Tuning of Photonic band gap via combined effect of electric and optical fields in a blue phase liquid crystal composite

ABSTRACT

Blue phase liquid crystals are soft 3D photonic crystals in which the liquid crystal molecules self-assemble to form a cubic structure with lattice spacing of a few hundred nanometers resulting in selective reflection of colours in the visible spectrum. The corresponding wavelength or the ‘photonic band gap’ can be tuned using various external stimuli such as thermal, electric, magnetic and optical fields. Here, we report efficient tuning of photonic band gap by utilising the combination of electric and optical fields in a blue phase liquid crystalline system. The studies indicate that the chirality of the medium has a direct bearing on the direction of the wavelength shift and the extent of the photonic band gap tunability. More importantly, the synergistic effect of the two fields helps in reversible tuning of the band gap.     

Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles–functionalized Cu(II) Schiff base complex with an imidazolium moiety as an efficient and eco-friendly bifunctional magnetically recoverable catalyst for the Strecker synthesis in aqueous media at room temperature

Cu(II) Schiff base complex supported on Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanoparticles was employed as a magnetic nanocatalyst (nanocomposite) with a phase transfer functionality for the one-pot preparation of α-aminonitriles (Strecker reaction). The desired α-aminonitriles were obtained from the reaction of aromatic or aliphatic aldehydes, aniline or benzyl amine, NaCN, and 1.6 mol% of the catalyst in water at room temperature and good to excellent yields were obtained for all substrates. The catalyst was characterized analytically and instrumentally including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric, nuclear magnetic resonance, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, vibrating-sample magnetometry analysis, dynamic light scattering, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses. The reaction mechanism was investigated, in which the performance of the catalyst as a phase transition factor seems to be probable. The catalyst showed high activity, high turnover frequency (TOF)s, significant selectivity, and fast performance toward the Strecker synthesis. The nanocatalyst can be readily and quickly separated from the reaction mixture with an external magnet and can be reused for at least seven successive reaction cycles without significant reduction in efficiency.     

Synthesis of Honeycomb-Structured Beryllium Oxide via Graphene Liquid Cells

Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy, we show that beryllium oxide crystallizes in the planar hexagonal structure in a graphene liquid cell by a wet-chemistry approach. These liquid cells can feature van-der-Waals pressures up to 1 GPa, producing a miniaturized high-pressure container for the crystallization in solution. The thickness of as-received crystals is beyond the thermodynamic ultra-thin limit above which the wurtzite phase is energetically more favorable according to the theoretical prediction. The crystallization of the planar phase is ascribed to the near-free-standing condition afforded by the graphene surface. Our calculations show that the energy barrier of the phase transition is responsible for the observed thickness beyond the previously predicted limit. These findings open a new door for exploring aqueous-solution approaches of more metal-oxide semiconductors with exotic phase structures and properties in graphene-encapsulated confined cells.     

Rapid analysis of ultraviolet filters using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled to headspace gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

An ionic‐liquid‐based in situ dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method coupled to headspace gas chromatography and mass spectrometry was developed for the rapid analysis of ultraviolet filters. The chemical structures of five ionic liquids were specifically designed to incorporate various functional groups for the favorable extraction of the target analytes. Extraction parameters including ionic liquid mass, molar ratio of ionic liquid to metathesis reagent, vortex time, ionic strength, pH, and total sample volume were studied and optimized. The effect of the headspace temperature and volume during the headspace sampling step was also evaluated to increase the sensitivity of the method. The optimized procedure is fast as it only required ∼7–10 min per extraction and allowed for multiple extractions to be performed simultaneously. In addition, the method exhibited high precision, good linearity, and low limits of detection for six ultraviolet filters in aqueous samples. The developed method was applied to both pool and lake water samples attaining acceptable relative recovery values.     

Emission behavior of naphthalimide-coumarin cassette

ABSTRACT

In this contribution, a dye (C₈-alkyl substituted Naphthalimide-Coumarin, CNC) with naphthalimide and coumarin incorporated together with -NHN = bridge unit. The compound was fully characterized by NMR and HRMS spectroscopic techniques. Highly emissive character was investigated in detail in various polar environments. The emission maximum varied from 430 to 470 nm. In polycarbonate film, CNC is also highly emissive with 560 nm emission peak. While in sold, the emission maximum was further shifted to 580 nm due to the more tightly packing mode than that in film. The C₈-alkyl substitution enhances the solubility of CNC and also contributes most to its solid emission.     

Enrichment of HDL proteome and phospholipidome from human serum via IMAC/MOAC affinity

High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and are potentially cardio-protective. Defective HDL function is caused by alterations in both the proteome and lipidome of HDL particles. As potential biomarkers, the development of analytical methods is necessary for the enrichment of HDLs. Therefore, a method for selective enrichment of HDLs using immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) and metal oxide affinity chromatography (MOAC) is presented. SPE-based isolation of HDLs from whole serum is adopted as an alternative to traditional ultracentrifugation methods followed by SDS–PAGE. The enrichment mechanism relies on isoelectric points of lipoproteins and metal oxide. Negatively charged lipoprotein particles interact with positively charged metal oxides and IMAC affinity, which acts as a cation. Identified proteins from HDL through MALDI–MS analysis are apo AI, AII, AIV, CI, CIII, E, J, M, H, serum amyloid A and other nonapoproteins that are part of HDL particles and perform cellular functions. This serum-based proteomics approach gives insight into the functional role of HDL. HDL-associated phospholipids have also been analyzed by LDI–MS. Results suggest that the adopted analytical strategy is a feasible idea to extract lipoproteins from serum. A comparative study of healthy and diseased samples using this approach will provide valuable information in future.     

Ion pair assisted micro matrix solid phase dispersion extraction of alkaloids from medical plant

A novel micro matrix solid phase dispersion method was successfully used for the extraction of quaternary alkaloids in Phellodendri chinensis cortex. The elution of target compounds was accomplished with sodium hexanesulfonate as the eluent solvent. A neutral ion pair was formed between ion-pairing reagent and positively charged alkaloids in this process, which was beneficial for selectively extraction of polar alkaloids. Several parameters were optimized and the optimal conditions were listed as follows: silica gel as the sorbent, silica to sample mass ratio of 1:1, the grinding time of 1 min. The exhaustive elution of targets was achieved by 200 µL methanol/water (9:1) containing 150 mM sodium hexane sulfonate at pH 4.5. The method validation covered linearity, recovery, precision of intraday and interday, limits of detection, limits of quantitation, and repeatability. This established method was rapid, simple, environmentally friendly, and highly sensitive.     

Cost‐efficient magnetic nanoporous carbon derived from citrus peel for the selective adsorption of seven insecticides

A magnetic solid‐phase extraction adsorbent that consisted of citrus peel‐derived nanoporous carbon and silica‐coated Fe₃O₄ microspheres (C/SiO₂@Fe₃O₄) was successfully fabricated by co‐precipitation. As a modifier for magnetic microspheres, citrus peel‐derived nanoporous carbon was not only economical and renewable for its raw material, but exerted enormous nanosized pore structure, which could directly influence the type of adsorbed analytes. The C/SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ also possessed the advantages of Fe₃O₄ microspheres like superparamagnetism, which could be easily separated magnetically after adsorption. Integrating the superior of biomass‐derived nanoporous carbon and Fe₃O₄ microspheres, the as‐prepared C/SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ showed high extraction efficiency for target analytes. The obtained material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, which demonstrated that C/SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ was successfully synthesized. Under the optimal conditions, the adsorbent was selected for the selective adsorption of seven insecticides before gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection, and good linearity was obtained in the concentration range of 2–200 μg/kg with the correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9952 to 0.9997. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.03–0.39 μg/kg. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the enrichment and detection of seven insecticides in real vegetable samples.     

Quantification of fenoprofen in human plasma using UHPLC–tandem mass spectrometry for pharmacokinetic study in healthy subjects

A rapid, simple and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) method has been developed to quantify fenoprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in human plasma for a pharmacokinetic study in healthy subjects. Owing to high levels of protein binding, protein precipitation followed by solid-phase extraction was employed for the extraction of fenoprofen and fenoprofen-d3 (used as internal standard) from 200 μL human plasma. Separation was performed on a BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column using methanol−0.2% acetic acid in water (75:25, v/v) under isocratic elution. Electrospray ionization was operated in the negative mode for sample ionization. Ion transitions used for quantification in the selected reaction monitoring mode were m/z 241/197 and m/z 244/200 for fenoprofen and fenoprofen-d3, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, fenoprofen showed excellent linearity in the concentration range 0.02–20 μg/mL (r² ≥ 0.9996), adequate sensitivity, favorable accuracy (96.4–103.7%) and precision (percentage coefficient of variation ≤4.3) with negligible matrix effect. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of fenoprofen in healthy subjects. The significant features of the method include higher sensitivity, small plasma volume for processing and a short analysis time.     

Everything you wanted to know about phase and reference frequency in one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy

The fundamental concept of phase discussed in this tutorial aimed at providing students with an explanation of the delays and processing parameters they may find in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) pulse programs. We consider the phase of radio-frequency pulses, receiver, and magnetization and how all these parameters are related to phases and offsets of signals in spectra. The impact of the off-resonance effect on the phase of the magnetization is discussed before presenting an overview of how adjustment of the time reference of the free induction decay avoids first-order correction of the phase of spectra. The main objective of this tutorial is to show how the relative phase of a pulse and the receiver can be used to change the reference frequency along direct and indirect dimensions of NMR experiments. Unusual of phase incrementation with non-90° angles will be illustrated on one- and two-dimensional NMR spectra.