The recent increased availability of additional wavelengths in the telecommunications window of about 1300-1600 nm has generated an interest in new optical materials and devices that can operate outside the normally used regions of 840 nm, 1310 nm, and 1550 nm. Specifically, methods to amplify fiber optical data transmission in the regions where there is limited or no existing methods to achieve amplification is of interest in the chemistry and photonic communities. Raman gain is one method that has been proposed to passively amplify optical data transmission through a distributed process. Amplification is obtained through a nonlinear light scattering process where an optical wave is amplified at the expense of a higher frequency pump wave. Multiple wavelengths can be evenly amplified simultaneously in a desired region by specific selection of one or more pump wavelengths. Herein, the synthesis and characterization of new hybrid inorganic/organic sol-gels and monomers capable of producing broad wavelength Raman scattering over a spectral range of 1200-1670 nm are presented. The synthetic methodology developed facilitates the systematic approach to produce sol-gel derivatives with functional groups known to be strongly Raman scattering. Additionally, a method to synthesize and characterize a large number of different compounds using a combinatorial approach was demonstrated. Thio based derivatives of sulfonyldiphenol, isopropylidenediphenol, and triallyloxy triazine were synthesized in addition to thio derivatives of poly(hydroxystyrene). Micro-Raman spectra of the hybrid sol-gels, thiobased derivatives, and IR spectra of select sol-gel monomers were obtained.

Sample preparation is the most error-prone step in chemical analysis. A great deal of efforts has been made to develop efficient techniques and protocols for sample preparation to accomplish important goals such as miniaturization and implementation of green analytical methodologies. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has successfully eliminated the use of hazardous organic solvents in extraction sampling, sample preparation, preconcentration and sample introduction to the analytical instrument in an effective manner. Ensuring thermal- and solvent-instability of traditional SPME extraction phases represented one of their main drawbacks. This was solved by the introduction of sol-gel SPME phases characterized by enhanced thermal-, solvent-, and stability over a wide pH range. Sol-gel SPME phases (sorbents) facilitated excellent preconcentration effects for a wide range of analytes. In this dissertation, hydrolytic and nonhydrolytic sol-gel routes were explored for the creation of zirconia-, titania-, and niobia-based novel hybrid organic-inorganic sorbents using sol-gel active polymeric ligands. These sorbents were prepared in the form of surface coatings for capillary microextraction and preconcentration of biologically important molecules such as catecholamine neurotransmitters and phosphopeptides. In comparison with other sorbents made only of inorganic transition metal oxides, the presented sol-gel sorbents facilitated efficient desorption of the extracted analytes by LC-MS compatible mobile phases. The sol-gel zirconia- and titania-based hybrid sorbents provided pH-stable (pH range: 0 - 14) and derivatization-free extraction media that effectively overcame the major drawbacks of traditional sorbents for the analysis of catecholamines (silica-based sorbents suffer from narrow operational pH window while polymer-based sorbents require additional sample derivatization steps). The modification of the terminal hydroxy groups in PPO with ZrCl4 or TiCl4 provided an enhanced sol-gel reactivity of the polymer modified-terminals. Such a modification procedure allowed for an efficient incorporation of the polymeric ligand into the evolving sol-gel network. The effectiveness of the PPO modification was also evaluated by a systematic thermogravimetric investigation exploring the loading of the ligand in sol-gel hybrid sorbents, which revealed an enhanced ligand-loading achieved via the nonhydrolytic sol-gel route used with modified-PPO. Sol-gel hybrid sorbents prepared by the nonhydrolytic sol-gel (NHSG) pathway provided excellent microextraction performance for catecholamines: low detection limits (5.6 – 9.6 pM), enhanced run-to-run reproducibility (RSD 0.6 – 5.1 %), excellent desorption efficiency (95.0 – 99.5 %) and high enrichment factors (EF) for epinephrine (EF ~ 1480) and for dopamine (EF ~ 2650) extracted from aqueous and synthetic urine samples at pH 10.5. Run-to-run and capillary-to-capillary reproducibility remained below 5 % when the peak area or the sorbent-mass was used as the reproducibility criterion. Niobia-based sol-gel sorbents prepared with and without organic ligand (polyethylenimine) were utilized as microextraction media for the enrichment of phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated tetrapeptide VYKA. Sol-gel niobia-based sorbents with covalently anchored polyethylenimine showed excellent selectivity toward the phosphopeptide compared to analogous titania-based sorbents. Specific extraction (SE) values were higher by 97.0 % when obtained by niobia-based sorbents. Excellent run-to-run peak area reproducibility (RSD < 5.1 %) and high EF of ~ 4000 were achieved. The sol-gel niobia-based coating facilitated excellent desorption efficiency (97.5 %), which suggests that the surface of the niobia sorbent possesses moderate-strength Lewis acid sites that avoided the need for special elution solvents that are conventionally used for the desorption of phosphorylated molecules from titania-based sorbents. The sol-gel pathway for the creation of microextraction phases is versatile and capable to provide unique control on the characteristics of the sorbents that are critically important for many sample preparation applications.

Computational modeling of organic interface formation on semiconductors poses a challenge to a density functional theory-based description due to structural and chemical complexity. A hierarchical approach is presented, where parts of the interface are successively removed in order to increase computational efficiency while maintaining the necessary accuracy. First, a benchmark is performed to probe the validity of this approach for three model reactions and five dispersion corrected density functionals. Reaction energies are generally well reproduced by generalized gradient approximation-type functionals but accurate reaction barriers require the use of hybrid functionals. Best performance is found for the model system that does not explicitly consider the substrate but includes its templating effects. Finally, this efficient model is used to provide coverage dependent reaction energies and suggest synthetic principles for the prevention of unwanted growth termination reactions for organic layers on semiconductor surfaces.

A intercalação de espécies de interesse biológico e terapêutico em Hidróxidos Duplos Lamelares (HDLs) vem se mostrando uma estratégia interessante para a obtenção de sistemas de armazenamento ou carregadores de drogas. No presente trabalho foram investigadas rotas sintéticas e parâmetros experimentais para a intercalação dos ânions derivados dos fármacos ácido mefenâmico e piroxicam em HDL de Mg2+ e Al3+. Os sólidos foram caracterizados por difratometria de raios X, análises elementar e térmica, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e espectroscopia no infravermelho e Raman. Os difratogramas de raios X dos materiais híbridos HDL-mefenamato isolados por co-precipitação (pH=9-9,5) mostram, além de fase do tipo HDL, alguns picos finos e de baixa intensidade que podem estar relacionados com a presença de um sal de mefenamato. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos empregando uma relação molar ânion/Al3+ =1. Nos processos de reconstituição e troca iônica, os picos finos não são observados. Os espectros vibracionais mostram que o ácido mefenâmico está na forma desprotonada e intacto. Os ânions mefenamato se arranjam em uma bicamada no espaço interlamelar (d003 ~21-22 Å). Os híbridos HDL-piroxicamato obtidos por co-precipitação são constituídos de pelo menos duas fases. À medida que a razão ânion/Al3+ diminui, observa-se o aumento na formação de fase HDL. / Intercalation of biological and therapeutical species into Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) has been shown an interesting strategy to get drug storage or drug carrier systems. In this work it were investigated synthetic routes and experimental parameters for intercalation of anions derived from mefenamic acid and piroxicam drugs into LDH of Mg2+ and Al3+ composition. The isolated solids were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, elemental and thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Besides LDH phase, XRD patterns of LDH-mefenamate hybrid materials isolated by coprecipitation (pH=9-9.5) show some narrow and low intensity peaks that can be related to a mefenamate salt phase. Improved data were obtained using an anion/Al3+ molar ratio equal 1. When employing reconstruction and ion exchange methods, narrow peaks are no observed. Vibrational spectra indicate that mefenamic acid is deprotonated and integral between the layers. Guest anions are arranged in a bylayer in the interlayer space (d003 ~21-22 Å). LDH-piroxicamate hybrid materials obtained by coprecipitation are constituted by at least two phases. An increase in LDH phase formation it is observed when the molar ratio anion/Al3+ decreases.

Atualmente com o advento da nanociência e nanotecnologia, as nanopartículas magnéticas têm encontrado inúmeras aplicações nos campos da biomedicina, diagnóstico, biologia molecular, bioquímica, catálise, etc. As nanopartículas magnéticas funcionalizadas são constituídas de um núcleo magnético, envolvido por uma camada polimérica com sítios ativos, que podem ancorar metais ou compostos orgânicos seletivos. Estas nanopartículas são consideradas materiais híbridos orgânico-inorgânicos de grande interesse em aplicações comerciais devido à particularidade das propriedades obtidas. Entre as aplicações importantes podemos citar: tratamento por magnetohipertermia, carregadores de fármacos para áreas específicas do corpo, seleção de moléculas específicas, biossensores, melhoria da qualidade de imagens por RMN, etc. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em duas partes: 1) a síntese do núcleo constituído de nanopartículas superparamagnéticas de ferrita de cobalto e, 2) o recobrimento do núcleo por um polímero bifuncional o 3-aminopropiltrietoxissilano. Os parâmetros estudados na primeira parte da pesquisa foram: pH, concentração molar da base, tipo de base, ordem de adição dos reagentes, modo de adição dos reagentes, velocidade de agitação, concentração inicial dos metais, fração molar de cobalto e tratamento térmico. Na segunda parte estudou-se: o pH, a temperatura, o catalisador, a concentração do catalisador, o tempo de reação, a relação H2O/silano, o tipo de meio, o agente umectante e a eficiência do recobrimento em relação ao pH. Os produtos obtidos foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de difratometria de raios-X (DRX), microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (MET), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), espectroscopia de energia dispersiva (EDS), espectroscopia de emissão atômica (ICP-AES), espectroscopia por infravermelho (FTIR), análises termogravimétricas (TGA/DTGA), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC) e curvas de magnetização (MAV) / Nowadays with the appear of nanoscience and nanotechnology, magnetic nanoparticles have been finding a variety of applications in the fields of biomedicine, diagnosis, molecular biology, biochemistry, catalysis, etc. The magnetic functionalized nanoparticles are constituted of a magnetic nucleus, involved by a polymeric layer with active sites, which ones could anchor metals or selective organic compounds. These nanoparticles are considered organic-inorganic hybrid materials and have great interest as materials for commercial applications due to the specific properties. Among the important applications it can be mentioned: magnetohyperthermia treatment, drugs delivery in specific local of the body, molecular recognition, biossensors, enhancement of nuclear magnetic ressonance images quality, etc. This work was developed in two parts: 1) the synthesis of the nucleus composed by superparamagnetic nanoparticles of cobalt ferrite and, 2) the recovering of nucleus by a polymeric bifunctional 3-aminepropyltriethoxysilane. The parameters studied in the first part of the research were: pH, hydroxide molar concentration, hydroxide type, reagent order of addition, reagent way of addition, speed of shake, metals initial concentrations, molar fraction of cobalt and thermal treatment. In the second part it was studied: pH, temperature, catalyst type, catalyst concentration, time of reaction, relation ratios of H2O/silane, type of medium and the efficiency of the recovering regarding to pH. The products obtained were characterized using the following techniques X-ray powder diffraction (DRX), transmission electronic microscopy (MET), scanning electronic microscopy (MEV), spectroscopy of scatterbrained energy spectroscopy (DES), atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), themogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and magnetization curves (VSM)

A intercalação de espécies de interesse biológico e terapêutico em Hidróxidos Duplos Lamelares (HDLs) vem se mostrando uma estratégia interessante para a obtenção de sistemas de armazenamento ou carregadores de drogas. No presente trabalho foram investigadas rotas sintéticas e parâmetros experimentais para a intercalação dos ânions derivados dos fármacos ácido mefenâmico e piroxicam em HDL de Mg2+ e Al3+. Os sólidos foram caracterizados por difratometria de raios X, análises elementar e térmica, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e espectroscopia no infravermelho e Raman. Os difratogramas de raios X dos materiais híbridos HDL-mefenamato isolados por co-precipitação (pH=9-9,5) mostram, além de fase do tipo HDL, alguns picos finos e de baixa intensidade que podem estar relacionados com a presença de um sal de mefenamato. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos empregando uma relação molar ânion/Al3+ =1. Nos processos de reconstituição e troca iônica, os picos finos não são observados. Os espectros vibracionais mostram que o ácido mefenâmico está na forma desprotonada e intacto. Os ânions mefenamato se arranjam em uma bicamada no espaço interlamelar (d003 ~21-22 Å). Os híbridos HDL-piroxicamato obtidos por co-precipitação são constituídos de pelo menos duas fases. À medida que a razão ânion/Al3+ diminui, observa-se o aumento na formação de fase HDL. / Intercalation of biological and therapeutical species into Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) has been shown an interesting strategy to get drug storage or drug carrier systems. In this work it were investigated synthetic routes and experimental parameters for intercalation of anions derived from mefenamic acid and piroxicam drugs into LDH of Mg2+ and Al3+ composition. The isolated solids were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, elemental and thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Besides LDH phase, XRD patterns of LDH-mefenamate hybrid materials isolated by coprecipitation (pH=9-9.5) show some narrow and low intensity peaks that can be related to a mefenamate salt phase. Improved data were obtained using an anion/Al3+ molar ratio equal 1. When employing reconstruction and ion exchange methods, narrow peaks are no observed. Vibrational spectra indicate that mefenamic acid is deprotonated and integral between the layers. Guest anions are arranged in a bylayer in the interlayer space (d003 ~21-22 Å). LDH-piroxicamate hybrid materials obtained by coprecipitation are constituted by at least two phases. An increase in LDH phase formation it is observed when the molar ratio anion/Al3+ decreases.

Over the past two decades, organic semiconductors played a growing part as active layers in several electronic systems such as sensors, field‑effect transistors or light emitting diodes to cite a few. In fact, organic materials offer a high versatility and flexibility. However, pure organic systems often lack stability and robustness, which can be overcome by combining them with inorganic scaffolds. In this work, a conducting polymer, polypyrrole (PPy) is employed to create new sensor elements based on the combination of both inorganic and organic layers. Electrical measurements, infrared spectroscopy and current sensing atomic force microscopy provides a better understanding of the polymer behavior upon immersion in aqueous solutions. The observed discharge in water leads to a straightforward application of the device as an in‑flow sensor for several acids like HCl, H2SO4 and H3PO4. The wide range of sensing concentrations as well as the low detection limit place the present detector among the best reported so far in the literature. In a further step to turn towards lab‑in‑a‑tube devices, tubular‑shaped‑integrated microelectrodes are developed by using the rolled‑up technology. As a proof of concept, the successful integration of PPy as an active layer and its use as a gas sensor for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is demonstrated. Finally, by adapting the rolled‑up top electrodes, as developed by Bof Bufon et al. for self‑assembled monolayers (SAMs), thin PPy films (<50 nm) are vertically contacted and their electrical characteristics measured as a function of temperature and electric field. From the transport investigations, it is observed that an insulating‑to‑metallic transition occurs in the polymeric film by increasing the bias voltage. Other molecular layers like CuPc can be incorporated in these platforms, opening the way towards emerging organic devices.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T17:19:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 1_Introducao.pdf: 64784 bytes, checksum: a1b19b41bade65db44f4ab7b4a5561dc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Polyamide-imide (PAI) is a polymer widely used in magnet wires for electrical applications due to combination of their mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. This polymer can be improved by the addition of inorganic moieties, among them silsesquioxanes, forming organic/inorganic hybrids. This dissertation presents the preparation of hybrid polymers PAI/copolysilsesquioxane (PAI/coPSQ), where the matrix of polyamide-imide (PAI) is prepared from the condensation of trimellitic anhydride (TMA) and diphenylmethane-4 ,4-diisocyanate (MDI), and the copolysilsesquioxane is prepared by the sol-gel method from alkoxide precursors, in this case, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APES) and phenyltrietoxisilane (PTES). The methods for obtaining the hybrid PAI/coPSQ by simple mixing and in situ reaction were evaluated. The hybrid polymers were characterized by their spectroscopic characteristics, morphology, electrical, mechanical and thermal properties. The PAI/coPSQs coatings prepared with APES-rich coPSQ presented gelatinization due to high crosslinking generated by the polymer chains of PAI and the amine groups of PSQ. The method of in situ reaction mixture was more efficient in the generation of hybrid PAI/coPSQ, minimizing the occurrence of gelatinization. The SEM and AFM confirmed the absence of separation between the organic and inorganic phases and the FTIR and NMR 13C and 29Si analysis confirmed the formation of a Si-O-Si network. PAI/coPSQ hybrid samples showed no significant changes of Tg, while PAI/PTES hybrid obtained by polycondensation of PTES presented a decrease of Tg. PAI/PSQs hybrids were analyzed by thermogravimetry and showed a small improvement in thermal resistance. The results of nanoindentation tests confirmed the influence of adding coPSQ to increase hardness and elastic modulus of PAI films, while the average performance of dielectric strength showed trends of increasement. / O polímero poliamida-imida (PAI) é amplamente utilizado em fios esmaltados para aplicações elétricas devido ao balanço de suas propriedades mecânicas, elétricas e térmicas. Este polímero pode ser melhorado pela adição de cargas inorgânicas em sua matriz, dentre elas os silsesquioxanos, formando híbridos orgânicos/inorgânicos. O presente trabalho apresenta o preparo de polímeros híbridos PAI/copolissilsesquioxano (PAI/coPSQ), onde a matriz de poliamida-imida (PAI) é preparada a partir da reação de condensação entre o anidrido trimelitico (TMA) e o difenilmetano-4,4-diisocianato (MDI), e o copolissilsesquioxano é preparado pelo método sol-gel a partir de precursores alcóxidos, neste caso o 3-aminopropiltrietoxissilano (APES) e o feniltrietoxissilano (PTES). Foram avaliadas as metodologias de obtenção do híbrido PAI/coPSQ por mistura simples e por reação in situ. Os polímeros híbridos foram caracterizados quanto às suas características espectroscópicas e morfológicas, propriedades elétricas, mecânicas e térmicas. Os vernizes de PAI preparados com coPSQs ricos em APES apresentaram gelatinização devido ao alto grau de reticulação gerado pelas ligações cruzadas entre as cadeias poliméricas do PAI e os grupos amínicos. O método de mistura por reação in situ mostrou-se mais eficiente na geração do híbrido PAI/coPSQ, minimizando a ocorrência de gelatinização. As análises morfológicas confirmaram a ausência de separação entre as fases orgânica e inorgânica e as análises de FTIR e NMR 13C e 29Si confirmaram formação da rede Si-O-Si. As amostras híbridas PAI/coPSQ não apresentaram alterações significativas de Tg, enquanto que o híbrido PAI/PTES obtido pela policondensação somente do PTES apresentou grande diminuição de Tg. Os híbridos PAI/PSQs apresentaram uma pequena melhoria na estabilidade térmica analisada por termogravimetria. Os resultados do ensaio de nanoindentação confirmaram a influência da adição do coPSQ para o aumento da dureza e do módulo de elasticidade dos filmes de PAI, enquanto que os resultados médios da propriedade de rigidez dielétrica apresentaram tendência de aumento.

Atualmente com o advento da nanociência e nanotecnologia, as nanopartículas magnéticas têm encontrado inúmeras aplicações nos campos da biomedicina, diagnóstico, biologia molecular, bioquímica, catálise, etc. As nanopartículas magnéticas funcionalizadas são constituídas de um núcleo magnético, envolvido por uma camada polimérica com sítios ativos, que podem ancorar metais ou compostos orgânicos seletivos. Estas nanopartículas são consideradas materiais híbridos orgânico-inorgânicos de grande interesse em aplicações comerciais devido à particularidade das propriedades obtidas. Entre as aplicações importantes podemos citar: tratamento por magnetohipertermia, carregadores de fármacos para áreas específicas do corpo, seleção de moléculas específicas, biossensores, melhoria da qualidade de imagens por RMN, etc. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em duas partes: 1) a síntese do núcleo constituído de nanopartículas superparamagnéticas de ferrita de cobalto e, 2) o recobrimento do núcleo por um polímero bifuncional o 3-aminopropiltrietoxissilano. Os parâmetros estudados na primeira parte da pesquisa foram: pH, concentração molar da base, tipo de base, ordem de adição dos reagentes, modo de adição dos reagentes, velocidade de agitação, concentração inicial dos metais, fração molar de cobalto e tratamento térmico. Na segunda parte estudou-se: o pH, a temperatura, o catalisador, a concentração do catalisador, o tempo de reação, a relação H2O/silano, o tipo de meio, o agente umectante e a eficiência do recobrimento em relação ao pH. Os produtos obtidos foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de difratometria de raios-X (DRX), microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (MET), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), espectroscopia de energia dispersiva (EDS), espectroscopia de emissão atômica (ICP-AES), espectroscopia por infravermelho (FTIR), análises termogravimétricas (TGA/DTGA), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC) e curvas de magnetização (MAV) / Nowadays with the appear of nanoscience and nanotechnology, magnetic nanoparticles have been finding a variety of applications in the fields of biomedicine, diagnosis, molecular biology, biochemistry, catalysis, etc. The magnetic functionalized nanoparticles are constituted of a magnetic nucleus, involved by a polymeric layer with active sites, which ones could anchor metals or selective organic compounds. These nanoparticles are considered organic-inorganic hybrid materials and have great interest as materials for commercial applications due to the specific properties. Among the important applications it can be mentioned: magnetohyperthermia treatment, drugs delivery in specific local of the body, molecular recognition, biossensors, enhancement of nuclear magnetic ressonance images quality, etc. This work was developed in two parts: 1) the synthesis of the nucleus composed by superparamagnetic nanoparticles of cobalt ferrite and, 2) the recovering of nucleus by a polymeric bifunctional 3-aminepropyltriethoxysilane. The parameters studied in the first part of the research were: pH, hydroxide molar concentration, hydroxide type, reagent order of addition, reagent way of addition, speed of shake, metals initial concentrations, molar fraction of cobalt and thermal treatment. In the second part it was studied: pH, temperature, catalyst type, catalyst concentration, time of reaction, relation ratios of H2O/silane, type of medium and the efficiency of the recovering regarding to pH. The products obtained were characterized using the following techniques X-ray powder diffraction (DRX), transmission electronic microscopy (MET), scanning electronic microscopy (MEV), spectroscopy of scatterbrained energy spectroscopy (DES), atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), themogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and magnetization curves (VSM)

Novel highly functionalized hybrid organic-inorganic materials were synthesized by polycondensation of bis[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]amine in presence of cationic and anionic surfactants. Reaction media strongly affected gelation time. Thus, in basic media gelation occurred immediately while acid increased gelation time. Material structures were studied by IR spectroscopy, porosimetry, XRD, and SAXS methods. In spite of the absence of an inorganic linker, obtained bridged silsesquioxanes had mesoporous structure. A material prepared in the presence of dodecylamine as a template had higher surface area and narrow pore size distribution while the use of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfate resulted in formation of mesopores with wide size ranges. Accessibility of surface amine groups in silsesquioxanes was studied for molecules of acidic nature and different sizes: HCl, CO2 and picric acid. High contents of accessible amine groups in these materials make them prospective adsorbents for post-combustion CO2 capture.