Polymers rich in primary amine groups are proposed to be effective adsorbents for the reversible adsorption of CO2 from moderately dilute gas streams (10% CO2) and ultra-dilute gas streams (e.g. ambient air, 400 ppm CO2), with their performance under ultra-dilute conditions being competitive with or exceeding the state-of-the-art adsorbents based on supported poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI). The CO2 adsorption capacity (mmol CO2/g sorbent) and amine efficiency (mmol CO2/mmol amine) of linear poly(allylamine) (PAA), cross-linked poly(allylamine) prepared by post-polymerization crosslinking with epichlorohydrin (PAAEPI), and branched poly(allylamine) prepared by branching of poly(allylamine) with divinylbenzene (PAADVB) are presented here and compared with state-of-the-art adsorbents based on supported PEI, specifically branched and linear, low molecular weight PEI. Silica mesocellular foam, MCF, serves as the support material for impregnation of the amine polymers. In general, branched polymers are found to yield more effective adsorbents materials. Overall, the results of this work show that linear PAA, cross-linked PAAEPI, and branched PAADVB are promising candidates for solid adsorbents with high capacity for CO2.

<p>Poly(vinyl alcohol) and polyethylene polymer systems werebuilt in order to study their transport properties (diffusion).First a verification of the AMBER force field was conducted fora poly(vinyl alcohol) system built from a chain with 145repeating units. NPT-molecular dynamics simulations attemperatures between 400 and 527 K were performed. The resultsof the simulations were compared withpressure-volume-temperature data, solubility parameter, X-rayscattering pattern and data for the characteristic ratio. Thefractional free volume distribution was computed and thediffusion characteristics of water in the polymer werestudied.</p><p>Further another poly(vinyl alcohol) system, with 600repeating units, was used to study oxygen diffusion in dry andwet poly(vinyl alcohol). In these systems the focus was toinvestigate the oxygen paths relative to the backbone and alsothe effect of water on the diffusion coefficients. Jump mapsand correlation function between the velocity of the oxygen wascalculated. The water has a huge impact on the oxygen diffusionand the preferred paths.</p><p>A larger molecule (limonene) was studied in a polyethylenematrix consisting of 6000 anisotropic united atoms. A 100 nslong trajectory was recorded and also shortertrajectories atdifferent temperatures, which gave the temperature dependenceof the diffusion coefficients. Correlation functions for thelimonene molecule shows that it rotates and tumbles when movingthru the matrix.</p><p>The main results from the molecular dynamics simulationsshowed that diffusion of larger molecules are possible and alsothat molecular dynamics simulations can predict plasticizationeffects.</p><p>A new fast experimental method for determining diffusioncoefficients with non iso thermal thermogravimetry weredeveloped. The advantage is that the experiments only takesminutes instead of days with a small effect on theaccuracy.</p>

Notre recherche s'inscrit dans le cadre de l'innovation anthropocentrée. Après avoir souligné les limites des approches existantes centrées sur l'ergonomie et l'usage, nous insistons sur la nécessité de prendre en compte les facteurs de plaisir du consommateur, en d'autres termes la réaction affective du consommateur au produit. Nous présentons le rôle respectif des cinq modalités sensorielles dans la perception du produit, avant de définir les composantes de la réaction affective du consommateur. Nous posons finalement la question suivante: comment prendre en compte la réaction affective des consommateurs dans le processus de conception de produits ? Nous inscrivons notre recherche dans le cadre de l'ingénierie affective, ensemble de méthodes dont l'objectif est d'établir des relations entre la perception subjective des consommateurs et les attributs concrets d'un produit industriel. Nous présentons un état de l'art critique des méthodes d'ingénierie affective existantes: l'ingénierie Kansei, les approches émotionnelles, les approches sémantiques, l'évaluation sensorielle. Nous postulons que toute approche d'ingénierie affective se doit de prendre en compte trois types de données: les attributs concrets du produit, les valeurs des consommateurs, la réaction affective des consommateurs. Notre problématique est la suivante: comment concevoir une méthode d'ingénierie affective, abordable en terme de coût de mise en oeuvre par les entreprises de l'ameublement, et permettant de mettre en évidence les attributs concrets critiques de l'espace produit ? Nous proposons un modèle permettant d'expliciter l'influence des attributs concrets critiques sur la perception du consommateur. La méthode que nous proposons est centrée sur deux épreuves successives: la catégorisation libre et le classement hédonique. Nous formulons trois hypothèses: la catégorisation libre et le classement hédonique permettent de mettre en évidence les attributs concrets critiques, les valeurs associées, et la réaction affective du consommateur

Le 6-triéthoxysilyl-1-hexyl-ferrocène est une molécule stable, pouvant se lier de manière irréversible aux polysiloxanes en croissance, et possédant des propriétés électrochimiques, pour pouvoir l'utiliser comme une nouvelle sonde rédox. Les études électrochimiques (voltammétrie cyclique, chronoampérométrie) confirment l'influence du type de catalyseur dans l'évolution des coefficients de diffusions des polysiloxanes en croissance (détermination du temps de gel et des structures des polymères en solutions). Les résultats préliminaires sur des électrodes modifiées semblent lier la nature du catalyseur à l'organisation des xérogels de silice (fractals, isotrope) et leurs propriétés électrochimiques. Pour les sols-gels hybrides à matrice ormosils et les sol-gels de titane/phosphonate, l'utilisation de sondes rédox appropriées permet de suivre l'évolution de ces systèmes complexes et montrent l'influence des différents paramètres lors de la formation de ces matériaux.

L'objectif de la thèse est d'élaborer de nouveaux matériaux polymères à hautes performances avec une porosité fermée de taille submicronique, selon une démarche originale de moussage par génération de gaz in-situ issu de la dégradation thermique de groupes pendants thermolabiles. <br />Après avoir choisi une matrice polymère thermostable de type poly(phénylquinoxaline)s (PPQ) et ayant sélectionné un groupement thermolabile (tertiobutylcarbonate, Boc), une étude sur molécules modèles a permis de définir précisément la démarche suivie dans ce travail. Le greffage de ces groupements thermolabiles sur des fonctions phénols a pu être validé. Enfin, la décomposition des groupements Boc (libération de CO2 et isobutène) s'est avérée très propre, totale et laissant présager un bon contrôle du processus de moussage du système PPQ + CO2/isobutène.<br />Différents monomères bis(Α-dicétone)s ont été synthétisés puis polymérisés avec une bis(o-diamine) commerciale, pour conduire à des PPQ portant des groupements phénoliques en chaîne latérale. Suivant les conditions expérimentales choisies, ont été réalisées des structures ayant des taux de fonctions phénols variables, et une répartition particulière de ces fonctions selon la nature du monomère ou des architectures "statistiques" ou "séquencées". Le greffage de fonctions carbonates sur ces phénols a permis d'accéder à des taux de gaz générés élevés et variant de 150 à 654 mg/g, avec une répartition directement reliée à celle des fonctions phénols initiales.<br />Trois paramètres essentiels permettent de contrôler les caractéristiques des matériaux poreux obtenus : la concentration en gaz généré, la Tg du polymère et la température de moussage.<br />L'utilisation de températures de moussage élevées a permis d'élaborer des mousses de PPQ macroporeuses (ultra- et microcellulaires) dont la morphologie est similaire aux matériaux obtenus par des procédés conventionnels au CO2 supercritique. Les caractéristiques de cette macroporosité peuvent être contrôlées en fonction de la concentration en gaz et de la Tg du polymère. <br />Par ailleurs, l'utilisation d'architectures "séquencées" (copolymères à blocs) permet la formation de matériaux ultra et microcellulaires ayant une double distribution de porosité. Cette distribution bimodale est très probablement due à une ségrégation de phase microscopique.<br />Des températures de moussage modérées ont permis, pour l'ensemble des polymères étudiés, la formation de matériaux nanocellulaires de porosité fermée. Ces résultats montrent donc qu'il est possible de former et de stabiliser des nano-cellules (8-40 nm) par un mécanisme de nucléation-croissance, dans une matrice polymère. L'obtention de tailles très faibles et de densités de cellules élevées, nécessite un taux de nucléation important (concentration en gaz élevée) et une faible croissance des nanocellules nucléées (viscosité du système élevée). Parmi les différentes structures étudiées, les mousses de PPQ-OH présentent le meilleur compromis entre une quantité de gaz importante (345 mg/g) et une Tg élevée (370 °C) et conduisent à des matériaux nanocellulaires particulièrement intéressants (taille: 8-11 nm – Nc: 4 1016 cellules/cm3 – P: 14-16 %vol).

Zum gegenwärtigen Kenntnisstand bezüglich Solvatochromie, Sol-Gel Prozesse, und der Synthese von Polyketonen wird eine kurze Einführung gegeben. Die Synthesekonzeptionen funktionalisierter aromatischer Aminoketone wereden vorgestellt. Die neun Verbindungen wurden mittels Elementaranalyse, Röntgenstrukturanalyse, und spektroskopischen (NMR, UV/Vis, MS) Methoden aufgeklärt. Im Mittelpunkt der Untersuchungen steht die Untersuchung des Einflusses von unterschiedlichen Medien (Lösungmittel, Oberflächen, Sol-Gel Materialien und Nachbarnmoleküle im Kristall) auf die Lage der UV/Vis-Absorptionsmaxima verschiedener aromatischer Aminoketone. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen liefern Informationen in Bezug auf das spezifische Solvatationsvermögen, die Polarität von Feststoffoberflächen, der Einfluss funktionaler Gruppen in aromatischen Aminoketonen auf die intermolekulare Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen in Kristallen, und über die Natur der Gast-Host-Wechselwirkungen. Auf der Basis von nucleophilen Substitutionsreaktionen wurden zwei verschiedene Prozesse für die Synthese von Ploy(benzophenone-co-piperazin) und der Kompositform entwickelt. Molekulare Strukturen und Eigenschaften konnten durch Elementaranalyse, mehrere spektroskopische (IR, Festkörper-NMR, UV/Vis, MALDI-TOF) Methoden, Zetapotentialmessungen in wässeriger Phase und thermogravimetrischen Bestimmungen charakterisiert werden.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. The following patent resulted from the dissertation research: Davis, V., Simonian, A.L., Nepal, D., Balasubramanian, S, "Preparation of Precisely Controlled Thin Film Nanocomposites of Carbon Nanotubes and Biomaterials", U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/000,938, filed on 30 October 2007. The following peer-reviewed publications resulted from the dissertation research: Dhriti Nepal, Shankar Balasubramanian, Aleksandr Simonian, and Virginia Davis, "Mechanically Strong Antibacterial Thin Film Based on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Armored with Biopolymers", Nano Letters ASAP article, May 2008 (# equal contribution) -- Shankar Balasubramanian, Iryna B. Sorokulova, Vitaly J. Vodyanoy, and Aleksandr L. Simonian, "Lytic Phage as a Specific and Selective Probe For Detection of Staphylococcus Aureus: A Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopic Study", Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2007, 22, 948-955 -- Shankar Balasubramanian, Alexander Revzin, Aleksandr Simonian, "Electrochemical Desorption of Proteins from Gold Electrode Surface", Electroanalysis, 2006, 18, 1885-1892 (Invited article) -- Vishwaprakash Nanduri, Shankar Balasubramanian, Srinivas Sista, Vitaly J. Vodyanoy, and Aleksandr L. Simonian, "Highly Sensitive Phage-based Biosensor for the Detection of ß-galactosidase", Analytica Chimica Acta, 2007, 589, 166- 172 -- H. Luckarift, Shankar Balasubramanian, S. Paliwal, G. Johnson and A. Simonian, "Enzyme-Encapsulated Silica Monolayers For Rapid Functionalization of a Gold Surface", Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 2007, 58, 28-33 (Invited article) -- Dong Wei, Omar Oyarzabal, Tung-Shi Huang, Shankar Balasubramanian, Srinivas Sista, Aleksandr Simonian, "Development of Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor For The Identification of Campylobacter jejuni", Journal of Microbiological Methods, 2007, 69, 78-85. The following conferences presentations resulted from the dissertation research: Covalent Immobilization of Organophosphorus Hydrolase on Carbon Nanotubes for Biosensor Applications, accepted for oral presentation at 12th International Meeting on Chemical Sensors, Jul. 13-16, 2008, Columbus, OH -- Electrochemical characteristics of SWNT-biopolymer nanocomposites, accepted for 213th meeting of The Electrochemical Society, May 18-23, 2008, Phoenix, AR -- Mechanically Robust Antibacterial Thin Films Composed of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Biopolymers, 2008 AIChE Spring National Meeting, Apr. 6-10, New Orleans, LA -- Production and characterization of protein and DNA based single wall carbon nanocomposites by layer-by-layer assembly, MRS Fall Meeting, Nov. 26-30, 2007, Boston, MA -- Gold surface modified with enzyme-encapsulated silica monolayers for biosensor application, The 58th Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Nov. 1-4, 2006, Augusta, GA -- Electrochemical modulation of biological interfaces, 209th meeting of The Electrochemical Society, May 7-12, 2006, Denver, CO -- SPR based biosensor using lytic phage as a specific and selective probe for staphylococcus aureus detection, 57th Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Mar. 12-17, 2006, Orlando, FL -- Specific & selective detection of staphylococcus aureus by lytic phage using SPR biosensor, 57th Southeast / 61st Southwest Joint Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Nov. 1-4, 2005, Memphis, TN -- Prevention of non-specific binding as a way to increase sensitivity of SPR-based sensors, 206th meeting of The Electrochemical Society, October 3-8, 2004, Honolulu, HI. Includes bibliographical references.

PLGA have already been successfully applied for controlled drug delivery systems by the pharmaceutical industry due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability and ease of processing. It has recently further been developed and formulated into a form of nanoparticle. The single emulsion evaporation method was used to prepare nanoparticles in this study. By varying different parameters such as the concentration of regents, the type of surfactant and emulsion method, different particle sizes and size distribution of PLGA nanoparticles could be obtained. The stability of PLGA nanoparticles was further investigated by assessing their thermal property over a certain period of time using DSC. The decrease of Tg confirmed the hydration and degradation of PLGA polymers and nanoparticles. The changes of surface morphology showed that the nanoparticles were in spherical shape and maintained smooth surface before the storage, whereas they started to lose their original shapes as well as agglomerate to each other after 2-week storage. These results suggested that there was an erosion and degradation of PLGA nanoparticles during storage. Ibuprofen-loaded PLGA nanoparticles have been successfully prepared by o/w single emulsion evaporation method. During the stability study, a faster degradation rate compared to non-loaded PLGA nanoparticles was exhibited, showing that Ibuprofen increased the degradation rate of PLGA nanoparticles. According to the results of drug releasing study, PLGA nanoparticles exhibiting a slower drug release rate than pure drug which proved that drug-nanoparticule system could effectively increase the stability of drugs. PLGA polymer is a potential material for drug delivery system.

Environmentally friendly processing of materials is becoming an increasingly important consideration in a wide variety of emerging technologies. Polymer processing,in particular, has benefited tremendously in this venue from numerous advances achievedusing high-pressure carbon dioxide (CO2) as a viscosity modifier, plasticizing agent,foaming agent, and reaction medium. Polymer processing in supercritical fluids has been a major interest for a portfolio of materials processing applications including their impregnation into porous matrices. Also, SCF solvents are being examined as a media for polymerization processes, polymer purification and fractionation, and as environmentally preferable solvents for solution coatings. Pressurized CO2 isinexpensive, sustainable, relatively benign, and versatile due to its gas-like viscosity and liquid-like densities, which can be controllably tuned through appropriate choice of temperature and pressure. Addition of high-pressure CO2 to polymer systems can have a profound impact on their thermodynamic properties and phase behavior, since the number of interacting species increases due to the high-pressures, so that the compressibility also increases, as well as the plasticity effects. Even then, polymers are only sparingly soluble in CO2 unless one uses an entrainer or surfactant. An addition of a liquid monomer co-solvent results in greatly enhanced polymer solubility in the supercritical fluid at rather mild conditions of lower temperatures and reduced pressures.The focus of this research is to measure, evaluate and model the phase behavior of the methyl methacrylate-CO2 and the poly (methyl methacrylate)-CO2-methyl methacrylatesystem, where methyl methacrylate plays role of a co-solvent. Cloud-point data are measured in the temperature range of 30-80ʻC, pressures as high as 300 bar, co-solvent concentrations of 27 and 48.4 wt% MMA, and varying PMMA concentrations of 0.1, 0.2,0.5, and 2.5 wt%. Solubility data is reported for these systems. The experimental results are modeled accurately using the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (SAFT) for multi component polymer/solvent mixtures. The measured solubility data appears to be significantly different than previously published results by McHugh et al, Fluid Phase Equilibria, 1999. Thorough investigation, re-calibration of the equipment, and repetition of the measurements has proved that the measured data is entirely correct and the reference data is significantly off, which indirectly gives credit to this work and opens room for amendments of those results.

Previous studies have shown extensive cellular damage can activate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and cause a rapid decrease in the levels of NAD+ and ATP, thereby preventing apoptosis and promoting necrosis and inflammation. The purpose of this study was to extend previous observations that inhibitors of PARP-1 could alter acetaminophen and carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity. Bromobenzene (BB) a glutathione dependent hepatotoxicant was tested. Groups of male mice were treated with a single dosage of 112mg/kg (0.075 ml/kg) BB by the intraperitoneal (ip) route. All animals were maintained in a controlled environment and provided food and water ad libitum. This dosage of BB resulted in hepatotoxicity as measured by an increase in serum alanine transferase (ALT). BB treatment resulted in a 5-fold increase in ALT. Moderate hepatotoxicity was detected with this treatment regime. Subsequently, another group of mice were treated with three treatments of nicotinamide at 0.5, 1 and 2 hours following BB treatment. Serum ALT elevations were reduced by 90% at 24 hours following BB and nicotinamide treatments. BB-induced liver pathology was also blocked by nicotinamide. Mortality among BB treated animals was also significantly reduced by nicotinamide treatment. Mortality among mice treated with BB and nicotinamide was near control. The model was verified with a more potent and specific inhibitor, Phen. BB treatment was keep at the same level as in the previous study, and Phen was administered concomitantly. Serum ALT elevations were reduced by 75%. Phen also blocked BB-induced liver pathology. Mortality among mice treated with BB and Phen was reduced 75%. PARP-1 inhibitors appear to alter chemical-induced hepatotoxicity that has either a glutathione dependent or independent mechanism.