Spectral Properties of Thioflavin T and Its Complexes with Amyloid Fibrils

Comparative analysis of the absorption and fluorescence spectra and fluorescence excitation spectra of thioflavin T (ThT) in various solvents and in the composition of amyloid fibrils has shown that ThT, when excited in the region of the long-wavelength absorption band, fluoresces in the spectral region with a maximum at 478–484 nm. The appearance in aqueous and alcohol solutions of a fluorescence band with a maximum near 440 nm has been attributed to the presence in the composition of the ThT preparations of an impurity with an absorption band in the 340–350-nm range. The literature data showing that in glycerol ThT has a wide fluorescence spectrum with two maxima are due to the artifact connected with the use of a high concentration of the dye. It has been suggested that the cause of the low quantum yield of ThT aqueous and alcohol solutions is the breakage of the system of conjugated bonds due to the reorientation of the benzothiozole and benzaminic rings of ThT in the excited state with respect to one another. The main factor determining the high quantum yield of fluorescence of ThT incorporated in fibrils is the steric restriction of the rotation of the rings about one another under these conditions. The suggestions made have been verified by the quantum-chemical calculation of the ThT molecule geometry in the ground and excited states.     

X-ray metrology for advanced silicon processes

X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques are used to the monitoring of Cu/porous low κ processes, which are developed for the next generation (≤65 nm) integrated circuits. Sensitivity of XRR and XRF is sufficient to detect drifts of the copper barrier layer, copper seed layer and Cu CMP (chemical-mechanical polishing) processes. Their metrology key parameters comply with production requirements. SAXS allows determining the pore structure of low κ films: average pore size and pore size distribution.     

Nanophotonics and nanometrology with planar X-ray waveguide-resonator

The mechanism of X-ray waveguide-resonance propagation or the radiation superstream model, which can become the ground of X-ray nanophotonics, is discussed briefly. Some attention is devoted to features consideration of the simplest devices characterized by the waveguide-resonance transportation of X-ray beams. The experimental data showing the user possibilities of a simplest waveguide-resonators application for diffractometry are presented. We discuss the main reasons to improve the metrological characteristics for total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analytical method in case when the target exciting beam is formed by a waveguide-resonator. Some problems appearing during the waveguide-resonator application are formulated.     

单脉冲和多脉冲飞秒激光对单层光学薄膜的损伤

 利用掺钛的蓝宝石飞秒激光系统输出的单脉冲和多脉冲飞秒激光(中心波长800 nm，脉宽50 fs，靶面聚焦直径Ф 40 μm)，分别对BK7玻璃基底上厚约500 nm的单层HfO₂和单层ZrO₂薄膜进行辐照，得到了这两种薄膜在1-on-1和1 000-on-1测试方法下的激光损伤阈值。实验发现，两种方法下HfO₂单层膜的阈值均比ZrO₂单层膜的阈值高。从简化的Keldysh多光子离化理论出发，认为HfO₂薄膜材料的带比ZrO₂的宽是导致上述结果的主要原因。同时，同一种薄膜的多脉冲下的阈值比单脉冲下的低，原因是多脉冲下，飞秒激光对光学薄膜的损伤存在累积效应。     

Homogeneous immunoassays

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology -     

Electronic spectra of cationic forms of meso-tetrapropylporphin in a nanoporous silicate gel matrix

We have studied the fluorescence and fluorescence excitation spectra at 300 K, 77 K, and 4.2 K for silicate gel matrices colored with meso-tetrapropylporphin by impregnation of the matrix with a solution of the pigment. Comparison of the data obtained with the absorption spectra in acidified solutions and analysis of the low-temperature fine-structure vibronic spectra, and also taking into account data obtained earlier for octaethylporphin in a xerogel showed formation of two cationic forms of meso-tetrapropylporphin in the gel matrix: the short-wavelength form has a dicationic structure, while the long-wavelength form has a monocationic structure. We have traced out the correlations of the vibrational structure in the spectra of the dicationic form with data for the porphin dication, and we have drawn a number of conclusions concerning the normal vibrational modes that are active in the vibronic fluorescence and absorption spectra of the studied cationic forms. Using the AM1 semiempirical quantum chemical method, we optimized the geometry of the mesotetrapropylporphin dication: the most stable of the possible conformers is the dication structure with saddleshaped macrocycle nonplanarity. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 73, No. 4, pp. 453–461, July–August, 2006.     

Time-resolved fluorescence spectra of a bichromophoric molecule, 2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline in various media

Time-resolved fluorescence spectra of a title molecule (with benzene and aliphatic amine parts) in various media, after excitation by several lasers were observed to complement the previous work by conventional spectroscopy [N. Kanamaru, J. Tanaka, J. Phys. Chem. 95 (1991) 6441]. Though complex with many new features, the results were roughly consistent with the previous ones. The significant conclusions are as follows: (1) The emission to be ascribed to the amine (N) part, with more than one component (of nN and aN types) is observed not only for the acetonitrile solution (as previously reported) but also for all the other media. (2) Contrary to the case of a nonpolar hexane solution, both of N fluorescences in the other media reveal unusually long-lived decay components. This can be interpreted by assuming the so-called charge-transfer-to-solvent (CTTS) state that is nonfluorescent and lies just below the fluorescent state. (3) This observation in the protic media can also be taken as another evidence of the peculiar hydrogen bonding between this amine and the protic solvent molecules [N. Kanamaru, J. Tanaka, J. Phys. Chem. 95 (1991) 6441]. (4) Thus, the unexpectedly large quantum yields of N fluorescences in the polar media are now interpreted as arising due to the slow S₁^N→(CTTS)→S₀ internal conversions.     

Monitoring the Aggregation of Dansyl Chloride in Acetone through Fluorescence Measurements

The aggregation of dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl) in acetone has been studied in detail by steady-state fluorescence techniques.It has been demonstrated that DNS-Cl is stable in acetone during purification and aggregation study processes.The aggregates are not solvolyzed in acetone,and do not take part n any chemical reactions either.It has been found that DNS-Cl tends to aggregate even when its concentration is much lower than its solubility in acetone.The aggregation is reversible,and both the aggregation and the deaggregation are very slow processes.Introduction of SDS has a positive effect upon the formation and stabilization of the aggregates.     

外加电场下激光诱导Al等离子体特性的实验研究

由Q-Nd:YAG脉冲激光(波长1.06μm,脉宽10 ns)烧蚀Al靶产生等离子体.观测了在低气压和直流电场条件下的Al等离子体发射光谱.研究了激光功率密度和直流电场对各谱线强度的影响,分析了谱线半高全宽与外加电压,等离子体电子温度与激光能量的变化规律.结果表明,直流电场对铝原子谱线强度有显著的增强,铝原子谱线的半高全宽与直流电场的外加电压基本上呈线性关系.     

一类新的表面活性剂——长链烷基三苯基鏻——Ⅵ.稳态荧光猝灭法测定十二烷基三苯基溴化鏻胶束的平均簇集数

研究了十二烷基三苯基溴化鏻(C_(12)PBr)胶束中N,N-二甲基苯胺(DMA)和二苯甲酮(DPK)对芘的荧光猝灭,发现DMA的猝灭行为不符合Stern-Volmer动态猝灭和Turro静态猝灭模型;DPK的猝灭行为不符合Stern-Volmer猝灭模型,但遵从Turro静态猝灭模型。根据DPK的静态猝灭性质测得C_(12)PBr胶束的平均簇集数为15士2,并相应地得到C_(12)PBr的临界胶束浓度为(1.77±0.09)×10~(-3)mol/L,后者与文献值一致。