Neste trabalho, um polímero eletrólito derivado de goma de cajueiro graftizada com poliacrilamida (GC-g-PAM) foi desenvolvido para uso como floculante no tratamento de águas. Foi investigado o efeito da concentração de acrilamida e do iniciador persulfato de potássio, da energia de micro-ondas e de ultrassom sobre a eficiência da reação, produtividade e viscosidade intrínseca dos copolímeros GC-g-PAM. As matérias-primas e os copolímeros graftizados foram caracterizados por espectroscopia de infravermelho, ressonância magnética nuclear, análise termogravimétrica, calorimetria exploratória diferencial e espalhamento de luz dinâmico. A síntese realizada por ultrassom permitiu a obtenção de copolímeros graftizados com elevada eficiência de grafting e viscosidade intrínseca, em curto período de tempo. Os copolímeros obtidos com baixa concentração de iniciador (1,90×10−4 mol e 2,85×10−4 mol) apresentaram raio hidrodinâmico 1,5 vezes maior do que o raio da goma de cajueiro devido à graftização de cadeias longas de poliacrilamida nas cadeias da goma de cajueiro. A estrutura química dos copolímeros graftizados afetou positivamente o desempenho destes quando utilizados como floculante no processo de floculação. Os copolímeros GC-g-PAM apresentaram eficiência superior a 90% na remoção da turbidez de suspensão aquosa de caulim, usada como referência, bem como em água de abastecimento in natura. A grande vantagem dos floculantes GC-g-PAM reside no fato destes apresentarem cadeia macromolecular biodegradável e cadeias laterais menores do que a cadeia principal da poliacrilamida comercial, não biodegradável, utilizada como floculante. O uso do floculante derivado da goma de cajueiro para recuperação e purificação de águas, em detrimento do floculante sintético, visa a longo prazo diminuir o impacto ambiental causado pelo acúmulo de floculante sintético no lodo, já que esse não é biodegradável. / In this work a polymer electrolyte derived from cashew gum with polyacrylamide (GC-g-PAM) was developed for use as a flocculant in water treatment. The effect of concentration of acrylamide and potassium persulfate initiator, as well as microwave and ultrasound energy over the grafting efficiency, productivity, and intrinsic viscosity of copolymers GC-g-PAM were investigated. The raw materials and grafted copolymers were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic light scattering. The synthesis performed with ultrasound allowed the achievement of grafted copolymer with high grafting efficiency and intrinsic viscosity, in a short reaction time. The copolymers obtained at low initiator concentration (1.90×10−4 mol and 2.85×10−4 mol) presented a hydrodynamic radius 1.5 times larger than the one from cashew gum due to grafting of long chains of polyacrylamide onto cashew gum backbone. The chemical structure of grafted copolymers affected positively the performance of flocculants when they were used in flocculation processes. The turbidity removal of copolymer GC-g-PAM in kaolin suspension, used as reference, and in water treatment was higher than 90%. The great advantage of flocculants GC-g-PAM lies in the fact that they show biodegradable macromolecular chain with branches that are shorter than polyacrylamide commercial, non-biodegradable, used as a flocculant. The use of flocculant derived from cashew gum for water purification and recovery, instead of synthetic flocculant, in long term will decrease the environmental impact caused by the accumulation of synthetic flocculant in the sludge, since it is non-biodegradable.

The need for non-contact micromanipulation methods is apparent for a number of different applications. Optical tweezers, a technique which uses highly focused laser beams to trap and move microscopic objects, has become an important tool for many applications owing to its incredible precision and dexterity. Optical trapping is, however, limited in several ways. It often struggles with particles larger than 10 micrometers, agglomerates and large numbers of particles. Complimentary technologies such as acoustic trapping, aim to overcome some of these limitations. This technique, also termed as Sonotweezers, uses ultrasonic fields to manipulate particles and can manipulate large particles with ease and manipulate large numbers of polydisperse particles and agglomerations, although they currently lack the dexterity of optical tweezers. Combining these two trapping modalities overcomes the some of the limitations of both of them and opens up a new range of useful applications. Three main types of hybrid optical and acoustic traps have been devised and are presented here. The first is an acoustic Bessel beam trap which is used to arrange a large number of polydisperse particles into concentric rings whereupon the smaller particles can then be further manipulated using a single beam optical tweezer. A rudimentary optical sorting system, which pushes particles in a flow laterally using an optical trap, has been combined with an acoustic levitator, which moves all particles away from the edges of the microfluidic channel reducing on sticking and other negative effects. A novel optically transparent ultrasonic device has been developed for easier integration into optical traps without the need for modication. This transparent trap has also been used in combination with a multibeam interference optical sorter to improve the separation between 5 and 10 micron particles.

The development of ultrasound contrast agents, or microbubbles, over the past 40 years has increased the possibilities for diagnostic imaging, although, more recently they have been proposed as a new vehicle for delivery of drugs and genes. However, there yet remains a considerable lack of fundamental understanding of microbubble behaviour under ultrasound excitation which has restricted their translation to therapeutic use. This project focussed on three key areas relating to the generation, observation, and bioeffects of microbubbles and the ultrasound used in their excitation. The experimental endeavour involved first, a full characterisation of the performance of a rotating mirror high-speed camera (Cordin 550-62) that was previously used by our group [and others] to investigate microbubble dynamics. Specifically, the investigation begins with an assessment of the frame-rate reporting accuracy of the system, a key aspect to the robustness of quantitative measurements extracted from recorded image sequences. This is then followed by the demonstration of a novel method of analysis for examining the image formation process in this type of camera, which facilitates a sensor-by-sensor assessment of performance that was not previously realised. Consolidating with previous work from within the group, this new analysis method was used to clarify previous data, and in the process suggested the presence of a temporal anomaly embedded within recorded images. In addition, the analysis also revealed empirical evidence for the mechanisms leading to this anomaly. Following on, a holographic optical tweezer system was developed for the purpose of exercising precise spatial control over microbubbles within their experimental environment. By positioning microbubbles in specific arrangements, interesting behaviours that were not previously achieved experimentally in the context of shelled microbubbles, were observed. Furthermore, by careful positioning of microbubbles within the imaging plane, it was possible to exploit the temporal anomaly present in the camera to greatly improve the integrity of data recorded, and to also operate in an enhanced imaging mode. Group aspirations to accelerate the development of therapeutic microbubbles had previously generated some early work on the in-house generation of bespoke bubble populations using microfluidic lab-on-a-chip techniques. In order to facilitate further development in this area, a finite-element computational model was herein developed to aid next generation chip design. Finally, in a slightly different context, considering not only the mechanical effect a microbubble may effect in a therapeutic treatment, a single biological cell assay was developed in order to probe any mechanical effects that were induced by the excitation ultrasound itself. Capitalising on the precise force control possible with atomic force spectroscopy, the elastic moduli of cells pre- and post-ultrasound insonation (sans microbubbles) were recorded. These new developments have extended the group capability and expertise in the areas of high-speed imaging, experimental observations of microbubble dynamics and with microfluidic generation of microbubbles. Additionally, the insights garnered have both served to consolidate the group's previous and as yet unpublished data, opening the way for circulation with absolute confidence in the integrity of that data.

Demands to handle individual particles or particle agglomerates have been emerging in the fields of biology and chemistry, and particle trapping and manipulation with mechanical waves generated from ultrasound sources, known as “acoustic tweezing”, has gained great interest by researchers and been proved useful for its unique advantages. With an analogy to optical tweezing, research has demonstrated the possibility to use modulated acoustic fields generated by ultrasound arrays for trapping individual particles and groups of particles at length scales from hundreds of µm to a few mm. This thesis explores and demonstrates particle trapping and manipulation with electronically-controlled miniaturized ultrasound arrays (element pitch around 500 µm or less), focusing on the development of dexterous electronic systems. Generally, in acoustic manipulation applications, low voltage outputs with continuous mode operation are required to create stable acoustic energy potential “landscapes” for trapping without damaging particles or cells. The research work of this thesis is oriented towards integration of control electronics with miniaturized ultrasound arrays. Test fixtures have been carefully designed and fabricated for the characterization of transducer arrays developed by collaborating researchers and array-controlled particle manipulation experiments have been demonstrated with customized fluorescence microscopy equipment. Most importantly, this thesis has established two versions of prototype Field programmable gate array (FPGA) based electronics to drive ultrasound arrays. One is a computer-controlled 16-channel system, with adjustable output frequencies, phases and amplitudes. Another is a 40-channel switching electronics for manual controlled output switching or time-shared output multiplexing. The electronic systems that have been developed are highly scalable and easily adapted for different acoustic tweezing applications. In conclusion, this thesis has proposed prototype electronic toolkits as research platforms to explore diverse possibilities for acoustic tweezing with miniaturized ultrasound arrays.

Ultrasound, applied in combination with microbubbles, has potential as a means to enhance the uptake of therapeutic agents, which could include drugs and nucleic acids, into biological cells. This process is commonly referred to as 'sonoporation', and the enhanced uptake can be caused through the incident ultrasonic pressure fi eld causing radial oscillations (cavitation) in the microbubbles, amongst other possibilities. However, the mechanisms responsible for any resultant increase in cell membrane permeability are not yet fully understood. This project focussed on achieving a more fundamental understanding of these salient processes by building on a platform of previous work within the group. One strand of the project involved a complete characterisation of the performance of a rotating mirror high speed camera (Cordin 550-62) that was previously used by our group [and others] to investigate microbubble cavitation phenomena and interactions with proximal cell membranes. Speci cally, I present herein an investigation into the image formation process with this type of camera, the essence of which stymied previous data interpretations. I demonstrate that an inherent asynchrony in the exposure of pixels within individual image frames leads to a temporal anomaly. This was achieved using low cost, flashing LED lights and resulted in the extraction of an algorithm to correct for the temporal anomaly. In a slightly diff erent context, the delivery of suitable ultrasonic fields is necessary to achieve a uniform treatment across a therapeutic target. This thesis also reports on a study on the design of ultrasonic lenses to alter the focal region of a focussed ultrasound transducer with the aim of producing focal regions that can enable sonoporation of tumours of varying sizes. We show that the use of lenses can be an inexpensive alternative to more complex systems such as phased array transducers. Design modelling and experimental testing of lens prototypes are presented along with preliminary results with tissue mimicking polyacrylamide gel phantoms. The target environment in which the process of sonoporation will be clinically useful (i.e. in the physiological circulation) can be simpli ed as a microfluidic system. One strategy for bubble mediated therapy involves the use of a pro-drug approach, that is, when two otherwise benign ingredients are loaded onto separate microbubble populations, but can become mixed at the anatomical target site by the action of focussed ultrasound whereupon a potent drug is produced. The required mixing can be achieved by the violent coalescence of nearby cavitating bubbles, their reaction product then being released and di ffused into the interiour of nearby cells through sonoporation. A study related to this field is presented here where laser induced thermocapillary flows are shown to cause mixing of the content of a drop in a microfluidic channel in a bid to understand the mixing process at a level that may assist future microbubble engineering strategy. To summarise then, the work presented in this thesis has consolidated earlier unpublished data sets achieved by the group, providing new and exacting experimental evidence and an accurate algorithm that will facilitate post-processing of that earlier data (Chapters 2-3). Moreover, group aspirations to translate earlier in-vitro work on sonoporation towards next phase medical-phantom exposures have been boosted through the provision of a new direction involving acoustic lensing, the experimental data from which was used to completely validate existing models for our own design scenarios (Chapter 4). Finally, previous unpublished observations on microbubble coalescence undertaken by the group suggested a means to implement pro-drug delivery with direct in-situ mixing. Such suggestions were explored within microfluidic contexts using lasers to control and visualise the mixing processes that might arise in such situations (Chapter 5). All of these new insights have served to consolidate the group's previous and as yet unpublished data, opening the way for dissemination with confidence in the integrity of that data, and have also extended group capability and expertise in the areas of MHz-rate high speed framing cameras, the fabrication of acoustic lenses, and with microfluidic mixing.

There is an urgent and unmet clinical need to improve accuracy and safety during needle-based interventional procedures including regional anaesthesia and cancer biopsy. In ultrasound guided percutaneous needle procedures, there is a universal problem of imaging the needle, particularly the tip, especially in dense tissues and steep insertion angles. Poor visualization of the needle tip can have serious consequences for the patients including nerve damage and internal bleeding in regional anaesthesia and, in the case of biopsy, mis-sampling, resulting in misdiagnosis or the need for repeat biopsy. The aim of the work was to design and develop an ergonomic ultrasound device to actuate standard, unmodified needles such that the visibility of needle can be enhanced when observed under colour Doppler mode of ultrasound imaging. This will make the needle procedures efficient through accurate needle placement while reducing the overall procedure duration. The research reported in this thesis provides an insight into the new breed of piezoelectric materials. A methodology is proposed and implemented to characterize the new piezocrystals under ambient and extreme practical conditions. For the first time, the IEEE standard method (1987) was applied to an investigation of this type with binary (PMN-PT) and ternary (PIN-PMN-PT) compositions of piezocrystals. Using the existing data and the data obtained through characterization, finite element analysis (FEA) were carried to adequately design the ultrasound device. Various configurations of the device were modelled and fabricated, using both piezoceramic and piezocrystal materials, in order to assess the dependency of device’s performance on the configuration and type of piezoelectric material used. In order to prove the design concept and to measure the benefits of the device, pre-clinical trials were carried out on a range of specimens including the soft embalmed Thiel cadavers. Furthermore, an ultrasound planar cutting tool with various configurations was also designed and developed as an alternative to the existing cumbersome ultrasonic scalpels. These configurations were based on new piezocrystals including the Mn-doped ternary (Mn:PIN-PMN-PT) material. It is concluded that the needle actuating device can significantly enhance the visibility of standard needles and additionally benefits in reducing the penetration force. However, in order to make it clinically viable, further work is required to make it compliant with the medical environment. The piezocrystals tested under practical conditions although offer extraordinary piezoelectric properties, are vulnerable to extreme temperature and drive conditions. However, it is observed that newer piezocrystals, especially Mn:PIN-PMN-PT have shown the potential to replace the conventional piezoceramics in high power and actuator applications. Moreover, the d31-mode based planar cutting tool contrasts with the cumbersome design of mass-spring transducer structure and has the potential to be used in surgical procedures.

The second most common cause of cancer deaths in the developed world is bowel cancer. Improving the ability to detect and classify lesions as early as possible, allows treatment earlier. The work presented in this thesis is structured around the following detailed aims:Development of high frequency, broadband µUS (micro-ultrasound) imaging transducers through optimization of ultra-thinning processes for lithium niobate (LNO) and fabrication of novel ‘mass-spring’ matching layers using carefully controlled vacuum deposition is demonstrated. The effectiveness of this technique was quantified by applying multiple matching layers to 3 mm diameter 45 MHz LNO µUS transducers using carefully controlled vacuum deposition. The bandwidth of single mass-spring layer µUS transducer was measured to be 46% with an insertion loss of 21 dB. The bandwidth and insertion loss of a multiple matching layer µUS transducer was measured to be 59% and 18 dB respectively. The values were compared with an unmatched transducer which had a bandwidth and insertion loss of 28% and 34 dB respectively. All the experimentally measured values were in agreement with unidimensional acoustic model predictions. µUS tools that can detect and measure microscopic changes in precancerous tissue using a mouse small bowel model with an oncogenic mutation was developed. µUS transducer was used to test the hypothesis that the intestinal tissue morphology of WT (wild type) and ApcMin/+ (adenomatous polyposis coli) diverges with progressing age intervals (60, 90 and 120 days) of mice. A high frequency ultrasound scanning system was designed and the experiments were performed ex vivo using a focused 45 MHz, f-# = 2.85, µUS transducer. The data collected by scanning was used to compute the backscatter coefficients (BSC) and acoustic impedance (Z) of WT and ApcMin/+ mice. The 2D and 3D ultrasound images showed that µUS detects polyps < 500 µm in the scan plane. The measured values of BSC and Z showed differences between normal and precancerous tissue. The differences detected in precancerous murine intestine and human tissue using µUS were correlated with high resolution 3D optical imaging. This novel approach may provide a powerful adjunct to screening endoscopy for improved identification and monitoring, allowing earlier treatment of otherwise undetectable lesions.

Orientador: João Alberto Negrão / Banca: Izabelle Auxiliadora Molina de Almeida Teixeira / Banca: Marco Aurélio de Felício Porcionato / Resumo: A seleção de animais mais precoces e produtivos, e a melhoria da qualidade do leite são os principais objetivos dos caprinocultores. Com o objetivo de avaliar a interação de dois importantes hormônios, o Cortisol (CORT) e o Fator de Crescimento Análogo à Insulina -1 (IGF-1) na lactação, e suas possíveis influências no desenvolvimento da glândula mamária, produção e qualidade do leite, 38 cabritas (na 1ª fase do experimento) e 24 cabras (na 2ª e 3ª fase do experimento) Saanen divididas em quatro grupos (G1- tratadas com GH e desafiadas com ACTH; G2 - tratadas com GH e desafiadas com placebo; G3 - tratadas com placebo e desafiadas com ACTH; e G4 - tratadas com placebo e desafiadas com placebo). Ao longo de todo experimento foram realizadas coletas de sangue pontuais e durante os desafios, medidas morfométricas internas e externas de úbere e tetos foram realizadas e análises da composição do leite. Não houve diferença no desenvolvimento de úbere e tetos entre animais tratados e não tratados com GH, porém houve maior produção de leite pelos animais tratados, confirmando a eficiência do hormônio em promover maior persistência de lactação. Também houve uma resposta antagônica do IGF-1 ao CORT, durante o desafio das cabras na 3ª fase do experimento, resultado que pode indicar que animais adultos tratados com GH são menos suscetíveis ao estresse que os animais não tratados. O desafio com ACTH e o tratamento com GH não alteraram a composição do leite e a contagem de células somáticas. / Abstract: The selection of early animals and more productives, and improving the quality of milk are the main goals of goat breeders. With the objective of evaluating the interaction of two important hormones, cortisol (CORT) and the Insulin-Like Growth Factor -1 (IGF-1) in milk, and their possible influences on the development of the mammary gland, yield and quality of milk, 38 kid goats (the 1st. phase of the trial) and 24 goats (in the 2nd and 3rd phase of the trial) Saanen divided into four groups (G1- treated with GH (growth hormone) and challenged with ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), G2 - treated with GH and challenged with placebo; G3 - treated with placebo and challenged with ACTH, and G4 - treated with placebo and challenged with placebo). Throughout experiment samples of blood were collected, internal and external morphometric measures of udder and teats reviews were performed and were performed composition of milk. There were not differences in the development of udder and teats of animals treated and not treated with GH, but treated animals showing higher production than non treated goats, confirming the effectiveness of treatment with GH in promoting increase on persistence of lactation. There was also a response of IGF- 1 antagonist to CORT, the challenge of goats during the 3rd phase of the experiment, result that may indicate that adults treated with GH are less susceptible to stress that the animals not treated. The challenge with ACTH and treatment with GH did not alter the composition of milk and somatic cell count. / Mestre

L'interaction onde-matière a toujours été un sujet d'étude en Physique, c’est le cas de la propagation des ondes élastiques dans le corps humain qu’a conduit à plusieurs modalités d'imagerie. En particulier, les techniques d'elastographie reposent sur l'utilisation des ondes de cisaillement pour obtenir une image élastique des tissus mous. Dans ce contexte, cette thèse présente une étude des différentes techniques d'élastographie, en prêtant particulier attention aux aspects plus fondamentaux comme à ces potentielles applications.Tout d'abord, cette thèse montre que l'élastographie impulsionnelle unidimensionnelle (1D) peut être utilisée pour évaluer l'élasticité des couches de tissue d'épaisseur inférieure à la longueur d'onde utilisée. A cet effet, des simulations et des expériences ont été réalisées avec différents fantômes formés par une couche mince immergée dans un milieu d'élasticité différente. La concordance entre expériences et simulations, ainsi que le valeur de l'élasticité obtenue par élastographie 1D et le valeur de l'élasticité intrinsèque de la couche permettent de valider cette technique. Au même temps ces résultats ont été comparés avec ceux obtenus par la technique de Supersonic Shear Imaging (SSI), où l'onde est guidée le long de la plaque. On ajustant la courbe de dispersion expérimentale obtenue par SSI avec un modèle de Lamb, l'élasticité intrinsèque de chaque plaque est estimée. Les résultats obtenus par élastographie 1D et SSI montrent un bon accord entre eux. Le principal avantage de l'élastographie 1D est qu’il n'est pas nécessaire d'utiliser un modèle pour estimer l'élasticité de la plaque. Deuxièmement, deux nouvelles modalités d'imagerie quantitative pour l'extraction de élasticité des tissus mou à partir d'un champ élastique complexe sont approfondies: l'Elastographie par Retournement Temporel et le filtre inverse passif. Le but de ces deux techniques est d'estimer localement l'élasticité des tissus, par la mesure de la taille de la tâche focale dans une expérience virtuelle de retournement temporel avec des ondes de cisaillement. A partir de l'étude du processus de retournement temporel dans les solides mous, la faisabilité de ces deux techniques est démontrée in vitro dans des échantillons "bi-couche" et in vivo dans le foie et les muscles, en utilisant le bruit physiologique naturel crée par l'activité cardiaque et musculaire. L'efficacité de l'élastographie par retournement temporel diminue dans le cas d'un champ diffus non isotrope. L'emploie du filtre inverse adaptée à une configuration de source de bruit, permet de rétablir l'isotropie du champ et d'améliorer la résolution pour la détection de petites inclusions. Le filtre inverse passif permet, de surcroît, de contrôler la fréquence qui domine le champ de retournement temporel. Ceci est exploité, dans la dernière partie du manuscrit, pour mener la première expérience de spectroscopie passive en volume. Deux situations sont envisagées: la dispersion due à la propagation d'ondes guidées dans des plaques minces et la dispersion des ondes due à la viscosité. / The interaction between wave and matter has long been studied in Physics. In particular, regarding medical applications, wave propagation through the human body resulted in several imaging modalities, each of which uses a specific type of wave linked to a given physical property. The elasticity of soft biological tissues is directly linked to its shear wave speed. Thus, in Elastography, shear waves are tracked for non-invasive assessment of the mechanical properties of soft tissues. In this context, this thesis proposes a study of different elastography techniques from a basic point of view, as well as from its potential applications. Firstly, in this manuscript, the use of 1D transient elastography for the quantitative elasticity assessment of thin layered soft tissues is proposed. Experiments on three phantoms with different elasticities and plate thicknesses were performed. Experimental shear wave speed estimations inside the plate were obtained and validated with finite difference simulation. In addition, the Supersonic Shear Imaging (SSI) technique was performed. For the SSI technique, the propagating wave inside the plate is guided as a Lamb wave. Experimental SSI dispersion curves were fitted using a generalized Lamb model to retrieve the plate bulk shear wave speed. Finally both techniques resulted in similar shear wave speed estimations. The main advantage of 1D transient elastography is that the bulk shear wave speed can be directly retrieved from a time of flight measurement without requiring a dispersion model. Secondly, throughout this thesis, two novel quantitative imaging modalities for extracting the soft tissue's elasticity from a complex reverberated diffuse elastic field are deepen: Time Reversal Elastography (TRE) and the passive inverse filter. The goal of both techniques is to locally estimate the tissue's elasticity, by measuring the focal spot size in a virtual time reversal experiment involving shear waves. By studying the Physics of a time reversal process in soft solids, the feasibility of both techniques as a quantitative imaging techniques is demonstrated in vitro in bi-layer phantoms and in vivo in the liver-belly muscle, by using the physiological noise due to heartbeats and muscular activity. The efficiency of TRE decreases in the presence of a non-isotropic diffuse field. The use of the inverse filter adapted to a passive source configuration, restores the isotropy of the field. As a consequence, the resolution of the elasticity images is improved, leading to a better detection of small inclusions. In addition, the passive inverse filter allows to control the frequency dominating the time reversed field. This is exploited in the last part of the manuscript to conduct the first passive wave spectroscopy experiment in the volume of a soft solid. Two situations are considered: dispersion due to guided wave propagation in thin plates and wave dispersion due to viscosity effects.

Neste trabalho, estudou-se o impacto de dois pré-tratamentos: ultrassom, pulso de vácuo e a combinação de ultrassom seguido de pulso de vácuo, sobre a cinética de secagem da banana verde a (50 e 60) °C. Na secagem a 50 °C constatou-se que, a aplicação de uma única técnica foi mais favorável que a combinação dos pré-tratamentos (20 min de ultrassom, seguido de 60 min de pulso de vácuo), sendo que os melhores resultados foram obtidos com 20 min de ultrassom na potência volumétrica ultrassônica de (9,38 ± 0,60) W/L. Os valores da difusividade efetiva da água, da primeira e segunda fases de taxa decrecente foram de (7,03 ± 0,09 e 3,84 ± 0,09) × 10-9 m2/s para (12,10 ± 0,47 e 6,84 ± 0,28) × 10-9 m2/s, respectivamente, com a aplicação do ultrassom por 20 min. Na secagem a 60 °C, para a primeira fase de taxa decrescente, o pré-tratamento de 25 min de ultrassom resultou mais favorável. Já para a segunda fase de taxa decrescente o pré-tratamento com 25 min de ultrassom e a técnica combinada (25 min de ultrassom, seguido de 60 min de pulso de vácuo) foram os mais eficientes. Desta forma, a hipótese inicial de que micro-canais gerados pelo ultrassom e o gradiente de pressão nos pulsos de vácuo promoveriam maior migração de umidade não foi comprovada. A 60 °C, o aumento dos valores de difusividade efetiva de água, em relação aos ensaios sem prétratamento, foram menores se comparados aos aumentos obtidos nos ensaios a 50 °C. Consequentemente, a 60 °C, o efeito da temperatura prevaleceu, e os efeitos causados pelos pré-tratamentos foram menos evidentes em relação aos ensaios a 50 °C. O modelo de Midilli resultou no melhor modelo para o ajuste dos dados experimentais de secagem com r2>=0,999, RMSE<=0,0119 e ?2<=0,00012. O processo aplicando 20 min de ultrassom na potência volumétrica ultrassônica de (9,38 ± 0,60) W/L e temperatura de secagem de 50 °C diminuiu 30 min o tempo de secagem. A economia do custo de energia sob essas condição iria de (1,12 para 1,05) R$/kg de matéria-prima processada. Embora, uma redução da quantidade de energia necessária para a gelatinização foi observada, devido a aplicação do ultrassom por 20 min e secagem a 50 °C, não foi observada redução significativa do teor de amido resistente, assim, a principal característica da farinha de banana verde, por causa de seu efeito positivo sobre a saúde humana, foi preservada. Constatou-se que, aplicação de 20 min de ultrassom (9,38 ± 0,60) W/L em rodelas imersas em água (hidratadas) ou embaladas a vácuo (não hidratadas) não influenciou significativamente os valores de difusividade efetiva da água, o conteúdo de AR, nem a formação dos micro-canais. Os efeitos do ultrassom foram evidentes independentemente do ganho de água, acontecido devido à imersão das rodelas de banana verde em água. / In this work, the impact of two pre-treatments: ultrasound, pulsed-vacuum and the combination of ultrasound followed by pulsed-vacuum, on the drying kinetics of unripe banana at (50 and 60) ° C were studied. For air-drying at 50 °C, the application of a single technique was more favorable for water migration than the combination of pre-treatments (20 min of ultrasound, followed by 60 min of pulsed-vacuum); the best results were observed with ultrasound for 20 min at ultrasonic volumetric power of (9.38 ± 0.60) W/L. For this condition, the values of effective water diffusivity for the first and second phases of decreasing rate were (7.03 ± 0.09 and 3.84 ± 0.09) × 10-9 m2/s to (12.10 ± 0.47 and 6.84 ± 0.28) × 10-9 m2/s, respectively. At 60 °C, for the first phase of decreasing rate, 25 min of ultrasound resulted more favorable, whereas, for the second phase of decreasing rate, ultrasound for 25 min and the combined technique (25 min ultrasound, followed by 60 min pulsed-vacuum) resulted favorable. Thus, the initial hypothesis that micro-channels from ultrasound pre-treatment and pressure gradient from pulsed-vacuum pre-treatment would help moisture migration was not observed. At 60 °C, the increase of the values of effective water diffusivity were lower than those obtained at 50 °C. Consequently, at 60 °C, the effect of temperature prevailed, and the effects caused by pretreatments were less evident with respect to the assays at 50 °C. The Midilli model was the best model for adjusting the experimental drying data with r2>=0.999, RMSE<= 0.0119 and x2<=0.00012. The process applying 20 min of ultrasound at ultrasonic volumetric power of (9.38 ± 0.60) W/L and air-drying at 50 °C saved 30 min of air-drying time. The economy of energy cost under these conditions would represent a value from (1.12 to 1.05) R$/kg of processed raw material. Although a reduction in the amount of energy required for gelatinization was observed due to the application of ultrasound for 20 min and air-drying temperature at 50 °C, no significant reduction of resistant starch content was observed; thus, the main characteristic of unripe banana flour, because of its positive effect on human health, was preserved. It was verified that the application of 20 min of ultrasound (9.38 ± 0.60) W/L in unripe banana slices, immersed in water (hydrated) or vacuum-packed (non-hydrated), did not influence significantly the values of effective water diffusivity, resistant starch content and the formation of micro-channels. The effects of ultrasound were evident independent of water gain, which occurs due to the immersion of unripe banana slices into water.