A funcionalização de materiais poliméricos para a produção de superfícies superhidrofóbicas é importante para uma série de aplicações, principalmente as associadas com superfícies autolimpantes e anti-aderentes. Uma abordagem para obter superhidrofobicidade é combinar polímeros hidrofóbicos com outros materiais passíveis de ser microestruturados. Neste estudo, copolímeros hidrofóbicos foram sintetizados através de polimerização radicalar convencional usando os monômeros 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5 octafluorpentil metacrilato (OFPMA) ou 2,2,2 trifluoretil metacrilato (TFEMA) copolimerizado com o azo monômero 4-[N-etil-N-(2-metacriloxi-etil)]amino-4-nitro-azobenzeno (DR13-MA) em proporções distintas. A polimerização foi bem sucedida, apresentando massas molares acima de 10.000 g / mol, com uma polidispersividade relativamente baixa. Os copolímeros e homopolímeros, derivados de OFPMA e TFEMA - usados para comparação tiveram sua estrutura confirmada através de espectroscopia no infravermelho (FTIR) e ressonância magnética nuclear (RMN). A proporção de azo monômero incorporada foi estimada por RMN e espectroscopia no UV-vis e foram condizentes com a relação utilizada, ou seja, 10, 20 e 30% em massa. Foram formados filmes de Langmuir estáveis dos copolímeros na interface ar / água, cuja isoterma de pressão superficial apresentou transição de fase provavelmente atribuída a um rearranjo molecular. O potencial de superfície dos filmes dos copolímeros foi negativo, o que indica que os átomos de flúor estavam direcionados para o ar. Esta organização molecular foi mantida após a transferência de filmes sobre substratos sólidos na forma de filmes Langmuir-Blodgett (LB), formando superfícies hidrofóbicas com ângulos de contato próximos de 90 º para todos os copolímeros, independentemente do número de camadas depositadas. A natureza organizada dos filmes LB não contribuiu para a hidrofobicidade, pois o ângulo de contacto é semelhante ao obtido com filmes cast. Grades de relevo foram inscritas nos filmes cast, mas o ângulo de contato não foi afetado significativamente. Portanto, uma otimização na inscrição de nanoestruturas será necessária para se alcançar a superhidrofobicidade. / The functionalization of polymer materials to produce superhydrophobic surfaces is an important goal for a number of applications, especially those associated with self-cleaning and anti-adherent surfaces. A possible approach to achieve superhydrophobicity is to combine hydrophobic polymers with other materials amenable to be microstructured. In this study, hydrophobic copolymers were synthesized through conventional radicalar polymerization using the monomers 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5 octafluorpenthyl methacrylate (OFPMA) or 2,2,2 trifluorethyl methacrylate (TFEMA) copolymerized with the azomonomer 4-[N-ethyl-N-(2methacryloxy-ethyl)]amine-4-nitrobenzene methacrylate (DR-13MA) in distinct proportions. Polymerization was successful leading to molar masses above 10,000 g/mol, with a relatively low polydispersity. The copolymers and the homopolymers from OFPMA and TFEMA used for comparison had their structure confirmed with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. The proportion of azomonomer incorporated estimated via NMR was consistent with that determined with UV-vis. spectroscopy for the relative concentrations used, namely 10, 20 and 30% in mass. The copolymers formed stable Langmuir films at the air/water interface, whose surface pressure isotherms featured a phase transition probably associated with molecular rearrangement. The surface potential of the condensed copolymer Langmuir films was negative, which indicates that the fluorine atoms were directed toward the air. This molecular organization was maintained upon film transfer onto solid substrates in the form of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films, leading to hydrophobic surfaces with contact angles close to 90º for both copolymers, which did not depend on the number of layers deposited. The organized nature of the LB films did not contribute to the hydrophobicity, however, as similar contact angles were measured for the cast films made with the copolymers. Surface-relief gratings could be inscribed on the cast films, but the contact angle was not affected significantly. Therefore, an optimization in the inscription of such nanostructures will be required for achieving superhydrophobicity.

A avaliação da ocorrência de interações hidrofóbicas em substâncias húmicas toma-se importante pois este tipo de interação pode afetar a dinâmica e a reatividade de contaminantes apoIares no ambiente e influenciar no controle biogeoquímico do carbono no solo, podendo contribuir para a mitigação do efeito estufa. Entretanto, devido à heterogeneidade química das substâncias húmicas associada à baixa energia envolvida neste tipo de interação, evidências ou detecções experimentais são difíceis. Neste trabalho avaliou-se a ocorrência de interações hidrofóbicas em substâncias húmicas e também em alguns componentes do solo utilizando a metodologia de marcador de spin, detectável por ressonância paramagnética eletrônica, e a supressão de fluorescência. A utilização de diferentes marcadores de spin (TEMPO, 5-SASL, 16-SASL e 5-MSSL) possibilitou avaliar que a interação estabelecida com o ácido húmico é predominantemente hidrofóbica. A forte imobilização do marcado r 5SASL no ácido húmico foi confirmada pela diminuição dos valores da taxa de difusão rotacional obtida por simulação espectral (109 s-1 em água e 106 s-1 em presença do ácido húmico). Da análise do comportamento espectral do marcador de spin, observou-se que a conformação estrutural do ácido húmico depende, além do pH, da concentração iônica. Em pH 7,5, foi observado que a utilização de concentrações iônicas acima de 0,1 moI L-1 de c1oreto de sódio favoreceu a formação de sítios hidrofóbicos menos expostos ao meio aquoso (internos). O tempo de hidratação e a concentração de ácido húmico também influenciaram na formação destes sítios. Os experimentos com variação de concentração de ácido húmico e de marcador de spin sugeriram que a estruturação de sítios hidrofóbicos internos, observados principalmente abaixo de pH 5, seja devida à agregação de várias estruturas húmicas menores. Embora tenha sido observada a existência de sítios hidrofóbicos no ácido fúlvico, este apresentou maior dificuldade de agregação em comparação ao ácido húmico, o que foi atribuído ao seu caráter mais hidrofílico. Dos experimentos de supressão de fluorescência, observou-se que a interação do pireno foi influenciada pelas características químicas dos ácidos húmicos extraídos de diferentes solos e sistemas de manejo. Os dados mostraram que quanto maior a aromaticidade do ácido húmico maior foi a interação, sugerindo que as interações estabelecidas ocorrem predominantemente por meio de forças de van der Waals. Não se obteve correlações significativas entre a porcentagem estimada de moléculas de marcadores de spin imobilizadas nos sítios hidrofóbicos internos com as características químicas dos ácidos húmicos. Este comportamento sugeriu que estes sítios podem estar mais associados à conformação estrutural do que à composição química dos ácidos húmicos. Também foi analisado o comportamento espectral do marcador de spin na presença de alguns componentes do solo (fração argila, solo tratado com ácido fluorídrico e ácido húmico). Pelos resultados não se observou imobilização do marcador de spin na fração argila (caulinita), diferentemente do que foi observado para o solo tratado com ácido fluorídrico e ácido húmico. As diferenças na imobilização dos marcadores de spin foram atribuídas aos diferentes teores de carbono de cada amostra. / Hydrophobic interactions can play an important role on the dynamics and reactivity of the apoIar organic compounds in the environrnent as well as the organic carbon dynamic in the global system, and eventually contribute to mitigation of greenhouse effect. However, due to the chemical heterogeneity of humic substances and the low energy involved in the hydrophobic interactions experimental evidences are very difficult to be obtained. ln this work, hydrophobic interactions in the humic substances and some soil components were evaluated through spin labeling, detected by electronic paramagnetic resonance, and fluorescence quenching. Using different spin labels (TEMPO, 5-SASL, 16-SASL and 5-MSSL), it was possible to observe that the interactions established with humic acids are mainly hydrophobic. The decrease of the values of the rotational diffusion rates, obtained from spectral simulation, from 109 s-1 Iin water to 106 s-1 in the presence of humic acid indicated that the spin label was strongly immobilized in the humic acid. The results from the analysis of spectral anisotropy of the spin label showed that conformational aspects of the humic acid are dependent on pH value and ionic strength. For pH around 7.5 and using ionic strength above 0.1 moI L-1 of sodium chloride was noticed an increase in the formation of inner hydrophobic sites. It was noticed that the formation of inner hydrophobic sites also was influenced by hydration time and humic acid concentration. Data obtained using different humic acids and spin label concentration suggested that the inner hydrophobic sites formation (mainly at pH below 5) is due to the aggregation of small humic structures. The existence of inner hydrophobic sites was noticed in the fulvic acid. However, the fulvic acid presented more difficulty to form aggregates, in comparison with humic acid, due to its major hydrophilic characteristic. From data obtained by fluorescence quenching it was observed that the interaction of pyrene was influenced by chemical composition of humic acid samples extracted from different soils and tillage systems. An increase of interactionin samples with higher aromaticity degree was shown, which indicates that the van der Waals forces are prevailing. No correlation between the estimated percentages of spin label molecules immobilized in the inner hydrophobic sites and the chemical characteristics of humic acid samples was obtained. This behavior suggested that the hydrophobic sites in the humic acid are mainly related to structural conformation instead of chemical composition. The mobility trend of spin label in the presence of soil components (clay fraction, fluoridric acid treated soil and humic acid) was also analyzed. No spin label immobilization was noticed in the clay fraction (kaolinite). On the other hand strongly immobilized spin label in the fluoridric acid treated soil and humic acid were observed. The differences in the immobilization were attributed to the carbon content.

The hydrophobic effect has been a topic of research for decades, not only due to its importance as the primary building block of much of chemistry (it dictates which solvent can dissolve which solutes) and biology (guiding protein binding and gene expression) but also due to it being a fundamental physical process. The commonly held opinion is that 'like dissolve like', implying polar substances can readily mix with other polar substances, and similarly for apolar ones, but polar and apolar would separate and tend to stay isolated from one another (like oil in water). We have developed a quantitative imaging method that can be used in tandem with Raman spectroscopy in order to investigate the effect of high pressure on a model hydrophobic system - water and methane. Our study revealed an unexpectedly large increase in the amount of methane that can readily mix with water once a rather modest pressure has been applied to the system. Thus, the solubility of CH4 in H2O starts abruptly increasing at 1.3 GPa and reaches a maximum of 44(3) mole % at 2.1 GPa, showing no pressure dependence upon further compression. We have tried to reproduce the observed experimental behaviour using classical molecular dynamics simulations deploying a range of widely used water potentials (SPC/E, TIP4P, TIP3P), but unfortunately no quantitative or even qualitative agreement was reached with experiments. Finally, in order to understand the atomic level changes that enable this increased amount of methane to dissolve in water, we have performed neutron scattering measurements along with EPSR (empirical potential structure refinement) fits to the data in order to solve the structure of the fluid mixture. These revealed a tendency towards maintaining the H-bond network present in water and homogeneous mixing. Despite the network staying similar to the one found in pure fluid water at milder pressures and temperatures (close to ambient conditions), the H-bonds seem more disordered and show a greater variability in their lengths.

Neste trabalho estudamos o efeito hidrofóbico no sistema benzenoágua. Nossa estratégia é avaliar as propriedades das ligações de hidrogênio entre as moléculas de água nas proximidades da molécula e benzeno. Utilizamos as ferramentas da mecânica quântica e o método de simulação computacional para este estudo. A análise estrutural e energética detalhada dos clusters benzenoágua mostra que a ligação de hidrogênio é mais forte quando na presença do benzeno. A investigação pelo método de simulação Monte Carlo corrobora estas conclusões e ainda fornece os efeitos da variação de tempeatura. Verificamos que o aumento da temperatura afeta todas as moléculas aumentando a desordem líquida, no entanto, constatamos a manutenção de uma estrutura de ligações de hidrogênio mais fortes as proximidades do benzeno. A interação entre duas moléculas de benzeno também foi analisada, mostrando que a interação benzenobenzeno é bem mais forte na presença da água. / The hydrophobic effect is studied for the benzene-water system. The properties of the hydrogen bond between the water molecules around the benzene is evaluated using both classical and quantum mechanical methods. Hydrophobic hydration analysis shows that the hydrogen bond interaction is stronger in the presence of benzene. This is verified both by ab initio quantum mechanical methods and classical Monte Carlo simulation. Temperature dependence is investigated. Although increasing temperature increases the disorder the hydrogen bonds between the water molecules are still stronger for those in the proximities of the benzene. Hydrophobic interaction is also investigated. It is seen that the benzene-benzene interaction is stronger in the water environment.

Adsorption processes are utilized in both medicine and industry. It is important to have an understanding of adsorption processes to better predict the outcomes and discern potential difficulties. The primary objective of this research is to further the understanding of the nature and extent of the adsorption process in solution, which is a function of the chemical composition of the adsorbates, adsorbents, and solvent. This was accomplished by employing experimental studies as well as thermodynamic calculations and molecular dynamic simulations. Four activated carbons were used as the model adsorbents in this study. And, barbital, phenobarbital and primidone were used to elucidate the structural features of the adsorbates that were most responsible for the interaction with activated carbons. A Two-Mechanism Langmuir-Like Equation (TMLLE) was proposed to describe the independent presence of two adsorption mechanisms: non-site-specific adsorption and site-specific adsorption. The analyses of data generated by both previous investigators and current studies, suggest that the TMLLE allows an accurate analysis of the adsorption process. Based on the parameters in the TMLLE, the Modified Crisp Model and the van’t Hoff Model were employed to determine the Gibbs free energy changes for both site-specific adsorption and non-site-specific adsorption. Comparing the Gibbs free energy changes calculated by the Modified Crisp Model and the van’t Hoff Model (site-specific adsorption case), it is concluded that 5 water molecules are displaced by a phenobarbital molecule on the surface of activated carbons. And, for non-site-specific adsorption, it is concluded that 12 water molecules are displaced by a phenobarbital molecule on the nonpolar (hydrocarbon) part of the activated carbon surface. The adsorption of phenobarbital from solution by activated carbons has been simulated by employing Molecular Dynamic (MD) Modeling. The predicted differential Gibbs free energy values for site-specific adsorption at pH 2-9 were consistent with the thermodynamic calculations. And, the present MD simulations provide a good basis for the further understanding and quantitatively assessment of the adsorption driven by hydrophobic bonding. The conclusions reached in the current studies are expected to be applicable to a wide range of similar adsorption processes.

Mesoporous silica particles are of significant interest for biomedical applications due to their good general biocompatibility compared to other nanoparticle matrices such as quantum dots, high specific surface areas up to 1000 m2/g, and extreme synthetic tunability in terms of particle size, pore size and topology, core material, and surface functionalization. For one application, drug delivery, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) of two pore structures, MCM-41 – parallel, hexagonally ordered pores approximately 3 nm in diameter – and wormhole (WO) – interconnected, disordered pores also approximately 3 nm in diameter – were synthesized with particle diameters under 100 nm. Additionally, a magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticle core was incorporated into Fe3O4-core WO-MS-shell particles. The particles were loaded with doxorubicin, a chemotherapeutic, and the drug release into phosphate buffered saline (PBS, 10 mM, pH 7.4) at 37 °C was monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy. The data were fit to three models: Korsmeyer-Peppas, first order exponential release, and Weibull. The Korsmeyer-Peppas model provided useful information concerning the kinetics and mechanism of drug release from each MSN type. A small but statistically significant difference in the release kinetics was found due to the different pore topologies. A much larger kinetic effect was observed due to the inclusion of an iron oxide core. Applying a static magnetic field to the Fe3O4-core WO-MS shell particles did not have a significant impact on the doxorubicin release. This is the first time that the effects of pore topology and iron oxide core have been isolated from pore diameter and particle size for these materials. In vitro cell studies were conducted to determine the cytotoxicity of the bare and doxorubicin-loaded materials against three cancerous cell lines – A549 human lung carcinoma cells, HEC50CO human endometrial cancer cells, and CT26 mouse colon cancer cells. The MCM-41 and WO MSNs generally displayed similar toxicities within each cell line, and the Fe3O4-core WO-MS shell particles were less toxic. Doxorubicin-loaded particles generally displayed greater toxicity than bare MSNs, but the A549 cells were very resistant to all concentrations of MSNs tested. For another biomedical application, tissue phantom development, mesoporous silica particles with approximately 10 μm diameters and C18 surface functionalization were evaluated for their use as a substrate for optical tissue phantoms. Tissue phantoms are synthetic imitations of biological material, and C18-modified silica provides a substrate that is simple to load with optically active biological molecules. The molecules are then hydrophobically trapped to maintain a clear optical boundary between the biological loading within the particle and an aqueous suspension gel. Several preparation techniques were evaluated for the dispersal of hydrophobic particles in aqueous media, and qualitative analysis indicated that surfactant coating of the outer surface could fully disperse the hydrophobic particle while maintaining the clear optical boundary. A novel analysis was developed to provide a single numerical indicator of clustering for a quantitative assessment of particle dispersal in tissue phantoms.

Polyethylene oxide polymers are intrinsic to oil spill dispersants used in Macondo well blowout of 2010. We believe that effective thermo-physical modeling of these materials should assist the application of lab-scale results into ocean-scales. Fully defensible molecular scale theory of such materials will be challenging. This thesis is the first step towards that challenge. Molecular dynamics simulations are useful in generating structural and phase behavior data for these versatile polymers. Microstructures of PEO polymers, hydrophobic interactions, direct numerical test of controversial Pratt-Chandler theory, concentration dependence of Flory-Huggins interaction parameter and neutron scattering experiments will be discussed. / acase@tulane.edu

Le travail présenté porte sur le couplage d’un procédé membranaire à extraction liquide-liquide avec un bioréacteur impliquant des molécules hydrophobes. La bioconversion modèle utilisée est la production de cis-2-methyl-5-isopropylhexa-2,5-dienal (isonovalal) à partir d’α-pinène oxyde, instable en phase aqueuse, par des cellules entières perméabilisées de Pseudomonas rhodesiae (CIP 107491). La production d’isonovalal en milieu biphasique eau (tampon phosphate)/hexadécane présente des verrous technologiques importants, dont une inactivation de l'enzyme à l'interface eau-solvant organique ainsi que l'apparition d'une émulsion stable. L’intérêt de la membrane porte sur l'absence de formation d'émulsion et sur l’augmentation de la durée de vie du biocatalyseur en raison de l'absence de contact direct du biocatalyseur avec l'interface liquide-liquide. La nature de la membrane a été choisie à partir de l'analyse des propriétés physico-chimiques du matériau et de l’étude des affinités entre membrane et composés d’intérêt (solutés, solvants). Il a été montré que les conditions d'écoulement au voisinage de la membrane, notamment du côté aqueux, jouent un rôle prépondérant sur les vitesses de transfert. Ce résultat souligne l'importance du design et des conditions d'opération du module membranaire sur les capacités de transfert. Le couplage de l’extraction membranaire liquide-liquide et de la réaction biologique a conduit à la mise en place d’un système bi-membranaire. Le prototype développé a permis de doubler les capacités catalytiques (+ 100 % d’isonovalal par gramme de biomasse) ainsi que de la durée de vie du biocatalyseur (160 h contre 80 h) par rapport à la même bioconversion réalisée en système biphasique conventionnel. / The study deals with the combination of a membrane process based on liquid/liquid extraction with a bioreactor producing hydrophobic molecules. The bioconversion used is the production of cis-2-methyl-5-isopropylhexa-2,5-dienal (isonovalal) from α-pinene oxide (unstable in aqueous phase) by whole cells of Pseudomonas rhodesiae (CIP 107491). The production of isonovalal in two-phase medium water/organic is known about but presents important technological brakes. Membrane interest concerns the stabilization of liquid/liquid interface and capacity to increase the biocatalyst life-time. Membrane nature is chosen from the analysis of physical and chemical properties of membrane material and study of the affinities between membrane and interest compounds (solutes, solvents). Two membrane contactors are designed and implemented on laboratory scale to study transfers between liquid phases. It is shown that the hydrodynamic conditions in the membrane neighborhood, in particular on aqueous side, play a major role on transfer speeds. This result underlines the importance of design and operation conditions in membrane module about the transfer capacities. The combination of liquid/liquid membrane extraction and biological reaction with unstable substrate had been studied and lead to the implementation of a serial bi-membrane system. The developed prototype, equipped with a PTFE membrane (polytetrafluoroethylene) with 0.22 μm pores’ diameter, highlights a doubling of catalytic capacities (+ 100 % of isonovalal per gram of biomass) as well as biocatalyst life-time (160 hours against 80 hours) compared with the same bioconversion realized in conventional two-phase medium system.

Osmotic distillation is a process of removing water from an aqueous solution, driven by water vapour pressure gradient across a hydrophobic membrane. The process occurs at or below ambient temperature and under atmospheric pressure. This research project investigates the osmotic distillation process in hollow fibre modules using hollow fibres PP375, PV375 and PV660 supplied by Memcor Australia. Operating conditions such as temperature, feed concentration and brine cross flow velocity, but not the feed cross flow velocity, were found to have significant effect on the flux. Models for heat and mass transfers were used to study the polarisation phenomena in osmotic distillation. Temperature and concentration profiles at the membrane surfaces due to polarisation were quantified. Scholfield and Ordinary Diffusion models for flux prediction based on the bulk conditions were developed and validated. Models for water activity and viscosity of aqueous glucose and calcium chloride solutions were also developed and validated in this work. / Master of Science (Hons)

Découper, a priori et de façon précise, les séquences en domaines est d'une grande importance dans le champ de la biologie, notamment pour optimiser les études de génomique structurale et de génomique fonctionnelle. Différentes approches basées sur la composition en acides aminés, la complexité de la séquence ou la construction de modèles 3D ab initio, ont été développées par le passé. Nous proposons, dans le cadre de ce travail, une approche nouvelle et originale pour le découpage automatique et sensible des séquences protéiques en domaines structurés distincts par exploitation de leur texture. Cette approche bénéficie de l'information de voisinage 2D apportée par la méthodologie « Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis » (HCA). La distribution des différentes catégories d'amas hydrophobes, tels que définis par l'intermédiaire de HCA, ainsi que l'analyse de leurs caractéristiques en termes de structures secondaires, permettent d'appréhender de façon différenciée les textures des régions globulaires, non globulaires et/ou désordonnées, répétitives, passages membranaires isolés ou multiples.... L'approche développée, DomHCA, permet in fine de segmenter une séquence protéique en une série de régions et sous-régions caractérisées par des textures précises, segmentation qui, appliquée à l'échelle des génomes, autorise une comparaison rapide et originale de l'ensemble des séquences. Une des applications concerne les séquences du génome de Plasmodium falciparum qui, par leurs fortes proportions en acides aminés N et K, rendent les méthodes classiques de détection de similarité peu efficaces.