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No / PURPOSE: Self-emulsifying systems (SES) emulsify spontaneously to produce fine oil-in-water emulsion when introduced into aqueous phase. The self-emulsification process plays an important role during formation of emulsion. The objective of current work was to understand and explore the inner structuration of SES through controlled hydration and further to study the influence of additive on the same which ultimately governs performance of final formulation in terms of droplet size. METHODS: Droplet size of final formulations containing structural analogues of ibuprofen was determined. Microstructural properties of intermediate hydrated regimes of SES were investigated using techniques such as small angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry and rheology. RESULTS: The current work established inverse relationship between droplet size of the formulations containing structural analogues of ibuprofen and their Log P values. Microstructural analysis of intermediate hydrated regimes of the prepared samples showed formation of local lamellar structure. Structural analogues of ibuprofen significantly altered microstructure of lamellae which was well correlated with the droplet size of final formulations. In vitro drug release study showed increase in dissolution rate of lipophillic drugs when formulated as SES. CONCLUSION: The current work emphasizes the fact that tailor-made formulations can be prepared by controlling the properties of intermediate regimes.

Self-emulsifying systems are mixtures of oils and surfactants, ideally isotropic, sometimes including cosolvents, which emulsify under conditions of gentle agitation, similar to those which would be encountered in the gastrointestinal tract. The process of self-emulsification has remained the center of attraction for most researchers. Controlled hydration of self-emulsifying systems shows formation of an intermediate gel phase which upon rupture forms an emulsion. Current work was undertaken to understand and explore the microstructural properties of intermediate gel phase which are believed to influence the performance (droplet size) of the final formulation. The effect of additives on microstructural properties of intermediate gel phase has also been investigated. Microstructural elucidation of hydrated samples of intermediate regimes was done by using techniques such as small angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry and rheology. Samples from intermediate regimes showed formation of local lamellar structure which swelled with hydration. In the present work, the effect of addition of salt form of naproxen (sodium and potassium) and naproxen (base) on microstructural properties of intermediate regimes was investigated. Systems containing naproxen salts formed larger droplets whereas naproxen base formed smaller ones. Microstructural properties of intermediate lamellar structures were well correlated with performance of the final formulation. The current studies indicate that by controlling the properties of intermediate regimes optimized formulations with desired performance can be tailor-made.

No / The current work was undertaken to assess suitability of liquid crystalline phase for engineering of lactose crystals and their utility as a carrier in dry powder inhalation formulations. Saturated lactose solution was poured in molten glyceryl monooleate which subsequently transformed into gel. The gel microstructure was analyzed by PPL microscopy and SAXS. Lactose particles recovered from gels after 48 h were analyzed for polymorphism using techniques such as FTIR, XRD, DSC and TGA. Particle size, morphology and aerosolisation properties of prepared lactose were analyzed using Anderson cascade impactor. In situ seeding followed by growth of lactose crystals took place in gels with cubic microstructure as revealed by PPL microscopy and SAXS. Elongated (size approximately 71 mum) lactose particles with smooth surface containing mixture of alpha and beta-lactose was recovered from gel, however percentage of alpha-lactose was more as compared to beta-lactose. The aerosolisation parameters such as RD, ED, %FPF and % recovery of lactose recovered from gel (LPL) were found to be comparable to Respitose(R) ML001. Thus LC phase (cubic) can be used for engineering of lactose crystals so as to obtain particles with smooth surface, high elongation ratio and further they can be used as carrier in DPI formulations.

No / The in-line development of crystalline morphology and orientation during melt extrusion of low density polyethylene (LDPE) tape at nil and low haul-off speeds has been investigated using Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS). The processing parameters, namely haul-off speed and distance down the tape-line have been varied and the resulting crystalline morphology is described from detailed analysis of the SAXS data. Increasing haul-off speed increased orientation in the polymer tape and the resulting morphology could be described in terms of regular lamellar stacking perpendicular to the elongation direction. In contrast, under nil haul-off conditions the tape still showed some orientation down the tape-line, but a shish-kebab structure prevails. The final lamellae thickness (similar to 50 angstrom) and bulk crystallinity (similar to 20%), were low at, for all processing conditions investigated, which is attributed to the significant short-chain branching in the polymer acting as point defects limiting lamellae crystal growth. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The ability to quickly develop predictions of the time-to-failure under different loading levels allows designers to choose the best polymeric material for a specific application. Additionally, it helps material producers to design, manufacture, test, and modify a polymeric material more rapidly. In the case of polymeric pipes, previous studies have shown that there are two possible time-dependent failure mechanisms corresponding to ductile and brittle failure. The ductile mechanism is evident at shorter times-to-failure and results from the stretching of the amorphous region under loading and the subsequent plastic deformation. Empirical results show that many high-performance polyethylene (PE) materials do not exhibit the brittle failure mechanism. Hence, it is critical to understand the ductile mechanism and find an approach to predict the corresponding times-to-failure using accelerated means. The aim of this study is to develop an innovative rupture lifetime acceleration protocol for PE pipes which is sensitive to the structure, orientation, and morphology changes introduced by changing processing conditions. To accomplish this task, custom fixtures are developed to admit tensile and hoop burst tests on PE pipes. A pressure modified Eyring flow equation is used to predict the rupture lifetime of PE pipes using the measured mechanical properties under axial tensile and hydrostatic pressure loading in different temperatures and strain rates. In total, the experimental method takes approximately one week to be completed and allows the prediction of pipe lifetimes for service lifetime in excess of 50 years. / Master of Science / Steel, cast and galvanized iron, and asbestos cement (AC) pipelines have been historically used in water management services. However, they often experienced deterioration because of corrosion and encrustation, resulting in 23 to 27 bursts per 100 miles of pipeline in the US per year. Therefore, plastic pipes were developed to carry liquids (water and sewage), gases, etc. The Plastic Pipe Institute (PPI) requires a service life of at least 50-years for plastic pipes. Hence, pipe producers and material suppliers continuously attempt to improve the materials and manufacturing processes used for plastic pipes to increase their service lifetimes. However, there is still no plastic pipe that has been in service for 50 years. Therefore, a few techniques have been developed to accelerate the aging process and to predict if the plastic pipe is able to endure the 50-year lifetime without failure. In this work, a combined experimental and analytical framework is presented to develop accelerated lifetime estimates for plastic pipes. Custom axial tensile and internal pressurization fixtures are developed to measure the pipe response; the analytical method is used to extend the results to predict 50-year (and beyond) behavior.

Un nouveau modèle de biomembrane de type liposome a été développé à partir de lipides synthétisés comportant une unité biphényle sur leur chaînes sn2 et une chaîne aliphatique sn1 de longueur et insaturation variables. L’anisotropie de susceptibilité magnétique positive de ces molécules induit une déformation en oblate de ces liposomes dits « biphényles » dans le champ magnétique B0. Cette déformation spécifique a été caractérisée par RMN des solides 31P et 2H en faisant varier différents paramètres : l’intensité de B0, l'élasticité membranaire, la température et la taille des liposomes (Helfrich, 1973). Ces vésicules déformées ont pu être observées par microscopies optiques et électroniques et la rémanence de la déformation en dehors de B0 a pu être analysée par diffusion des rayons X aux petits angles (SAXS). Enfin, les premières applications des liposomes biphényles comme nouveau modèle de biomembrane pour analyser la structure et l’orientation (par RMN des solides 15N) de peptides ou protéines membranaires, ont été étudiées. / A new model of biomembrane (liposome) was developed from synthesized lipids containing a biphenyl unit on the sn2 aliphatic chain and possessing a sn1 aliphatic chain which varies in length and unsaturation. The positive magnetic susceptibility anisotropy of these molecules induces an oblate deformation of these «biphenyls » liposomes under the magnetic field B0. This particular deformation has been characterized by 31P and 2H solid state NMR by varying different parameters: the intensity of B0, the membrane elasticity, the temperature and the size of the liposomes (Helfrich, 1973). These deformed vesicles were observed by optical and electron microscopy and the remanence of the deformation outside B0 has been analyzed by Small angles X-ray scattering (SAXS).Finally, the first applications of biphenyls liposomes as new biomembrane model to analyze the structure and orientation of membrane proteins or peptides were studied by 15N solid state NMR

Dans le travail actuel, nous avons entrepris une étude structurale des monocristaux de polystyrène-polyoxyde d'éthylène (PS-b-PEO) pour élucider l'influence de la conformation du bloc de PS sur la cristallisation à partir d'une solution diluée. Nous avons également étudié le comportement des monocristaux lors d'une chauffe. Il est à noter que l'intérêt dans ces systèmes a été récemment réapparu en vue d'utilisation des monocristaux de copolymères pour générer des brosses amorphes uniformes. Lors de la cristallisation du PEO le bloc amorphe, c. à d. le PS, est rejeté du cristal et s'accumule donc sur des surfaces basales des lamelles cristallines. Puisque l'épaisseur cristalline qui résulte d'un processus de cristallisation isotherme a une valeur bien définie, la densité de greffage de PS en est aussi. Ainsi en changeant l'épaisseur du cristal nous pouvons générer des brosses de PS ayant des densités de greffage très variées. Dans notre étude, nous avons employé une combinaison des techniques d'analyse qui sont opérationnelles dans l'espace directe et réciproque telles que l'AFM et le SAXS/WAXS. Les expériences AFM ont été réalisées sur des monocristaux isolés tandis que les mesures SAXS/WAXS ont été faites sur des gâteux de monocristaux orientés qui ont été préparés par sédimentation lente à partir d'une solution diluée. L'interprétation des résultants SAXS se base sur le modèle à deux phases où les épaisseurs des régions cristallines (Lc) et amorphes (La) peuvent être déterminées en suivant les approches conventionnelles de la fonction de corrélation ou la fonction de distribution des interfaces. / In the present work, we have undertaken a structural study of PS-b-PEO single crystals to elucidate the influence of the state of the PS block on crystallization from dilute solution and on subsequent thermal annealing at elevated temperature. It is noteworthy that the interest in these systems has been recently renewed in the perspective of using them as a model of grafted amorphous brushes with variable grafting density. Indeed, during crystallization of PEO, the amorphous block, i.e. PS, is rejected from the crystal accumulating on its basal surfaces. Since the crystal thickness formed during isothermal crystallization is a sharply selected value, the grafting density of the resulting PS brush is also well defined. Therefore by varying the crystal thickness one can obtain the PS brushes with grafting density varying in a broad range.In our study, a combination of reciprocal and direct-space techniques such as SAXS/WAXS and AFM was employed. While AFM experiments were performed on isolated single crystals, the SAXS investigation was carried out on oriented mats of single crystals slowly sedimented from the "mother" solution. In this case, the one-dimensional two-phase system model was used for the data interpretation where the thickness of the amorphous (La) and crystalline (Lc) layers are conventionally determined following the correlation fonction and interface distribution fonction approaches.

Notre étude a porté sur la compréhension microscopique des mécanismes de déformation du polyamide 6 (PA6) à l’état massif. Par des traitements thermiques appropriés, on a obtenu un jeu d’échantillons présentant des microstructures semi-cristallines variées, avec différentes formes cristallographiques (allotropes : α, γ ou β), différents taux de cristallinité (de 24 à 35%), différentes périodes de l’empilement des lamelles cristallines (de 7 à 12nm), ceci pour deux masses moléculaires différentes. Les propriétés mécaniques en traction ont été caractérisées au-dessus et au-dessous de la transition vitreuse de la phase amorphe (Tg). Les différents matériaux présentent des différences notables de comportements. Le taux de cristallinité semble être le facteur prédominant au-dessus de Tg, mais d’autres facteurs sont à prendre en compte en dessous de Tg, comme la forme cristalline et la morphologie lamellaire (épaisseur et facteur de forme). Grâce à un dispositif expérimental fabriqué sur mesure, des essais de traction ont été suivis par diffusion des rayons X aux petits (SAXS) et grands angles (WAXS) sur la ligne D2AM, ESRF, pour caractériser les déformations à l’échelle des empilements lamellaires et à l’échelle de la maille cristalline. Dans les échantillons présentant principalement de la phase cristalline β, les lamelles tendent à s’orienter perpendiculairement à la direction de traction (TD). Ce mécanisme d’orientation local (que nous appelons « modèle de réseau de chaînes ») est induit par la transmission des contraintes par les chaînes amorphes reliant les lamelles cristallines adjacentes. L’allongement local est plus faible que l’allongement macroscopique dans les lamelles perpendiculaire à TD, ce qui implique que les lamelles inclinées doivent être cisaillées. De plus, la phase β se transforme en phase α aux fortes extensions. Dans les échantillons présentant principalement de la phase α (la plus rigide), au-dessus de Tg, dans le régime élastique, les chaînes tendent d’abord à s’orienter perpendiculairement à TD, ce qui implique que les lamelles s’orientent parallèlement à TD (« modèle de lamelles rigides »). Ensuite, dans le régime plastique, une majeure partie des lamelles se réoriente perpendiculairement à TD, comme dans le « modèle de réseau de chaînes », tandis qu’une fraction mineure reste orientée parallèlement à TD. Une morphologie fibrillaire fortement orientée est finalement obtenue pour tous les échantillons quelle que soit la température. / Mechanical properties of bulk polyamide 6 (PA6) have been studied in relation to microscopic deformation mechanisms. By applying various thermal treatments, sets of samples with different semi-crystalline microstructures, namely various crystalline allotropic forms (denoted α, γ and β) and different values of the crystallinity index (from 24 to 35%) and of the long period of the lamellar stacks (from 7 to 12 nm), have been obtained, for two different molecular masses. Mechanical properties have been measured in the linear (viscoelastic) and nonlinear (plastic) regimes below and above the glass transition of the amorphous phase (Tg). Differences of behavior have been observed depending on the microstructure. While the crystallinity index seems to be the predominant factor affecting the mechanical behavior above Tg, other structural parameters such as the crystalline form and the lamellar morphology (thickness and aspect ratio) have to be taken into account below Tg. Deformations at the scales of lamellar stacks and of the crystalline unit cell have been characterized by small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) performed in-situ during tensile tests. In samples with predominantly β phase, lamellae tend to orient perpendicular to the tensile direction (TD). This orientation mechanism (which we denote as ‘Chain Network model’) is driven by the amorphous chains which transmit the stress between adjacent lamellae. The tensile strain in lamellar stacks perpendicular to TD is lower than the macroscopic tensile strain, which must be compensated by increased shear in inclined stacks. Also, at high extension ratios, the β phase transforms into α phase. In samples with predominantly α phase and above Tg, morphology changes are more complex. In a first step, chains orient perpendicular to TD, which implies that lamellar planes tend to orient parallel to TD, possibly due to their high aspect ratio (denoted as ‘Rigid Lamella’ model). In a second step, beyond the yield, a major fraction of crystallites then reorients normal to TD, i.e. chains themselves become parallel to TD, while a minor fraction remains oriented along TD. A highly oriented fibrillar morphology is ultimately obtained in all cases.

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