Investigation of Molecular Diffusion at Block Copolymer Thin Films Using Maximum Entropy Method-Based Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy and Single Molecule Tracking

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) has been widely used to investigate molecular diffusion behavior in various samples. The use of the maximum entropy method (MEM) for FCS data analysis provides a unique means to determine multiple distinct diffusion coefficients without a priori assumption of their number. Comparison of the MEM-based FCS method (MEM-FCS) with another method will reveal its utility and advantage as an analytical tool to investigate diffusion dynamics. Herein, we measured diffusion of fluorescent probes doped into nanostructured thin films using MEM-FCS, and validated the results with single molecule tracking (SMT) data. The efficacy of the MEM code employed was first demonstrated by analyzing simulated FCS data for systems incorporating one and two diffusion modes with broadly distributed diffusion coefficients. The MEM analysis accurately afforded the number of distinct diffusion modes and their mean diffusion coefficients. These results contrasted with those obtained by fitting the simulated data to conventional two-component and anomalous diffusion models, which yielded inaccurate estimates of the diffusion coefficients. Subsequently, the MEM analysis was applied to FCS data acquired from hydrophilic dye molecules incorporated into microphase-separated polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) thin films characterized under a water-saturated N₂ atmosphere. The MEM analysis revealed distinct fast and slow diffusion components attributable to molecules diffusing on the film surface and inside the film, respectively. SMT studies of the same materials yielded trajectories for mobile molecules that appear to follow the curved PEO microdomains. Diffusion coefficients obtained from the SMT data were consistent with those obtained for the slow diffusion component detected by MEM-FCS. These results highlight the utility of MEM-FCS and SMT for gaining complementary information on molecular diffusion processes in heterogeneous material systems.

Graphical Abstract

     

LWE from non-commutative group rings

Designs, Codes and Cryptography - The Learning-With-Errors (LWE) problem (and its variants including Ring-LWE and Module-LWE), whose security are based on hard ideal lattice problems, has proven to...     

Spatiotemporal dynamics induced by nonlocal competition in a diffusive predator-prey system with habitat complexity

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this paper, we study a delayed diffusive predator–prey model with nonlocal competition in prey and habitat complexity. The local stability of coexisting equilibrium is...     

基于摩擦磨损的KDP晶体固结磨料抛光垫优化

本文通过固结磨料球与KDP晶体对磨的单因素试验探究固结磨料球中反应物种类、磨粒浓度、反应物浓度、基体硬度对摩擦系数、磨痕截面积和磨痕处粗糙度的影响,试验结果表明:KHCO₃固结磨料球对磨后磨痕对称性好,磨痕处的粗糙度值低;磨痕截面积随磨粒和反应物浓度的增加而增大,随基体硬度的增大而降低;磨痕处粗糙度随磨粒和反应物浓度的增加先降低后上升,随基体硬度的增大先上升后降低;摩擦系数受磨粒和反应物浓度影响不明显,随基体硬度的增大而降低。选择KHCO₃作为反应物,Ⅰ基体,磨粒浓度为基体质量的100%,反应物浓度为15%制备固结磨料球与KDP晶体对磨后的磨痕轮廓对称度好且磨痕处粗糙度值低,以该组分制备固结磨料垫干式抛光KDP晶体,可实现晶体表面粗糙度Sa值为18.50 nm,材料去除率为130 nm/min的高效精密加工。     

Multi-emissive 1D Cd(II) polymers with a biphenyl bridged bisazamacrocycle for ratiometric discrimination of nitroaromatics and selective visual detection of picric acid

Three one-dimensional ladder-like coordination polymers consisting of Cd₆ metalloring as the building unit, {[Cd₄LCl₄]·3H₂O}_n ( 1 ), {[Cd₃L(ClO₄)(H₂O)]ClO₄·3H₂O}_n ( 2 ), and {[Cd₆(L)₂(NO₃)₂(CH₃OH)(H₂O)](NO₃)₂·2CH₃OH·5H₂O}_n ( 3 ), were solvothermally constructed from a carboxylic functionalized bisazamacrocyclic ligand 4,4′-bis((4,7-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclonon-1-yl)methyl)-1,1′-biphenyl (H₄L). These compounds dispersed in ethanol show the multiple emissions originating from the monomeric and intramolecularly overlapping biphenyl moieties which could be sensitively quenched by picric acid (PA) and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) through the effective fluorescence resonance energy transfer process. The differential fluorescent responses of each compound on exposure to PA and 4-NP individually make the convenient ratiometric discrimination of two analytes based on the fluorescent intensity ratio (I₃₂₀/I₃₆₀) attainable, and 1 and 2 as ratiometric chemosensors for PA present a broad linear detection range from 4 to 300 μM with detection limits of 0.84 and 0.93 μM, respectively. Furthermore, the blue light emission of 1 under an ultraviolet lamp could be selectively quenched by PA even in the presence of all other interfering nitroaromatic pollutants, which empowers the fast visual detection of PA by naked eye.     

不同波长条件KDP晶体的非线性光学性质研究

采用Z扫描方法系统的研究了KDP晶体在不同激光波长条件下的非线性光学性质.当λ=355 nm,功率密度为57.92 GW/cm2和λ=532 nm,功率密度为105.94 GW/cm2时,KDP晶体均呈现强烈的反饱和吸收和自聚焦效应,其非线性吸收系数和非线性折射率分别为6.50×10 -2cm/GW,1.17×10 -2cm/GW和8.02×10 -7cm2/GW,6. 14×10 -7cm2/GW;而在1064 nm波长,功率密度为347.95 GW/cm2时KDP晶体并未表现出明显的非线性性质.结果表明,在短波长的激光作用下,KDP晶体更容易产生非线性效应,双光子吸收是KDP晶体非线性吸收的主要机制.     

CsVO2F(IO3): An Excellent SHG Material Featuring an Unprecedented 3D [VO2F(IO3)]− Anionic Framework

The first alkali-metal vanadium iodate fluoride, CsVO₂F(IO₃), with a novel 3D anionic framework, has been rationally designed and hydrothermally synthesized. The 3D [VO₂F(IO₃)]⁻ framework in CsVO₂F(IO₃) is built from 0D Λ-shaped cis-[VO₃F(IO₃)₂]⁴⁻ polyanions via corner-sharing of oxo anions and bridging of the iodate groups. CsVO₂F(IO₃) displays both a strong second-harmonic generation (SHG) 1.1 times as strong as KTiOPO₄ (KTP) under 2.05 μm laser radiation and high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of 107.9 MW cm⁻². This work provides a new route to design SHG crystals with stable 3D anionic structures from low-dimensional structural building units.     

UPLC–ESI–Q-TOF–MS/MS analysis of anticancer fractions from Ophiocordyceps xuefengensis and Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Ophiocordyceps xuefengensis (O. xuefengensis), a new species of caterpillar fungus, has been identified as the sister taxon of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (O. sinensis). The aims of the present study are to evaluate the anticancer activity and to qualitatively analyze the potential bioactive chemical constituents of O. xuefengensis and O. sinensis, comparatively. An MTT assay was used to evaluate the in vitro anticancer activities of different fractions from O. xuefengensis and O. sinensis. The results show that ethyl acetate fractions of O. xuefengensis and O. sinensis have significant in vitro anticancer activity. These two bioactive fractions were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization with quadrupole–time of flight tandem mass spectrometry technology. A total of 82 compounds and 101 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized in the bioactive fractions of O. xuefengensis and O. sinensis, respectively. Among these compounds, 68 existed in both O. xuefengensis and O. sinensis. A total of 67 compounds were reported in O. xuefengensis and 8 compounds were reported in caterpillar fungus for the first time. This is the first detailed comparative analysis of the in vitro anticancer activity and chemical ingredients between O. xuefengensis and O. sinensis. The application of this work will provide reliable fundamental pharmacological substances for the use of O. xuefengensis by Yao people.     

Catalytic Generation and Chemoselective Transfer of Nucleophilic Hydrides from Dihydrogen

Copper(I)–N-heterocyclic-carbene (NHC) complexes enabled the catalytic generation of nucleophilic hydrides from dihydrogen (H₂) and their subsequent transfer to allylic chlorides. The highly chemoselective catalyst displayed no concomitant hydrogenation reactivity; in fact, the terminal double bond formed in the hydride transfer remained intact. Switching to deuterium gas (D₂) allowed for regioselective monodeuteration with excellent isotope incorporation.