Ayant une structure particulière avec une tête hydrophile et une queue hydrophobe, des molécules amphiphile ont de nombreuses applications importantes, comme par exemple, la fabrication des détergents, la protection et la fonctionnalisation de surfaces, etc. Des agrégats de diverses formes, micelles, véhicules, membranes etc., peuvent se former à partir des amphiphiles. La complexité de ces agrégats moléculaires rend l’étude théorique de ce type de systèmes extrêmement difficile. Jusqu’à présent, notre connaissance sur l’interaction entre des nanoparticules et des agrégats des amphiphiles reste encore incomplète. A l’aide de certaines méthodes de simulations moléculaire et une approche théorique, nous avons entrepris une série d’études pour mieux comprendre les questions fondamentales suivantes :1. Comment la présence de nanoparticules, notamment la courbure de ses surfaces, affecte l’agrégation de molécules amphiphile ?2. Comment une bicouche de lipide, une forme d’agrégat particulier des amphiphile, peut induire l’assemblage auto-organisé de nanoparticules hydrophobes ?3. Est-ce que la présence des nanoparticules peut provoquer des transitions morphologiques d’un nanotube membranaire ? / Amphiphile molecules, endowed with a particular structure containing a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail, have many important applications, e.g., fabrication of detergents, surface coating or surface functionalization, etc. Molecular aggregates of various forms, micelles, vehicle, membranes, etc. can be formed from amphiphile molecules. The complexity of these molecular aggregates involving a large number of atoms make the theoretical study of these system very challenging. Up to now, our understanding of the interaction between nanoparticles and aggregates of amphiphiles remains quite incomplete. Using a variety of molecular simulation methods and some theoretical approaches (Helfrich theory and perturbation theory), we have studied the following issues in the present thesis: 1. How the presence of nanoparticles, especially due to their highly curved surfaces, affects the aggregation of the amphiphiles? 2. How a lipid bilayer, a particular amphiphile aggregate, induces the self-assembly of hydrophobic nanoparticles.3. How the morphology transition of a membrane nanotube can be induced by nanoparticles?

Dans ce travail, nous avons développé des nanostructures théranostics à base de polypeptides fonctionnalisées avec un photosensibilisateur (PTS) dans le but d’être utilisées en thérapie photodynamique (PDT). La génération d'oxygène singulet et les propriétés de fluorescence du PTS peuvent ainsi à la fois diagnostiquer et traiter une tumeur. Un dérivé asymétrique et multifonctionnel de l'aza-dipyrrométhènes difluorure de bore chélate (aza-BODIPY) fluorogène a été synthétisé pour être utilisé comme photosensibilisateur en raison de ses propriétés non toxiques, son insensibilité à l'environnement biologique externe, sa production d'oxygène singulet élevée et son important rendement quantique de fluorescence. Pour permettre au photosensibilisant d’atteindre la tumeur, quatre copolymères à blocs amphiphiles différents en termes de localisation du PTS et de la longueur de la chaîne PEG ont été synthétisés. Les blocs amphiphiles sont constitués de segments poly(ɤ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG, DP ~ 50) et poly(éthylène glycol) (PEG, DP = 45 et 113). Ces copolymères sont en outre capables de s’auto-assembler en micelles et en vésicules. Nous avons développé une stratégie de synthèse permettant la liaison covalente du PTS pour les copolymères à blocs amphiphiles, empêchant ainsi une fuite du PTS avant que le nanoparticules atteignent le site de la tumeur. En outre, nous avons étudié l'activité du PTS en fonction de la concentration, de la morphologie des nanoparticules et de la localisation du PTS dans les nanoparticules. Enfin, l'efficacité des nanoparticules a été évaluée in vitro sur des cellules HeLa et B16F1. / In this work, we developed photosensitizer (PTS) functionalized polypeptide-based theranostic nano-assemblies to be used in photodynamic therapy (PDT). The singlet oxygen generation and fluorescence properties of the PTS provide simultaneous diagnosis and therapy of the tumor.An asymmetric and multifunctional derivative of the aza-dipyrromethene boron difluoride chelate (aza-BODIPY) fluorophore was synthesized to be used as a photosensitizer due to its nontoxic properties, insensitivity to external biological environment, high singlet oxygen generation and fluorescent quantum yield. To carry the photosensitizer to the tumor, four different (in terms of PTS localization and PEG chain length) amphiphilic block copolymers consisting of poly(ɤ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG, DP~50) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, DP=45 and 113) chains, able to self-assembled into micelles and vesicles, were synthesized. We developed a synthetic strategy allowing covalent linkage of PTS to the amphiphilic block copolymers, thus preventing PTS leakage before the nano-assembly reaches the tumor site. Moreover, we investigated PTS activity as a function of concentration, morphology of the nano-assemblies and PTS localization in the nano-assemblies. Finally, the efficacy of the nano-assemblies has been evaluated in vitro on HeLa and B16F1 cells.

Le cancer est l'une des principales causes de décès dans le monde et reste une maladie difficile à traiter du fait des difficultés de pronostic, du développement rapide de métastases et de la résistance aux médicaments. Il en résulte une forte demande en méthodologies d'imagerie innovantes pour le diagnostic précoce et précis ainsi qu’en nouveaux agents anticancéreux possédant de nouveaux mécanismes pour surmonter la résistance aux médicaments. Le but de mon projet de recherche de doctorat était donc de contribuer à cet objectif.La première partie de ma thèse de doctorat a porté sur la création de systèmes sensibles et précis d'imagerie pour la détection de tumeurs cancéreuses en utilisant une nanotechnologie novatrice permettant la délivrance des agents d'imagerie spécifiquement dans les lésions tumorales. Nous avons conçu de nouveaux dendrimères amphiphiles pour assurer le transport de différents agents d'imagerie pour les imageries PET/SPECT, par résonance magnétique et par fluorescence optique. Ces systèmes d'imagerie ont été préparés soit par encapsulation de petites sondes d'imagerie à l'intérieur de nanomicelles dendritiques ou par fonctionnalisation de la surface hydrophile ou de la queue hydrophobe du dendrimère. La deuxième partie a eu pour objectif de développer de nouveaux agents anticancéreux possédant nouveaux mécanismes d’action et une meilleure activité antitumorale. A cet effet, nous avons conçu une série de nucléosides arylvinyltriazoles par réaction oxydante de Heck, ce qui nous a permis d'obtenir les composés désirés pourtant difficiles à synthétiser avec un très large éventail de substrats et une stéréosélectivité unique. / Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and remains a difficult disease to treat because of poor prognosis, rapid tumor metastasis and drug resistance. Therefore, innovative imaging modalities for early and precise diagnosis as well as new anticancer drug candidates with novel mechanisms to overcome drug resistance are in high demand. The aim of my PhD research project was to contribute to this goal.The first part of my PhD thesis was focused on establishing sensitive and precise imaging systems for cancer detection using innovative nanotechnology to deliver imaging agents specifically into tumor lesions. We designed and constructed novel amphiphilic dendrimers to carry different imaging agents for PET/SPECT imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and optical fluorescence imaging. These innovative imaging systems were prepared by either encapsulation of small imaging probes within the dendrimer nanomicelles, or functionalization of the dendrimer hydrophilic surface or hydrophobic tail. The second part of my PhD program aimed to develop new anticancer drug candidates with novel mechanisms for better anticancer activity. Therefore, we designed and synthesized a series of challenging arylvinyltriazole nucleosides via the oxidative Heck reaction, which allowed us to obtain the desired compounds with excellent substrate scope and unique stereoselectivity.

Chapter 1: Amphiphilic self-assembled systems as nanocarriers Nanocarriers are the nanometric size molecular assemblies that are used for the transport of small molecules into their non-solvating environments. These systems find major applications as drug delivery systems (DDS) in pharmacological research. These drug delivery systems improves solubility and stability of the drug molecules through encapsulation and also offer additional advantages like target specificity and stimuli responsive release of the drug molecules. Several types of DDS are reported in the literature, which can be prepared by a variety of processing techniques. Of these, molecular self- Chart 1: Developments in the design of amphiphilic nanocarriers assembly has attained considerable attention due to its greater tunability and control in the preparation of nanocarriers. In this chapter we discussed about the amphiphilic nanocarriers which are prepared through self-assembly of amphiphiles through hydrophobic interactions. Several developments in the area of amphiphilic nanocarriers such as di-block polymeric systems, dendritic systems and core-shell architectures are also mentioned. We also highlighted some recent developments in the design of amphiphilic nanocarriers through supramolecular interactions and advantages of such systems. Chapter 2: Bile acid derived dendrons and their application as nanocarriers Host-guest chemistry is well known for dendritic systems. To understand the influence of steric crowding, dendritic effect and importance of number of hydroxyl groups on the bile acid backbone in the host-guest chemistry of bile acid dendrons, we designed and synthesized a new series of C3 symmetric systems and studied the above-mentioned objectives through extraction of polar dyes into nonpolar media. Dye extraction experiments performed using trimeric molecules suggested that only the cholate derivatives (3 and 4) showed considerable extraction of the polar dyes into chloroform; deoxycholate derivatives did not show any extraction, thus emphasizing the importance of the number of hydroxyl groups for dye extraction in these molecular architectures. The effect of steric crowding at the core of these trimeric molecules was shown by efficient extraction of the dyes with the triethylbenzene core (4) compared to the benzene core (3). Greater influence of the aggregates in the case of triethylbenzene core on the extracted dye was also manifested in the Chart 2: Structures of the designed molecules 1-6 value of the induced circular dichroism signal. Surprisingly, a higher analogue in these molecular architectures showed lesser efficiency in dye extraction (on a per bile acid residue basis) compared to the trimers, suggesting a more compact structure for the higher analogue. This was supported by molecular modeling studies. Generality of these systems as nanocarriers for hydrophilic dyes was investigated by screening several other dyes and polar molecules, which are diverse in their structure and functionalities. All these experiments suggested a dependency of the extraction profile on the size of the dye molecule. This was also examined by dynamic light scattering studies, which showed larger size and wider distribution in the size of the aggregates in the case of larger dyes. We also demonstrated selective extraction of a single dye molecule from a blended food color (apple green) using one of the trimer (4) and demonstrated solvent dependent morphological changes in these compounds using electron microscopy. The self-assembly of these amphilic molecules at the air-water interface was studied through Langmuir monolayer studies. Chart 3: Structure of polar guest molecules (Cresol red (7). Erioglaucine (8), Eriochrome black T (9),) phenyl β-D-glucopyranoside (10) and Eosin B (11) Chapter 3: Design and synthesis of bile acid derived surfactants: Study of their aggregation and potential applications Bile acids are facially amphiphilic systems and their amphiphilicity can be improved by attaching polar groups on the bile acid back bone or by synthesizing oligomeric systems which show better self-assembly compared to their monomeric units. To study and improve the amphiphilicity of bile acids, we designed and synthesized a new tripodal surfactant system, with a phosphine oxide based central core to which the bile acids were attached through the C-3 position using click chemistry. Our molecular design also offers added advantage of studying the influence of the stereochemistry at the C-3 position on the aggregation of these molecular architectures. We synthesized trimeric systems with both cholic and deoxycholic acids attached to the central phosphine oxide core with α and β stereochemistry at the C-3 position. Aggregation of these molecules was studied by surface tension measurements, dye extraction studies and NMR. All these compounds showed aggregation at micromolar concentrations. NMR studies suggested changes in the structure of the aggregates at higher temperature and these changes were studied by DLS, which suggested thermodynamically stable monodispersed aggregates for cholic acid derivatives (13 and 15) at higher temperature. These aggregates are stable even after cooling to room temperature and with time. The aggregates of these derivatives were also characterized by atomic force microscopy. Gelation was observed in the case of α derivatives (12 and 13) in phosphate buffer (0.1 M) at pH 7.5 for both deoxy and cholic derivatives, which emphasized the influence of stereochemistry at C-3 position in these architectures. These gels were characterized by rheology experiments. Finally, the possible utility of these micellar systems as model systems to study photophysical processes was demonstrated through lanthanide sensitization experiments in these micellar solutions. Chart 4: Structure of the designed molecules Chapter 4: Synthesis of oligomeric bile acid-taurine conjugates: Study of their aggregation and efficiency in cholesterol solubilization Bile acids are bio-surfactants that are used for the emulsification of fats, vitamins etc. in our body. Bile salts also solubilize the excess cholesterol in our body through mixed micelle formation in the bile and when the bile gets saturated with cholesterol, it leads to cholesterol gallstone formation, which needs to be treated. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is used as drug in some cases for the solubilization of (small) cholesterol gallstones, even though the efficiency to solubilize cholesterol is less for UDCA compared to the other bile acids (UDCA is less toxic than the others). So there is a need to develop new cholesterol solubilizing agents. Since oligomeric systems can aggregate better, we designed and synthesized two tetramer taurine conjugates, which differ in the spacer between the bile acid units. Since these conjugates are not soluble in water, their solubility and aggregation was studied in 10% MeOH/Water using pyrene fluorescence experiments. Aggregation studies suggested better aggregation for these molecules compared to their monomeric analogues. These aggregates were also characterized byDLS and electron microscopy. These systems were subsequently studied as nanocarriers for liphophilic dye molecules into aqueous media. Finally, the influence of oligomeric effect in cholesterol solubilization was investigated by cholesterol solubilization studied using these two tetramer taurine compounds and a control, sodium taurocholate. These studies suggested efficient solubilization of cholesterol by oligomers compared to monomeric analogues.(For structural formula pl see the abstract file)

Deux séries de copolymères tribloc thermo-sensibles et amphiphiles, à savoir poly(L-lactide)/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N-diméthylacrylamide) et poly(L-lactide)/poly(2-(2-méthoxyéthoxy) éthyl méthacrylate-co-oligo(éthylène glycol) méthacrylate) ont été synthétisées par polymérisation radicalaire par transfert d'atomes en utilisant le Br-PLLA-Br comme macroamorceur dans des conditions douces. Les copolymères obtenus présentent une structure de chaînes bien définie avec une dispersité étroite, et sont capable de s'auto-assembler dans un milieu aqueux pour donner des micelles sphériques de taille en dessous de 100 nm et de faible concentration micellaire critique (<0.016 mg mL-1). La température critique inférieure de solution peut être ajustée avec précision en faisant varier le rapport NIPAAm/DMAAm ou MEO2MA/OEGMA. Un principe actif hydrophobe, curcumine, a été choisi comme modèle pour déterminer les propriétés de libération des micelles à différentes températures. Une libération thermo-sensible de curcumine a été observée, indiquant que ces copolymères sont prometteurs pour la libération ciblée de principes actifs anti-tumoraux. / Two series of thermo-responsive and amphiphilic triblock copolymers, i.e. poly(L-lactide)/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N-dimethylacrylamide) and poly(L-lactide)/poly(2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate-co-oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization using Br-PLLA-Br as macroinitiator under mild conditions. The obtained copolymers present well defined chain structures with narrow dispersity, and are able to self-assemble in aqueous medium yielding spherical micelles with size below 100 nm and low critical micellization concentration (<0.016 mg mL-1). The lower critical solution temperature is precisely adjusted by changing the NIPAAm/DMAAm or MEO2MA/OEGMA ratio. A hydrophobic drug, curcumin, is taken as a model to evaluate the drug release properties of micelles at different temperatures. Thermo-responsive drug release behavior is observed, indicating that these copolymers are promising candidate for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs.

En dépit de progrès considérables, le cancer reste l'une des principales causes de morbidité et de mortalité dans le monde. Actuellement, 90% des décès liés au cancer sont causés par la propagation de cellules cancéreuses vers des organes distants. Une fois implantées et disséminées, les métastases sont beaucoup plus difficiles à détruire par les moyens de la chimiothérapie.A la suite d’un processus d’intravasation, certaines cellules tumorales s’échappent de la tumeur primaire et empruntent les systèmes circulatoires avant d’être ensuite extravasées, puis distribuées et finalement disséminées dans divers organes. Ainsi, dans l’environnement circulatoire, ces cellules tumorales circulantes (CTCs) se trouvent particulièrement accessibles aux agents thérapeutiques. Dans ce cadre, nous avons imaginé d’utiliser des nanoparticules à architecture contrôlée, afin d’intercepter de manière sélective ces cellules dans l’environnement sanguin.Dans cet objectif, nous avons synthétisé par ouverture de cycle de la lactone correspondante des copolymères amphiphiles di- et tri-blocs du poly(glutamate de benzyle). Leur auto-assemblage a permis d'obtenir des nanoparticules amphiphiles de taille inférieure à 100 nm et de potentiel ζ négatif, dont la géométrie contrôlable va de la forme sphérique (rapport d'aspect 1.3) à la forme ellipsoïdale (oblats) (rapport d'aspect 2,6) et qui présentant en surface des chaînes de PEG sous des conformations et des densités de surface contrôlées.En raison de leur capacité de circuler dans le compartiment sanguin, ces nanoparticules ont une probabilité d’interaction optimale avec les CTCs.L’impact de la modification de leur architecture a été établi en étudiant les capacités d’interactions des différentes nanoparticules préparées, d’une part avec les protéines plasmatiques et d’autre part, avec les différents types cellulaires rencontrés dans le compartiment sanguin.Les résultats les plus marquants montrent que l’élongation des nanoparticules (oblats) et l’anisotropie de leur surface, caractérisée par leur balance hydrophile/lipophile, gouvernent profondément leurs interactions. De manière fort intéressante, il apparaît que l’élongation des particules dont la surface est uniformément hydrophile diminue l’intensité de leur capture par les différents types cellulaires modèles étudiés (HUVECs modèle de cellules endothéliales), cellules RAW 276.7 (modèle de macrophages) et cellules PC3 (cancer de la prostate) et B16 (mélanome). En revanche, lorsque ces nanoparticules présentent une anisotropie de surface, leur capture par ces différents types cellulaires est augmentée avec l’élongation des particules (facteur d’élongation de 2,1).Dans un dernier volet expérimental, ces nanoparticules ont été modifiées par greffage de la protéine MART1 à leur surface. Ces immuno-nanoparticules ont montré une certaine capacité de reconnaissance des cellules B16 (modèle du mélanome). Leur efficacité après injection intraveineuse devra toutefois être précisée in vivo. / Despite the considerable progress, cancer remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, 90% of cancer deaths are caused by the spread of cancer cells to distant organs. Once implanted and disseminated, metastases are much more difficult to destroy by means of chemotherapy.Following a process of intravasation, some tumor cells escape from the primary tumor and migrate through the circulatory systems before being extravasated, then distributed and finally disseminated in various organs. Thus, in the circulatory environment, these circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are particularly accessible to therapeutic agents. In this context, we have imagined the use of nanoparticles with controlled architecture, in order to selectively intercept these cells in the blood environment.For this purpose, we have synthesized by ring opening of the corresponding lactone, amphiphilic di- and tri-block copolymers of poly (benzyl glutamate). Their self-assembly made it possible to obtain amphiphilic nanoparticles smaller than 100 nm in size and with a negative ζ potential, whose controllable geometry ranges from spherical (aspect ratio 1.3) to ellipsoidal (oblates) (aspect ratio 2, 6) and having PEG chains on the surface under controlled surface conformations and densities.Due to their ability to circulate in the blood compartment, these nanoparticles have an optimal probability of interaction with CTCs.The modification impact of their architecture has been established by studying the interaction capacities of the different nanoparticles prepared. On the one hand with the plasma proteins and on the other hand, with the different cell types encountered in the blood compartment.The most striking results show that the elongation of the nanoparticles (oblates) and the anisotropy of their surface, characterized by their hydrophilic / lipophilic balance, strongly govern their interactions. Interestingly, it appears that the elongation of particles whose surface is uniformly hydrophilic decreases the intensity of their capture by the different types of cell models studied (HUVEC model endothelial cells), RAW 276.7 cells (macrophage model) and cells PC3 (prostate cancer) and B16 (melanoma). Although, when these nanoparticles exhibit surface anisotropy, their capture by these different cell types is increased with the elongation of the particles (elongation factor of 2.1).In a final experimental part, these nanoparticles were modified by grafting the MART1 protein on their surface. These immuno-nanoparticles showed a certain recognition capacity of B16 cells (melanoma model). However, their efficacy after intravenous injection should be specified in vivo.

This doctoral thesis is dedicated to the synthesis and characterization of novel functionalized hybrid structures for biomedical purposes. Systems reported in this work can be subdivided into the two main groups: natural-based materials and synthetic amphiphilic block copolymers. Both groups were studied as perspective theranostic agents for medical applications. In the first group, natural polysaccharides glycogen and mannan were selected as starting materials for preparation of novel nanoconjugates that possess ability for multimodal detection in vivo. Because grafting of natural macromolecules with synthetic polymers generally slows down the biodegradation rate, both polysaccharides were modified in two different ways to form nanoprobes with or without poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)s chains. The prepared nanoconjugates were functionalized with N-hydroxysuccinimide-activated fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging labels. The resulting materials were tested both in vitro and in vivo and were shown to be completely biocompatible, biodegradable and exhibit some extra benefits in terms of their practical usage in biomedicine. Glycogen was functionalized with allyl and propargyl groups with following freeze-drying from aqueous solutions to form nano- and microfibrous materials. The presence of both...

Biological degradable polymers on a basis of renewable raw materials, such as polysaccharides, represent promising alternatives to synthetic polymers used as flocculant or stabilizing agents. Polysaccharides derived from potato starch and chitosan have been modified with benzyl- and the first one with additionally cationic hydroxypropyl-trimethylammonium groups of different degrees of substitution (DS). The aim of this work was to characterize the solution properties of these novel amphiphilic polysaccharides concerning the impact of their DS on charge density, particle size, dynamic surface tension and viscosity behaviour. The work is further focused on investigations on flocculation properties of these amphiphilic polyelectrolytes in dispersions of kaolin and silica to identify the interplay between charge density and hydrophobicity. Flocculation efficiency has been evaluated via joint analysis of charge density measurements (using polyelectrolyte titration), turbidity and TOC measurements, as well as dynamic surface tension measurements applying the drop profile analysis. Particle sizes and particle size distributions have been determined by dynamic light scattering and laser diffraction methods. In addition, these amphiphilic starch derivatives have been used to remove substances which impact negatively the paper production process when using recycled paper, so called stickies. Model suspensions have been studied using a multitude of different measurement techniques with the aim to predict a “sticky potential” and to reduce containing dissolved and colloidal substances such as micro stickies. The surface activity and viscometric behaviour have been studied of solely cationic and moderately and highly substituted, amphiphilic polysaccharides in salt-free and 0.05 M NaCl aqueous solution. For the first time dynamic surface tension measurement results have been correlated with particle sizes and apparent charge density. Rheological investigation of large concentration ranges (0.01–20 g/L) was used to discuss Huggins plots and typical polyelectrolyte behaviour for all polysaccharide derivatives could be found. Overlap concentration and, in dilute aqueous solution, intrinsic viscosity could be determined. For polysaccharide solution in dilute regime semi-empirical equations of Rao and Wolf have been applied, making it possible to get insights to polyelectrolyte conformation in dependence on the DS of both substituents. It is shown that for intrinsic viscosity a change of the impact of both substituents takes place when having derivatives with enhanced hydrophobicity. Data evaluation via the ratio of both DS values had been successfully utilized and thus, the applied method has been identified as being a promising tool to compare a multitude of starch derivatives with substituents of different polarity in various degrees of substitution to get tendencies regarding overall hydrophobicity. Moderate hydrophobic substitution was found to lead to a decrease of the efficient flocculant dose and to an increase of the flocculation window width. Amphiphilic starch derivatives with high DS of hydrophobic moieties showing strong hydrophobic association are effective only at significantly higher doses, but in a broader concentration range compared to cationic starch of the same DS. Joint analysis of adsorption isotherms and flocculation test data has revealed, that the surface coverage required to induce phase separation ranges between 10 and 25 % and is minimal for amphiphilic starch derivatives. This gave the evidence of the complex mechanism of flocculation via combination of electrostatic “charge patch” interactions and bridging. Concerning sticky reduction experiments by systematically studying the interactions between the novel amphiphilic starch derivatives and the model suspension it turned out, that dynamic surface tension is a very suitable property to characterize the surface active compounds in the model suspension giving additional information about the sticky potential of waste water, e.g. white water, being a new and sensitive method to describe the parameter “hydrophobicity”. Moderate cationic and hydrophobic starch derivatives have been proved to be the most effective ones for sticky removal.

There is a demand for new straightforward approaches for stabilization and solubilization of various nanoparticulate materials in their colloidal form, that pave way for fabrication of materials possessing compatibility with wide range of dispersing media. Therefore in this thesis a new general method to form stable nanocrystals in water and organics using amphiphilic polymers generated through simple and low cost techniques is presented and discussed. Amphiphilic coating agents are formed using thiolated or carboxylated polyethylene glycol methyl ether (mPEG-SH) as a starting material. These materials are available with a wide variety of chain lengths. The method of obtaining of amphiphilic NPs is quite general and applicable for semiconductor CdTe nanocrystals as well as nanoscale noble metal (Au) and magnetic (Fe3O4) particles. This approach is based on anchoring PEG segment to the surface of a nanoparticle to form an amphiphilic palisade. Anchoring is realized via interaction of –SH (for CdTe and Au) or –COOH (in the case of magnetite) functional groups with particle’s surface. The resulting amphiphilicity of the nanocrystals is an inherent property of their surface and it is preserved also after careful washing out of solution of any excess of the ligand. The nanocrystals reversibly transfer between different phases spontaneously, i.e. without any adjustment of ionic strength, pH or composition of the phases. Such reversible and spontaneous phase transfer of nanocrystals between solvents of different chemical nature has a great potential for many applications as it constitutes a large degree of control of nanocrystals compatibility with technological processes or with bio-environments such as water, various buffers and cell media as well as their assembly and self-assembly capabilities.

Au cours des dix dernières années, des composés oligomères intéressants à base de l’acide cholique ont été synthétisés et caractérisés par nos collaborateurs du groupe de Julian X.X. Zhu à l’Université de Montréal (UdeM). Dans un travail récent, ils ont synthétisé un dimère d'acide cholique qui pouvait former de façon réversible une cavité moléculaire lorsqu'il était dissous dans des milieux de polarité différente ; dans l'eau, le dimère forme une cavité hydrophobe, et dans des milieux organiques, le dimère forme une cavité hydrophile. Ainsi, ce type de composés amphiphiles, lorsqu'ils sont en solution, démontre un comportement de cavité moléculaire qui dépend des conditions du solvant, formant une cavité de polarité opposée à celle du milieu dans lequel ils se trouvent. Le comportement d'inversion de la cavité résulte de la flexibilité conformationnelle du lieur chimique entre les monomères d'acide cholique. La capacité des cavités de piéger des sondes moléculaires en fonction de leur polarité suggère que ce type d’oligomères d’acide cholique pourrait constituer des phases stationnaires intéressantes pour la chromatographie en phase liquide à haute performance (HPLC), où la séparation est basée sur la polarité du soluté par rapport à la phase mobile. Puisqu’ils peuvent constituer des cavités hydrophobes et hydrophiles, ils pourraient donc être exploités en chromatographie en phase normale (NPC) et en chromatographie en phase inverse (RPC). La possibilité d'avoir une phase stationnaire réversible avec une affinité bimodale appropriée pourrait être avantageuse en biosciences, en sciences de l'environnement et favoriser la séparation de mélanges complexes en élargissant le champ d'application d’une seule colonne chromatographique. L’affinité bimodale pourrait notamment permettre d'éviter de changer le mode de fonctionnement du HPLC; un processus long, coûteux et nécessitant une grande quantité de solvant pour rééquilibrer et passiver le système fluidique de l’instrument. Ce mémoire est une étude exploratoire qui vise à déterminer si ce type d’oligomères d’acide cholique, une fois liés à des particules de gel de silice (6 μm de diamètre), montre la formation de cavités moléculaires dans diverses conditions de phase mobile et s’il pourrait être utilisé pour effectuer des séparations comme phase stationnaire bimodale. À notre connaissance, il n’existe pas encore de phase stationnaire réversible à base d’oligomères d’acide cholique capables d’interagir avec des composés hydrophiles et hydrophobes, en fonction de la polarité ii de l’éluant. Ce type de phase stationnaire se compare à d’autres phases stationnaires bimodales pouvant être utilisées en NPC ou en RPC, parmi lesquels on trouve entre autres des copolymères amphiphiles, des structures organométalliques et des macromolécules comme les cyclodextrines (CD). La nature bimodale de la phase stationnaire à base de CD rapporté dans la littérature est assez similaire aux phases stationnaires des oligomères d’acide cholique de cette étude, grâce à leur cavité hydrophobe naturelle et un extérieur hydrophile, mais sans toutefois que la cavité soit réversible à cause de la rigidité de l’anneau CD. Les particules de silice greffées avec des oligomères d’acide cholique ont été empaquetées par suspension dans un tube capillaire en silice fondue de diamètre intérieur (ID) de 250 μm pour former des colonnes capillaires de 10 cm de long. Les performances chromatographiques en phase liquide des phases stationnaires ont été étudiées à l'aide d'un instrument HPLC adapté aux colonnes capillaires et muni d’un détecteur d’absorption. Plusieurs sondes-analytes sont étudiées dans ce mémoire pour caractériser la rétention causée par les phases stationnaires dans diverses phases mobiles eau/organique. Des comportements en RPC et d'interaction hydrophile (HILIC) ont été observés dans différentes plages de composition de phase mobile eau/organique. Les tests ont montré que les matériaux étaient capables de retarder des analytes non polaires avec une diminution du pourcentage organique (% org) sur une large plage de compositions (45% à 0% org dans le cas des alkylbenzènes). Les cavités hydrophobes semblent quant à elles être responsables de la rétention aux % org moins que 10% et pour seulement une faible partie de la plage totale de la rétention hydrophobique. Le comportement en phase inverse a été comparé aux colonnes classiques à base de chaînes alkyles (C3, C4, C8 et C18) pour évaluer l’importance des interactions hydrophobes. Inversement, une augmentation du % org, en particulier de l'acétonitrile, a entraîné la rétention de composés polaires sur une courte plage de composition de solvant à partir de 85% org. Cette dernière rétention est toutefois principalement imputable aux mécanismes HILIC avec le support de silice gel découvert et non aux cavités hydrophiles du dimère d’acide cholique. / Over the past ten years, interesting oligomeric compounds based on cholic acids have been synthesized and characterized by our collaborators from the Julian X.X Zhu group at the Université de Montréal (UdeM). In a recent work, they synthesized a cholic acid dimer and showed that it could form invertible molecular pockets when dissolved in media of different polarity; in water, the dimer forms hydrophobic pockets, and in organic media, the dimer forms hydrophilic pockets. Therefore, these amphiphilic compounds, when in solution, demonstrate molecular pocket behavior depending on solvent conditions to form a cavity of opposite polarity of the media in which they are located. The inversion behavior results from the conformational flexibility of the chemical linker between the bile acid monomers. The ability of the pockets to trap probe species based on their polarity suggests that the cholic acid oligomers might be interesting stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), where separation is based on solute polarity relative to the mobile phase. Since these materials can produce hydrophobic and hydrophilic pockets, they could be exploited in both normal-phase chromatography (NPC) and reversed-phase chromatography (RPC). The ability to have an invertible stationary phase with suitable bimodal affinity could be advantageous in biosciences, environmental sciences, and for the separation of complex mixtures by widening the field of application of the same chromatographic column. The bimodal affinity may, in particular, make it possible to avoid changing the operating mode of the HPLC; a costly and lengthy process requiring a large amount of solvent to re-equilibrate and passivate all fluidic paths of the instrument. This memoir is an exploratory study that sets out to evaluate whether this type of cholic acid oligomer, once bonded to silica gel particles (6 μm diameter), shows the formation of molecular pockets in various mobile phase conditions and if they can be used to perform separations as bimodal stationary phases. To the best of our knowledge, invertible stationary phases based on cholic acid oligomers that are capable of selective binding and release of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds depending on the polarity of the eluent do not yet exist. This type of stationary phase can be compared to the other bimodal stationary phases that can be used in either NPC or RPC that includes amphiphilic copolymers, organometallic structures and macromolecules like cyclodextrins (CD). The bimodal nature of the CD-based iv stationary phases are quite similar to the cholic acid oligomers stationary phases of this study, thanks to a natural hydrophobic cavity and a hydrophilic exterior, but without the invertibility of the cavity due to the rigidity of the CD ring. The grafted particles were slurry-packed into 250 μm inner diameter (ID) fused silica tubing to make 10 cm long capillary columns. The liquid chromatographic performance of the stationary phases was investigated using a capillary HPLC instrument with a UV absorbance detector. Several probe analytes were investigated to characterize the molecular pocket-based retention in various water/organic mobile phases. RPC and hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) behaviors were observed in distinctive composition ranges of water/organic mobile phases. The tests showed that the materials were able to retain nonpolar compounds gradually with the decrease of percentage organic (% org) over a wide range of compositions (45% to 0% org for alkylbenzenes). The hydrophobic pockets seem to be responsible for the retention at % org less than 10% and only for a small extent of the total range of the hydrophobic retention. The reversed phase behavior was compared to classical alkyl-chain-based columns (C3, C4, C8 and C18) to assess the importance of the hydrophobic interactions. Conversely, an increase in % org, especially acetonitrile, resulted in the retention of polar compounds over a smaller range of % org starting at 85% org. This latter retention is mainly attributable to HILIC mechanisms with the uncapped silica gel support and not the cholic acid dimer hydrophilic pockets.