Photothermal Oxidation of Cinnamyl Alcohol with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Gold Nanoparticle/Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide Nanocrystals

Gold nanoparticles with different mean sizes were formed on antimony-doped tin oxide nanocrystals by the temperature-varied deposition-precipitation method (Au/ATO NCs). Au/ATO NCs possess strong absorption in the near-infrared region due to Drude excitation in addition to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNPs around 530 nm. Au/ATO NCs show thermally activated catalytic activity for the oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde by hydrogen peroxide. The catalytic activity increases with a decrease in the mean Au particle size (d_Au) at 5.3 nm≤d_Au≤8.2 nm. Light irradiation (λ_ex >660 nm, ∼0.5 sun) of Au/ATO NCs increases the rate of reaction by more than twice with ∼95 % selectivity. Kinetic analyses indicated that the striking enhancement of the reaction stems from the rise in the temperature near the catalyst surface of ∼30 K due to the photothermal effect of the ATO NCs.     

Excited-State Dynamics of Non-Luminescent and Luminescent π-Radicals

Recently, the potential use of organic π-radicals and related spin systems has been expanded to modern technological applications. The unique excited-state dynamics of organic π-radicals can be useful to improve the stability of photochemically unstable organic compounds, make the polarization transfer applicable to information technology, and achieve effective up-conversion of interest for luminescence bioimaging, among others. Furthermore, highly luminescent stable π-radicals have been recently reported, which are especially interesting for application in organic light-emitting devices owing to their potential to provide an internal quantum efficiency of 100 %. Thus, the excited-state nature of stable π-radicals as well as the control of their excited-state spin dynamics are emerging topics both in terms of fundamental science and related technological applications. In this minireview, we focus on the excited-state dynamics of both photostable non(weakly)-luminescent and luminescent π-radicals, which are opposites of each other. In particular, we cover the following topics: 1) effective generation of high-spin photoexcited states and control of the excited-state dynamics by using non-luminescent π-radicals, 2) unique excited-state dynamics of luminescent π-radicals and radical excimers, and 3) applications utilizing excited-state dynamics of π-radicals.     

Effect of increasing pressure on the structure and temperature-induced changes in magnetic properties of heterospin complexes

Russian Chemical Bulletin - The study is concerned with structural rearrangements in the crystals of heterospin complexes Cu(hfac)2 with nitroxide radicals LR (hfac is hexafluoroacetylacetonate, LR...     

Development of a Simulation Model for Solid Objects Suspended in a Fluctuating Fluid

We introduce a new scheme for the future application of Real-coded Lattice Gas (RLG) to the numerical simulation of suspended solid objects in a fluctuating fluid environment. The reproduction of Brownian motion for a single solid object is verified through the Gaussian distribution of its displacements. The effectiveness of the solid–solid interaction model is also confirmed in an N-body simulation.     

Estimation of growth rate in unidirectionally solidified multicrystalline silicon by the growth-induced striation method

Multicrystalline silicon was grown by unidirectional solidification method using the accelerated crucible rotation technique. The application of the accelerated crucible rotation technique in unidirectional solidification method induced growth striations across the axial direction of the grown crystal. This striation pattern was observed from carbon concentration distribution, obtained by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The generated striation pattern was found to be weak and discontinuous. Some striations were absent, probably due to back melting, caused during each crucible rotation. From the growth striations and applied time period in crucible rotation, the growth rate was estimated by using Fourier transformation analysis.     

Rhodium-catalyzed addition of arylstannanes to carbon-heteroatom double bond

The addition of arylstannanes to the carbon-heteroatom double bond in the presence of a catalytic amount of a cationic rhodium complex ([Rh(cod)(MeCN)₂]BF₄) was examined. The reactions of aldehydes, α-dicarbonyl compounds, and N-substituted aldimines with the arylstannanes gave corresponding alcohols, α-hydroxy carbonyl compounds, and amines, respectively. An arylrhodium complex generated by the transmetalation with the arylstannane was probably the active catalytic species.