In-situ scanning tunneling microscopy of carbon monoxide adsorbed on Au(111) electrode

In-situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) coupled with cyclic voltammetry was used to examine the adsorption of carbon monoxide (CO) molecules on an ordered Au(111) electrode in 0.1 M HClO4. Molecular resolution STM revealed the formation of several commensurate CO adlattices, but the (9 x radical 3) structure eventually prevailed with time. The CO adlayer was completely electrooxidized to CO2 at 0.9 V versus RHE in CO-free 0.1 M HClO(4), as indicated by a broad and irreversible anodic peak which appeared at this potential in a positive potential sweep from 0.05 to 1.6 V. A maximal coverage of 0.3 was estimated for CO admolecules from the amount of charge involved in this feature. Real-time in-situ STM imaging allowed direct visualization of the adsorption process of CO on Au(111) at 0.1 V, showing the lifting of (radical 3 x 22) reconstruction of Au(111) and the formation of ordered CO adlattices. The (9 x radical 3) structure observed in CO-saturated perchloric acid has a coverage of 0.28, which is approximately equal to that determined from coulometry. Switching the potential from 0.1 to -0.1 V restored the reconstructed Au(111) with no change in the (9 x radical 3)-CO adlattice. However, the reconstructed Au(111) featured a pairwise corrugation pattern with two nearest pairs separated by 74 +/- 1 A, corresponding to a 14% increase from the ideal value of 65.6 A known for the ( radical 3 x 22) reconstruction. Molecular resolution STM further revealed that protrusions resulting from CO admolecules in the (9 x radical 3) structure exhibited distinctly different corrugation heights, suggesting that the CO molecules resided at different sites on Au(111). This ordered structure predominated in the potential range between 0.1 and 0.7 V; however, it was converted into new structures of (7 x radical 7) and ( radical 43 x 2 radical 13) on the unreconstructed Au(111) when the potential was held at 0.8 V for ca. 60 min. The coverage of CO adlayer decreased accordingly from 0.28 to 0.13 before it was completely removed from the Au(111) surface at more positive potentials.     

Determination of the bacterial pathogen Edwardsiella tarda in fish species by capillary electrophoresis with blue light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence

High-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) has been applied to the identification, separation, and quantitation of intact bacteria. We demonstrate that a pathogen (Edwardsiella tarda) which causes systemic infection in commercially important fish species can be rapidly identified and determined (< 10 min) after direct injection into fish fluid by CE blue light-emitting diode (LED)-induced fluorescence. SYTO 13 (488 nm/509 nm), a cell-permeable green nucleic acid stain, was used to stain the cells. Remarkably high efficiency (> 1,200,000 theoretical plates/m) was achieved with this rapid and efficient CE method. It was found that proper sample vortexing (90 s) would be beneficial to disperse aggregated cells and facilitate the focusing of intact cells during electrophoresis. Ionization of the surface constituents of Edwardsiella tarda cells provided efficient surface charges for the intact cells to be separated from the EOF and damaged or lysed cells when the separation was performed in running buffer (3.94 mM Tris, 0.56 mM borate, 0.013 mM EDTA) at pH 10.5. The limit of detection (LOD) and recovery were found to be 4.2 x 10(4) cells/mL and 70.0%, respectively. This proposed CE method could become an effective tool for diagnosis and tracking of certain diseases caused by bacteria in fish species as well as in human beings.     

Role of the anion in the underpotential deposition of cadmium on a Rh(111) electrode: probed by voltammetry and in situ scanning tunneling microscopy

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were employed to examine the underpotential deposition (UPD) of cadmium on a rhodium(111) electrode in sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. The (bi)sulfate and chloride anions in the electrolytes played a main role in controlling the number and arrangement of Cd adatoms. Deposition of Cd along with hydrogen adsorption occurred near 0.1 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode) in either 0.05 M H2SO4 or 0.1 M HCl containing 1 mM Cd(ClO4)2. These coupled processes resulted in an erroneous coverage of Cd adatoms. The process of Cd deposition shifted positively to 0.3 V and thus separated from that of hydrogen in 0.05 M H2SO4 containing 0.5 M Cd2+. The amount of charge (80 microC/cm2) for Cd deposition in 0.5 M Cd2+ implied a coverage of 0.17 for the Cd adatoms, which agreed with in situ STM results. Regardless of [Cd2+], in situ STM imaging revealed a highly ordered Rh(111)-(6 x 6)-6Cd + HSO4- or SO42- structure in sulfuric acid,. In hydrochloric acid, in situ STM discerned a (2 x 2)-Cd + Cl structure at potentials where Cd deposition commenced. STM atomic resolution showed roughly one-quarter of a monolayer of Cd adatoms were deposited, ca. 50% more than in sulfuric acid. Dynamic in situ STM imaging showed potential dependent, reversible transformations between the (6 x 6) Cd adlattices and (square root 3 x square root 7)-(bi)sulfate structure, and between (2 x 2) and (square root 7 x square root 7)R19.1 degrees -Cl structures. The fact that different Cd structures observed in H2SO4 and HCl entailed the involvement of anions in Cd deposition, i.e. (bi)sulfate and chloride anions were codeposited with Cd adatoms on Rh(111).     

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy of molecular assemblies of cobalt(II)- and copper(II)-coordinated tetraphenyl porphine and phthalocyanine on Au(100)

Molecules of copper(II) and cobalt(II) 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine (CuTPP and CoTPP) and cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (CoPc) are spontaneously adsorbed onto reconstructed Au(100) substrate from a benzene solution containing each individual complex. In situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to examine the real-space arrangement and the internal molecular structure of each of the individual molecules in 0.1 M HClO4 under potential control. The adsorption of CuTPP and CoTPP produced the same highly ordered square array with an intermolecular spacing of 1.44 nm on a reconstructed Au(100) surface. These molecular superlattices and the underlying reconstructed Au(100) predominated between 0 and 0.9 V, but lifting of the reconstructed Au(100) surface and elimination of the ordered adlayers occurred at more positive potentials. Molecular resolution STM revealed propeller-shaped admolecule with its center imaged as a protrusion for Co(II) and a depression for Cu(II). In contrast, the spontaneous adsorption of CoPc molecules resulted in a rapid phase transition from the reconstructed Au(100) surface to the (1 x 1) phase, coupled with the production of locally ordered, square-shaped arrays with an intermolecular distance of 1.65 nm. This molecular adlayer and the Au(100)-(1 x 1) remained unchanged when the potential was modulated between 0 and 1.0 V. These results indicate that the subtle variation in the molecular structure of adsorbate influenced not only its spatial arrangement but also the structure of the underlying Au(100) substrate.     

Finite Dimensional Filters with Nonlinear Drift, XI: Explicit Solution of the Generalized Kolmogorov Equation in Brockett–Mitter Program

Ever since the technique of the Kalman–Bucy filter was popularized, there has been an intense interest in finding new classes of finite-dimensional recursive filters. In the late 1970s the concept of the estimation algebra of a filtering system was introduced. Brockett, Clark, and Mitter proposed to use the Wei–Norman approach to solve the nonlinear filtering problem. In 1990, Tam, Wong, and Yau presented a rigorous proof of the Brocket–Mitter program which allows one to construct finite-dimensional recursive filters from finite–dimensional estimation algebras. Later Yau wrote down explicitly a system of ordinary differential equations and generalized Kolmogorov equation to which the robust Duncan–Mortenser– Zakai equation can be reduced. Thus there remains three fundamental problems in Brockett–Mitter program. The first is the problem of finding explicit solution to the generalized Kolmogorov equation. The second is the problem of finding real-time solution of a system of ODEs. The third is the Brockett's problem of classification of finite–dimensional estimation algebras. In this paper, we solve the first problem.     

On the Quantum Boltzmann Equation

We give a nonrigorous derivation of the nonlinear Boltzmann equation from the Schrödinger evolution of interacting fermions. The argument is based mainly on the assumption that a quasifree initial state satisfies a property called restricted quasifreenessin the weak coupling limit at any later time. By definition, a state is called restricted quasifree if the four-point and the eight-point functions of the state factorize in the same manner as in a quasifree state.