A giant enhancement of magnetic moment in a ternary three-shell icosahedral cluster: Fe@Mn12@Au20

ABSTRACT

The average magnetic moment per atom of Mn₁₃ cluster is expected to be enhanced by doping or coating with a shell. Several ternary core–shell icosahedral clusters TM@Mn₁₂@Au₂₀ were constructed by combining substituting the central Mn with VIII elements (Fe, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Pd and Pt) and coating with a icosahedral Au₂₀ shell, and systematically studied by using the first-principles density functional method. Compared to Mn₁₃, Fe@Mn₁₂@Au₂₀ cluster shows a giant enhancement on total magnetic moment (52?µ_B) which can be greatly attributed to the ferromagnetic coupling between spin moments of atoms. Coating with Au₂₀ shell enlarged the average distances of TM-Mn and Mn-Mn and is a useful way to change the magnetic coupling style. By analysis of density of states and electron localisation functional, we can conclude that the weak hybridisation between Fe and Mn in Fe@Mn₁₂@Au₂₀ is propitious to maintain their original direction of spin moments of atoms and then form ferromagnetic coupling.     

Enhanced magnetocaloric effect in Eu-doped La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 compounds

Orthorhombic La_0.7-xEu_xCa_0.3MnO₃ samples (x = 0.04–0.12) with apparent density of ρ = 3.9–4.1 g/cm³ prepared by solid-state reactions have been studied. The analysis of temperature-dependent magnetization for an applied field H = 500 Oe indicated a decrease of the Curie temperature (T_C) from about 225 K for x = 0.04 through 189 K for x = 0.08–146 K for x = 0.12. The magnetocaloric (MC) study upon analyzing M(H, T) data has revealed that the magnetic entropy change around T_C reaches the maximum (|ΔS_max|), which is dependent on both x and H. For an applied field interval of ΔH = 60 kOe, |ΔS_max| values are about 5.88, 4.93, and 4.71 J/kg⋅K for x = 0.04, 0.08, and 0.12, respectively. Though |ΔS_max| decreases with increasing x, relative cooling power (RCP) increases remarkably from 383 J/kg for x = 0.04 to about 428 J/kg for x = 0.08 and 0.12. This is related to the widening of the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition region when x increases. Particularly, if combining two compounds with x = 0.04 and 0.08 (or 0.12) as refrigerant blocks for MC applications, a cooling device can work in a large temperature range of 145–270 K, corresponding to RCP ≈ 640 J/kg for H = 60 kOe. M(H) analyses around T_C have proved x = 0.04 exhibiting the mixture of first- and second-order phase transitions while x = 0.08 and 0.12 exhibit a second-order nature. The obtained results show potential applications of Eu-doped La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ materials for magnetic refrigeration below room temperature.     

Studies on coherent and incoherent spin dynamics that control the magnetic field effect on photogenerated radical pairs

Since 1970s, magnetic field effects (MFEs) on photogenerated radical pairs have been the centre of focus in the field of spin chemistry. The MFE attributes to quantum mechanical interconversion between the singlet and triplet radical pair states and subsequent spin-selective recombination reactions. In this New View article, the author picks up two hot topics studied during the last two decades, which are (i) so-called low field effect (LFE) and (ii) 2J-resonance MFE on fixed distance donor–acceptor linked molecules. In both of the topics, quantum mechanical explanations are given referring to recent reports, and some novel calculations have been carried out for bridging theoretical and experimental data for long-lived radical pairs. For the first topic, time domain calculations of coherent state mixing have been carried out for elucidation of hyperfine (HF) structure dependence of the LFE. For the second topic, Monte Carlo simulations of the torsional motion of polyaromatic linker unit have been carried out for the demonstration of fast decoherence in such rigid molecules. From these considerations, future possibilities of MFE studies on photo-functional materials and biomolecules have been indicated.     

Dual-band isotropic metamaterial absorber based on near-field interaction in the Ku band

We numerically and experimentally investigate single-band and dual-band isotropic metamaterial absorbers (IMAs) based on metallic disks. By optimizing the diameter of the metallic disks and the thickness of the dielectric substrate, the single-band IMA is observed at 16.2 GHz with absorptivity of 97%. When adding one disk-pair to the structure, the dual-band IMA is obtained at 12.8 and 15.5 GHz due to the symmetry breaking. The physical mechanics is explained by near-field coupling effect and equivalent LC circuit model. The measurement results performed in the range 12–18 GHz show a good agreement with simulation and theoretical analysis. Our findings demonstrate a new approach to achieve dual-band and multi-band IMAs.     

Controllable Preparation of Plasmonic Gold Nanostars for Enhanced Photothermal and SERS Effects

Gold nanostars(Au NSs) are asymmetric anisotropic nanomaterials with sharp edge structure. As a promising branched nanomaterial, Au NS has excellent plasmonic absorption and scattering properties. In order to tune the plasmonic photothermal and surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) activity of Au NSs to obtain the desired characteristics, the effects of reagents on the local surface plasmon resonance(LSPR) bands of Au NSs were studied and the morphology and size were regulated. Nanoparticles with different sharp edges were synthesized to make their local plasmon resonance mode tunable in the visible and near-infrared region. The effects of the number and sharpness of different tips under the control of AgNO₃ on the photothermal response of Au NSs and the SERS activity and their mechanism were discussed in detail. The results show that as the length of the branch tip becomes longer and the sharpness increases, the plasmonic photothermal effect of Au NSs is strengthened, and the photothermal conversion efficiency is the highest up to 40% when the length of Au NSs is the longest. Au NSs with high SERS activity are used for the Raman detection substrate. Based on this property, the quantitative detection of the pesticide thiram is achieved.     

Inactivation of foodborne pathogens based on synergistic effects of ultrasound and natural compounds during fresh produce washing

Ultrasound has potential to be used for disinfection, and its antimicrobial effectiveness can be enhanced in presence of natural compounds. In this study, we compared the antimicrobial effects of ultrasound at 20 kHz (US 20 kHz) or 1 MHz (US 1 MHz) in combination with carvacrol, citral, cinnamic acid, geraniol, gallic acid, lactic acid, or limonene against E. coli K12 and Listeria innocua at a constant power density in water. Compared to the cumulative effect of the individual treatments, the combined treatment of US 1 MHz and 10 mM citral generated >1.5 log CFU/mL additional inactivation of E. coli K12. Similarly, combined treatments of US 1 MHz and 2 mM carvacrol (30 min), US 20 kHz and 2 mM carvacrol, 10 mM citral, or 5 mM geraniol (15 min) generated >0.5–2.0 log CFU/mL additional inactivation in L. innocua. The synergistic effect of citral, as a presentative compound, and US 20 kHz treatment was determined to be a result of enhanced dispersion of insoluble citral droplets in combination with physical impact on bacterial membrane structures, whereas the inactivation by US 1 MHz was likely due to generation of oxidative stress within the bacteria. Combined ultrasound and citral treatments improved the bacterial inactivation in simulated wash water in presence of organic matter or during washing of inoculated blueberries but only additive antimicrobial effects were observed. Findings in this study will be useful to enhance fresh produce safety and shelf-life and design other alternative ultrasound based sanitation processes.     

Nb(iPrNPMe2)3Fe–PMe3: A potential high reactivity heterobimetallic catalyst for acetylene cycloadditions

Alkynes cycloaddition reactions are powerful tools for constructing cyclic molecules with optimal atom efficiency, but these reactions cannot proceed at ambient temperature without transition-metal catalysts. In this work, a heterobimetallic complex featuring an Nb–Fe triple bond, Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃, has been evaluated as the potential catalyst for acetylene cycloaddition, using density functional theory. The calculated results show that the singlet-state (i.e. ground-state) Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ can be applied to benzene synthesis, but is not suitable for cyclobutadiene. Benzene can be obtained easily at room temperature and is the unique product on the singlet potential surface. The irradiation of infrared-red light can drive the excitation of singlet Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ to its triplet state. Both benzene and cyclobutadiene can be formed on the triplet reaction potential surface due to their low energy barriers. Therefore, Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ is a potential high reactivity heterobimetallic catalyst for the cyclotrimerization of alkynes. In the reaction process, the catalytic active site of Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ moves from niobium to iron.     

Promotion of a quality standard for Porana sinensis Hemsl. based on the efficacy-oriented Effect-Constituent Index

Multicompound determination for the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may often be inadequate, since these compounds may not be associated with, or fully represent, the clinical effects of TCM. Moreover, the individual contributions of each constituent to the pharmacological effect are often not considered. In China, Porana sinensis is widely used as a substitute for Erycibe sources to treat joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis. The existing quality control methods for P. sinensis neither consider the individual contributions of various compounds nor control the actual quality associated with different clinical efficacies. In the present study, a novel efficacy-oriented approach, named the effect-constituent index (ECI), was established for P. sinensis. Analyses of the spectrum–effect relationship and components in rat plasma were conducted to systematically and scientifically select quality markers. Quantitative analysis of multicomponents via a single marker method was introduced to enhance the practical application value of the established ECI. The established ECI shows a good ability to distinguish and predict the bioeffect-based quality of P. sinensis. The present study also provides a reference for the establishment and application of ECI as a quality control method for TCMs.     

LC–DAD/ESI–MS/MS characterization of phenolic constituents in Rosa canina L. and its protective effect in cells

In an aim to prove the efficiency of polyphenols of Rosa canina fruits in promoting human health. A methanolic extract of R. canina fruits was prepared by successive maceration with solvents of increasing polarity. The polyphenol composition was analyzed by HPLC–DAD–ESI–MS. The biological activity of this extract on SH-SY5Y cells and HepG2 cells was then studied. The antioxidant activity was tested by various in vitro tests such as DPPH-radical-scavenging activity, FRAP assay, hydroxyl radical scavenging assay and total antioxidant capacity. The subacute toxicity of R. canina was tested on female rats by repeated intraperitoneal administration of various doses. The phenolic profiles showed 25 antioxidants distributed into three classes of phenolic compounds: glycosylated and agglomerated flavonoids/isoflavonoids, tannins and phenanthrenes. Qualitative phytochemical analyses showed that this extract lacks alkaloids. The methanolic extract of R. canina fruits has a total antioxidant capacity of 82.69 ± 1.18 μg EAA/mg of methanol extract and the IC₅₀ of the methods used is in the following increasing order: FRAP assay (61.88 μg/ml), then hydroxyl radical scavenging assay (67.45 μg/ml) and then DPPH radical-scavenging activity (129.81 μg/ml). The extract of R. canina did not cause any phenotypic signs of toxicity or mortality during and after treatment. The LD₅₀ was >5,000 mg/kg, hence, R. canina was considered nontoxic. An in vivo study proved the protective effect of R. canina against cardiac and hepato-renal toxicities. These results drew the importance of a healthy diet, where diets rich in R. canina fruits can be used as a rich natural source of antioxidants and anticarcinogenic phenolic compounds.