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No description available.

No description available.

More than 70,000 people worldwide suffer from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease characterized by chronic accumulation of mucus in patients’ lungs provoking bacterial infections, and leading to respiratory failure. An employed age-old treatment to prevent the symptoms of the disease is inhalation of hypertonic saline solution, NaCl at concentrations higher than in the human body (~150 mM). This procedure clears the mucus in the lungs, bringing relief to the patient. However, the biophysical mechanisms underlying this process are not entirely clear. We undertook a new experimental approach to understand the effects of sprayed saline solutions on model lung surfactants towards understanding the mechanisms of the treatment. The surface of lungs contains mainly 1,2-Dipalmitol-sn-glycero-3-phosphocoline (DPPC). As previously assumed by others, we considered that monolayer of DPPC at the air-water interface serves as model system for the lungs surface; we employed a Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) trough and PM-IRRAS to measure surface-specific infrared spectra of the surfactant monolayers and effects on the interfacial tensions. We investigated spraying hyper-saline solutions onto surfactant monolayers at the airwater interface in two parts: (i) validation of our methodology and techniques with stearic acid and (ii) experiments with DPPC monolayers at the air-water interface. Remarkably, when micro-droplets of NaCl were sprayed to the monolayer of stearic acid, we observed enhanced organization of the surfactant, interpreted from the intensities of the CH2 peaks in the surface-specific IR spectra. However, our results with DPPC monolayers didn’t show an effect with the salt added as aerosol, possibly indicating that the experimental methodology proposed is not adequate for the phenomena studied. In parallel, we mimicked respiratory mucous by preparing salt solutions containing 1% (wt%) agar and measured effects on their viscosities. Interestingly, we found that NaCl was much more effective than NaI and NaClO4. This thesis reports structural dynamics of monolayers of stearic acid and DPPC at the airwater interfaces and those of aqueous solutions towards understanding mechanisms underlying the most commonly employed treatment for cystic fibrosis. Our methodology has never been reported before; but requires further modifications to gain deeper insights into the effects of salt sprays on model lung systems.

It was found that there was a specific interaction between peptidolipid C18H35O (Stearoyl)-Phe-Trp-Ser-His-Glu and paraoxon. The aromatic residue groups were involved in the recognition between paraoxon and the peptidolipid, because the fluorescence of Trp in the peptidolipid at 351 nm was quenched by paraoxon in the subphase. When paraoxon was dissolved in the subphase, the surface potential-area (delta V-A) isotherm for the peptidolipid A displayed an unusual shape. This was interpreted on the basis of Infrared Reflection-Absorption Spectroscopy (IRRAS) results as being due to the reorientation of the benzene ring of paraoxon, which changed from parallel to the air-water interface in the absence of a monolayer to a tilted orientation upon interacting with the peptidolipid Langmuir monolayer. The secondary structure of oganophosphorus acid anhydrolase (OPAA) Langmuir monolayer in the absence and presence of diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) in the subphase was also studied by the IRRAS and Polarization Modulated-IRRAS (PM-IRRAS). The shape of OPAA molecules is supposed to be elliptic and the long axis of OPAA was parallel to the air-water interface in the absence of DFP in the subphase, whereas the long axis became perpendicular in the presence of DFP. This result explains the decrease of the limiting molecular area of OPAA Langmuir monolayer when DFP was dissolved in the subphase. Using the Langmuir monolayer technique, the surface properties of aequorin were studied. The results showed that aequorin formed a stable Langmuir monolayer and the surface pressure-area isotherms were dependent on both pH and ionic strength. At a pH higher or lower than 7.6, the limiting molecular area decreased. The addition of calcium chloride to the Tris/HCl buffer subphase (pH 7.6) caused an increase of the limiting molecular area of the aequorin Langmuir monolayer. The fluorescence spectra of a Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayer of aequorin in the presence of calcium chloride indicated that the aequorin transformed to the apoaequorin. The Langmuir monolayer of aequorin and apoaequorin was studied by IRRAS and PM-IRRAS techniques. The different behavior of aequorin and apoaequorin at the air-water interface was explained by the fact that aequorin formed dimers at air-water interface but apoaequorin was monomer. It was more difficult for a dimer to be tilted by the compression of the Langmuir monolayer.

The overall objective of this PhD thesis research is to characterize, understand and ultimately control phase-separated structures in mixed films consisting of a perfluorinated fatty acid and a photopolymerizable surfactant. In these systems, film morphology, mechanical properties and spectroscopic properties are inter-related and this thesis explores these relationships. In this context the interaction between perfluorotetradecanoic acid (C13F27COOH, referred to as PF in this dissertation), and 10,12-pentacosadynoic acid (CH3(CH2)11−C≡C−C≡C−(CH2)8COOH, referred to as PCDA in this dissertation) has been studied in monolayers using a combination of surface and spectroscopic characterization techniques. To investigate the inter-relationship of the properties described above, film behavior under a variety of conditions, including behavior at different interfaces (solid-liquid, air-liquid), different film compositions and under different conditions of photoillumination and mechanical stress were explored. Thermodynamic and morphological studies of mixed monolayer surfactant films of PF and the photo-polymerizable diacetylene molecule, PCDA, were carried out. The films were prepared at the air-water interface and transferred onto solid supports such as a glass slides via Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition technique. The presence of the perfluoroacid helped to stabilize the diacetylene surfactant monolayer in comparison with the diacetylene alone, allowing film transfer onto solid substrates without needing to add cations to the sub-phase or photo-polymerize the components prior to deposition. Addition of the perfluorocarbon to PCDA resulted in films with the photopolymer strands oriented perpendicular to the direction of the film compression in a Langmuir trough. This is in contrast with film structures formed from pure PCDA. Formation of these features could be explained by a two-step process that happened sequentially: first, the compression of monolayer with trough barriers while trying to maintain the surface pressure constant induces stress on the film surface; second, additional film buckling which was enhanced by the strong cohesion between PF and PCDA. Film compression data, supported by in situ fluorescence spectrophotometry, Brewster angle microscope imaging and atomic force microscope images of deposited films, supported this mechanism. Factors that controlled the orientation of the photopolymer fibers were also investigated. Fibers were found to consist of multiple strands, with each strand having a different orientation. Our investigation also revealed there was a preferred orientation for fibers in the film as a whole. The angle of approximately 60o to the direction of film compression during deposition from a Langmuir trough has been calculated with the help of dual-view, polarized fluorescence microscopy. This orientation was attributed to the mechanical stress exerted by the trough compression barriers coupled with rotation of the polymer fibers during film draining. The combination of Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and fluorescence microscopy (FM) provided a thorough and comprehensive mapping of fundamental properties of mixed monolayer system, and enabled a quantitative determination of the degree of selectivity of the polymerization process.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2000--Stuttgart.

Thèse (Ph. D.)--Université Laval, 2005. / Bibliogr. Publié aussi en version électronique.

Submitted by DANIELA BRANCO TAVARES MASCAGNI null (danibtmascagni@gmail.com) on 2017-07-19T19:56:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE final.pdf: 4219528 bytes, checksum: 2e34e6b34687082855e27d79457027bc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-07-19T20:03:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 mascagni_dbt_dr_bauru.pdf: 4219528 bytes, checksum: 2e34e6b34687082855e27d79457027bc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-19T20:03:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mascagni_dbt_dr_bauru.pdf: 4219528 bytes, checksum: 2e34e6b34687082855e27d79457027bc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Neste trabalho, foram desenvolvidos biossensores eletroquímicos enzimáticos fabricados com óxido de grafeno reduzido (rGO) e funcionalizado depositados pelas técnicas LbL (Layer-by-Layer) e Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) para a detecção de glicose. Para isso, primeiramente foi sintetizado quimicamente o óxido de grafeno (GO) pela oxidação do grafite, em seguida, o GO foi reduzido para aumentar a sua condutividade elétrica e foi funcionalizado em meio estabilizante contendo cloridrato de poli(dialildimetilamônio), formando o GPDDA, ou poli(4-estireno sulfônico) PSS, formando GPSS. Com isso, foi possível formar dispersões aquosas estáveis das nanofolhas de grafeno, essencial para a fabricação de filmes LbL. Em um primeiro momento, foram fabricados biossensores com filmes LbL contendo GPDDA, GPSS e a enzima glucose oxidase (Gox). O desempenho desses biossensores na detecção de glicose foi avaliado em função do número de bicamadas contendo Gox. O melhor desempenho na detecção de glicose foi apresentado pelo biossensor com o filme LbL com a arquitetura (GPDDA/GPSS)/(GPDDA/GPSS)2. Este biossensor apresentou limite de detecção de 13,4 µmol.L-1, sensibilidade 2,47 μA.cm-2.mmol-1.L e faixa analítica entre 0,04 e 0,95 mmol.L-1. Este biossensor foi eficiente na detecção de glicose na presença de interferentes comumente encontrados em fluidos corporais, alimentos e fármacos. Quando avaliado na detecção de glicose em amostras reais, recuperou 100,8% para uma solução eletrolítica comercial e 88,8% para leite sem lactose. Em um segundo momento, foram fabricados biossensores a partir de filmes LB contendo os mesmos materiais utilizados para fabricar os biossensores com filmes LbL (GPDDA, GPSS e Gox), com a finalidade de comparar os dois métodos de fabricação de filmes no desempenho dos biossensores. O desempenho dos biossensores fabricados com filmes LB foi avaliado em relação à quantidade de monocamadas (GPDDA/GPSS/Gox) depositadas. O melhor desempenho na detecção de glicose entre os biossensores com filme LB foi apresentado pelo biossensor de arquitetura (GPDDA/GPSS/Gox)3. Este biossensor apresentou limite de detecção 0,54 µmol.L-1, sensibilidade de 8,69 μA.cm-2.mmol-1.L e faixa analítica entre 0,0018 e 1,5 mmol.L-1. Também se mostrou eficiente na detecção de glicose na presença de interferentes e na detecção de glicose em amostra real, com recuperação de 101,2 % para o leite sem lactose. A partir dos resultados de desempenho dos biossensores com filme LbL e LB foi possível concluir que a técnica LB promoveu uma maior sinergia entre os nanomateriais, atribuída ao maior ordenamento dos nanomateriais proporcionado pela técnica LB. / In this work, enzymatic electrochemical biosensors fabricated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and functionalized deposited by the LbL (Layer-by-Layer) and LangmuirBlodgett (LB) techniques were developed for the detection of glucose. Firstly, to get this, graphene oxide (GO) was chemically synthesized by the oxidation of graphite and after GO was reduced to increase its electrical conductivity and it was functionalized in stabilizing medium containing the poly (diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) PDDA, forming the GPDDA, or poly (4-styrene sulphonic) PSS, forming GPSS. Hence, stable aqueous dispersions of graphene nanosheets were formed, essential for the fabrication of LbL films. In a first moment, biosensors with LbL films containing GPDDA, GPSS and the enzyme glucose oxidase (Gox) were fabricated. The performance of these biosensors in the detection of glucose was evaluated as a function of the number of bilayers containing Gox. The best performance in the detection of glucose was presented by the biosensor with the LbL film with the architecture (GPDDA/GPSS)/(GPDDA/GPSS)2. It presented a detection limit of 13.4 μmol.L-1 , sensitivity 2.47 μA.cm-2 .mmol-1 .L and analytical range between 0.04 and 0.95 mmol.L-1 . This biosensor was efficient in detecting glucose in the presence of interferents commonly found in body fluids, foods and drugs. When evaluated in the detection of glucose in real samples, it recovered 100.8% for a commercial electrolytic solution and 88.8% for lactose-free milk. In a second moment, biosensors were fabricated from LB films containing the same materials used to fabricate the biosensors with LbL films (GPDDA, GPSS and Gox), in order to compare the two methods of films deposition in the performance of the biosensors. The performance of biosensors fabricated with LB films was evaluated in relation to the amount of deposited monolayers (GPDDA/GPSS/Gox). The best performance on the detection of glucose among LB film biosensors was presented by the architecture biosensor (GPDDA/GPSS/Gox)3. The detection limit was 0.54 μmol.L-1 , sensitivity of 8.69 μA.cm- 2 .mmol-1 .L and analytical range between 0.0018 and 1.5 mmol.L-1 . This biosensor was also efficient in the detection of glucose in the presence of interferents and in the detection of glucose in a real sample, with a recovery of 101.2% for lactose-free milk A conclusion derived from the performance results of the biosensors with LbL and LB films, may support that LB technique promoted a greater synergy among the nanomaterials, attributed to the best arrangement of nanomaterials provided by LB technique.

Filmes de Langmuir e Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) de ligninas extraídas do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar, via processo organossolve, foram fabricados. As isotermas de pressão revelaram uma área para a seção média da lignina em torno de 100 &#197 para a monocamada condensada, enquanto a modelagem a partir dos espectros elipsométricos indicou uma espessura por camada de cerca 60 &#197 para os filmes LB. Porém a deposição não se mostrou homogênea sobre toda a superfície do substrato como observado pelas medidas de microscopia de força atômica (AFM), de forma que filmes mais homogêneos foram obtidos a partir de uma solução mista de Iignina com estearato de cádmio. A área por molécula, calculada com base no número de moléculas de ácido esteárico sobre a subfase, aumenta com a quantidade de lignina na solução mista, indicando a presença de ambos os componentes também na monocamada. Os espectros de infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR) mostraram que tanto a lignina quanto o estearato de cádmio são transferidos e os espectros de ultravioleta visível (UV-vis) indicaram que esta deposição é homogênea até a 20&#170 camada. Os difratogramas de raios-X e as medidas de AFM mostram que a deposição de lignina e estearato de cádmio ocorre em domínios separados. As medidas de AFM revelaram ainda um aumento da rugosidade do filme com o aumento do número de camadas depositadas e com a maior irregularidade do substrato utilizado. Vale destacar que os filmes de lignina pura mostraram-se mais homogêneos que os filmes mistos, apesar da maior estabilidade destes sobre a subfase. A uniformidade macroscópica dos filmes LB foram confirmadas por medidas de potencial de superfície. Um estudo comparativo de filmes de Langmuir de ligninas extraídas por diferentes processos e de diferentes fontes (madeira mole, madeira dura e cana-de- açúcar) foi realizado. Destacou-se a importância dos grupos funcionais nas medidas de pressão e potencial de superfície, sendo que a área molecular média mostrou-se aumentar com a massa molar das ligninas em questão. A observação de uma inversão nos valores do potencial de superfície para filmes LB de lignina de cana e de pinus abriu caminho para uma investigação mais detalhada dos fatores que contribuem para o potencial de superfície dos filmes LB. Além da Iignina, filmes LB de polianilina e estearato de cádmio também foram estudados. Os resultados revelaram que os valores do potencial de superfície para estes filmes podem ser melhor compreendidos levando-se em consideração modelos teóricos que tratam tanto da contribuição dipolar das moléculas que constituem o filme como da contribuição da interface filme/substrato, a qual geralmente é negativa e se dá pela injeção de cargas. No caso dos filmes LB de estearato de cádmio o potencial é positivo para um número ímpar de camadas e negativo para um número par / Langmuir monolayers and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films were produced from lignins extracted from sugar cane bagasse, via the organosolv process The surface pressure isotherms revealed an area per molecule of 100 &#197 for a condensed monolayer, and the modelling of ellipsometric data led to a thickness of 60 &#197 per layer for the LB films. The latter were not homogeneous, as demonstrated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies, and therefore mixed monolayers of Iignin and cadmium stearate were transferred with the aim of achieving more homogeneous films. The area per molecule, based on the number of stearic acid molecules on the airlwater interface, increased with the lignin contents in the mixed monolayers, thus confirming the presence of both components in the Langmuir monolayer. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy of LB films indicated that cadmium stearate as well as lignin were transferred onto the substrate. An equal amount of material was transferred in each deposition step, as demonstrated by the linear increase in UV-vis absorbance with the number of deposited layers up to the 20&#170 layer. Lignin and cadmium stearate are transferred in separate domains, which was indicated in X-ray diffraction measurements and AFM images. The latter also reveal that the roughness increases with the number of layers and may depend upon the substrate. Interestingly, films of pure lignin were more homogeneous than mixed films with cadmium searate, in spite of the higher stability and transterability of the mixed monolayers. Surface potential measurements showed a unitorm profile when the probe was scanned across an LB film, which may be taken as demonstration of uniformity at least at the macroscopic levei, though the film comprises domains and is usually rough for a molecular film. A comparative study was made ot monolayer characteristics for lignins obtained trom different sources and using different extracting procedures. The importance of functional groups was highlighted in these measurements, in which the area per molecule increased with the molecular weight ot the material. The observation that LB films from pinus and sugar cane bagasse exhibit surface potentials ot inverted sign has prompted us to investigate the possible contributions to such surface potentials. In addition to Iignins, in this study cadmium stearate and polyaniline LB films were also used. The overall conclusion was that the surface potential depends on the dipole moment of the monolayer-torming molecules, but is also affected substantially by the contribution from the substrate/film interface. The latter arises from charge injection from the electrode and is generally negative. For simple cadmium stearate LB films, the surface potential is positive for an odd number of layers, but negative for even numbers, since the dipole contribution is cancelled out