Photoinduced reversible pH change in aqueous solution of azoaromatic poly(carboxylic acid)

To regulate the pH value of an aqueous solution containing polyelectrolyte by photoirradiation, an azoaromatic poly(carboxylic acid), acrylic acid(AA)-p-phenylazoacrylanilide (PAAn) copolymer was synthesized and the photoresponse of the polymer solution was investigated. AA-PAAn copolymer, which takes a compact form in the ordinary state owing to the presence of azoaromatic side chains, is transformed into an extended form when azoaromatic moieties are isomerized by photoirradiation. Thus, the pH value of the solution can be reversible regulated by irradiation and interruption of light through a change in polymer conformation. The range of the pH change was about 0.15. These phenomena can be explained on the basis of polarity change induced by the photoisomerization of azoaromatic side chains.     

Rotational viscosity of viscoelastic magnetic fluid

The influence of a magnetic field on the viscosity of dilute dispersion of spherical magnetohard particles in viscoelastic matrix, the Maxwell liquid with a single relaxation time, is studied. Calculations are performed on the basis of the equation of rotational diffusion derived previously by the authors. It is shown that the effective viscosity of magnetic fluid decreases in the presence of a field. This unexpected result is clearly explained in physical terms.     

Photoinduced reversible changes in local bonding configuration of amorphous Ge-S thin films

Reversible changes of the Raman spectra by the cycle of band-gap laser irradiation and annealing (storing in the dark) have been observed for amorphous Ge₂₀S₈₀ thin films for the first time.

The observed changes in the region of stretch vibrations of the chalcogenide atoms is direct evidence for the occurrence of gross structural changes in local bonding configuration caused by optical irradiation. It has been shown that under the laser irradiation the bonding tendency of the chalcogenide atoms is to form rings rather than chains, i.e. the cis-conformation is preferred over the trans-conformation.     

Photoinduced reversible transmittance modulation of rod-coil type diblock copolymers containing azobenzene in the main chain

Photoinduced reversible transmittance modulation was achieved with the self-assembled block copolymer micelles. A large conformational change of the well-defined rod-coil diblock copolymers containing azobenzene and ether groups in the main chain of the rod block induced a remarkable macroscopic change which can be observed with the naked eye.     

Effect of solvent viscosity on the kinetics of reversible dimerization of phenoxy radicals

Flash photolysis technique has been used to obtain the rate and thermodynamic parameters of the reversible dimerization reactions of a range of ten phenoxy radicals (I–X) in a toluene–dibutylphthalate mixture (0.6 cP ≤η≤18.4 cP): The main reason for the difference in the k₁ values are the different steric hindrances in radicals. It has been found that the values of k₁ for 2,6-diphenyl-4-methoxy- (I), 2-phenyl-(III), and 2-methoxyphenoxy (IV) radicals are 3–5 times smaller than the respective diffusion constants calculated according to the Debye formula with regard to the spin-statistical factor: The resultant ΔH₁^≠values for these radicals in toluene and dibutylphthalate are close to the activation energies of the viscous flow of the solvents B. Linear relationships with a slope equal to unity are observed between log k₁ and log(T/η). The recombination of radicals I, III, and IV is limited by translational diffusion. The k₁ values for 2,6-diphenyl- (VII), 2,6-di-tert-butyl- (IX), and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenoxy (X) radicals are 10–60 times smaller than k_diff and Δ H^≠ B. In the case of radical X in toluene ΔH₁^≠ 0. The recombination of these three radicals includes an intermediate step of complex formation: For 4-phenyl- (II), 2,6- dimethoxy- (V), 2,4-diphenyl- (VI), and radicals VII, IX, and X the linear relationships between log k₁ and log (T/η) have a slope of from 0.5 ± 0.05 to 0.8 ± 0.05. The k₁^-1 versus η relationships for these radicals are not straight lines. The recombination of these six radicals is limited by translational and rotational diffusion. With the aid of theoretical models, the k₁ versus η relationships have been used to derive the steric factor f in radical recombination and the angle θ between the axis and the solid angle generatrix. The solid angle defines the reaction spot on the radical-sphere surface. The recombination of the 2,6-diphenyl-4-diphenylmethylphenoxy radical (VIII) takes place in the region intermediate between the diffusion and the kinetic ones, and the relationship between log k₁ and log (T/η) for this radical has a plateau portion. The log k_-1 versus log (T/η) relationships have precisely the same form as the corresponding k₁ relationships, which is quite in line with the theory of diffusion-controlled reversible recombination reactions.     

Molecular dynamical calculations on the viscosity of a square-well fluid

The coefficient of viscosity for a square-well fluid is calculated by molecular dynamics as a function of the well-depth for densities up to the region of the fluid-solid phase transition. The inclusion of an attractive contribution in the intermolecular potential has a profound influence on the behaviour of the viscosity coeffient and is also responsible for the qualitative correspondence with real systems which has been found for densities above the critical one.     

Photoinduced isomerization kinetics of diiodomethane in supercritical fluid solution: local density effects

The density dependence of diiodomethane photoinduced isomerization in supercritical (sc) CO2, CHF3, and C2H6 was investigated by transient absorption spectroscopy, covering a fluid density range from 0.7 to 2.5 (in reduced units). The solvent-caged photoproduct iso-diiodomethane is formed even at the lowest density, and its yield increases about 4-fold over the whole range. At the same time, isomer formation rate constants increase by roughly an order of magnitude and show little variation between CO2, C2H6, and CHF3. Furthermore, the formation rate constant decreases significantly with increasing excitation energy. We propose an isomer formation mechanism involving a rapidly established preequilibrium between a solvent-caged iodine atom-methyliodide radical pair and a loosely bound iodine-methyliodide radical complex, from which the reaction subsequently proceeds to the isomer. The latter step seems to be controlled by collisional stabilization of the initially hot radical moiety, as the formation rate constant increases linearly with sc solvent viscosity. The model predicts a quadratic dependence of relative isomer yield on fluid density. A corresponding correlation is found with the local fluid density, calculated via solute-solvent radial distribution functions obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.     

Photoinduced reversible changes in morphology of plasmonic Ag nanorods on TiO2 and application to versatile photochromism

We achieved reversible changes in length and spectrum of Ag nanorods based on plasmon-induced photoelectrochemical reactions. The changes are applied to multi-wavelength and dual-polarization photochromism in visible-infrared regions. It allows display of invisible images viewable only by infrared cameras. Also possible is display of superimposed visible and invisible images.     

The bulk viscosity of a fluid: the inverse power potential

The bulk viscosity coefficient of a moderately dense gas has been evaluated numerically for an inverse power potential. The calculation, to order density squared, is based on the microscopic theory of Snider et al. The results are compared to those from the corresponding expression of the modified Enskog theory. Agreement between the sets of values is within 1%.     

Macroscopic volume change of dynamic hydrogels induced by reversible DNA hybridization

Molecular recognition is fundamental to the specific interactions between molecules, of which the best known examples are antibody-antigen binding and cDNA hybridization. Reversible manipulation of the molecular recognition events is still a very challenging topic, and such studies are often performed at the molecular level. An important consideration is the collection of changes at the molecular level to provide macroscopic observables. This research makes use of photoresponsive molecular recognition for the fabrication of novel photoregulated dynamic materials. Specifically, a dynamic hydrogel was prepared by grafting azobenzene-tethered ssDNA and its cDNA to the hydrogel network. The macroscopic volume of the hydrogel can be manipulated through the photoreversible DNA hybridization controlled by alternate irradiation of UV and visible light. The effects of synthetic parameters including the concentration of DNA, polymer monomer, and permanent cross-linker are also discussed.     

Periodic change of viscosity and density in an oscillating chemical reaction

It was found that the periodic change of the solution viscosity and density was generated in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. This rhythmic phenomenon was observed in both the iron catalyst [[Fe(Phen)(3)](2+)-[Fe(Phen)(3)](3+)] and the cerium catalyst [Ce(III)-Ce(IV)] system, where the solution viscosity and density were synchronized with the redox potential in the in-phase mode. However, the time delay existed between the redox potential and the solution viscosity and density. The behavior of the BZ reaction was also monitored in the presence of the nonionic surfactant. This experiment revealed that, beyond the critical micelle concentration, the phase between the redox potential and the solution viscosity and density was synchronized into the antiphase mode. We suggested that the variation of the catalyst drove the oscillation of the solution viscosity and density in the BZ reaction.     

Transport coefficients of the Lennard-Jones model fluid. III. Bulk viscosity

In an extensive computer simulation study, the transport coefficients of the Lennard-Jones model fluid were determined with high accuracy from equilibrium molecular-dynamics simulations. In the frame of time-correlation function theory, the generalized Einstein relations were employed to evaluate the transport coefficients. This third of a series of four papers presents the results for the bulk viscosity. With comprehensive simulation data at over 350 state points, the temperature and density dependences of the bulk viscosity are characterized in this work over a wide range of fluid states. The bulk viscosity exhibits a large critical enhancement similar to that known for the thermal conductivity, but it extends much farther into the supercritical region and can be observed even at 4.5 times the critical temperature. An investigation of the pressure-fluctuation autocorrelation functions shows that the enhancement is caused by extremely slowly decaying pressure fluctuations.     

Functional monomers and polymers. CXIII. Photoinduced conformational change of thymine containing poly-lysine derivatives

The photodimerization reaction between thymine bases in thymine-grafted poly-D - and poly-L -lysine derivatives was studied in an alkaline, aqueous, buffered solution. It was found that the helix content of the polymers changes by photodimerization. The result was discussed in terms of conversion, the rate of photodimerization, and the helix content of the polymers.     

Photoinduced surface potential change of bacteriorhodopsin mutant D96N measured by scanning surface potential microscopy

We report the direct measurement of photoinduced surface potential differences of wild-type (WT) and mutant D96N bacteriorhodopsin (BR) membranes at pH 7 and 10.5. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning surface potential microscopy (SSPM) were used to measure the BR membrane with the extracellular side facing up. We present AFM and SSPM images of WT and mutant D96N in which the light-dark transition occurred in the mid-scan of a single BR membrane. Photosteady-state populations of the M state were generated to facilitate measurement in each sample. The photoinduced surface potential of D96N is 63 mV (peak to valley) at pH 10.5 and is 48 mV at pH 7. The photoinduced surface potential of WT is 37 mV at pH 10.5 and approximately 0 at pH 7. Signal magnitudes are proportional to the amount of M produced at each pH. The results indicated that the surface potentials were generated by photoformation of surface charges on the extracellular side of the membrane. Higher surface potential correlated with a longer lifetime of the charges. A mechanistic basis for these signals is proposed, and it is concluded that they represent a steady-state measurement of the B2 photovoltage.     

Transport and Helfand moments in the Lennard-Jones fluid. I. Shear viscosity

The authors propose a new method, the Helfand-moment method, to compute the shear viscosity by equilibrium molecular dynamics in periodic systems. In this method, the shear viscosity is written as an Einstein-type relation in terms of the variance of the so-called Helfand moment. This quantity is modified in order to satisfy systems with periodic boundary conditions usually considered in molecular dynamics. They calculate the shear viscosity in the Lennard-Jones fluid near the triple point thanks to this new technique. They show that the results of the Helfand-moment method are in excellent agreement with the results of the standard Green-Kubo method.     

Photoinduced miniemulsion polymerization

This study describes the radical photopolymerization of acrylate monomers in miniemulsion. Starting from nanosized acrylate droplets (<100 nm) which encapsulate a type I radical photoinitiator (BAPO), UV irradiation led after a few minutes to the formation of polymer nanoparticles of similar size. The present study deals with the kinetics aspects of this reaction and the colloidal properties of the resulting polymer dispersions. Real-time Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy in transmission was implemented to follow continuously the fast photopolymerization process. In addition, the spatial resolution of the photoinduced process allowed the online monitoring of the evolution of the miniemulsion size during the UV irradiation through dynamic light scattering.     

Photoinduced phase separation

A novel approach of photoinduced phase separation has been demonstrated with a photolabile anionic surfactant, mixed with an inert nonionic surfactant in the presence of salting-out electrolyte. Breakdown of the photolyzable surfactant results in hydrophobic photoproducts, which are emulsified by the remaining inert surfactant; added electrolyte resolves the emulsion into macroscopic oily and aqueous phases. The initial micellar systems can disperse an insoluble additive marker dye (shown), which may be spatially segregated from the aqueous environment by the action of UV light.