Full-field supercritical angle fluorescence microscopy for live cell imaging

We introduce a full-field fluorescence imaging technique with axial confinement of about 100 nm at the sample/substrate interface. Contrary to standard surface imaging techniques, this confinement is obtained through emission filtering. This technique is based on supercritical emission selectivity. It can be implemented on any epifluorescence microscope with a commercial high numerical aperture objective and offers a real-time surface imaging capability. This technique is of particular interest for live cell membrane and adhesion studies. Using human embryonic kidney cells, we show that one can observe simultaneously the surface and in-depth cell phenomena.     

The disordered molecular structure of (3aRS,7aRS)‐1,3‐dinitrosooctahydro‐1H‐benzimidazole

The title compound, C₇H₁₂N₄O₂, was obtained by nitrosation of the aminal cage (2R,7R,11S,16S)‐1,8,10,17‐tetraazapentacyclo[8.8.1.1^8,17.0^2,7.0^11,16]icosane. The crystal structure is a racemic mixture of RR and SS enantiomers. The asymmetric unit contains two crystallographically independent half‐molecules, one having two partially occupied conformers with refined occupancy factors of 0.747 (3) and 0.253 (3). The molecules sit across twofold axes. The unique molecules each form chains parallel to [001], with molecules connected by intermolecular C—H...O hydrogen bonds. The bonding between adjacent chains is weak. The analysis of eight different crystals confirmed the presence of disordered and nondisordered molecules in the same structure as a regular feature.     

Two phases of bis­(tetraethyl­ammonium) di‐μ‐chloro‐bis­[di­chloro­palladium(II)]

A phase transition was found to occur at ∼153 K in the title compound, (C₈H₂₀N)₂[PdCl₆]. The structures of the two phases are reported at 292 and 130 K. The low‐temperature phase is twinned. The phase transition is accompanied by a minor displacement of the ions. There are C—H⋯Cl interactions as short as ∼2.80 Å, indicating the existence of hydrogen bonds, and this was confirmed by vibrational spectroscopy. The [Pd₂Cl₆]²⁻ anion occupies sites of mmm and 2/m symmetry in the room‐temperature and low‐temperature phases, respectively.     

Modelling local structural and electronic consequences of proton and hydrogen-atom uptake in VO2 with polyoxovanadate clusters

We report the synthesis and characterisation of a series of siloxide-functionalised polyoxovanadate–alkoxide (POV–alkoxide) clusters, [V₆O₆(OSiMe₃)(OMe)₁₂]ⁿ (n = 1−, 2−), that serve as molecular models for proton and hydrogen-atom uptake in vanadium dioxide, respectively. Installation of a siloxide moiety on the surface of the Lindqvist core was accomplished via addition of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethylsulfonate to the fully-oxygenated cluster [V₆O₇(OMe)₁₂]²⁻. Characterisation of [V₆O₆(OSiMe₃)(OMe)₁₂]¹⁻ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the incorporation of the siloxide group does not result in charge separation within the hexavanadate assembly, an observation that contrasts directly with the behavior of clusters bearing substitutional dopants. The reduced assembly, [V₆O₆(OSiMe₃)(OMe)₁₂]²⁻, provides an isoelectronic model for H-doped VO₂, with a vanadium(iii) ion embedded within the cluster core. Notably, structural analysis of [V₆O₆(OSiMe₃)(OMe)₁₂]²⁻ reveals bond perturbations at the siloxide-functionalised vanadium centre that resemble those invoked upon H-atom uptake in VO₂ through ab initio calculations. Our results offer atomically precise insight into the local structural and electronic consequences of the installation of hydrogen-atom-like dopants in VO₂, and challenge current perspectives of the operative mechanism of electron–proton co-doping in these materials.

We report the synthesis and characterisation of a series of siloxide-functionalised polyoxovanadate–alkoxide clusters, [V₆O₆(OSiMe₃)(OMe)₁₂]ⁿ (n = 1⁻, 2⁻), that serve as molecular models for proton and hydrogen-atom uptake in vanadium dioxide.     

Tailoring the electroactive area of carbon screen-printed electrodes by simple activation steps towards rutin determination

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) have the advantage of being considered electrochemical cells that can be implemented in portable sensor applications. With...