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Sapphire fiber has been studied intensively for harsh environment sensing in the past two decades due to its supreme mechanical, physical and optical properties. It is by far the most reported and likely the best optical fiber based sensing technology for sensing applications in temperature beyond 1000°C. Several sensing schemes have been proposed and studied to date including sapphire fiber extrinsic and intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometers, fiber Bragg gratings and long period gratings inscribed in sapphire fibers. Lacking the cladding, sapphire fiber is highly multi-moded which renders sapphire fiber based sensor fabrication much more difficult than those based on silica fibers. Among all the reported work on sapphire fiber sensing, the vast majority is for single point temperature measurement. In this work, different sensing schemes are proposed to enhance the capability of the sapphire fiber based sensing technology. For the single point sensing, a miniaturized sapphire fiber temperature sensor for embedded sensing applications was proposed and studied. The sensors are no more than 75 µm in diameter and are ideal for non-invasive embedded sensing applications. Unlike existing sapphire fiber sensors, the thin film sensors are batch-fabrication oriented and thus have a potential to permit mass production with low cost. In addition to single point sensors, multiplexed sapphire fiber sensing systems are investigated for the first time. Two multiplexed sensing solutions, named frequency-multiplexing and spatial-multiplexing, are proposed and studied to achieve multiplexed sensing based on sapphire fibers. / Ph. D.

Temperature sensing is one of the most common and needed sensing technique, especially in harsh environment like a coal gasifier or an airplane engine. Single crystal sapphire has been studied in the last two decades as a candidate for harsh environment sensing task, due to its excellent mechanical and optical properties under extreme high temperature (over 1000°C). In this research, a sapphire wafer based Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometer sensor has been proposed, whose functional temperature measurement can go beyond 1600°C. The size of the sensors can be limited to a 2cm-length tube, with 2mm outer diameter, which is suitable for a wide range of harsh environment applications. The sensors have shown linear sensing response during 20~1200°C temperature calibration, with high sensitivity and resolution, and strong robustness, which are ready for the field test in real-world harsh environment. / Master of Science

Atualmente a Engenharia supera novas fronteiras, principalmente devido à redução das dimensões dos equipamentos, e um exemplo desses impactos é o atual estágio de desenvolvimento da nanotecnologia. Ademais, não só as questões ambientais inerentes à contaminação do meio físico como também seu monitoramento devem ser continuamente abordadas para garantir que o profissional possa atuar nessa nova condição. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar como um grupo de estruturas miniaturizadas pode ser usado na remoção de partículas de um meio líquido ou gasoso e a separação de componentes de uma mistura. Também objetivou-se desenvolver uma metodologia simples de testes voltada para o estudo do comportamento dos fluidos no interior de estruturas onde material particulado e pequenas dimensões dificultam a passagem deste fluido. A utilização de canais preenchidos com material particulado ocorre tanto na Engenharia Química, para produção de compostos, como na Química, para a análise de substâncias. Os testes utilizaram equipamentos comuns em laboratório de química, uma estrutura para produção de spray, duas estruturas impactadoras distintas para remoção de partículas, e duas estruturas, denominadas como canais tridimensionais e de separação preliminar, para separação de compostos orgânicos voláteis. As substâncias puras permitem avaliar o tempo de residência e compará-lo com as misturas. As estruturas apresentaram comportamento muito semelhante quando comparadas as filmagens com o auxílio de traçadores e as simulações usando FEMLABÒ. O conjunto proposto de estruturas permite produzir spray com gotas de até 10 mm e obter uma impressão digital de compostos orgânicos em uma mistura, pois os resultados permitem montar tabelas qualitativas e semi-quantitativas que descrevem vários fenômenos, tais como, difusão, separação de compostos, perda de carga, etc. Estas estruturas apresentaram uma série de vantagens, tais como, mesodimensionamento, que facilita sua produção e manuseio, e possibilidade de uso em demonstrações de como ocorrem os fenômenos internos à estrutura. / Nowadays, mainly due to products miniaturization, engineering faces new horizons, which can be easily exemplified by the enhancement on nanotechnology development. Furthermore, not only environmental contamination but also environmental monitoring must be addressed in order to produce a systemic knowledge. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine how a group of miniaturized structures could be used on particle removal and component separation on a mixture. Also a secondary target was to develop a simple methodology in order to determine the fluid behavior inside the structures where particle material and small dimensions hinder flow passage. The use of packed channels is common not only in Chemical Engineering, on synthesis production, but also in Chemistry, for chemical analysis. Tests were carried out using equipment normally present in Chemistry to evaluate a set of structures composed by: one spray, two different impactors and other two different structures (one of them with five different outlets) for separation of volatile organic compounds. Tests were performed in liquid and gaseous phases and used several reactants (kerosene, gasoline, acetone, 2-propanol and ethanol) and their mixtures; pure reactants allow evaluation of the resident time and comparison with mixtures behavior. Simulations were also performed and the structure behavior evaluated by tracers shows good agreement with simulations data. The whole group of structures allows the production of spray with up to 10mm droplet dimension and the footprint of components in a mixture, i.e., the obtained data can be disposed as qualitative and quantitative tables, which describe several phenomena, such as diffusion, separation of compounds, load loss, etc. These structures present several advantages since dimensions on mesorange not only facilitate their production and manipulation bur also allow to unravel phenomena occurring inside the structures.

Atualmente a Engenharia supera novas fronteiras, principalmente devido à redução das dimensões dos equipamentos, e um exemplo desses impactos é o atual estágio de desenvolvimento da nanotecnologia. Ademais, não só as questões ambientais inerentes à contaminação do meio físico como também seu monitoramento devem ser continuamente abordadas para garantir que o profissional possa atuar nessa nova condição. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar como um grupo de estruturas miniaturizadas pode ser usado na remoção de partículas de um meio líquido ou gasoso e a separação de componentes de uma mistura. Também objetivou-se desenvolver uma metodologia simples de testes voltada para o estudo do comportamento dos fluidos no interior de estruturas onde material particulado e pequenas dimensões dificultam a passagem deste fluido. A utilização de canais preenchidos com material particulado ocorre tanto na Engenharia Química, para produção de compostos, como na Química, para a análise de substâncias. Os testes utilizaram equipamentos comuns em laboratório de química, uma estrutura para produção de spray, duas estruturas impactadoras distintas para remoção de partículas, e duas estruturas, denominadas como canais tridimensionais e de separação preliminar, para separação de compostos orgânicos voláteis. As substâncias puras permitem avaliar o tempo de residência e compará-lo com as misturas. As estruturas apresentaram comportamento muito semelhante quando comparadas as filmagens com o auxílio de traçadores e as simulações usando FEMLABÒ. O conjunto proposto de estruturas permite produzir spray com gotas de até 10 mm e obter uma impressão digital de compostos orgânicos em uma mistura, pois os resultados permitem montar tabelas qualitativas e semi-quantitativas que descrevem vários fenômenos, tais como, difusão, separação de compostos, perda de carga, etc. Estas estruturas apresentaram uma série de vantagens, tais como, mesodimensionamento, que facilita sua produção e manuseio, e possibilidade de uso em demonstrações de como ocorrem os fenômenos internos à estrutura. / Nowadays, mainly due to products miniaturization, engineering faces new horizons, which can be easily exemplified by the enhancement on nanotechnology development. Furthermore, not only environmental contamination but also environmental monitoring must be addressed in order to produce a systemic knowledge. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine how a group of miniaturized structures could be used on particle removal and component separation on a mixture. Also a secondary target was to develop a simple methodology in order to determine the fluid behavior inside the structures where particle material and small dimensions hinder flow passage. The use of packed channels is common not only in Chemical Engineering, on synthesis production, but also in Chemistry, for chemical analysis. Tests were carried out using equipment normally present in Chemistry to evaluate a set of structures composed by: one spray, two different impactors and other two different structures (one of them with five different outlets) for separation of volatile organic compounds. Tests were performed in liquid and gaseous phases and used several reactants (kerosene, gasoline, acetone, 2-propanol and ethanol) and their mixtures; pure reactants allow evaluation of the resident time and comparison with mixtures behavior. Simulations were also performed and the structure behavior evaluated by tracers shows good agreement with simulations data. The whole group of structures allows the production of spray with up to 10mm droplet dimension and the footprint of components in a mixture, i.e., the obtained data can be disposed as qualitative and quantitative tables, which describe several phenomena, such as diffusion, separation of compounds, load loss, etc. These structures present several advantages since dimensions on mesorange not only facilitate their production and manipulation bur also allow to unravel phenomena occurring inside the structures.

Les ondes de surface se propagent le long de la surface terrestre par-delà l'horizon et ces propriétés de propagation sont des atouts pour diverses applications industrielles (civiles ou militaires) opérant dans la bande HF. C'est le cas notamment des radars transhorizon, des systèmes de communications, de la détection de tsunami, ou encore l'étude de la courantologie. Actuellement, les aériens utilisés dans ce contexte ne sont pas optimisés pour privilégier la propagation par ondes de surface. C'est dans ce contexte que TDF, la Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) et l'Institut d'Electronique et de Télécommunications de Rennes (IETR) se sont associés pour proposer cette thèse. L'objectif principal de la thèse est de concevoir des antennes en bande HF de dimensions réduites (<3 mètres) réduisant le rayonnement vers le ciel afin favoriser l'onde de surface. Une première approche a permis de concevoir deux antennes élémentaires, l'une omnidirectionnelle et l'autre directive, permettant de réduire le rayonnement vers le ciel pour les sites compris entre -45° et +45°. Les solutions proposées sont de tailles très réduites grâce à l'utilisation d'une antenne à polarisation verticale électriquement courte dans le plan vertical et de parasites horizontaux alimentés par couplage EM. Les études expérimentales réalisées à échelle réelle sont en bon accord avec les performances théoriques obtenus à l'aide de logiciels d'analyse électromagnétique commerciaux. Une seconde approche a permis de concevoir des réseaux d'antennes électriquement courtes dans le plan vertical selon une disposition linéaire des aériens. La réduction du rayonnement vers le ciel est réalisée grâce aux réseaux de type Endfire/Broadside. Enfin, une troisième étude a permis de concevoir deux systèmes antennaires agiles en diagrammes tout en conservant les propriétés de réduction de rayonnement vers le ciel. Le premier système à l'aide d'antennes électriquement courtes dans le plan vertical chargées par des réactances, et le second en appliquant une pondération en amplitude et en phase d'un réseau à deux dimensions. / The surface-waves propagate beyond the horizon. This phenomenon is an attractive feature for many applications operating in the HF band both in civil or military field. By example, we can quote the High Frequency Surface Waves Radar (HFSWR), communicating systems, or the study of the currentology. Currently, the antennas used in the field of surface-waves propagation are not fully optimized and radiate also in sky wave. In order to optimize the radiation pattern of the antennas used in these systems, the company TDF, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) and the Institute of Electronic and Telecommunications of Rennes (IETR) have proposed this projetct. The main objective of this work is to design electrically small antennas in the vertical plane (< 3 meters) in the HF band while reducing the radiation toward the sky. The first concept is based on vertically polarized antennas electrically small in the vertical plane coupled to horizontally radiators placed above the antenna. As a result, the radiation pattern in the horizontal plane is omnidirectional or directive with a radiation toward the sky reduced for the elevations range from -45° to +45°. Prototypes have been realized and validated by measurements. Then, in the second study we have developed antennas array in order to reduce the radiation toward the sky with another way that the horizontal radiators. This method allows reducing significantly the radiation toward the sky according to the number of elements in the array. Finally, in the third study we have studied electronically scanning antennas while maintaining the reduction of the radiation toward the sky. The first system is based on an array of radiator loaded by reactance, and the second is based on a planar array with an appropriate feeding.

Mass spectrometry is a technique that analyzes the chemical compositions of compounds based on the mass-to-charge ratio of their ionized constituents. Miniaturized ion trap mass spectrometry finds application in a wide range of fields where portable, rugged, and reliable analytical instruments are required. Ion traps of various designs have been introduced over the past decades, each with their own unique advantages and capabilities. However, the process of developing a novel miniaturized ion trap mass spectrometer continues to be fraught with challenges. This dissertation discusses simulation studies pertaining to the development of a novel dual ion trap, the simplified coaxial ion trap, consisting of a simplified toroidal ion trap and a cylindrical ion trap. Ions are initially trapped in the toroidal region and the target ions are transferred to the cylindrical region where they are fragmented and mass analyzed, while the rest of the ion population remains securely trapped in the toroidal region. The compact design and extended trapping volume secure several advantages that are not available to conventional ion trap designs. The simulations were geared towards the determination of an optimized geometry and optimal operating conditions for the simplified coaxial ion trap. Four main criteria were used in the determination of the ideal geometric and operating conditions; namely, mass-selectivity of transfer from the toroidal to cylindrical traps, transfer and trapping efficiency in the cylindrical ion trap, mass resolution, and unidirectional ejection. The optimized geometry demonstrates successful trapping of ions in the toroidal region and selective transfer of target ions to the cylindrical region. Unidirectional inward ejection of ions could be achieved with a positive hexapole component in the electric field. The mass resolution under optimized conditions of the toroidal trap was 0.3 Da (FWHM), which agrees with the experimental value. The simplified coaxial ion trap yielded a total transfer and trapping efficiency of 25%. A number of suggestions to improve the efficiency are also discussed as part of this work.

The desire to counter multipath effects and improve communication links between mobile wireless systems in dense environment has led to much research in implementing antenna diversity. Space diversity, utilizing two or more antennas separated several wavelengths from one another, is one of the most popular method to achieve this operation. Meanwhile, polarization diversity, utilizing two orthogonal polarizations, has become more attractive in reducing cost and size of antenna systems. Polarization diversity is achieved using two orthogonal feeds to excite the two orthogonal polarization planes of the antenna. The challenge associated with designing dual polarized antennas is the need to reduce isolation between the feed and cross polarization level while maintaining a high efficiency. While a number of studies are successful in realizing polarization diversity, their antenna structure typically present more complex structures involving multiple layers. This thesis presents a novel method to implement polarization diversity on a miniature antenna using a simple planar structure. The antenna structure uses two crossed slots further miniaturized using a method derived from a recent study on miniaturized spiral slot antenna. At an operating frequency of ~ 1 GHz, the antenna is capable of achieving efficiency greater than 90% with a size as small as 0.08 .? x 0.08? The dual polarization operation is achieved by exciting the magnetic currents of the crossed slots with two orthogonal coplanar waveguide feeds. Simulation results of the proposed antenna yield an isolation > 15 dB with cross polarization levels > 10 dB. Theantenna structure was designed using CST Microwave Studio and the simulations were performed using IE3D simulation software.

Les ultrasons (US) thérapeutiques sont devenus un sujet d'intérêt croissant en ophtalmologie. Les ultrasons focalisés de haute intensité (HIFU) pour le traitement du glaucome et pour la délivrance de médicaments dans l'oeil sont les deux principaux domaines de recherche dans ce domaine. Cette thèse traite des deux sujets en deux parties distinctes : l'administration de médicaments ou drug delivery par d'ultrasons (USDD) à travers la sclère et la caractérisation par rayonnement infrarouge (IR) d'un dispositif HIFU ophtalmique pour le traitement du glaucome. Bien que plus perméable que la cornée, l'administration de médicaments efficace à travers la sclère reste un réel challenge. Dans ce travail, nous avons évalué l'effet d'une propagation d'us en mode pulsé sur l'administration de médicaments à travers la sclère. Parmi les mécanismes sous-jacents, la cavitation semble être un contributeur à une USDD renforcée. L'activité maximale de cavitation sous-jacente à une émission d'ultrasons en mode pulsé peut donc être une méthodologie viable pour l'amélioration de l'administration de médicaments à travers l'oeil. Dans la deuxième partie de la thèse, une nouvelle méthode de caractérisation ultrasonore de terrain a été développée pour un dispositif HIFU multi-éléments. Ce dispositif médical développé par Eyetechcare est destiné au traitement du glaucome réfractaire (Rillieux -la-pape, France). Une alternative basée sur la thermographie par infra-rouge a été développée pour une évaluation rapide et qualitative de la distribution d'intensité émise spécifiquement par ce dispositif à haute fréquence (19-21 mhz) constitué de multiéléments à focalisation en ligne. Cette méthodologie permettra de caractériser les sondes de thérapie à l'échelle industrielle / Therapeutic ultrasound has become a topic of growing interest in ophthalmology. High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of glaucoma and ultrasound (US) drug delivery are the two main areas of research in this field. This work addresses these domains in two separate parts: transscleral ultrasound drug delivery (USDD), and infrared (IR) field characterization of an ophthalmic HIFU device for glaucoma treatment. The sclera is a promising pathway for ocular drug delivery, since transscleral administration can address both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. Due to the low permeability however, efficient drug delivery is challenging. In this study, HIFU was investigated as a potential modality for an enhanced transscleral drug delivery (in vitro). Among US effects, cavitation was shown to be the major contributor to an enhanced USDD. A pulsed US protocol designed to maximum cavitation activity may therefore be a viable method for enhancing ocular drug delivery. In the second part, a new method of ultrasonic field characterization was developed for a multi-element HIFU device. This system is designed and produced for glaucoma treatment by Eyetechcare Company (Rillieux-la-Pape, France). The traditional hydrophone method for field characterization was prohibitively slow on an industrial scale. An alternative modality for rapid qualitative assessment of the intensity distribution based on infra-red (IR) thermography was developed specific to this high frequency (19-21 MHz) device with line-focus US radiators. The second part of the study was aimed to expand the application of a R&D technique for ultrasonic field characterization to an industrial scale

O interesse por técnicas analíticas que ofereçam a sensibilidade adequada, que sejam econômicas, ambientalmente corretas e capazes de processar rapidamente um grande número de amostras de diferentes complexidades é cada vez maior. Nesse aspecto, a utilização da LC no modo multidimensional é alternativa promissora, especialmente quando estratégias de extração e pré-concentração em fase sólida acopladas de forma on-line com a separação são exploradas, tanto em escala convencional quanto em escala miniaturizada. A ocorrência ambiental de contaminantes emergentes (EDCs) e seus impactos nas formas de vida aquática e terrestre têm sido motivo de preocupação. A quantificação desses analitos no ambiente exige métodos com limites de detecção (LDs) muito baixos, fazendo das estratégias column switching, com a inerente pré-concentração on-line, pertinentes para satisfazer as exigências na determinação desses compostos. Nesse cenário, o desenvolvimento e avaliação de estratégias column switching para determinação de contaminantes emergentes em amostras de interesse ambiental como aplicação modelo no estudo comparativo entre as escalas convencional e miniaturizada se faz impactante. Várias estratégias abrangendo column switching capilar e convencional foram investigadas. Colunas extratoras preenchidas com fases comerciais foram avaliadas, e tiveram seu desempenho testado no acoplamento com diversas colunas analíticas. Métodos em column switching capilar e convencional foram desenvolvidos e validados, tendo sido avaliadas as principais figuras de mérito. Os LQs atingidos em CS-UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS variaram de 0,001 ng mL-1 (BP e BzP) a 0,1 ng mL-1 (E3, E2 e EE2); para o método CS-cLC-ESI-MS/MS, os LQs foram maiores, variando entre 0,008 ng mL-1 (BP e BzP) a 0,8 ng mL-1 (E3, E2 e EE2). A linearidade dos métodos foi atestada avaliando-se os gráficos de resíduos, coeficiente de determinação e aplicando-se ponderações quando pertinente. A exatidão e a precisão foram investigadas, apresentando valores dentro dos critérios de aceitação. Por fim, os métodos foram aplicados em amostras ambientais aquosas coletadas em São Carlos - SP, mostrando que os métodos são adequados ao fim a que se destinam. / The interest in analytical techniques that offer adequate sensitivity, that are economical, environmentally friendly and capable of rapidly processing many samples of different complexities is increasing. In this regard, the use of LC in the multidimensional mode is a promising alternative, especially when solid phase extraction and preconcentration strategies coupled online with the separation are explored, both on a conventional scale and on a miniaturized scale. The environmental occurrence of emerging pollutants (EDCs) and their impacts on aquatic and terrestrial life forms have been of concern. Quantification of these analytes in the environment requires methods with very low detection limits (LDs), making column switching strategies with the inherent preconcentration online relevant to satisfy the requirements in determining these compounds. In this scenario, the development and evaluation of column switching strategies for the determination of emerging contaminants in samples of environmental interest as an application model in the comparative study between conventional and miniaturized scales is striking. Several strategies covering capillary and conventional column switching were investigated. Extraction columns filled with commercial phases were evaluated, and their performance was tested in the coupling with several analytical columns. Methods in capillary and conventional column switching modes were developed and validated, and the main figures of merit were evaluated. The LQs reached in CS-UHPLC-ESI-MS / MS ranged from 0.001 ng mL-1 (BP and BzP) to 0.1 ng mL-1 (E3, E2 and EE2); for the CS-cLC-ESI-MS / MS method, the LQs were higher, ranging from 0.008 ng mL-1 (BP and BzP) to 0.8 ng mL-1 (E3, E2 and EE2). The linearity of the methods was attested by evaluating the residual plots, coefficient of determination and applying weighted calibration when needed. Accuracy and precision were investigated, presenting values within the acceptance criteria. Finally, the methods were applied in samples collected in São Carlos - SP, showing that the methods are suitable for the purpose.