The work contained within this thesis is concerned with the further innovation and the development of apparatus for the electrospinning method which in its most basic form is used to produce and deposit small diameter fibres of many polymers and other materials in a mat structure with random orientation of the deposited fibres. The focus of the innovation is concerned with expanding the ways of collecting these fibres by implementing newly developed techniques, building upon the conventional electrospinning technique and literature to create an advanced electrospinning system. The innovation can be split into the following areas of study: Development of apparatus for the control of the electrospinning process, apparatus for the control of the deposition of the fibres and the development of apparatus for coating conductive wires and other materials with electrospun polymer fibres. Each of the apparatus designed and tested within this work build upon previous examples of experimental apparatus created by other groups as discussed in the following chapters. The apparatus developed and described is a combination of incremental improvement and previously untried combinations of the work that as gone before. All the apparatus developed for use as part of the ectrospinning process were designed to be easily improved incrementally and the development cycles to achieve the final apparatus shown have also been included. The novelty within this work is concerned the development of apparatus for use with the electrospinning process and with the overall supporting systems that have been developed alongside them. The novelty of the apparatus used in conjunction with the electrospinning process includes a remotely controlled fibre printer that can print tracks of electrospun fibres creating shapes and patterns. The development of the apparatus is discussed in detail covering all mechanical and electronic considerations and design decisions. The final apparatus is shown to operate as desired with polymer tracks thicknesses of 20mm in width achieved. A novel apparatus was developed using multiple ground electrodes that were digitally controlled in conjunction with the electrospinning method to achieve a new method of layering aligned fibres in layers with alternating orientations. Also the apparatus can be used in an alternate mode which allows the selective electrospinning of aligned bundles of fibres between multiple electrodes in user defined patterns. The apparatus is shown to achieve good polymer fibre alignment between electrodes and also is shown to work as deigned in regard to the layering of the aligned fibres. An alternate way of using the apparatus is successfully demonstrated allowing the selective patterning of deposited fibre bundles between multiple electrodes. A polymer coating apparatus was also developed to extend the electrospinning method to create core-shell fibres as part of a larger system developed for creating smart textiles and fibrous sensors. The novel electrospinning apparatus is shown to be able to uniformly coat both the circumference and along the length over a comparatively long length of core-shell fibre. A deposition thickness of polymer between 36 μm and 242 μm was achieved by changing the coating speed. An alignment of the electrospun fibres along the length on the core wires is also shown and discussed. The core-shell fibres developed are used in conjunction with another developed apparatus piece that weaves a series of wires around the outer shell to create a three layer device consisting of an outer electrically conductive layer, an electrospun polymer layer and an electrically conductive core. The system is shown to successfully create these three layer devices.

Controlled-release formulations for pesticide applications act as depot systems that continuously release the active ingredients into the environment over a speci ed period, usually from months to years. However, some applications require fast-dissolving drug delivery. The interest of this research is in fast-release of water-insoluble pesticides into aquatic environments. This study considered the use of dextrin starch and urea eutectics as fast release, solid dosage carrier forms that contain an active ingredient. The chosen active for this study is an acaricide called amitraz (N-methylbis-(2,4-xylyliminomethyl)- methylamine). The focus is on matrix-based dosage forms such as tablets, granules or bres that either disintegrate or dissolve to release a water-insoluble active. These types of dosage forms can be fabricated using processes such as lyophilisation, spray drying, solvent casting, hot melt extrusion, compression moulding, wet granulation, compaction and electrospinning. A simple melt-casting procedure has been discussed in the present work. Dextrin is a water-soluble form of partially hydrolysed starch and is a promising candidate matrix material for dissolving solid dosage forms. The molecular weight of the dextrin was analysed with MALDI-TOF methods and rheological relations. Glycerolplasticized thermoplastic dextrin-based nanocomposites were prepared with a twin-screw extrusion-compounding process. The nano llers included a layered double hydroxide (LDH), cellulose nano bres (CNF) and stearic acid. The time-dependent retrogradation of the compounds was monitored by X-ray di raction (XRD) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA). XRD showed that the inclusion of stearic acid in the formulations led to the formation of an amylose-lipid complex and a stable crystallinity during ageing. Dissolution rates in water for samples containing dextrin starch, were characterised using an iodine indicator and UV-visible spectroscopy. High pressure di erential scanning calorimetry (HPDSC) indicated that the addition of stearic acid led to the formation of amylose-lipid complexes (ALC's). An additive system containing stearic acid and CNF was deemed suitable for compounding with amitraz. Compounding at temperatures above the melting point of the latter led, on dissolution in water, to the release of much ner particles of the acaricide, which was con rmed with particle size analysis (PSA). The addition of the acaricide caused an apparent increase in the dissolution rate of the thermoplastic dextrin. Two eutectic urea systems were considered for casting with amitraz. A eutectic system of urea and acetamide was found to display a melting point of 44 C at a 37 wt.% urea composition. The other system consisting of urea and 1,3-dimethylurea displayed a eutectic point at 32 wt.% urea composition which melted at 59 C. Di erential scanning calorimetry (DSC), however, con rmed a melting point depression due to a high moisture content caused by the compounds high hygroscopicity. The endotherm of the sample containing no excess moisture showed a melting point of 70 C. The 1,3-dimethylurea system was deemed suitable for casting with amitraz. XRD of the eutectic composition indicated a small amount of co-crystallisation. The samples were cast as disks of various diameters while keeping the height of the disks constant. The creation of the cast disks showed automatic generation of a nely dispersed form of the active through the process of melting the deep eutectic solvent, the dissolution of the active and its phase separation on cooling and solidi cation of the eutectic. This implies that ne grinding of the actives might not be necessary. Eutectic casts containing 20 wt.% amitraz dissolved at a slower rate than casts not containing the hydrophobic active ingredient. The advantageous features of these casts were exempli ed using the acaricide incorporated into the urea & 1,3-dimethylurea eutectic. This work provides two safe, biodegradable and water soluble materials for use as a matrix to contain active ingredients. One material, the eutectic organic salt casts, can be produced at low temperatures (<100 C) and can be directly cast into storage containers. The complete dissolution of the cast compounded with a hydrophilic active is rapid (4-6 min). The second material, a thermoplastic dextrin, was melt compounded in an extruder at temperatures not exceeding 120 C. This compound containing 20 wt.% of the active dissolved over a 12 hour period. Dextrin, known to be widely used as an adhesive, will aid in the adhesion of the active ingredient to the surface where it must be used. / Dissertation (MEng (Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / PAMSA / Department of Science and Innovation under Grant DST/CON 0004/2019 / Chemical Engineering / MEng (Chemical Engineering) / Unrestricted

Les 2,3-dialcoxy-acènes possèdent la faculté de s’auto-assembler en solution dans un empilement remarquable, conduisant à la formation de nano-fibres. Les interactions moléculaires au sein de ces nano-fibres et l’orientation des molécules, favorisent le transport d’énergie après exposition à la lumière. Les mécanismes de transfert d’énergie ont été élucidés en incorporant des accepteurs d’énergie permettant de sonder les états excités de la matrice hôte, et d’extraire l’énergie ; La microscopie confocale de fluorescence (spectrale, dynamique, sous lumière polarisée) a été la technique privilégiée pour la caractérisation de ces systèmes. La morphologie des nanostructures a également été déterminée par mesures en AFM. Des données spectroscopiques obtenues sur des cristaux à base de 2,3-dialcoxy-acènes nous ont permis d’affiner les résultats obtenus sur les fibres, et d’étudier l’effet du nano-confinement sur la diffusion des états excités. / 2,3-dialkoxy-acenes can self-assemble in solution, with a remarkable packing, leading to the formation nanofibers. The molecular interaction inside the nano-fiber and the relative orientation of the molecules, promote energy transport after light exposure. The energy transfer mechanisms have been elucidated incorporating energy acceptor which can allow to probe excited states inside the host matrix, extracting the energy. Fluorescence confocal microscopy (spectral, dynamic, under polarized light) has been used to characterize the photo-physic properties of these nanofibers. The nanostructure morphologies have also been determined by AFM measurements. Spectroscopic data obtained on 2,3-dialkoxy-acenes crystal , have allow us to refine the data obtained on the fibers, and to study nano-confinement effect on the dynamic of the excited state.

Cette thèse explore l’utilisation des principes de la chimie supramoléculaire afin de fabriquer des dispositifs senseurs de gaz novateurs et à haute performance, avec une lecture (opto)-électronique. Parmi les différentes sections, divers échafaudages tels que des réseaux hybrides bi- et tridimensionnels de particules d’or et des nanofibres supramoléculaires sont utilisés comme matériaux actifs pour la détection quantitative de l’humidité. Au sein de la dernière section, des couches 2D d’oxyde de graphène sont fabriquées par exposition à un laser IR, puis comme validation de principe, exploitées comme matériau actif pour la détection d’ozone à une concentration ppm. Chacun des échafauds présentés est basé sur un mécanisme de transduction différent, mais dans tous les cas, les interactions entre récepteurs et analytes sont basés sur des liaisons dynamiques non covalentes. / This thesis explores the use of supramolecular chemistry principles to fabricate novel and high performances gas sensing devices, featuring (opto)-electronic readouts. Within the different sections, diverse scaffolds such as 2D and 3D hybrid networks of gold nanoparticles and 1D supramolecular nanofibers are exploited as active materials for the quantitative detection of environmental humidity. In the last section, 2D layers of reduced graphene oxide are fabricated by IR laser exposure and, as a proof-of-concept application, they are exploited as active materials for the detection of ozone in ppm concentration. Each of the presented scaffolds rely on a different transduction mechanism but, in all the cases, the interactions between the receptors and the analytes are based on dynamic non-covalent bonds.

Le contrôle spatial et temporel de l'auto-assemblage de molécules fluorescentes en nano-objets organisés et en matériaux mous a été réalisé par photochimie.La photodécarbonylation quantitative du progélifiant dkDDOA sous irradiation génère le super gélifiant 2,3-didécyloxyanthracène (DDOA) à température ambiante et simultanément gélifie le DMSO. DkDDOA est réactif sous excitation avec de la lumière bleue en raison de la fonction alpha-dicétone sensible à la lumière qui est ajoutée au noyau aromatique. De plus,l’ajustement de la couleur de l'émission du gel du bleu au vert a été obtenu en ajoutant un dérivé 1,2-dicétone-5,12-diphényltétracène photo réactif qui donne un 5,12-diphényltétracène émissif vert sensibilisé par un transfert d'énergie efficace.Sous un microscope, l'irradiation laser focalisée permet la structuration de nanofibres émissives sur une surface de verre. Bien que la surface de verre soit non traitée, on peut obtenir des micropattern de nanofibres de DDOA hautement alignées. Ces surfaces émettent une lumière bleue polarisée linéairement, comme le prouve la microscopie de polarisation. L'anisotropie élevée et l'orientation des fibres ont été obtenues en contrôlant la densité de nucléation et la direction de balayage du laser focalisé. Des micropattern orientés perpendiculairement peuvent ainsi être juxtaposés sur la même surface. / The spatial and temporal control of the self-assembly of fluorescent molecules into organized nano-objects and into soft materials was achieved by photochemistry. The quantitative photodecarbonylation of the progelator dkDDOA under irradiation generates the supergelator 2,3-didecyloxyanthracene (DDOA) at room temperature and simultaneously gelates DMSO. dkDDOA is reactive under excitation withblue light due to the light sensitive alpha-diketone moiety that is added to the aromatic core.Additional colour-tuning from blue to green emission from the gel was achieved by adding a similar photoreactive 1,2-diketone-5,12-diphenyltetracene that yields a green emissive 5,12-diphenyltetracene sensitized through an efficient energy transfer. Under a microscope, focused laser irradiation enables the patterning of blue-emissive nanofibers on to a glass surface. Although the surface is non-treated, micropatterns of highly aligned DDOA nanofibers can be obtained. These surfaces emit linearly polarized blue light,as proven with polarization microscopy. The high anisotropy and the orientation of the fibers was achieved by controlling the nucleation density and the direction of scanning of the focused laser. Perpendicularly oriented micropatterns can thereby be juxtaposed on the same surface.