Dendrimeric Gd(III) complex of a monophosphinated DOTA analogue: optimizing relaxivity by reducing internal motion

A marked increase of relaxivity has been observed upon rigidifying the internal frame of Gd-containing PAMAM dendrimers: the effect has been attained by either protonation of the dendrimer or by forming supramolecular adducts with cationic polyaminoacids.     

Light- and temperature-assisted spin state annealing: accessing the hidden multistability

Among responsive multistable materials, spin crossover (SCO) systems are of particular interest for stabilizing multiple spin states with various stimulus inputs and physical outputs. Here, in a 2D Hofmann-type coordination polymer, [Fe(isoq)₂{Au(CN)₂}₂] (isoq = isoquinoline), a medium-temperature annealing process is introduced after light/temperature stimulation, which accesses the hidden multistability of the spin state. With the combined effort of magnetic, crystallographic and Mössbauer spectral investigation, these distinct spin states are identified and the light- and temperature-assisted transition pathways are clarified. Such excitation-relaxation and trapping-relaxation joint mechanisms, as ingenious interplays between the kinetic and thermodynamic effects, uncover hidden possibilities for the discovery of multistable materials and the development of multistate intelligent devices.

Two new two-stage manipulation protocols, namely light- and temperature-assisted spin state annealing (LASSA/TASSA), are applied to a spin crossover coordination polymer, [Fe(isoq)₂{Au(CN)₂}₂], revealing the hidden multistability of spin states.     

X‐ray investigations of bicyclic α‐methylene‐δ‐valerolactones. V. (4aS,7R,8aR)‐7‐Isopropenyl‐4a‐methyl‐3‐methyleneperhydrochromen‐2‐one

The title compound, C₁₄H₂₀O₂, adopts a conformation in which the δ‐valerolactone and cyclohexane rings are almost coplanar with one another. The γ‐methyl substituent occupies an axial position with respect to the cyclohexane ring. The δ‐valerolactone moiety adopts an envelope arrangement, while the cyclohexane ring exists in a chair conformation.     

Propagating transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes in liquid crystal-clad planar waveguides

ABSTRACT

In a planar dielectric waveguide, weak confinement of a propagating mode in a high index core leads to a measurable evanescent interaction with the cladding. In this work, we study the effect of a reorientable anisotropic cladding on the behaviour of Transverse Electric (TE) and Transverse Magnetic (TM) mode polarisations using a liquid crystal (LC)-clad waveguide architecture. The polarised evanescent field of a guided mode interacts with a voltage-tunable birefringent LC cladding to deflect an out-coupled beam. Experimental measurements are coupled with a theoretical framework and show good consistency with simulation results. We isolate the effect of mode confinement by changing the thickness of the high index core. Interactions between the LC index ellipsoid and the mode polarisation are probed by changing the initial alignment of the LC. Finally, we examine the difference in deflection between TE and TM modes, which incorporates both a change in mode confinement and a difference in LC index components.     

Enhancement of dielectric and electro-optical parameters of a newly prepared ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture by dispersing nano-sized copper oxide

ABSTRACT

Here, we present the effect of copper (II) oxide nanoparticles (nCuO) on dielectric and electro-optical parameters of a newly prepared ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixture, namely W302. The FLC mixture, comprising of pyrimidine compounds, was characterised through dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarising optical microscopy (POM) and other electro-optical methods. The material parameters such as spontaneous polarisation, rotational viscosity, response time and tilt angle of W302 were found to be 14 nC/cm², 240 mPa.s, 150 µs and 28^?, respectively. The phase transition temperatures of W302 were observed through DSC and further confirmed by the dependence of dielectric loss factor in homogeneously aligned FLC sample with temperature. We also demonstrate the observance of a low-frequency dielectric relaxation mode due to the unwinding of the helix, called as partially unwound helical mode (p-UHM) along with Goldstone mode. The behaviour of p-UHM has been systematically studied with temperature and applied bias field. Further, dispersion of nCuO into host W302 has shown a significant increase in dielectric permittivity. Also, the p-UHM relaxation peak in the dielectric regime has disappeared with the incorporation of nCuO. These studies would be useful to fabricate better electro-optical devices for display, switching and beam steering applications. The formulation and characterization of a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixture W302 composed of pyrimidine compounds is presented. Then, we observed the effect of copper (II) oxide nanoparticles (nCuO) on dielectric and electro-optical parameters of a newly prepared and characterized FLC mixture.     

Utilization of cleavage of the [1]benzofuro[2,3‐e][1,2,4]triazine ring for the synthesis of oxygen,nitrogen and sulfur derivatives of [1,2,4]triazine

A series of 6‐azacytosines 4a‐4k and 5a‐5c were prepared by nucleophilic cleavage of furan ring of [1]benzofuro[2,3‐e][1,2,4]triazine derivative 1 . Some of them were used for the preparation of derivatives of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3‐d][1,2,4]triazine ( 6a‐6d ) and tetrazolo[1,5‐d][1,2,4]triazine (7). The reaction of 1 with hydrogen sulfide afforded the corresponding 6‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐phenyl‐5‐thioxo‐4,5‐dihydro‐1,2,4‐tri‐azin‐3(2H)‐one ( 8 ), while with hydrogen selenide 6‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐phenyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐1,2,4‐triazin‐3(2H)‐one ( 9 ) was formed. The prepared compounds were tested for biological activity.     

Influence of Al2O3 Nanoparticles on the Thermal Stability of Ultra-Fine Grained Copper Prepared by High Pressure Torsion

Summary.  Ultra-fine grained (UFG) Cu (grain size 80 nm) containing 0.5 wt.% Al₂O₃ nanoparticles (size 20 nm) was prepared by high pressure torsion (HPT). Positron lifetime spectroscopy was employed to characterize the microstructure of this material, especially with respect to types and concentration of lattice defects. The evolution of microstructure with increasing temperature was studied by positron lifetime spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements. The thermal stability of the Cu + 0.5 wt.% Al₂O₃ nanocomposite was compared with that of pure UFG Cu prepared by the same technique. The processes taking place during thermal recovery of the initial nanoscale structure in both studied materials are described. Received October 5, 2001. Accepted (revised) December 20, 2001     

Mercury Speciation in Fish by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Post-Column Ultraviolet (UV)-Photochemical Vapor Generation (PVG): Comparison of Conventional Line-Source and High-Resolution Continuum Source (HR-CS) Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS)

An ultraviolet-photochemical generator (UV-PVG) capable of post-column on-line transformation of both organic and inorganic mercury species to cold vapor (Hg⁰) with subsequent detection by quartz tube-atomic absorption spectrometry (QT-AAS) was developed. Mercury(II), methylmercury(I), ethylmercury(I), and phenylmercury(I) were successfully detected after separation by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Two types of AAS detectors were compared. The first was a commonly used line-source instrument while the second was a high-resolution continuum source (HR-CS) AAS. The latter provided better limits of detection: 0.47?µg?L^?1 for Hg(II), 0.84?µg?L^?1 for methylmercury(I), 0.80?µg?L^?1 for ethylmercury(I), and 2.0?µg?L^?1 for phenylmercury(I). The repeatability at 30?μg?L^?1 was 3.6%, 4.1%, 6.2%, and 4.5% for these species (n?=?10). These figures of merit were comparable with those reported for more sensitive atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Nine sample extraction procedures were investigated. Extraction by tetramethylammonium hydroxide and HCl at 75?°C was selected as the only method compatible with the proposed separation and detection steps providing high extraction efficiency and no changes in mercury speciation. The applicability of the proposed high-performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet-photochemical vapor generation–quartz tube-atomic absorption spectrometry method was demonstrated using fish samples and certified reference materials (CRM) DOLT-4 (dogfish liver) and ERM-CE464 (tuna fish). The results were comparable to those obtained by a reference method based on L-cysteine extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP-MS) determination.     

Revisiting catechol derivatives as robust chromogenic hydrogen donors working in alkaline media for peroxidase mimetics

Colloidal noble metal-based nanoparticles are able to catalyze oxidation of chromogenic substrates by H₂O_2, similarly to peroxidases, even in basic media. However, lack of robust chromogens, which work in high pH impedes their real applications. Herein we demonstrate the applicability of selected catechol derivatives: bromopyrogallol red (BPR) and pyrogallol (PG) as chromogenic substrates for peroxidase-like activity assays, which are capable of working over wide range of pH, covering also basic values. Hyperbranched polyglycidol-stabilized gold nanoparticles (HBPG@AuNPs) were used as model enzyme mimetics. Efficiency of several methods of improving stability of substrates in alkaline media by means of selective suppression of their autoxidation by molecular oxygen was evaluated. In a framework of presented studies the impact of borate anion, applied as complexing agent for PG and BPR, on their stability and reactivity towards oxidation mediated by catalytic AuNPs was investigated. The key role of high concentration of hydrogen peroxide in elimination of non-catalytic oxidation of PG and improvement of optical properties of BPR in alkaline media containing borate was underlined. Described methods of peroxidase-like activity characterization with the use of BPR and PG can become universal tools for characterization of nanozymes, which gain various applications, among others, they are used as catalytic labels in bioassays and biosensors.