This work is dealing with application of advanced fluorescence techniques for gaining knowledge about culture development during fermentation of red yeasts. Flow cytometry was used for auto-fluorescence measurement a carotenoids quantitation. It was resolved that while carotenoids are stored mainly in membranes the technique was feasible. If red yeast starts to accumulate carotenoids into lipid bodies mainly throughout the course of stationary phase, then the method starts to fail. Flow cytometric method using cell size measurement and light scatter for lipid quantitation was proved as applicable, too. However, it works only if cells are not starved. Individual calibration for each species is needed for elimination inter-species variations of intracellular structures. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy was also used for studying of red yeast. Inherent ability to resolve different fluorescent species of the same molecule, which arise due to different molecular environment, helps with quantitation of cellular lipidic structures changes through the course of fermentation. Increase in the levels of carotenoids and/or rigidity of membranes was found as mechanism of protection during metabolic shifts, when intracellular content is vulnerable to damage.

Neste trabalho, estudou-se o efeito da adição de acetonitrila nas propriedades de micelas do detergente aniônico, dodecil sulfato de sódio (SDS), e do detergente catiônico, cloreto de hexadeciltrimetilamônio (CTACl). Medidas de condutividade foram utilizadas para determinar a concentração micelar crítica, cmc, e o grau de dissociação, α, das micelas em função da fração molar de acetonitrila, XAc. Medidas de supressão de fluorescência, resolvida no tempo, com pireno como sonda, foram utilizadas para determinar a influência de acetonitrila no número de agregação das micelas, N, e na dinâmica de migração de solutos entre as fases aquosa e micelar. Em baixas frações molares XAc < 0,2), a acetonitrila insere-se nas cavidades da água, quebrando parcialmente as pontes de hidrogênio da água com a formação de novas pontes de hidrogênio entre as moléculas de acetonitrila e as moléculas de água. Nesta faixa de concentração, ocorre um aumento da cmc e do α, acompanhada de uma diminuição de N. Observa-se também alterações na dinâmica da interação de contra-íons e co-íons supressores na micela. Assim, as micelas de SDS e CTACl formadas em misturas acetonitrila-água são menores, mais dissociadas e apresentam maior fluidez interna. Ao redor de XAc = 0,2, as misturas de água-acetonitrila tornam-se microheterogêneos com o aparecimento de microdomínios ricos em acetonitrila e microdomínios ricos em água. A proporção das regiões ricas em acetonitrila aumenta com o aumento da fração molar de acetonitrila, com apenas pequenas modificações das propriedades dos dois tipos de microdomínios. Em XAc > 0,2 a variação de cmc e de α com a XAc passa a ser menos acentuada, sugerindo que o detergente forma agregados preferencialmente nas regiões mais aquosas; a sonda fluorescente pireno começa sair das micelas durante o tempo de vida do estado excitado; e há claras mudanças na dinâmica de incorporação de íons nos agregados. / This work presents a study of the effect of added acetonitrile on the properties of the micelles of the anionic detergent sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and the cationic detergent hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTACl). Conductimetric measurements were employed to determine the critical micelle concentration, cmc, and the degree of counterion dissociation, α, of the micelles as a function of the mole fraction of added acetonitrile, XAc. Time resolved fluorescence quenching measurements with pyrene as probe were employed to determine the effect of acetonitrile on the micellar aggregation number, N, and the dynamics of solute migration between the micellar and aqueous phases. At low mole fractions (XAc < 0.2), acetonitrile inserts into the cavities present in liquid water, partially disrupting the hydrogen bonding of water, with formation of new hydrogen bonds between water and acetonitrile. In this range, both the cmc and α increase, while N decreases. The dynamics of incorporation of counterionic and coionic quenchers into the micelles is also altered. Thus, the SDS and CTACl micelles formed in these acetonitrile-water mixtures are smaller, more highly dissociated and internally more fluid than those in aqueous solution. Above XAc of ca. 0,2, acetonitrile-water mixtures become microheterogeneous, the solution containing microdomains rich in acetonitrile and microdomains rich in water. The proportion of acetonitrile-rich microdomians increases with increasing XAc, with only small changes in the properties of the two types of microdomains. Correspondingly, at XAc > > ca. 0.2: the variation of the cmc and α with XAc is much less pronounced, suggesting that the detergent forms aggregates preferentially in the aqueous-rich domains; the fluorescence probe pyrene begins to exit the micelles during its excited state lifetime; and there are distinct changes in the rate constants for the incorporation of ions into the micelles.

A kinetic model of electronic energy migration within pairs of photophysically non-identical fluorophores has been developed. The model applies to fluorescent groups that exhibit different photophysical and spectral properties when attached to different positions in a macromolecule. The energy migration within such asymmetric pairs is partially reversible, which leads to the case of partial donor-donor energy migration (PDDEM). The model of PDDEM is an extension of the recently developed donor-donor energy migration model (DDEM, F. Bergström et al, PNAS 96 (1999) 12477), and applies to quantitative measurements of energy migration rates and distances within macromolecules. One important distinction from the DDEM model is that the distances can be obtained from fluorescence lifetime measurements. A model of fluorescence depolarisation in the presence of PDDEM is also presented. To experimentally test the PDDEM approach, different model systems were studied. The model was applied to measure distances between rhodamine and fluorescein groups within on-purpose synthesised molecules that were solubilised in lipid bilayers. Moreover, distances were measured between BODIPY groups in mutant forms of the plasminogen activator inhibitor of type 2 (PAI-2). Measurements of both the fluorescence intensity decays and the time-resolved depolarisation were performed. The obtained distances were in good agreement with independent determinations. Finally, the PDDEM within pairs of donors is considered, for which both donors exhibit a nonexponential fluorescence decay. In this case it turns out that the fluorescence relaxation of a coupled system contains distance information even if the photophysics of the donors is identical. It is also demonstrated that the choice of relaxation model has a negligible effect on the obtained distances. The latter conclusion holds also for the case of donor-acceptor energy transfer.

La fluorescence en temps résolu est une méthode d'analyse spectrophotométrique avancée permettant la sélection des photons émis par luminescence sur un critère temporel. Il est ainsi possible, et cela même dans des milieux complexes et pollués issu de l'industrie, de faire émerger sélectivement le signal d'espèces luminescentes présentant des durées de vie de luminescence relativement grandes.Ce type d'analyse spectrale est particulièrement adapté à la détection de trace d'éléments lanthanides. Chacun des éléments de la série présente en effet des propriétés luminescentes uniques bien que largement fonction de la nature des ligands qui les entourent. Les travaux de thèse présentés dans ce manuscrit utilisent avantageusement la constatation précédente. Deux technologies ont étés mise sur pied et/ou optimisées pour permettre un transfert vers des domaines industriels aux cahiers des charges bien définis.Ainsi dans le domaine de la lutte anti-contrefaçon l'ajout de marqueurs luminescents à temps résolu à base de lanthanide rend possible la surveillance de l'origine et du devenir de divers produits industriels.Dans le domaine pétrolier l'analyse des effluents à l'aide de sondes luminescentes à base de lanthanide permet de quantifier le taux résiduel de plusieurs classes d'additifs chimiques et permet d'optimiser la sécurité, la rentabilité et l'impact écologique du processus d'extraction.Dernièrement un prototype de spectrofluorimètre résolu en temps adapté à un usage industriel a été mis au point pour permettre un transfert technologique du laboratoire vers le milieu industriel / Time-resolved fluorescence is an advanced spectrophotometric analysis method which allows the selection of emitted luminescent photons on a time-based parameters. It is possible to extract the signal of long-lived luminescent species even in complex and polluted matrix from the industry. This type of analysis is especially fitted for the detection of lanthanide ions. During this thesis two technologies based on time-resolved analysis were designed to answer specific industrial problematics. The first one yields the residual concentration of chemical additives used during oil and gas extraction. The second one aims at protecting crude oils and refined fuels from counterfeiting. They both rely on the use of lanthanide complex and the measurement of their luminescent properties. A prototype of time-resolved spectrofluorimeter was also built to transfer the technologies from the laboratory to the industrial world

Neste trabalho, estudou-se o efeito da adição de acetonitrila nas propriedades de micelas do detergente aniônico, dodecil sulfato de sódio (SDS), e do detergente catiônico, cloreto de hexadeciltrimetilamônio (CTACl). Medidas de condutividade foram utilizadas para determinar a concentração micelar crítica, cmc, e o grau de dissociação, α, das micelas em função da fração molar de acetonitrila, XAc. Medidas de supressão de fluorescência, resolvida no tempo, com pireno como sonda, foram utilizadas para determinar a influência de acetonitrila no número de agregação das micelas, N, e na dinâmica de migração de solutos entre as fases aquosa e micelar. Em baixas frações molares XAc < 0,2), a acetonitrila insere-se nas cavidades da água, quebrando parcialmente as pontes de hidrogênio da água com a formação de novas pontes de hidrogênio entre as moléculas de acetonitrila e as moléculas de água. Nesta faixa de concentração, ocorre um aumento da cmc e do α, acompanhada de uma diminuição de N. Observa-se também alterações na dinâmica da interação de contra-íons e co-íons supressores na micela. Assim, as micelas de SDS e CTACl formadas em misturas acetonitrila-água são menores, mais dissociadas e apresentam maior fluidez interna. Ao redor de XAc = 0,2, as misturas de água-acetonitrila tornam-se microheterogêneos com o aparecimento de microdomínios ricos em acetonitrila e microdomínios ricos em água. A proporção das regiões ricas em acetonitrila aumenta com o aumento da fração molar de acetonitrila, com apenas pequenas modificações das propriedades dos dois tipos de microdomínios. Em XAc > 0,2 a variação de cmc e de α com a XAc passa a ser menos acentuada, sugerindo que o detergente forma agregados preferencialmente nas regiões mais aquosas; a sonda fluorescente pireno começa sair das micelas durante o tempo de vida do estado excitado; e há claras mudanças na dinâmica de incorporação de íons nos agregados. / This work presents a study of the effect of added acetonitrile on the properties of the micelles of the anionic detergent sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and the cationic detergent hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTACl). Conductimetric measurements were employed to determine the critical micelle concentration, cmc, and the degree of counterion dissociation, α, of the micelles as a function of the mole fraction of added acetonitrile, XAc. Time resolved fluorescence quenching measurements with pyrene as probe were employed to determine the effect of acetonitrile on the micellar aggregation number, N, and the dynamics of solute migration between the micellar and aqueous phases. At low mole fractions (XAc < 0.2), acetonitrile inserts into the cavities present in liquid water, partially disrupting the hydrogen bonding of water, with formation of new hydrogen bonds between water and acetonitrile. In this range, both the cmc and α increase, while N decreases. The dynamics of incorporation of counterionic and coionic quenchers into the micelles is also altered. Thus, the SDS and CTACl micelles formed in these acetonitrile-water mixtures are smaller, more highly dissociated and internally more fluid than those in aqueous solution. Above XAc of ca. 0,2, acetonitrile-water mixtures become microheterogeneous, the solution containing microdomains rich in acetonitrile and microdomains rich in water. The proportion of acetonitrile-rich microdomians increases with increasing XAc, with only small changes in the properties of the two types of microdomains. Correspondingly, at XAc > > ca. 0.2: the variation of the cmc and α with XAc is much less pronounced, suggesting that the detergent forms aggregates preferentially in the aqueous-rich domains; the fluorescence probe pyrene begins to exit the micelles during its excited state lifetime; and there are distinct changes in the rate constants for the incorporation of ions into the micelles.

Ce travail de thèse a démontré la possibilité de mesurer la relaxation d’un complexe biomoléculaire ainsi que son hétérogénéité structurale, en associant la microfluidique et la fluorescence résolue en temps (FRT). Je présente de quelle façon la FRT permet d’obtenir une information sur la structure d’une molécule et comment on la mesure, notamment grâce à une caméra à balayage de fente. J’introduis ensuite la microfluidique de gouttes, permettant de mélanger deux réactifs en quelques millisecondes et de suivre la relaxation du complexe au cours de la propagation des micro-réacteurs. Puis, la mesure d’une cinétique avec un couple de molécules modèle démontre la preuve de principe, faisant l’objet d’un article soumis. Enfin la mesure de FRT par comptage de photons uniques dans des gouttes uniques est décrite. Elle ouvre une perspective d’application pour le criblage à haut débit : un brevet a été déposé. / This thesis has proven the feasibility of measuring the relaxation of a biomolecular complex as well as its structural heterogeneity, by associating microfluidics and time resolved fluorescence (TRF). I present in which way TRF allows for probing the structure of a molecule and how it is measured, in particular by using a streak camera. I then introduce droplet microfluidics, which enables to mix two reagents in a few milliseconds and to follow the relaxation of the complex, along propagation of the micro-reactors. Next, the measurement of a kinetics with test molecules validates the proof of concept, reported in a submitted article. Finally, the measurement of TRF by single photon counting in single droplets is described. It opens a perspective for an application in high-throughput screening: a patent has been registered.

The rise in the world population can be correlated with an increase in energy need. Fossil fuels are not going to able to cover this need in energy because not only are they limited, they also have a negative effect on the environment. A reason the more to switch renewable energy. One of the most popular renewable energy source is solar energy. The organic solar cell could be a low-cost, light-weight and flexible option for photovoltaics. This thesis will discuss the morphology of the active layer of an organic solar cell. The polymer poly(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) and the fullerene derivate [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester were used as model components for the active layer. These two components were processed in different solvents, different ratios, different total concentrations and were either dip- or spin-coated on glass substrates. These samples were analyzed with atomic force microscopy, steady state and time resolved fluorescence and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The analysis show that the morphology of the films processed in chloroform and tetrahydrofuran would react very similar in α-phase and β-phase by dip- and spin-coated samples. Xylene would react the opposite as tetrahydrofuran and chloroform while ethylbenzene would react little with different samples. / De stijging in wereldpopulatie kan gelinkt worden met een stijging in energieverbruik. Het is niet aan te raden om fossiele brandstoffen te gebruiken voor deze energiestijging want niet alleen zijn ze beperkt aanwezig op aarde ook zijn ze niet goed voor het milieu. Een reden te meer om naar duurzame energie over te schakelen. Één van de meeste populaire energiebronnen is zonne-energie. Hierbij zou de organische zonnecel een goedkope, lichte en flexibele optie zijn. Deze thesis zal de morfologie van de actieve laag van een zonnecel bespreken. Het polymeer poly(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) en het fullereen derivaat [6,6]-fenyl C61-butylzuur waren de twee model componenten voor de actieve laag. Deze twee componenten werden in verschillende oplosmiddelen, verschillende verhoudingen en verschillende totaal concentraties bereidt en werden vervolgens gedipcoated of gespincoated op glazen substraten. De stalen werden vervolgens geanalyseerd door atomic force microscopy, steady state en time resolved fluorescence en UV/Vis spectroscopy. De analyse toont dat de morfologie van de films bereidt in chloroform en tetrahydrofuraan gelijkaardig reageren in α- fase en β-fase bij gedipt- en gespincoaten stalen. Terwijl xyleen net omgekeerd reageert als chloroform en tetrahydrofuraan. Bij ethylbenzeen zou de fases maar heel weinig veranderen bij de verschillende stalen.

Hyaluronan is a chemical, which can be qualified as essential for vertebrates. It is a part of the extracellular matrix in most of tissues and also a major component of some other tissues. Besides of the mechanical functions this compound is important for many biological processes such as growth of tumor cells. The objective of this thesis was development of carrier systems containing native hyaluronan and hydrophobic drugs. For purposes of this work fluorescence probes (pyrene, prodan, perylene, DPH, mereocynine 540) instead of drugs were used. By using further mentioned sophisticated methods the properties of these systems were studied. The systems were prepared by freeze-drying. The effect of freeze-drying on support of interactions was observed by fluorescence spectrometry (steady-state and time-resolved). The stability of freeze-dried systems was determined by zeta potential, which was measured by electrophoretic light scattering. Cakes obtained by freeze-drying were analyzed by several methods. First one was effluence gas chromatography connected with FT-IR spectrometry. In this method the present of tertiary butyl alcohol in product was observed. The cakes were also analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, which can provide the information about the surface and elemental constitution of the material. The results of this work can shed light on the area of developing of drugs with targeted distribution of active compound.

The deprotonation characteristics of fluorescent probes -naphthol and 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulphonic acid (HPTS) were studied in this diploma thesis, using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Two cationic surfactants, Septonex and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), were studied. These surfactants were measured in the complex with hyaluronan (1.75 MDa, 1 MDa and 300 kDa). Steady-state fluorescence was used for determination of critical aggregation concentration of each surfactant and pKa*. Time-resolved fluorescence decays were used to calculate the average lifetimes and the deprotonation constants of naphthol and HPTS. The measurement with hyaluronan were compared with the polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) – surfactant system. The effect of hydration shell of hyaluronan on hyaluronan – surfactant complex formation results from the comparison of above mentioned systems. Large differences were found in the deprotonation characteristic between surfactants and even between individual molecular weights of hyaluronan. The measurement shows that the hydration shell is located near to the dissociated carboxyl groups of hyaluronan chain, where the interaction with the positively charged surfactants occurs. Furthermore, the aggregation number of Septonex was determined by quenching of pyrene using cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) as a quencher. The aggregation number for 20 mM Septonex solution was determined as a value of 104 molecules. CPC was used for confirmation of the localization of -naphthol in the micelles of CTAB and polymer – CTAB, respectively.

L’application de la photoluminescence suscite un intérêt croissant de la part des chercheurs et ceci dans de nombreux domaines. Dans notre cas, différents complexes à base de lanthanide seront détectés par une méthode spectrophotométrique avancée, la fluorescence résolue en temps. Ces derniers peuvent être ainsi détectés même à l’état de traces au sein des milieux complexes tel que ceux rencontrés dans l’industrie pétrolière (saumures, traces de pétrole, éléments solides en suspension, etc.). L'utilisation de la détection de fluorescence résolue en temps combinée à des complexes de lanthanides a été démontrée comme une stratégie simple et efficace pour éliminer la fluorescence de fond des matrices présentes dans le milieu étudié et fournir un rapport signal sur bruit élevé. Le sujet de cette thèse consiste à répondre avec les outils précédents à différentes problématique existants au sein de l’industrie pétrolière, de l’extraction du pétrole au processus de marquage de différents produits raffinés à des fins commerciales. Dans la première partie du manuscrit décrira différents protocoles capables d’extraire de l’information de différents additifs chimiques employés sur les champs pétrolifères lors de l’extraction de pétrole et de gaz. Les additifs en questions peuvent être des inhibiteurs de dépôts minéraux, des inhibiteurs de corrosion, des polymères viscoélastiques, dans différentes eaux de synthèse et de production issues de différentes plateformes. Les impacts de certains facteurs ont été analysés afin d’améliorer la sensibilité et les performances. Nous démontrerons la possibilité de quantifier avec succès la teneur résiduelle de différents types d'additifs chimiques. L'effet de matrice de l’échantillon a été limité par le développement de deux stratégies d'addition standard. Nous montrerons par ailleurs qu’il est possible de quantifier la présence non seulement d’un additif mais encore, dans certaines situations optimisées, de deux additifs en mélange. Outre la détermination de la concentration en additifs chimiques, nous présenterons également une méthode permettant de déterminer l’anionicité d’un polymère en milieu complexe. Dans la deuxième partie du document, nous détaillerons le développement de complexes de lanthanides utilisés en tant que marqueurs ainsi que la méthode de détection par fluorescence résolue en temps visant à la lutte contre la contrefaçon de différents pétroles bruts et de carburants raffinés. La synthèse et le processus d’incorporation de trois types de marqueurs de photoluminescence et leur stabilité dans différents carburants seront ensuite discutés. Les résultats obtenus démontrent qu’il est possible, à l’aide de cette technologie de marquage, de détecter efficacement les fraudes à la taxe dans les carburants, même à haute dilution. Ces travaux présente potentiellement un fort impact dans les domaines académiques comme industriels. Toutes les études se concentrent sur la mise au point d’une procédure simple, qui fournit une sensibilité élevée permettant de réduire le coût de production et qui repose sur l’emploi du fluorimètre résolu en temps Inibox™ développé pendant ma thèse pour porter sur le terrain les technologies développé au laboratoire / The application of photoluminescence is receiving an increasing interest from researchers coming from many fields. The previous laboratory works introduced a time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) detection method for the quantification of chemicals in complex medium (petroleum, production brine, and synthetic sea water) tagged with lanthanides, the additives form complexes that exhibit specific TRF signal which overcomes autofluorescence of sample and provide a high signal to noise ratio. The subject of this thesis concerns the development of specific methods based on patented technique to answer problematics arising in the oil industry from the extraction of crude product to the distribution of fuels. In the first part of the document, we focus on the monitoring of residual amount of chemical additives such as scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, viscoelastic polymers in different synthetic and production waters. The impacts of some key factors were analyzed in order to improve the sensitivity and performance, also proves that under optimized conditions it is possible to quantify simultaneously two products in the same matrix. We successfully quantified various types of chemical additives with satisfying precision. Furthermore, the matrix effect was controlled by the development of two standard addition strategies. In addition to the determination of the concentration of chemical additives, we will also introduce a method to determine the anionicity of a polymer in difficult conditions. In the second part of the manuscript we follow the development of lanthanide complex markers and their detection for anti-counterfeiting on different crude oils and refined fuels. The synthesis, incorporation process and stability of three types of photoluminescence markers in different fuels have been discussed. The obtained results will prove that the technology can be used to detect fraud on fuels. This work has a potential great impact for both the academic and industrial domains. All studies focus on the creation of a simple procedure, with high sensitivity and low cost. All method are relying in the end on a specific field apparatus developed during my thesis to support the exportation of the technologies from the laboratory to the industry: The Inibox™