Electric-field-driven deracemization.

We demonstrate, both theoretically and experimentally, that it is possible to use an electric field to drive the formation of macroscopic chiral (conglomerate) domains from an initially homogeneous fluid racemate. Field-induced segregation is exhibited in a fluid smectic liquid-crystal phase of a racemic mesogen, wherein enantiomerically-enriched domains are readily identifiable by their chiral electro-optical response. The sharp field-generated boundaries that form between opposite-handed domains broaden by diffusion in the absence of field, but reform rapidly if the field is switched on again, providing unambiguous evidence for the field-driven physical separation of enantiomers. A mean-field model successfully describes the steady-state and the dynamic evolution of conglomerate formation.     

LB膜诱导Ba(NO3)2晶体取向生长

In this work, Ba(NO₃)₂ crystals with single crystal face were induced by using the the method of bio-mimetic mineralization and double LB films of behenic acid (BA) as the template. The crystals were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The crystals were observed in regular square shape with uniform size about 5～8 μm by SEM, and they were found by XRD to grow along the (111) plane. From these experiments, we can conclude that the good selection of the (111) crystal face of Ba(NO₃)₂ is due to the electrostatic interactions , the match between this crystal face and the definite lattice structure of the LB films.     

Helical unwinding in polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystals

We demonstrate that ferroelectric liquid crystals dispersed in a polymer matrix can form uniaxially aligned elliptical droplets. The alignment is controlled by mechanical shear during the polymerization of a UV-curable adhesive. The possibility of prealignment makes polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystals suitable for application in flexible electro-optical displays. In contrast to surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal displays, the electro-optical effect in our system is due to the deformed-helix ferroelectric (DHF) effect.     

Synthesis and Mesogenic Properties of Liquid Crystals Containing Terminal Cyclohexylmethanol,Cyclopentylmethanol, Cyclobutylmethanol and Cyclopropylmethanol Moiety

Four series of compounds 11?50 containing terminal alicyclic rings such as cyclohexylmethyl, cyclopentylmethyl, cyclobutylmethyl, and cyclopropylmethyl rings were synthesized and their liquid crystal behavior studied. The ring size and the length of flexible alkoxy chain influence the phase formation in different ways. While the smaller ring and the shorter alkoxy chain tend to favor the formation of the N phase, the larger ring and the longer alkoxy chain tend to favor the formation of the SmC phase. All the compounds except 11 and 21 exhibit SmA phases. The widest temperature range of the N, SmA, and SmC phases are found in the compounds 41 , 46 , and 20 , respectively, which are 75 °C for 41 , 115 °C for 46 , and 100 °C for 20 .     

Chromatographic study of the thermodynamics of solutions of hydrocarbons in liquid crystal solvents. Evidence for order disturbance by the solutes

Gas-chromatographic experiments were carried out in various phases of the solvents 4-acetoxy-N-[4-methoxy-benzylidene]-aniline, dibutoxyazoxybenzene, lithium stearate, dihexoxyazoxybenzene, and diheptoxyazoxybenzene. The solutes were linear, branched and cyclic alkanes, and substituted benzenes. Excess enthalpies, entropies, and free entropies were calculated from net retention volumes. In the nematic liquid crystalline phases the effect of order disturbance was significant in and but it was, by enthalpy-entropy compensation, not demonstrable in . Differences in flexibility and degree of expansion of the solutes did not result in significantly different values of the excess quantities.     

A simple scheme for calculating the energy levels and the spectra of molecular crystals

A simple matrix method for calculating the vibrational and electron energy levels and spectra in molecular crystals is proposed.     

Spectrum analysis of U-doped LaBr3 single crystals. Part 1: crystal-field analysis

Single crystals of U³⁺:LaBr₃ were grown by the Bridgman-Stockbarger technique. High-resolution polarized absorption spectra of the crystals were recorded at 4.2 K in the 4000-50,000 cm⁻¹ range. Sixty-four experimental crystal-field energy levels of the U³⁺ ion were fitted to a semiempirical Hamiltonian employing free-ion, one-electron crystal-field as well as two-particle correlation crystal-field (CCF) operators with an r.m.s. deviation of 28 cm⁻¹. The performed analysis of the spectra enabled the determination of crystal-field parameters and assignment of the observed 5f³→5f³ transitions. The effects of selected CCF operators on the splitting of some specific U³⁺ multiplets have been investigated and the obtained values of Hamiltonian parameters are discussed and compared with those reported in previous analyses.     

Deux methodes photothermiques a l'etude d'une preparation de contact d'un melange binaire de cristaux liquides

The photopyroelectric (PPE) method is proposed as a sensitive technique to study a binary mixture of liquid crystals in a contact preparation. The photothermal signal is generated while scanning the contact preparation. The crystal-smectic A, smectic A-nematic, and nematic-isotropic interphase boundaries are detected. The displacement of these boundaries due to the variation of the temperature is monitored. The study of these displacements allows us to draw the complete temperature-concentration phase diagram of a binary mixtures. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Some Comments on the Matter Wave-light Wave Hypothesis

From the de Broglie matter wave hypothesis and Planck’s energy quantization law, and assuming conservation of energy in the absorption of a photon and its consequent conversion to kinetic energy of motion by a material particle initially at rest, one can deduce a simple mathematical relationship between the wavelength λ (or frequency ν), of the photon absorbed by the particle at rest, and the resulting de Broglie matter wave length, λ_D, of the particle with kinetic energy of motion of mv²/2. The relationship so deduced, λ_D∝√λ, suggests that visible wavelengths of light, from about 4000 ?, in the violet, to beyond about 7000 ?, in the red, on absorption by an electron at rest, lead to material electron wavelengths, λ_D, of the order of the size of the electron transfer proteins seen in the photosynthetic reaction centers of photosynthesizing organisms, at about a size of 50–100 ?. In addition to understanding the mechanism of photosynthesis as a material wave mediated phenomenon, further areas of importance of the relations pointed out in this paper are in the design of experiments to gain a deeper understanding of the basic tenets of wave mechanics, and in the use of tunable lasers to probe various properties of material waves, and to precisely control their properties for applications including lithography.     

H-quadrupolar coupling-based analysis of stereochemical and regiochemical memory in the Pd-catalysed allylic alkylation of iso-cinnamyl type substrates employing the chiral monophosphine ligands ‘MOP’ and ‘MAP’

The reaction of iso-cinnamyl acetate with NaC(Me)(CO₂Me)₂, catalysed by Pd-‘MOP’ (MOP=2-methoxy-2′-diphenylphosphino-1,1′-binaphthalene) is known to proceed with a regiochemical memory effect that results in the predominant generation of the branched alkylation product. The analogous reaction employing ‘MAP’ as ligand (MAP=2-N,N-dimethylamino-2′-diphenylphosphino-1,1′-binaphthalene) proceeds with ‘normal’ regioselectivity to generate predominantly the linear isomer of product. A ²H-NMR based analysis, employing quadrupolar coupling in a chiral liquid crystal matrix, has been developed to facilitate the simultaneous study of the regiochemical and stereochemical outcome of the reaction of both enantiomers of iso-cinnamyl ester substrates in ²H-labelled but racemic samples. The analysis allows the comparison of relative rates of two competing isomerisation processes occurring in the π-allyl intermediates in the Pd-catalysed reaction, one of which facilitates asymmetric induction, the other resulting in loss of regiochemical memory. It is demonstrated that the two processes are partially coupled and that this then limits the attainment of high global enantiomeric excess in the branched product to reactions that proceed with low regiochemical retention. A key factor for the observation of high regiochemical memory is found to be the nucleophilicity of the malonate anion and the electrophilicity of the Pd-π-allyl intermediate with reduction in the reactivity of either partner resulting in the onset of substantial loss of memory.