Nonlocal Nonlinear Fractional-Order Sequential Hilfer–Caputo Multivalued Boundary-Value Problems

This paper is concerned with the investigation of a nonlocal sequential multistrip boundary-value problem for fractional differential inclusions, involving $(k_1,{\psi }_1)$-Hilfer and $(k_2,{\psi }_2)$-Caputo fractional derivative operators, and $(k_2,{\psi }_2)$- Riemann–Liouville fractional integral operators. The problem considered in the present study is of a more general nature as the $(k_1,{\psi }_1)$-Hilfer fractional derivative operator specializes to several other fractional derivative operators by fixing the values of the function ${\psi }_1$ and the parameter $\beta$. Also the $(k_2,{\psi }_2)$-Riemann–Liouville fractional integral operator appearing in the multistrip boundary conditions is a generalized form of the ${\psi }_2$-Riemann–Liouville, $k_2$-Riemann–Liouville, and the usual Riemann–Liouville fractional integral operators (see the details in the paragraph after the formulation of the problem. Our study includes both convex and non-convex valued maps. In the upper semicontinuous case, we prove four existence results with the aid of the Leray–Schauder nonlinear alternative for multivalued maps, Mertelli’s fixed-point theorem, the nonlinear alternative for contractive maps, and Krasnoselskii’s multivalued fixed-point theorem when the multivalued map is convex-valued and $L^1$-Carathéodory. The lower semicontinuous case is discussed by making use of the nonlinear alternative of the Leray–Schauder type for single-valued maps together with Bressan and Colombo’s selection theorem for lower semicontinuous maps with decomposable values. Our final result for the Lipschitz case relies on the Covitz–Nadler fixed-point theorem for contractive multivalued maps. Examples are offered for illustrating the results presented in this study.