treatment personalization. Yet, interpretation of infrared (IR) spectra acquired on tissue sections requires a well-established calibration, which is currently missing. Conventionally, mammary epithelial cells are studied in vitro as adherent two-dimensional (2D) monolayers, which lead to the alteration of cell-microenvironmental interplay and consequently to the loss of tissue structure and function. A number of key in vivo-like interactions may be re-established with the use of three-dimensional (3D) laminin-rich extracellular matrix (lrECM)-based culture systems. The aim of this thesis is to investigate by FTIR imaging the influence of the in vitro growth environment (2D culture versus 3D lrECM culture and 3D monoculture versus 3D co-culture with fibroblasts) on a series of thirteen well-characterized human breast cancer cell lines and to determine culture conditions generating spectral phenotypes that are closer to the ones observed in malignant breast tissues. The reference cell lines cultured in a physiologically relevant basement membrane model and having undergone formalin fixation, paraffin embedding (FFPE), a routine treatment used to preserve clinical tissue specimens, could contribute to the construction of a spectral database. The latter could be ultimately employed as a valuable tool to interpret IR spectra of cells present in tumor tissue sections, particularly through the recognition of unique spectral markers.To achieve the goal, we developed and optimized, in a first step, the preparation of samples derived from traditional 2D and 3D lrECM cell cultures in order to preserve their morphological and molecular relevance for FTIR microspectroscopic analysis. We then highlighted the importance of the influence of the growth environment on the cellular phenotype by comparing spectra of 2D- and 3D-cultured breast cancer cell lines between them. A particular focus was placed to establish a correlation between FTIR spectral data and publicly available microarray-based gene expression patterns of the whole series of breast cancer cell lines grown in 2D and 3D lrECM cultures. Our results revealed that, although based on completely different principles, gene expression profiling and FTIR spectroscopy are similarly sensitive to both the cell line identity and the phenotypes induced by cell culture conditions. We also identified by FTIR imaging changes in the chemical content occurring in the microenvironment surrounding cell spheroids grown in 3D lrECM culture model. Finally, we illustrated the impact of the in vivo-like microenvironment on the IR spectra of breast cancer cell lines grown in 3D lrECM co-culture with fibroblasts and compared them with spectra of cell lines grown in 3D lrECM monoculture. Unsupervised statistical data analyses reported that cells grown in 3D co-cultures produce spectral phenotypes similar to the ones observed in FFPE tumor tissue sections from breast carcinoma patients. Altogether, our results suggest that FFPE samples prepared from 3D lrECM cultures of breast cancer cell lines and studied by FTIR microspectroscopic imaging provide reliable information that could be integrated in the setting up of a recognition model aiming to identify and interpret specific spectral signatures of cells present in breast tumor tissue sections. / Le cancer du sein est une maladie très hétérogène, tant au niveau clinique que biologique. Cette hétérogénéité rend impossible la caractérisation moléculaire complète des cellules cancéreuses individuelles dans la pratique clinique courante. Dans ce contexte, l’imagerie infrarouge à transformée de Fourier (FTIR) des coupes tissulaires permet d'obtenir pour chaque pixel d'une image de tissu des centaines de marqueurs potentiels indépendants, ce qui pourrait faire de cette technique un outil particulièrement puissant pour identifier des différents types et sous-types cellulaires. L'interprétation des spectres infrarouges (IR) enregistrés à partir des coupes histologiques nécessite cependant une calibration qui fait actuellement défaut. Cette calibration pourrait être obtenue à partir de lignées cellulaires tumorales bien caractérisées. Traditionnellement, les cellules épithéliales mammaires sont étudiées in vitro sous forme de monocouches adhérentes bidimensionnelles (2D), ce qui conduit à l'altération de la communication entre les cellules et leur environnement et, par conséquent, à la perte de l’architecture et de la fonction du tissu épithélial. Un certain nombre d'interactions physiologiques clés peuvent être rétablies en utilisant des systèmes de culture tridimensionnelle (3D) dans une matrice extracellulaire riche en laminine (lrECM). L'objectif de cette thèse consiste à étudier par imagerie FTIR l'influence du microenvironnement (via une comparaison entre les cultures 2D et 3D lrECM ou les cultures 3D lrECM en présence ou en l’absence de fibroblastes) sur une série de treize lignées de cellules tumorales mammaires humaines bien caractérisées et à déterminer les conditions de culture générant des phénotypes spectraux qui se rapprochent le plus de ceux observés dans les tissus tumoraux. Au cours de ce travail, nous avons mis au point la culture des lignées cellulaires dans un modèle 3D lrECM ainsi qu’une méthodologie de préparation des échantillons offrant la possibilité de les comparer de manière pertinente avec les cellules cancéreuses présentes dans les coupes histologiques. De même, nous avons étudié par imagerie FTIR les effets du microenvironnement sur les lignées de cellules tumorales et inversement. Pour les lignées investiguées, le passage d’une culture 2D à une culture 3D lrECM s’accompagne, en effet, de modifications du spectre IR étroitement corrélées aux modifications du transcriptome. Les marqueurs spectraux indiquent également que l’environnement 3D génère un phénotype cellulaire proche de celui trouvé dans les coupes histologiques. De manière intéressante, cette proximité est d’autant plus renforcée en présence de fibroblastes dans le milieu de culture. / Doctorat en Sciences agronomiques et ingénierie biologique / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Chemistry) / Blending polymers together offers researchers the ability to create novel materials that have a combination of desired properties of the individual polymers for a variety of functions as well as improving specific properties. The behaviour of the resulting blended polymer or blend is determined by the interactions between the two polymers. The resultant synergy from blending an intrinsically conducting polymer like polyaniline (PANI), is that it possesses the electrical, electronic, magnetic and optical properties of a metal while retaining the poor mechanical properties, solubility and processibility commonly associated with a conventional polymer. Aromatic polyamic acid has outstanding thermal, mechanical, electrical, and solvent resistance properties that can overcome the poor mechanical properties and instability of the conventional conducting polymers, such as polyaniline.