Yes / Lung surfactant (LS) monolayers that continuously expand and compress during breathing cycles, act as the first line barrier for inhaled nanoparticles. It is known that nanoparticles which adsorb to the surface of the surfactant layer facilitate the rearrangement of lipids and peptides at various stages of the breathing cycle. However, the structural mechanisms for this ability of the lipid rearrangement are not yet fully understood. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are performed to investigate the role of surfactant protein B (SP-B) segments (SP-B1–25) in modulating the biophysical properties of the surfactant monolayer in the presence of polydisperse gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) at different concentrations. Herein, we observe that the AuNPs significantly alter the inherent structural and dynamical properties of the monolayer and its components in three different breathing states. When adsorbed into the monolayer, the AuNPs inhibit the ability of the monolayer to recover its surface tension and other properties. The presence of SP-B1–25 in the monolayer accelerates the diffusion of the monolayer phospholipids, contrarily to the role of AuNPs on phospholipid diffusion. Also, the AuNPs and the peptides in the monolayer significantly increase their agglomeration in the presence of one another. Overall, the simulations predict that the presence of polydisperse AuNPs hampers the stability and biophysical functions of the LS in contrast to the role of the peptide. This study provides a clear view of the hydrophobic peptide role in the LS monolayer at the interface along with the interactions and the translocation of AuNPs that could have a significant impact to assess the NPs inhalation. / This work was completed with the support of University of Technology Sydney (UTS) FEIT Research Scholarship, UTS IRS (S. I. H.).

Bipolar electrochemistry is an interesting concept for high throughput screening techniques due to the ability to induce gradients in a range of materials and their properties, such as composition, particle size, or dopant levels, among many others. One of the key advantages of the method is the ability to test, create or modify materials without the need for a direct electrical connection. In this thesis, the viability of this method has been explored for a range of possible applications, such as metal recycling, nanoparticle modification and corrosion analysis. In the initial part of the work a process to electrodeposit gradients in metal composition was evaluated, with a view to applying the technique to the extraction and recycling of metals from fly ash. Compositional gradients in the metals under study could be readily obtained from controlled reference solutions, although the spatial resolution of the metals was not sufficient to perform separation. Only copper could be easily deposited from the fly ash solution. Bipolar electrodeposition was also successfully used to modify the particle size across substrates decorated with gold nanoparticles. The approach was demonstrated both for surfaces possessing either a uniform particle density or a gradient in particle density. In the latter case samples with simultaneous, orthogonal gradients in both particle size and density were obtained. A combination of the bipolar approach with rapid image analysis was also evaluated as a method for corrosion screening, using quantitative analysis of gradients in pitting corrosion damage on stainless steels in HCl as a model system. The factors affecting gradient formation and the initiation of corrosion were thoroughly investigated by the use of a scanning droplet cell (SDC) technique and hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES). The ability to screen arrays of different materials for corrosion properties was also investigated, and demonstrated for stainless steel and Ti-Al alloys with pre-formed compositional gradients. The technique shows much promise for further studies and for high throughput corrosion screening applications.

Gold nanoparticles (GNP) have been widely used as optical imaging and photothermal therapy agents due to their biocompatibility, simplicity of conjugation chemistry, optical tunability and efficient light conversion to heat. A number of in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that they can be used as effective thermal therapy and imaging contrast agents to treat and diagnose cancer. As clinical applications of GNPs for cancer imaging and therapy have gained interest, efforts for understanding their accumulation kinetics has become more important. Given the recent demonstration of intrinsic two-photon induced photoluminescence (TPIP) of gold nanoshells (GNSs) and gold nanorods (GNRs), TPIP imaging is an efficient tool for investigating the microscopic distribution of the GNPs at intra-organ level. The following work explores these GNPs’ physical and optical properties for effective use of GNPs in TPIP imaging and examines the feasibility of using intrinsic TPIP imaging to investigate GNP’s biodistribution in bulk tumors and thin tissue slices processed for standard histology. Our results showed that GNPs yield a strong TPIP signal, and we found that the direct luminescence-based contrast imaging of GNPs can image both GNPs and nuclei, cytoplasm or vasculature simultaneously. Also, we present the effect of GNP morphology on their distribution within organs. Collected images showed that GNPs had a heterogeneous distribution with higher accumulation at the tumor periphery. However, GNRs had deeper penetration into tumor than GNRs due to their shape and size. In addition, GNPs were observed in unique patterns close to vasculature. Finally, we introduce single- and multiple-dose administrations of GNPs as a way of increasing GNP accumulation in tumor. Our results show that multiple dosing can increase GNP accumulation in tumor 1.6 to 2 times more than single dosing. Histological analysis also demonstrated that there were no signs of acute toxicity in tumor, liver and spleen excised from the mice receiving 1 injection, 5 injections of GNPs and trehalose injection. / text

Polymer and organic electronic memory devices offer the potential for cheap, simple memories that could compete across the whole spectrum of digital memories, from low cost, low performance applications, up to universal memories capable of replacing all current market leading technologies, such as hard disc drives, random access memories and Flash memories. Polymer memory devices (PMDs) are simple, two terminal metal-insulator-metal (MIM) bistable devices that can exist in two distinct conductivity states, with each state being induced by applying different voltages across the device terminals. Currently there are many unknowns and much ambiguity concerning the working mechanisms behind many of these PMDs, which is impeding their development. This research explores some of these many unanswered questions and presents new experimental data concerning their operation. One prevalent theory for the conductivity change is based on charging and charge trapping of nanoparticles and other species contained in the PMD. The work in this research experimentally shows that gold nanoparticle charging is possible in these devices and in certain cases offers an explanation of the working mechanism. However, experimental evidence presented in this research, shows that in many reported devices the switching mechanism is more likely to be related to electrode effects, or a breakdown mechanism in the polymer layer. Gold nanoparticle charging via electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) was demonstrated, using a novel device structure involving depositing gold nanoparticles between lateral electrodes. This allowed the gold nanoparticles themselves to be imaged, rather than the nanoparticle loaded insulating films, which have previously been investigated. This method offers the advantages of being able to see the charging effects of nanoparticles without any influence from the insulating matrix and also allows charging voltages to be applied via the electrodes, permitting EFM images to capture the charging information in near real-time. Device characteristics of gold nanoparticle based PMDs are presented, and assessed for use under different scenarios. Configurations of memory devices based on metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures have also been demonstrated. Simple interface circuitry is presented which is capable of performing read, write and erase functions to multiple memory cells on a substrate. Electrical properties of polystyrene thin films in the nanometre thickness range are reported for the first time, with insulator trapped charges found to be present in comparable levels to those in silicon dioxide insulating films. The dielectric breakdown strength of the films was found to be significantly higher than bulk material testing would suggest, with a maximum dielectric strength of 4.7 MV•cm-1 found, compared with the manufacturers bulk value of 0.2 – 0.8 MV•cm-1. Conduction mechanisms in polystyrene were investigated with the dominant conduction mechanism found to be Schottky emission.

The D-A and π-π Interactions and Their Use in Self-Assembly Due to their well-defined shape, size and properties gold nanoparticles represent an advantageous platform for the study of non-covalent interactions between ligands anchored to their surface both in solution and in monolayers or thin films. The aim of this thesis was the synthesis of ligands for gold nanoparticles bearing an anchoring group at one end and a planar π-electron rich pyrene unit at the other. Six structurally variable ligands were prepared differing in the pyrene substitution pattern and the spacer between the aromatic part and the acetylated thiol function. Furthermore, a synthetic pathway leading to extended π-electron systems (both electron rich and electron poor) such as hexabenzocoronene derivatives and its fragments was explored. The key steps in the synthesis of these compounds are the cyclization reactions of alkynes leading to polycyclic intermediates and their ensuing cyclodehydrogenation (Scholl reaction). All of the prepared ligands and their intermediates were characterized by spectroscopic methods. The structure of the key hexakis(pentafluorosulfanyl-phenyl)benzene was confirmed by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The prepared ligands bearing a pyrene unit were deacetylated and anchored to the surface of...

Nous étudions, par ellipsométrie spectroscopique, les propriétés optiques dans le domaine de l'UV-Visible-Infrarouge de films composites constitués de polymère et de nanoparticules d'or. Nous étudions la relation entre ces mesures et la structure des nanocomposites, que nous étudions par microscopie à force atomique en particulier. Nous distinguons l’analyse de films épais (tri-dimensionnels) et minces (quasi-bidimensionnels). Dans les deux cas, nous confrontons les résultats expérimentaux à des modèles théoriques de milieux effectifs dérivés de Maxwell-Garnett, en particulier. / By spectroscopic ellipsometry, we study the optical properties in the range of UV-Visible-Infrared of composites films made of polymer and gold nanoparticles. We study the relation between these measurement and the structure of the nanocomposites, that we study by atomic force microscopy in particular. We distinguish the analysis of thicks films (tridimensionals) and thins (quasi-bidimensionals). In both of case, we confronte these experimentals results to the theoric models of effectives medium derivated for Maxwell-Garnett in particular.

Afin d’améliorer les traitements par radiothérapie, des radiosensibilisateurs tels que les nanoparticules d’or (NPo) sont étudiés. Mais leur translation en clinique nécessite une bonne compréhension des phénomènes en jeu. Si l’effet radiosensibilisateur a bien été confirmé sur des cibles biologiques (ADN, cellules et in vivo) et si les radicaux hydroxyle ont souvent été proposés comme intermédiaires, aucune preuve claire n’a encore été apportée. Ce travail avait pour premier objectif d’élaborer un protocole de « référence » afin de quantifier les radicaux hydroxyle et les électrons produits par les NPo en interaction avec un rayonnement ionisant. Cette étude a mis en évidence des productions massives de ces deux espèces pour des NPo non-fonctionnalisées. De plus, l'étude de différents paramètres, tels que la quantité de dioxygène en solution ou le rayonnement incident, nous a conduits à proposer un nouveau mécanisme permettant de rendre compte de nos résultats. Néanmoins, l'application biologique des NPo ne peut être envisagée que si ces nano-objets sont fonctionnalisés afin de les rendre furtifs et de les adresser spécifiquement à la tumeur. Après synthèse et caractérisation poussée de différents types de NPo fonctionnalisées, nous avons comparé la production de radicaux hydroxyle avec la dégradation d’une cible biologique, l'ADN, et mis en évidence l'impact significatif de la fonctionnalisation sur l'effet radiosensibilisateur. Ainsi, cette étude apporte des informations essentielles en vue de l’optimisation de la conception des NPo les plus efficaces pour la radiosensibilisation, une première étape vers leur application radiothérapeutique. / To improve radiotherapy efficiency, radiosensitizers such as gold nanoparticles (GNP) are developed. But to translate them to clinics, a good knowledge of the processes at stage is needed. GNP radiosensitizing effect was well-confirmed on biological targets (DNA, cells and in vivo) and hydroxyl radicals are often proposed to be key intermediates, but no clear evidence has been given yet. In this work, we first developed a ‘reference’ protocol to quantify hydroxyl radicals and electrons produced by GNP in their interaction with ionizing radiation. These investigations reveal a massive production of both species for non-functionalized GNP. Moreover the study of various parameters such as the concentration of dissolved dioxygen or the energy of the incident radiation leads us to propose a new mechanism on the origin of the radiosensitizing effect. Nevertheless, biological applications of GNP can only be considered if the nano-objects are functionalized to make them furtive, address them or deliver medicines to the tumor. After synthesis and characterization of different functionalized GNP, we compared hydroxyl radicals production with the damages induced on DNA and highlighted a significant impact of functionalization on the radiosensitizing effect. Finally, this work gives valuable information for the design of the most efficient GNP for radiotherapy which is a first step towards their medical application.

Neste trabalho investigamos a dinâmica de formação de nanopartículas de Au por pulsos de femtossegundos formatados (800 nm, 30 fs, 1 kHz e 2 mJ), induzida pela ionização da molécula de quitosana. Inicialmente desenvolvemos um sistema de formatação de pulsos ultracurtos que faz uso de um modulador espacial de luz, constituído por um arranjo linear de cristais líquidos, com o qual somos capazes de impor distintas modulações de fase ao pulso laser. Para monitorar o processo de produção de nanopartículas, montamos um sistema de excitação (pulsos de femtossegundos) e prova (luz branca), o qual permite a observação em tempo real do aparecimento da banda de plásmon e, consequentemente, da dinâmica de formação das nanopartículas. Resultados obtidos para pulsos não formatados (limitados por Transformada de Fourier) demonstraram que a formação de nanopartículas deve-se à ionização não linear da quitosana, a qual está relacionada à oxidação do grupo hidroxila para o grupo carbonila. Medidas de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão forneceram os tamanhos (entre 20 e 100 nm) e formatos (esferas, pirâmides, hexágonos, bastões, etc) das nanopartículas geradas. Ainda, nossos resultados revelaram que esta ionização é iniciada por absorção multifotônica, mais especificamente por absorção de 4 fótons. Utilizando pulsos formatados com fase espectrais constante, degrau e cossenoidal com diferentes frequências, investigamos a influência destes na formação de nanopartículas. Concluímos que os pulsos mais longos são mais favoráveis ao processo de ionização, e consequente redução dos íons de Au para a formação de nanopartículas metálicas. Este comportamento se deve, provavelmente, à redistribuição da energia absorvida para os modos vibracionais, o que é mais provável para pulsos mais longos. Assim, o método apresentado pode abrir novas maneiras para a formação de nanopartículas de metálicas, as quais podem ser mais exploradas dos pontos de vista aplicado e fundamental. / In this work we have studied the synthesis of Au nanoparticles using shaped ultrashort pulses (800 nm, 30 fs, 1 kHz and 2 mJ), induced by the ionization of the chitosan. Initially we developed a pulse shaping setup that uses a spatial light modulator (liquid crystals array), with which we are able to impose distinct phase mask to the laser pulse. In order to monitor the nanoparticles production process, we used a pump-probe system, consisting of femtosecond pulses (pump) and white light (probe), which allows the observation of the plasmon band enhancement and hence the nanoparticles formation dynamics. The results obtained by Fourier Transform limited pulses have shown that the nanoparticles formation is due to the nonlinear ionization of chitosan, which is related to hydroxyl group oxidation to the carbonyl group. Transmission electron microscopy measurements provided the sizes (20-100 nm) and shapes (spheres, pyramids, hexagons, rods, etc.) of the produced nanoparticles. Moreover, our results revealed that ionization is initiated by multiphoton absorption, more specifically by four photons absorption. Using pulses shaped with constant, step and cossenoidal (with different frequencies) spectral phase masks, we investigated their influence in the nanoparticles formation. We conclude that longer pulses are more favorable to the ionization process and, consequently, to the gold ions reduction for the synthesis of the metallic nanoparticles. This behavior is probably due to the redistribution of the absorbed energy to the vibrational modes, which is more likely for longer pulses. Therefore, the approach presented here can open new ways to produce metallic nanoparticles, which can be further explored from applied and fundamental points of view.

Este estudo empregou anticorpos que podem ser peças chaves no eventual desenvolvimento de imunossensores, devido as suas características de seletividade e consequente determinação de espécies de interesse em análises clínicas, ambiental, saúde publica, entre outros. Para isto, foram feitos estudos de espectros Raman e SERS de anticorpos inteiros e/ou fragmentados (IgG humana, anti-IgG humana (H+L) e anti-IgG humana (Fab2)). Com isto, foram conhecidos os principais modos vibracionais destas biomoléculas que são úteis para a proposta de se construir imunossensores. Ambas as técnicas fornecem informações a respeito da estrutura secundária de proteínas. Quando há a imobilização dessas biomoléculas sobre superfícies SERS-ativas, é possível determinar a sua orientação. Considerando-se que na técnica SERS existe a possibilidade de se detectar uma molécula, por meio de hot spots, é importante que as imunoglobulinas estejam sem impurezas como, por exemplo, a albumina e transferrina no caso de anticorpos provenientes do soro humano. Assim, foram feitos experimentos de purificação dos anticorpos por meio de colunas de afinidade contendo proteína A, G ou uma mistura de A e G imobilizadas e, também, separação baseada no ponto isoelétrico. Testou-se a capacidade de ligação (quimissorção) de IgG humana ou de seus fragmentos F(ab)\' sobre superfícies de ouro por meio da técnica QCM-D. Para o estudo de superfícies SERS-ativas foram sintetizadas nanopartículas de ouro (NP-Au), com a aquisição de espectros de extinção no UV-Vis e obtenção de imagens MEV para caracterizá-las. Também, foram feitas variações no preparo de nanocubos de ouro (NC-Au) para obtenção de nanobastões de ouro (NB-Au), tendo-se em vista que estruturas com pontas favorecem a intensificação do sinal Raman em superfícies SERS-ativas. Por fim, considerando-se a existência de diversas ligações S-S, principalmente na região denominada dobradiça, no espectro SERS de IgGh diluída e do fragmento F(ab)\' constatou-se o surgimento de uma banda característica de C-S em 679 cm-1. Por isso, foi feita uma proposta da possível orientação desses anticorpos não fragmentados para que assumissem uma orientação sobre as superfícies SERS-ativas com características semelhantes às dos fragmentos F(ab)\'. / This study used antibodies that can be key elements in the possible evelopment of immunosensors, due to its selectivity and the consequent determination of species of interest in clinical analysis, environmental, public health, among others. For this, Raman and SERS spectra studies were made of whole and/or fragmented antibodies (human IgG, anti-human IgG (H + L) and anti-human IgG (Fab2)). With this, it were known the main vibrational modes of these biomolecules, useful for the proposal to assemble immunosensors. Both techniques provide information on the secondary structure of proteins. When these biomolecules are immobilized on SERS-active surfaces, it is possible to determine their orientation. Considering that, in the SERS technique, it is possible to detect a molecule through hot spots, it is important that the immunoglobulins are free of impurities, such as albumin and transferrin in the case of antibodies from human serum. Thus, purification experiments of antibodies were made via affinity columns containing protein A, G or a mixture of A and G immobilized and also separation based on isoelectric point. It was tested the binding capacity (chemisorption) of human IgG or its F(ab)\' on gold surfaces by means of QCM-D technique. For the study of SERS-active surfaces of gold nanoparticles were synthesized (Au-NP), with the acquisition of extinction spectra in the UV-Vis and obtaining SEM images to characterize them. Also, changes were made in the preparation of nanocubes gold (Au-NC) to obtain gold nanorods (Au-NR), having in view that ends with structures favor the enhancement of Raman signal on SERS-active surfaces. Finally, considering the existence of various S-S links, particularly in the region called hinge, in the SERS spectrum of diluted hIgG and F(ab)\', it was found the display of a characteristic band C-S 679 cm-1. Therefore, a proposal was made about the possible direction of these non-fragmented antibodies to assume an orientation on the SERS-active surfaces with similar characteristics to the F(ab)\'

Um problema recorrente no desenvolvimento de vacinas de DNA e terapia gênica utilizando vetores não virais é a baixa eficiência de transfecção gênica. Isso ocorre devido às diversas barreiras físicas, enzimáticas e difusionais que o DNA precisa superar para chegar ao núcleo das células. Neste trabalho tem-se por objetivo o desenvolvimento de novos vetores não virais de entrega gênica, formados por DNA plasmidial (pDNA), proteínas (protamina ou T-Rp3) e nanopartículas de ouro (NPAu) na forma de complexos ternários. Para tal, NPAu\'s foram sintetizadas por redução com citrato de sódio, apresentando diâmetros entre 20,3 e 57,3 nm e potencial zeta entre -69,0 e +43,3 mV, dependendo das condições de síntese, a saber, das quantidades de citrato de sódio adicionadas e da ordem de adição dos reagentes. Em seguida, vetores compostos por pDNA-protamina/T-Rp3-NPAu foram formados, transfectados em células HeLa cultivadas in vitro, e a atividade da enzima repórter luciferase foi medida. Deste modo, a partir de variações em proporção mássica e tamanho de nanopartículas, foi possível obter complexos utilizando protamina e ouro com uma eficiência de transfecção 33 vezes melhor do que transfecções utilizando apenas protamina. Por outro lado, complexos contendo T-Rp3 e ouro se mostraram ainda mais eficazes na entrega, apresentando níveis de transfecção próximos ao do reagente comercial Lipofectamina. Ensaios de transfecção utilizando a droga nocodazol indicaram a importância dos microtúbulos no mecanismo de entrega gênica, e ensaios com a droga cloroquina evidenciaram que as nanopartículas de ouro atuam de maneira diferenciada no escape endossomal dos vetores não virais utilizados. Visando relacionar características físico-químicas com a eficiência de transfecção, alguns destes complexos foram caracterizados por espalhamento dinâmico de luz, em que complexos com protamina apresentaram tamanhos entre 116 e 363 nm e complexos com T-Rp3 apresentaram entre 135 e 307 nm e potenciais zeta entre +7,3 e +22,5 mV e +10,6 e +27,2 mV, respectivamente, dependendo das características das NPAu\'s. / A recurrent problem in the development of DNA vaccines and gene therapy using non-viral vectors is the low efficiency of transfection. That is due to the many physical, enzymatic and diffusional barriers that DNA must overcome to reach the cell nucleus. This work aims to develop novel non-viral vectors based on plasmid DNA (pDNA), proteins (protamine or recombinant T-Rp3) and gold nanoparticles (AuNP) as ternary complexes. For such, AuNP\'s were first synthesized via sodium citrate reduction, with diameters varying from 20,3 to 57,3 nm and zeta potentials between -69,0 and +43,3 mV, depending on synthesis conditions, changing the quantities of sodium citrate added and the order of addition of reagents. Vectors formed by pDNA-protamine/T-Rp3-AuNP were then formed, transfected and luciferase activity was measured. Thus, from variations on mass ratios and gold nanoparticle sizes, it was possible to obtain complexes with protamine and gold with a transfection efficiency 33 times higher than analog complexes using only protamine. Also, complexes containing T-Rp3 and gold showed an even higher delivery efficiency, with transfection efficiency close to Lipofectamine. Assays using nocodazole indicated the importance of microtubule in the gene delivery process and, whereas assays with chloroquine showed that gold nanoparticles act in a different way over endossomal escape of used non-viral vectors. Finally, some of these complexes were characterized with dynamic light scattering. Complexes with protamine were within the size ragne of 116 to 363 nm and complexes with T-Rp3 were within the size range of 135 to 307 nm. The zeta potential varied from +7,3 to +22,5 mV and from +10,6 to +27,2 mV, respectively, depending on the gold nanoparticles used.