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Antimicrobial coatings in which the active agent (e.g. N-halamine) can regenerate activity represent a promising way to prevent microbial cross-contamination. A reported method for applying coatings containing antimicrobial N-halamines is layer-by-layer (LbL) application of polyelectrolytes, which form N-halamines upon cross-linking. Prior reports on dip layer-by-layer (LbL) fabrication have demonstrated the potential of this coating technology; however, spray LbL fabrication would enable more rapid coating and represents a more commercially translatable application technique. In this work, dip and spray LbL methods were used to coat polypropylene (PP) with N-halamine containing bilayers consisting of cross-linked polyethylenimine (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Further experimentation with spray LbL fabrication used naturally occurring polyelectrolytes, chitosan and alginate. Materials were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM), ellipsometry, contact angle, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, a chlorine content assay, and a dye assay for amine quantification. All methods of coating application exhibited a 99.999% (5-log) reduction against Listeria monocytogenes with application time for spray LbL taking less than 10% of the time required for dip LbL. Spray LbL fabrication of N-halamines is a rapid and inexpensive method to fabricate rechargeable antimicrobial surfaces.

Layer-by-layer (LBL) polyelectrolyte capsules can be modified to incorporate stimuli such as superparamagnetic nanoparticles which respond to a magnetic field only when it is turned on. Thus, they can act as a switch to load or unload their drug cargo on demand. Specifically, magnetite is incorporated into bilayer capsules made of alternating poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(sodium-p-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) which surrounds calcium carbonate core. The core is then dissolved using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). These capsules are loaded with at FITC-BSA conjugate and examined with fluorescence to show the unloading of the FITC-BSA from capsules as it brightens the entire field of view of the microscope. The results suggest that we can next load and unload an anticancer drug such as doxorubicin using the combination of microcapsule and alternating magnetic field (AMF) to treat the cancer cells. Preliminary data interprets that the low frequency AMF we use has little to no adverse effect cells viability. This coincides with the general thought that low frequency AMF signals are not harmful to humans. Therefore, as an alternative to hyperthermia methods which use heat, it may be possible to deliver the anticancer drugs specifically to the cells when and where it is needed.

This thesis presents work done to improve the switching speed and contrast performance of electrochromic devices. Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembly was used to deposit thin electrochromic films of materials ranging from organic, inorganic, conducting polymers, etc. The focus was on developing new materials with high contrast and long lifecycles. A detailed switching-speed study of solid-state EC devices of already-developed (PEDOT (Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)), polyviologen, inorganic) materials and some new materials (Prodot-Sultone) was performed. Work was done to achieve the optimum thickness and number of bilayers in LbL films resulting in high-contrast and fast switching. Device sizes were varied for comparison of the performance of the lab-made prototype device with the commercially available "small pixel" size displays. Symmetrical EC devices were fabricated and tested whenever conducting polymers are used as an EC material. This symmetrical configuration utilizes conducting polymers as an electroactive layer on each of two ITO-coated substrates; potential is applied to the two layers of similar conducting polymers and the device changes color from one redox state to another. This method, along with LbL film assembly, are the main factors in the improvement of switching speed results over already-published work in the literature. PEDOT results show that EC devices fabricated by LbL assembly with a switching speed of less than 30 ms make EC flat-panel displays possible by adjusting film thickness, device size, and type of material. The high contrast value (84%) for RuP suggests that its LbL films can be used for low-power consumption displays where contrast, not fastest switching, is the prime importance. In addition to the electrochromic work, this thesis also includes a section on the application of LbL assembly in fabricating electromechanical bending actuators. For bending actuators based on ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs), a new class of conductive composite network (CNC) electrode was investigated, based on LbL self-assembled multilayers of conductive gold (Au) nanoparticles. The CNC of an electromechanical actuator fabricated with 100 bilayers of polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH)/Au NPs exhibits high strain value of 6.8% with an actuation speed of 0.18 seconds for a 26 µm thick IPMC with 0.4 µm thick LbL CNCs under 4 volts. / Ph. D.

The formation of layered nanoparticle films on the surface of wood fibers is reported in this study. The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique was comprehensively investigated as a non-covalent surface modification method for lignocellulosic fiber. Nanocomposite-based lignocellulosic fibers were successfully fabricated by sequential adsorption of oppositely charged poly(diallydimethylammonium) chloride (PDDA) and clay nanoparticles in a number of repeated deposition cycles. Nanocomposite fibers displayed layered structure as indicated by the electrokinetic potential studies and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Layer-by-layer films of PDDA and clay impacted the thermal stability of wood fibers. Average degradation temperature at 5 and 10% weight loss for modified fibers with 4 bi-layers increased by up to ~24 and ~15°C, respectively. Significant char residue formed for the LbL modified fibers after heating to 800°C, indicating that the clay-based coating may serve as a barrier, creating an insulating layer to prevent further decomposition of the material. Layer-by-layer film formation on wood fibers was investigated as a function of parameters related to fiber composition and solution conditions (ie. presence of lignin, salt concentration and pH). Elemental analysis of modified fibers revealed that PDDA adsorption to the fibers was reduced for all solution conditions for the samples with the highest content of lignin. Upon extracting the non-covalently attached lignin, the samples showed the greatest amount of PDDA adsorption, reaching to 1.5% of total mass, under neutral solution conditions without the presence of added electrolyte. Furthermore, the influence of both the amount of PDDA adsorbed onto the fiber surface and electrokinetic potential of modified fibers on subsequent multilayer formation was quantified. Under select fiber treatments, great amount of PDDA/clay (up to ~75% total mass for only 4 bi-layers) was adsorbed onto wood fibers through the LbL process, giving these high surface area fibers nanocomposite coatings. LbL modified fibers were melt compounded with isotactic polypropylene (PP) and compression molded into test specimens. The effect of LbL modification as a function of the number of bi-layers on composite performance was tested using the tensile, flexural, dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites. LbL modified fiber composites had similar modulus values but significantly lower strength values than those of unmodified fiber composites. However, composites composed of LbL modified fibers displayed increased elongation at break, increasing by more than 50%, to those of unmodified samples. DSC results indicated that crystallization behavior of PP is promoted in the presence of wood fibers. Both unmodified and LbL modified fibers are able to acts as nucleating agents, which cause an increase of the crystallinity of PP. Moreover, results from tensile and flexural strength, dynamic mechanical analysis and water absorption tests revealed that the material (PDDA or clay) at the terminal (outer) layer of LbL modified fiber influences the performance of the composites. These findings demonstrate control over the deposition of nanoparticles onto lignocellulosic fibers influencing terminal surface chemistry of the fiber. Further investigation into using renewable fibers as carriers of nanoparticle films to improve fiber durability, compounding with thermoplastics that have higher melt processing temperatures, and tailoring terminal surface chemistry to enhance adhesion is justified by this research. / Ph. D.

Layer-by-layer deposition techniques were used to fabricate films with second order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. These materials are key to the development of electro-optic modulators used in fiber optic communication systems. Performance benefits and lower manufacturing costs are driving the development of organic NLO materials as replacements for inorganic crystalline materials such as lithium niobate. The layer-by-layer deposition technique in which polyelectrolytes are deposited on a surface by electrostatic effects is called the Ionically Self-Assembled Monolayer or ISAM method. The role of the optically inactive polycation's structure on deposition and chromophore orientation was studied by fabricating films with several different polycations. While the specific interactions responsible for chromophore orientation in ISAM films remains unclear, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic effects are ruled out as the sole sources of orientation. The highest values of χ(2) were observed under pH conditions that resulted in flat and thin layers. The relationship between pH and the optical homogeneity of the film was also explored. Deposition of polymers under pH conditions in which the polymer chains were aggregated in solution results in films that are not suitable for use in devices. In this work, a new layer-by-layer deposition technique was developed. Coined hybrid deposition, it relies on covalent bonds and electrostatic interactions for film fabrication. Optically inactive polyamines were used as sources of positive charges and as binding sites with optically active low molecular weight chromophores functionalized with a reactive triazine ring and negative charged sulfonate groups. Polar ordering of the chromophores was obtained when the deposition was done under conditions in which covalent bonding was the preferred attachment mechanism for the chromophore molecules. pH conditions in which electrostatic attachment dominated resulted in poorer orientation. The effect of adding ionic salts to the dye solutions was studied, with hopes of increasing the chromophore density in the film by shielding inter-dye electrostatic repulsions. A linear relationship in deposited amount, as characterized by absorbance/bilayer, was observed as the salt concentration was increased. Little effect on χ;(2) was observed for films made with the as-received Procion Red MX-5B chromophore. However, films fabricated from purified Procion Brown MX-GRN showed a definite dependence on added salt. Exceptional χ(2) values were obtained for Procion Brown films deposited using 0.5 M NaCl and PAH. The importance of depositing from non-aggregated solutions was again highlighted, as films made with the less soluble Procion Orange were significantly less homogeneous than those made from Procion Red and Procion Brown which were highly soluble. The role of polycation structure on the deposition and orientation of Procion Brown and Red was examined. / Ph. D.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-24T19:38:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RAFAELA D OLIVEIRA.pdf: 2756499 bytes, checksum: e1e60d222b6dbe62066658f22ea4de0b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-22 / In this work, starch-stabilized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-Am) were synthesized by reduction of AgNO3 using the NaBH4. The temperature and concentration of reagents of the synthesis were optimized. The formation of AgNPs-Am was monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The optimum conditions found for the AgNPs-Am synthesis were starch 0.6 % (w/v), 3.6 x 10-3 mol L-1 NaBH4, 0.9 x 10-3 mol L-1 AgNO3 and synthesis in bath ice. The average size of the AgNPs-Am was between 21 and 77 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the AgNPs-Am formation inside and outside of the starch chains, however the smaller sizes were referred to the NPs stabilized by starch. Measurements of Potential zeta indicated stability of the particles, confirmed by DLS monitoring that demonstrated low agglomeration of NPs in a period of 115 days. For the characterization of AgNPs-Am it was also used infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The AgNPs-Am were applied as polyanion for the construction of films by Layer-by-Layer technique (LbL), alternating with polycation 3-n-propylpyridinium-silsesquioxane (SiPy+Cl-). In order to obtain the films, pH and immersion time of the polyelectrolytes were optimized, as well as the concentration of SiPy+Cl-, monitoring the deposition by UV-Vis. The optimum parameters were immersion time 240 seconds, 2 mg/mL SiPy+Cl- pH 6.5 and AgNPs-Am pH 9.0. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that film thickness increases linearly and the roughness decrease with the bilayers number. FTIR spectra and Raman confirmed the interaction between the polyelectrolytes in the assembly of LbL films. The LbL films with architecture (SiPy+Cl-/AgNPs-Am)n (n = bilayers number) were applied as modified electrodes for iodine detection, using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). It was verified that interaction of the components in the LbL films improved the current intensity. The film (SiPy+Cl-/AgNPs-Am)n (n=5) showed better current response in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) 0.1 mol L-1 pH 7.0. The instrumental parameters Epulse, and tpulse were optimized by 23 factorial design. It was verified a significant effect for third order interaction for the intensity of iodine redox peak currents, so the instrumentals parameters were evaluated together. The results of optimization were tpulse = 0.05 s, = 40 mV/s e Epulse = 50 mV. Accordingly, the modified electrode obtained a linear response for iodine concentrations ranging from 4.34 x 10-5 to 3.47 x 10-4 mol L-1 (R=0,9936) and from 4.40 x 10-4 to 4.24 x 10-3 mol L-1 (R=0,9938). It was obtained limit of detection (LOD) 5.56 x 10-6 and 1.51 x 10-5 mol L-1 and for limit of quantification (LOQ) 1.85 x 10-5 and 5.04 x 10-5 mol L-1, respectively. The AgNPs-Am synthesized in this work also acted as colorimetric sensor for iodine, with three regions of linearity. Two analytical curves were obtained for iodine concentration range from 2.40 x 10-7 to 9.50 x 10-7 mol L-1 and from 2.40 x 10-6 mol L-1 to 1.60 x 10-5 mol L-1. It was obtained a LOD of 1.71 x 10-8 and 1.06 x 10-6 mol L-1 and LOQ of 5.69 x 10-8 to 3.55 x 10-6 mol L-1, respectively for each range. Color variations obtained in these concentrations correspond to interaction between iodine and silver, which were monitored by UV-Vis band showed in 410 nm. At concentrations above 5.50 x 10-5 mol L-1 there is the appearance of blue color, absorbance in 600 nm, corresponding to the interaction between starch and iodine. It was also obtained a linear relationship for iodine concentration from 5.50 x 10-5 mol L-1 to 9.50 x 10-5 mol L-1. For this concentration range, LOD and LOQ were respectively 1.37 x 10-6 and 4.58 x 10-6 mol L-1. The results presented confirm the potential use of AgNPs-Am for iodine detection, both for the modification of electrodes for electrochemical determination as a colorimetric sensor. / Neste trabalho foram sintetizadas nanopartículas de prata estabilizadas em amido (AgNPs-Am). A síntese foi realizada por redução do sal AgNO3 utilizando o NaBH4. A temperatura de síntese e concentração dos reagentes foram otimizadas, a formação das AgNPs-Am foi monitorada por espectroscopia na região do UV-Vis e medidas de espalhamento dinâmico da luz (DLS). As condições ótimas encontradas para síntese de AgNPs-Am foram amido 0,6 % (m/v), 3,6.10-3 mol.L-1 de NaBH4, 0,9.10-3 mol.L-1 de AgNO3 e síntese em banho de gelo. O tamanho médio das AgNPs-Am foi entre 21 e 77 nm. Imagens de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (TEM) confirmaram que houve formação das AgNPs no interior e fora das cadeias de amido, sendo os menores tamanhos referentes às NPs estabilizadas pelo amido. Medidas de Potencial zeta indicaram estabilidade das NPs, confirmada por acompanhamento DLS que demonstrou baixa aglomeração em um período de 115 dias. Para caracterização das AgNPs-Am utilizou-se também espectroscopia na região do infravermelho (FTIR) e difração de raios X (XRD). As AgNPs-Am foram utilizadas como poliânion para construção de filmes pela técnica Layer-by-Layer (LbL), alternando com policátion 3-n-propilpiridínio-silsesquioxano (SiPy+Cl-). Para construção dos filmes, pH e tempo de imersão dos polieletrólitos foram otimizados, assim como concentração de SiPy+Cl-, monitorando a deposição por UV-Vis. Os parâmetros ótimos foram tempo de imersão 240 segundos, solução de 2 mg/mL de SiPy+Cl- pH 6,5 e AgNPs-Am pH 9,0. Imagens de microscopia de força atômica (AFM) mostram que a espessura dos filmes aumenta linearmente e a rugosidade decresce com o número de bicamadas. Espectros FTIR e Raman confirmaram a interação entre os polieletrólitos na montagem dos filmes. Os filmes LbL com configuração (SiPy+Cl-/AgNPs-Am)n (n = número de bicamadas) foram aplicados como eletrodos modificados para detecção de iodo, utilizando-se voltametria de pulso diferencial (VPD). Verificou-se que a interação dos componentes no filme LbL melhorou a intensidade de corrente. O filme (SiPy+Cl-/AgNPs-Am)n (n=5) apresentou melhor resposta de corrente em eletrólito suporte tampão fosfato salino (PBS) 0,1 mol.L-1 pH 7,0. Os parâmetros instrumentais Epulso, e tpulso foram otimizados por planejamento fatorial 23. Verificou-se efeito significativo para interação de terceira ordem para intensidade de corrente do pico de redução do iodo, portanto os parâmetros instrumentais foram avaliados em conjunto. Os resultados da otimização foram tpulso = 0,05 s, = 40 mV/s e Epulso = 50 mV. Nestas condições, o eletrodo modificado obteve resposta linear para concentrações de iodo que variam de 4,34.10-5 a 3,47.10-4 mol.L-1 (R=0,9936) e de 4,40.10-4 a 4,24.10-3 mol.L-1 (R=0,9938). Respectivamente, obteve-se limite de detecção 5,56.10-6 e 1,51.10-5 mol.L-1 e para o limite de quantificação 1,85.10-5 e 5,04.10-5 mol.L-1. As AgNPs-Am sintetizadas neste trabalho também atuaram como sensor colorimétrico de iodo, com três regiões de linearidade. Duas curvas analíticas foram construídas para concentrações de iodo de 2,40.10-7 a 9,50.10-7 mol.L-1 e de 2,40.10-6 mol.L-1 a 1,60.10-5 mol.L-1. Obteve-se LD de 1,71.10-8 e 1,06.10-6 mol.L-1 e LQ de 5,69.10-8 e 3,55.10-6 mol.L-1, respectivamente para cada intervalo. As variações de cores obtidas nestas concentrações correspondem a interação entre o iodo e a prata, as quais foram acompanhadas pela banda UV-Vis apresentada em 410 nm. Em concentrações acima de 5,50.10-5 mol.L-1 observa-se o aparecimento de coloração azul, absorbância em 600 nm, correspondente a interação entre amido e iodo. Obteve-se linearidade para concentrações de 5,50.10-5 mol.L-1 a 9,50.10-5 mol.L-1. Para este intervalo de concentração, os LD e LQ são respectivamente 1,37.10-6 e 4,58.10-6 mol.L-1. Os resultados apresentados confirmam a potencialidade do uso das AgNPs-Am para detecção de iodo, tanto na modificação de eletrodos para determinação eletroquímica, quanto o uso como sensor colorimétrico.