Slow-light enhanced optical detection in liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals

Slow-light enhanced optical detection in liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals is theoretically studied. Using a scattering-matrix approach and the Wigner–Smith delay time concept, we show that optical absorbance benefits both from slow-light phenomena as well as a high filling factor of the energy residing in the liquid. Utilizing strongly dispersive photonic crystal structures, we numerically demonstrate how liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals facilitate enhanced light–matter interactions, by potentially up to an order of magnitude. The proposed concept provides strong opportunities for improving existing miniaturized absorbance cells for optical detection in lab-on-a-chip systems.     

The first encapsulation of hydroxynitrile lyase from Hevea brasiliensis in a sol-gel matrix

A straightforward process for the encapsulation of HbHNL under low methanol conditions has been developed. By adding a sol, prepared by hydrolysis of TMOS/MTMS at pH 2.8 with continuous removal of methanol, to a stirred solution of the enzyme in a buffer at pH 6.5, at least 65% of the activity of the free enzyme could be recovered after the encapsulation. The aquagels were successfully used in the synthesis of (S)-cyanohydrins.     

Photonic crystals--a step towards integrated circuits for photonics.

The field of photonic crystals has, over the past few years, received dramatically increased attention. Photonic crystals are artificially engineered structures that exhibit a periodic variation in one, two, or three dimensions of the dielectric constant, with a period of the order of the pertinent light wavelength. Such structures in three dimensions should exhibit properties similar to solid-state electronic crystals, such as bandgaps, in other words wavelength regions where light cannot propagate in any direction. By introducing defects into the periodic arrangement, the photonic crystals exhibit properties analogous to those of solid-state crystals. The basic feature of a photonic bandgap was indeed experimentally demonstrated in the beginning of the 1990s, and sparked a large interest in, and in many ways revitalized, photonics research. There are several reasons for this attention. One is that photonic crystals, in their own right, offer a proliferation of challenging research tasks, involving a multitude of disciplines, such as electromagnetic theory, nanofabrication, semi-conductor technology, materials science, biotechnology, to name a few. Another reason is given by the somewhat more down-to-earth expectations that photonics crystals will create unique opportunities for novel devices and applications, and contribute to solving some of the issues that have plagued photonics such as large physical sizes, comparatively low functionality, and high costs. Herein, we will treat some basics of photonic crystal structures and discuss the state-of-the-art in fabrication as well give some examples of devices with unique properties, due to the use of photonic crystals. We will also point out some of the problems that still remain to be solved, and give a view on where photonic crystals currently stand.     

An Ag-Atom in the 6-6 Subunit of a Zeolite: Model Calculations

Self-sensitisation of photo-oxygen evolution occurs in aqueous dispersions of silver zeolites. In presence of Cl^?, chlorine is the photoproduct in acidic medium, and the same type of self-sensitisation occurs. Self-sensitisation means that systems which are first insensitive to light of a certain wavelength become photo-active after they have been illuminated by light of higher energy. For a better understanding of silver zeolites, we have carried out EH-MO calculations on the 6–6 subunit (SBU) of a zeolite, on the 6–6 SBU with an Ag-atom in the center, on the 6–6 SBU with one Ag-atom in the center and one outside on top of the hexagon, and finally on another with one Ag-atom in the center and two Ag-atoms outside, each on top of a hexagon. The Ag⁰ in the cage of the 6–6 SBU is significantly polarized by the 6–6 SBU environment. The energy barrier to escape the 6–6 SBU is 0.8 eV for Ag⁰ and 0.5 eV for Ag⁺. The HOMO of the Ag(6–6 SBU) is a totally symmetric 5s* orbital and the LUMO is a 5p_z* type. 5p_z*←5s* electronic excitation reduces the energy barrier and allows an (Ag⁰)* to exit the 6–6 SBU, provided the excited-state lifetime is long enough. The MO picture predicts low-energy charge-transfer transitions from the zeolite framework to the 5s* orbital. The highest occupied orbitals of the zeolite framework are localized on the O-atoms. Interactions between an Ag-atom in the 6–6 SBU and one or two external Ag-atoms are discussed.     

The s-p bonded representatives of the prominent BaAl4 structure type: a case study on structural stability of polar intermetallic network structures

This work presents a detailed, combined experimental and theoretical study on the structural stability of s-p bonded compounds with the BaAl4 structure type (space group I4/mmm, Z = 2) as part of a broad program to investigate the complex questions of structure formation and atomic arrangements in polar intermetallics. From ab initio calculations employing pseudopotentials and a plane wave basis set, we extracted optimized structural parameters, binding energies, and the electronic structure of the systems AeX(III)4, AeX(II)2X(IV)2, AeX(II)2X(III)2 (Ae = Ca, Sr, Ba; X(II) = Mg, Zn; X(III) = Al, Ga; X(IV) = Si, Ge). For all systems we found a pronounced pseudo-gap in the density of states separating network X42- bonding from antibonding electronic states that coincides with the Fermi level for an electron count of 14 electrons per formula unit, the optimum value for stable BaAl4-type polar intermetallics. However, the synthesis and structural characterization (from X-ray single crystal and powder diffraction data) of the new compounds AeZn2-Al2+, AeZn2-deltaGa2+delta (Ae = Ca, Sr, Ba; delta = 0-0.2) and AeMg0.9Al3.1, AeMg1.7Ga2.3 (Ae = Sr, Ba) manifested that electron deficiency is rather frequent for BaAl4-type polar intermetallics. The site preference for different "X" elements in the ternary systems was quantified by calculating "coloring energies", which, for some systems, was strongly dependent on the size of the electropositive Ae component. The Ae2+ cations decisively influence the nearest neighbor distances in the encapsulating polyanionic networks X4(2-) and the structures of these networks are surprisingly flexible to the size of the Ae component without changing the overall bonding picture. A monoclinically distorted variant of the BaAl4 structure occurs when the cations become too small for matching the size of encapsulating X4(2-) cages. An even larger size mismatch leads to the formation of the EuIn4 structure type.     

Effects of ground loop currents on signal intensities in electrospray mass spectrometry

The occurrence of electrochemical processes during the operation of an electrospray ionization (ESI) source is well established. In the positive ion mode, electrons are drawn from the ESI metal capillary to a high voltage power supply. These electrons are the product of charge-balancing oxidation reactions taking place at the liquid/metal interface of the ion source. In a recent study, (Anal. Chem.2001, 73, 4836-4844), our group has shown that the introduction of a ground loop can dramatically enhance the rate of these oxidation processes. Such a ground loop can be introduced by connecting the sample infusion syringe (or the liquid chromatography column, in the case of LC-MS studies) to ground. The magnitude of the ground loop current can be controlled by the electrolyte concentration in the analyte solution, and by the dimensions of the capillary connecting the syringe needle and the ESI source. Using ferrocene as a model system, it is demonstrated that the introduction of such a ground loop can significantly enhance the signal intensity of analytes that form electrochemically ionized species during ESI. However, analytes that form protonated molecular ions, such as reserpine, also show higher signal intensities when a ground loop is introduced into the system. This latter observation is attributed to the occurrence of electrolytic solvent (acetonitrile and/or water) oxidation processes. These reactions generate protons within the ion source, and thus facilitate the formation of [M + nH](n+) ions. Overall, this work provides an example of how the careful control of electrochemical parameters can be exploited to optimize signal intensities in ESI-MS.     

Analysis of blackbody-like radiation from laser-heated gas-phase tungsten nanoparticles

Thermal (blackbody-like) radiation that originated from laser-heated tungsten nanoparticles was measured using optical emission spectroscopy. The nanoparticles were generated via ArF excimer laser-assisted photolytic decomposition of WF6/H2/Ar gas mixtures, and the laser heating was applied parallel to the deposition. The temperature of the nanoparticles was determined, and its dependence on time, with respect to the 15-ns laser pulse (full width at half-maximum, fwhm) and laser fluence (phi), has been presented. At phi > 90 mJ/cm2, the particles reached the melting point (shortly after the laser pulse). Dominant cooling mechanisms, such as evaporation (above approximately 3000 K) and a combination of heat transfer by the ambient gas and radiative cooling (below approximately 3000 K), were observed for the nanoparticles, which were approximately 10 nm in diameter. The degree of inelasticity for the (predominantly) argon-gas collisions and the total emissivity of the particles (in the 2500-3000 K temperature region) could also be derived. The measured cooling rate and temperature data indicate that, depending on experimental parameters, evaporation and surface reactions can have a definite effect on the growth of particles.