Novel sol-gel titania-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (TiO2-PDMS) and titania-silica-N-(triethoxysilylpropyl)-O-polyethylene oxide urethane (TiO2-SiO2-TESP-PEO) coatings were developed for capillary microextraction (CME) to perform on-line preconcentration and HPLC analysis of trace impurities in aqueous samples. Due to chemical inertness of titania, effective covalent binding of a suitable organic ligand to its surface is difficult via conventional surface modification methods. In this research, sol-gel chemistry was employed to chemically bind hydroxy-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and N-(triethoxysilylpropyl)-O-polyethylene oxide urethane (TESP-PEO) to sol-gel titania and sol-gel titania-silica network, respectively. A method is presented describing in situ preparation of the titania-based sol-gel PDMS and TESP-PEO coatings and their immobilization on the inner surface of a fused-silica microextraction capillary. To perform on-line CME-HPLC, the sol-gel TiO2-PDMS or TiO2-SiO2-TESP-PEO capillarywas installed in the HPLC injection port as an external sampling loop, and a conventionalHPLC separation column was used for the liquid chromatographic separation. The sol-gel TiO2-PDMS-coated microextraction capillary was used for on-line CME-HPLC analysis of non-polar and moderately polar analytes, and the sol-gel coatings showed excellent pH (1-13), and solvent (acetonitrile and methanol) stabilities under elevated temperatures (150 C) over analogous non-sol-gel silica-based coatings. Extraction of highly polar analytes, especially from aqueous phases is not an easy task. However, the sol-gel TiO2-SiO2-TESP-PEO-coated capillaries showed excellent capability of extracting underivatized highly polar analytes from aqueous samples. This opens the possibility to employ sol-gel titania-based polar coatings for solvent-free extraction and trace analysis of target analytes in environmental and biomedical matrices. To our knowledge, this is the first research on the use of sol-gel titania (or titania-silica)-based organic-inorganic materials as a sorbent in capillary microextraction. The newly developed sol-gel titania (or titania-silica)-based organic-inorganic hybrid extraction media provides an effective solution to coupling CME with HPLC (CME-HPLC), and this can be expected to become a powerful analytical tool in environmental investigations, proteomic research, early disease diagnosis and biomarker research. Being a combination of a highly efficient solvent free sample preconcentration technique (CME) and a powerful separation method (HPLC), CME-HPLC poses to become a key analytical tool in solving complex chemical, environmental, and biomedical problems involving complex matrices.

The steep rise in the contamination of natural water sources, has led to an increasing demand for alternate solutions to cater safe drinking water to mankind. Water treatment by separation technology utilizes semipermeable membranes to filter the contaminants commonly present in potable water. In this context, the current work focuses on the development of membranes that are affordable, exhibit chemical resistance and can be developed at industrial scale. By blending two immiscible polymers like polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene oxide (PEO), different morphologies can be generated and porous structures can be developed by selectively etching the water soluble phase (PEO). Microorganisms in the feed stream often tend to foul the membrane by forming biofilms on the surface that tends to increase the resistance offered by the membrane. Therefore, preventing this biofilm is a key challenge in this field and can be overcome by use of functional group or materials that prevent the attachment or growth of microorganisms on the surface, while maintaining a good permeation rate of water. This thesis entitled “Porous Antibacterial Membranes Derived from Polyethylene (PE)/Polyethylene oxide (PEO) Blends and Engineered Nanoparticles” systematically studies the various morphologies generated by melt blending polyethylene (PE)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) in presence and absence of a compatibilizer (maleated PE). Porous structures are developed by selectively etching PEO from the blends and the nature of the pores, which is dependent on the blend composition, is assessed by tomography. The potential of these membranes are discussed for water purification application. Further, various modifications either on the surface or in the bulk have been systematically studied. For instance, incorporation of biocidal agents like graphene oxide (GO) and modified GO in the matrix and coating/grafting of membrane surface with biocidal agents like silver (Ag), GO for preventing the biofouling and to meet the specific requirements for safe drinking water. The thesis consists of ten chapters. Chapter 1 is a review on polymer blends for membrane applications. This chapter covers the fundamentals of polymer blends in transport processes and compares the merits and demerits of the conventional methods. This chapter mainly covers the melting blending technique and the optimizing parameters for obtaining a desired morphology. Further, the various methodologies for stabilization of the morphology against post processing operation have been discussed. The various methodologies for designing membranes (for water purification) that suppress or inhibit the bacterial activity on the membrane surfaces have been discussed elaborately. Chapter 2 outlines the materials, experimental set-up and procedures employed. Chapter 3 focuses on the morphologies that are developed during the blending of PE/PEO with varying weight ratios. The morphologies developed are supported by SEM analysis. The factors governing the localization of particles in PE/PEO blends are discussed in detail. The gradient in morphology obtained during post processing operations is highlighted. Based on the type of morphologies obtained, the thesis is divided into two parts as (I) membranes designed using matrix droplet type of morphology and (II) membranes designed using co-continuous morphology. Part I consists of four chapters that involves the development of membranes utilizing matrix droplet morphology. Chapter 4 focuses on the development of morphology, the length scales of which are smaller than a bacterial cell. This ensures sieving of the contaminants that are commonly present in the drinking water though the surface of the membranes may not be antibiofouling. Thus a passive strategy of antibiofouling has been employed by blending biocidal agents like GO and amine modified GO during melt mixing. The antibacterial mechanism and its effect on bacterial activity have been thoroughly studied. Chapter 5 focuses on modification of membrane by incorporating silver decorated GO in the bulk. The effect of incorporation of these particles and their effect on bacterial activity have been discussed systematically. Chapter 6 emphasizes on the surface coating of membrane with chitosan to enhance the antibacterial activity and antibiofouling. Chapter 7 focuses on the development of membrane with pore sizes that are larger than a bacterial cell. These membranes are grafted with antibacterial polymers like polyethylene imine (PEI) and Ag to achieve antibacterial and antibiofouling surface. The possible mechanism of bacterial inactivity is described and the leaching of Ag from the membranes has been discussed. Part II of the thesis focuses on the development of co-continuous morphology in PE/PEO blends and has been assessed using 3D tomography. Chapter 8 describes the development of co-continuous morphology in PE/PEO blend. 2D and 3D micrographs have been corroborated for understanding the morphology evolution during post processing operation like remelting or hot-pressing. The blend has been strategically compatibilized to arrest the morphology and retain the co-continuity in the blends. GO was anchored onto the surface of the membrane by rendering suitable surface active groups. The antibiofouling and bacterial inhibition was studied in detail. The effect of anchoring GO on the membrane surface has been discussed with respect to their membrane performance and its antibacterial activity. Chapter 9 discusses the development of membranes using PE based Ionomer (Surlyn) and PEO. The Ionomer provided active sites for reducing silver nitrate directly onto the surface of PE to render antibacterial surface which otherwise requires a two-step protocol in the case of inert PE. The effect of coating Ag on the membrane performance and its antibacterial activity is elaborated. Chapter 10 sums up the major conclusions from each chapter and highlights the outcome of the work.

Yes / Understanding the structure-property relationships of drug delivery system (DDS) components is critical for their development and the prediction of bodily performance. This study investigates the effects of introducing polyethylene oxide (PEO) homopolymers, over a wide range of molecular weights, into Pluronic injectable smart hydrogel formulations. These smart DDSs promise to enhance patient compliance, reduce adverse effects and dosing frequency. Pharmaceutically, Pluronic systems are attractive due to their unique sol-gel phase transition in the body, biocompatibility, safety and ease of injectability as solutions before transforming into gel matrices at body temperature. This paper presents a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of gelation and the interplay of microscopic and macroscopic properties under both equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions in controlled environments, as measured by rheology in conjunction with time-resolved Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS). The non-equilibrium conditions investigated in this work offer a better understanding of the two polymeric systems’ complex interactions affecting the matrix thermo-rheological behaviour and structure and therefore the future release of an active pharmaceutical ingredient from the injectable DDS.

Throughout the study of polymeric Langmuir monolayers at the air/water (A/W) interface, the Wilhelmy plate and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) techniques along with Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) have been identified as key methods for acquiring structural, thermodynamic, rheological and morphological information. These techniques along with surface light scattering (SLS), a method for probing a monolayer's dynamic dilational rheological properties, will be used to characterize homopolymers, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and a new class of novel polymeric surfactants, telechelic (POSS-PEG-POSS) and hemi-telechelic (POSS-PEG) polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) derivatives of PEG. PEO with number average molar mass, Mn > ~ 18 kg·mol-1 form stable spread Langmuir films at the A/W interface, while oligomeric PEG have ï -A isotherms that deviate from high molar mass PEO. Nonetheless, SLS reveals that the dynamic dilational viscoelastic properties of any Mn PEG(PEO) only depend on ï and not Mn. Likewise, POSS-PEG-POSS telechelics exhibit molar mass dependent ï -A isotherms, where low ï regimes (ï < 1 mN·m-1) have PEG-like behavior, but high ï regimes were dominated by POSS-POSS interactions. SLS studies reveal that the dynamic dilational moduli of POSS-PEG-POSS are greater than either PEO or an analogous POSS compound, trisilanolcyclohexyl-POSS. The ability to control rheological properties and the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance even allows one POSS-PEG-POSS (PEG Mn = 1 kg·mol-1) to form Y-type LB-multilayer films. For POSS-PEG systems, comparisons at comparable POSS:PEG ratios reveal short PEG chains (PEG Mn ~ 0.5 kg·mol-1) yield similar viscoelastic properties as POSS-PEG-POSS (PEG Mn ~ 1 kg·mol-1), while longer PEG chains (PEG Mn ~ 2 kg·mol-1) yield lower modulus films than comparable POSS-PEG-POSS. These differences are attributed to brush-like PEG conformations in short POSS-PEG versus mushroom-like PEG conformations in long POSS-PEG at the A/W interface. These results provide insight for designing PEG-based amphiphilic nanoparticles with controlled interfacial rheology. / Ph. D.

Yes / A study has been carried out to investigate controlled release performance of caplet shaped injection moulded (IM) amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) tablets based on the model drug AZD0837 and polyethylene oxide (PEO). The physical/chemical storage stability and release robustness of the IM tablets were characterized and compared to that of conventional extended release (ER) hydrophilic matrix tablets of the same raw materials and compositions manufactured via direct compression (DC). To gain an improved understanding of the release mechanisms, the dissolution of both the polymer and the drug were studied. Under conditions where the amount of dissolution media was limited, the controlled release ASD IM tablets demonstrated complete and synchronized release of both PEO and AZD0837 whereas the release of AZD0837 was found to be slower and incomplete from conventional direct compressed ER hydrophilic matrix tablets. Results clearly indicated that AZD0837 remained amorphous throughout the dissolution process and was maintained in a supersaturated state and hence kept stable with the aid of the polymeric carrier when released in a synchronized manner. In addition, it was found that the IM tablets were robust to variation in hydrodynamics of the environment and PEO molecular weight. / The research was funded by AstraZeneca, Sweden.

Semiconductors are used in many electronic applications, for example diodes, solar cells and transistors. Typically, semiconductors are inorganic materials, such as silicon and gallium arsenide, but lately more research and development has been devoted to organic semiconductors, for example semiconducting polymers. One of the reasons is that polymers can be customized, to a greater extent than inorganic semiconductors, to create a material with desired properties. Often, two polymers are blended to obtain the desired function, but two polymers do not usually result in an even blend. Instead they tend to separate from each other to varying degrees. The morphology of the blend affects the material properties, for example how efficiently it can convert electricity to light. In this project, thin films consisting of polymer blends were examined using microscopy techniques for the purpose of increasing our understanding of the morphology of such blends. One goal was to investigate whether a technique called correlative light and electron microscopy can be useful for examining the morphology of these films. In correlative light and electron microscopy, a light microscope and an electron microscope are used in the same location in order to be able to correlate the information from the two microscopes. The second goal was to learn about the morphology of the thin films using various microscopy techniques. The polymers used were Super Yellow and poly(ethylene oxide) with large molecular weight. Super Yellow is a semiconducting and light-emitting polymer while poly(ethylene oxide) is an isolating and non-emitting polymer that can crystallize. In the blend films, large, seemingly crystalline structures appeared. The structures could be up to 1 mm in the lateral direction, while the films were only approximately 170 nm thick. These structures could grow after the films had dried and their shapes were similar to those of poly(ethylene oxide) crystals. Consequently, there is reason to believe that it is the poly(ethylene oxide) that makes up the seemingly crystalline structures, but the structures also emitted more light than the rest of the film, and Raman spectroscopy showed that there was Super Yellow in the same location as the crystals. Among the microscopy techniques used, phase contrast microscopy was particularly interesting. This method visualizes differences in optical path length and was useful for studying polymer blends when the polymers have different indices of refraction. Correlating light and electron microscopy showed that there was a pronounced topographical difference between the seemingly crystalline regions and the rest of the thin film. Light microscopy has a limited resolution due to diffraction, but as long as the resolution of the light microscope is sufficient for seeing phase separation, correlative light and electron microscopy turned out to be a good method for studying the morphology of thin films of polymer blends. / Halvledare är viktiga för många elektroniska ändamål eftersom de kan användas till exempelvis dioder, solceller och transistorer. Traditionellt används inorganiska halvledande material som kisel eller galliumarsenid, men på senare tid har allt mer forskning och utveckling inriktat sig mot organiska (kolbaserade) halvledare, såsom halvledande polymerer, bland annat eftersom det i högre utsträckning går att skräddarsy de organiska materialen så att de får önskvärda egenskaper. Ofta blandas två polymerer med varandra för att skapa ett material med nya egenskaper som är önskvärda, men två polymerer brukar inte blandas jämnt utan tenderar att separera från varandra i olika utsträckning. Hur blandningen ser ut (morfologin) påverkar materialets egenskaper, till exempel hur effektivt det omvandlar ström till ljus. Med syfte att öka förståelsen för hur morfologin ser ut hos en blandning av två polymerer, har detta projekt gått ut på att undersöka tunna filmer av polymer-blandningar med hjälp av mikroskopiska tekniker. Ett delmål var att ta reda på om en teknik som heter korrelativ ljus- och elektronmikroskopi är en bra metod för att undersöka morfologin hos dessa filmer. Vid korrelativ ljus- och elektronmikroskopi används både ett ljusmikroskop och ett elektronmikroskop på samma plats för att kunna korrelera informationen som de båda mikroskopen ger. Det andra delmålet var att undersöka vad de olika mikroskopi-teknikerna kan säga om morfologin hos de tunna filmerna. De polymerer som använts är Super Yellow och poly(etylenoxid) med hög molekylmassa. Super Yellow är en oordnad halvledande och ljusemitterande polymer medan poly(etylenoxid) är en isolerande och icke-emitterande polymer som kan kristallisera. I de blandade filmerna uppstod stora kristall-liknande strukturer som kunde vara upp emot 1 mm breda trots att filmerna bara var ungefär 170 nm tunna. Dessa strukturer kunde växa fram efter det att filmerna redan hade torkat och påminde i form om kristaller som kan bildas av poly(etylenoxid). Det finns alltså skäl att tro att det är poly(etylenoxid) som kristalliserats, men de kristall-liknande strukturerna visade sig emittera mer ljus än vad resten av filmen gjorde, och Raman-spektroskopi visade att det även fanns Super Yellow på samma plats som kristallerna. Bland de mikroskopitekniker som testades utmärker sig faskontrastmikroskopi, som visar skillnader i den optiska vägskillnaden (det vill säga faktisk vägskillnad multiplicerat med brytningsindex). Det visade sig vara en intressant teknik för att studera polymerblandningar när de båda polymererna har olika brytningsindex. Genom att korrelera ljus- och elektronmikroskopi visade det sig att det fanns en tydlig skillnad i struktur mellan de kristall-liknande områdena och resten av den tunna filmen. Ljusmikroskopi har begränsad upplösning på grund av ett fenomen som heter diffraktion, men så länge som ljusmikroskopets upplösning är tillräcklig för att se fasseparation visade det sig att korrelativ ljus- och elektronmikroskopi är en bra metod för att studera morfologin hos tunna filmer av polymerblandningar.

L'objectif principal de la thèse porte sur la synthèse contrôlée et la caractérisation d’architectures macromoléculaires complexes originales à base de POE. Les POEs α-undécènyle-ω-hydroxy sont obtenus par polymérisation anionique par ouverture de cycle de l’oxyde d’éthylène. Le groupement hydroxyle est modifié pour accéder à des POEs α-undécènyle-ω-méthacrylate et des POEs α-undécènyle-ω-acétylène. Ces premiers POEs sont ensuite utilisés pour préparer soit des POEs à structure en peigne par ATRP dans l'eau soit par l'intermédiaire de réaction « click », des POEs à structure en étoile tétrafonctionnelles, tandis qu’avec les seconds permettent d’obtenir des PI-b-POE par réaction « click » avec le polyisoprène ω-azoture. Les extrémités de chaîne de POE commerciaux α-méthoxy-ω-hydroxy sont modifiées en POEs α-méthoxy-ω-allyle ou en POEs α-méthoxy-ω-undécènyle pour synthétiser par réaction d’hydrosilylation des étoiles de POE à structures en étoile octafonctionnelles. / The main objective of the thesis focuses on the controlled synthesis and the characterization of original and complex macromolecular architectures based on PEO. α-Undecenyl-ω-hydroxy PEOs are obtained by anionic ring opening polymerization of ethylene oxide. The hydroxyl group is modified to access to α-undecenyl-ω-methacrylate PEOs and α-undecenyl-ω-acetylene PEOs. These first PEOs are used to prepare either comb-shaped PEOs by ATRP in water or through by click reaction of tetrafunctional star-shaped PEOs. Whereas the second PEOs allow obtaining block copolymers PI-b-PEO via click reaction with ω-azide polyisoprene. The chain-ends of commercial α-methoxy-ω-hydroxy PEO are modified in α-methoxy-ω-allyl PEOs or in α-methoxy-ω-undecenyl PEOs to synthesize by hydrosilylation reaction octafunctional star-shaped PEOs.

Across the world, war has been declared against poverty because of its devastating effects on local communities. The world has made a concerted effort to fight the effects of poverty through developmental agencies and regional integration bodies such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organisation (WTO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). In an effort to complement the efforts of the above–mentioned agencies and bodies, the South African government has developed its own poverty alleviation strategies, policies, initiatives and Acts that focus primarily on alleviation of poverty on the level of local government. The Constitution of South Africa, 1996 provides the guidelines to several regulations and Acts (such as the Development and Facilitation Act, 67 of 1995, the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000, and the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998.) that support the alleviation of poverty on the local sphere of government. The Integrated Development Planning programme was formulated and implemented to alleviate poverty at this level. The purpose of this study was to determine how the level of poverty within the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality could be alleviated through effective integrated development planning. A quantitative approach was followed because the target population response rate was expected to be large. In addition, the research design for this study included a literature review, analyses of official documents, observation and data sampling through questionnaires and scientific analysis of the responses. The study found that IDP objectives aligned to service delivery targets were unclear and did not depict the aspirations and needs of the community. The programmes aimed at the infrastructure coupled with skills development programmes and job creation initiatives could assist in the alleviation of poverty. / M Development and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Le facteur clé limitant le déploiement des accumulateurs au lithium métal est dû à la formation de dendrites de lithium métallique à l'anode au cours de la recharge. Une solution consiste à employer un électrolyte solide polymère. Un copolymère à blocs est composé d'un ou plusieurs blocs conducteurs à base de POE (poly(oxyde d'éthylène)), linéaire ou branchée, dopés en sel de lithium (LiTFSI) et de blocs de renforts mécaniques qui idéalement mitigent la croissance dendritique. Ces matériaux ont la particularité de s'auto-assembler en domaines nanométriques. Les interfaces entre les domaines génèrent de bonnes propriétés mécaniques à l'échelle macroscopique tandis que localement la dynamique des chaînes POE demeure élevée, assurant la conduction ionique.Ce travail de thèse porte sur les caractérisations physico-chimiques d'électrolytes copolymères, selon différentes architectures (diblocs, triblocs et étoilées) et de l'optimisation de leurs compositions. Une étude fondamentale des polymères dopés en sel a mis en évidence les principaux mécanismes de transport ionique, ainsi que l'impact des groupes terminaux à faible masse molaire sur la conductivité et la viscosité. Cette étape a permis de sélectionner les meilleurs candidats. L'étude de la stabilité des électrolytes vis-à-vis du lithium a été menée. Après avoir formulé des cathodes, des batteries plastiques ont été assemblées et testées avec succès par cyclages galvanostatiques, en température [40°C-100°C] et à des régimes élevés. Enfin, un prototype de 6 mAh a réalisé plus de 400 cycles à des régimes C/4 et D/2 à 100°C. / The key limiting factor for the deployment of Lithium metal batteries is the formation of lithium dendrites at the anode during recharge. One solution consists in the use of a solid polymer electrolyte. A bloc copolymer is composed of one or several conductive blocks based on PEO (poly(ethylene oxide)), linear or branched, doped with a lithium salt (LiTFSI) and reinforced blocks that ideally mitigate the dendritic growth. These materials can self-organize in nanometric domains. The interfaces between the domains generate sufficient mechanical properties at the macroscopic level whilst, locally, the PEO chain dynamics remain high, ensuring ionic conduction.This thesis deals with physico-chemical characterizations of these copolymer electrolytes, with different architectures (diblock, triblock and star shaped), and the optimization of their composition. A fundamental study of doped polymers highlighted the main mechanisms of ionic transport and the impact of the end groups at low molar mass on conductivity and viscosity. This step enabled a selection of the best candidates to be made. A study of the electrolyte stability with respect to lithium was carried out. After the formulation of cathodes, plastic batteries were assembled and successfully tested by galvanostatic cycling under temperature [40°C-100°C] and high regime. Finally, a 6 mAh prototype realised more than 400 cycles under the regime C/4 and D/2 at 100°C.

Dans le contexte d'un développement durable, les véhicules électriques apparaissent comme une solution incontournable dans le futur. Parmi les dernières évolutions sur les batteries, les systèmes constitués d'une électrode au lithium (technologie lithium métal) présente des performances remarquables en termes de densité d'énergie. L'inconvénient majeur de cette méthodologie est lié à la formation de dendrites lors de la recharge susceptibles d'occasionner des courts-circuits conduisant à l'explosion de la batterie. C'est dans cet axe que s'inscrit mon sujet de thèse dont l'objectif est de développer un électrolyte polymère solide présentant une conductivité ionique élevée (2.10-4 S.cm-1 à40°C) et une tenue mécanique suffisante (30 MPa) pour limiter les phénomènes de croissance dendritique. Pour cela, la polymérisation contrôlée par les nitroxydes (NMP) a été utilisée pour synthétiser des copolymères à blocs avec un bloc possédant des groupes d'oxyde d'éthylène –CH2-CH2-O- permettant la conduction des ions lithium et un bloc de polystyrène assurant la tenue mécanique de l'électrolyte final. Le bloc assurant la conduction ionique des architectures ainsi synthétisées sont constituées soit de POE sous forme linéaire soit de POE sous forme de peigne. / In the context of sustainable development, electric vehicles appear to be a major solution for the future. Among the lastest technologies, the Lithium Metal Polymer battery has presented very interesting performances in terms of energy density. The main drawback of this system is the formation of lithium dendrites during the refill of the battery that could cause short circuits leading to the explosion of the battery. The aim of my PhD is to develop a Solid Polymer Electrolyte showing a high ionic conductivity (2.10-4 S.cm-1 at 40°C) and a high mechanical strength (30 MPa) to prevent dendritic growth. For that purpose, Nitroxide Mediated Polymerization is used to synthesize block copolymers with a PEO moiety for ionic conduction –CH2-CH2-O- and polystyrene for mechanical strength. Different kind of architectures have been synthesized : block copolymer with linear PEO moiety or with grafted PEO moiety.