High-sensitivity transmission IR spectroscopy for the chemical identification and structural analysis of conjugated molecules on gallium arsenide surfaces

We demonstrate the use of high-sensitivity, off-normal transmission IR spectroscopy with s-polarized light to probe the chemical identity and orientation of quaterphenyldithiol (QPDT) molecular assemblies on GaAs as a function of ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) concentration. NH4OH is added to the assembly solution to convert the thioacetyl groups on the QPDT precursor to thiolates. When assembled at high NH4OH concentrations, the acetyl groups are completely removed, and QPDT is disordered on GaAs. Assembly at low NH4OH concentrations, however, results in QPDT assemblies that are preferentially upright. The molecular orientation is further quantified with near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy.     

Solvent-dependent assembly of terphenyl- and quaterphenyldithiol on gold and gallium arsenide

The assembly of terphenyldithiol (TPDT) and quaterphenyldithiol (QPDT) on gold and gallium arsenide from ethanol (EtOH), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and solutions consisting of both solvents has been characterized by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The surface coverage and the average orientation of both TPDT and QPDT on gold are solvent-independent. These molecules readily form monolayers on gold with an ensemble-average backbone tilt of 30 degrees +/- 3 degrees from the substrate normal. In sharp contrast, the assembly of TPDT and QPDT on gallium arsenide is extremely solvent-sensitive. At high ethanol fractions, both molecules form monolayers with an ensemble-average orientation that is indistinguishable from those on gold substrates. At low ethanol fractions and in pure THF, however, these molecules are disordered on gallium arsenide and the surface coverage is poor.     

A novel type of hydrogen-bonded assemblies based on the melamine.cyanuric acid motif

This paper reports the formation of novel hydrogen-bonded assemblies 1(3).CA obtained upon mixing cyanuric acid (CA) with melamine derivatives 1, in which two of the three possible H-bonding arrays have been blocked. The four components are held together by 9 hydrogen bonds and form a rigid planar structure in which a central CA (three ADA motifs: A = acceptor, D = donor) is hydrogen bonded to three peripheral melamine derivatives (DAD motif). Furthermore, the synthesis and assembly studies are described of hydrogen-bonded assemblies 2-4.CA, comprised of three melamine derivatives that are covalently connected, and CA. The overall thermodynamic stability of assemblies 2-4.CA is superior to 1(3).CA (I(Tm) = 9 vs 3.6). The presence of the 2.CA complex in chloroform was confirmed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Substitution of the trimelamines with chiral or fluorescent groups (R(3)) enabled the study of the assemblies by CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. Titration experiments revealed strongly enhanced stabilities even in the presence of polar solvents, such as THF and CH(3)OH. Depending on the polarity of the solvent, stacking between the planar assembly units was observed.     

Dimensionality control of vapochromic hydrogen-bonded proton-transfer assemblies composed of a bis(hydrazone)iron(II) complex

We describe the novel synthesis of a bis(hydrazone)iron(II) complex in protonated [Fe(Hpbph)(2)]Cl(2) (1) and deprotonated [Fe(pbph)(2)] (2) forms and several hydrogen-bonded proton-transfer (HBPT) assemblies having different dimensionalities of hydrogen-bonded network structures, [Fe(Hpbph)(2)](CA)·2CH(3)OH (3), [Fe(Hpbph)(2)](HCA)(2)·2THF (4), and [Fe(Hpbph)(2)](CA)(H(2)CA)(2)·2CH(3)CN (5) (Hpbph = 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzaldehyde-2-pyridylhydrazone), consisting of a deprotonated Fe(II)-hydrazone complex (2) as a proton acceptor (A) and chloranilic acid (H(2)CA) as a proton donor (D). The deprotonated complex 2 exhibited two-step reversible protonation reactions to form the double-protonated form 1, and the acid-dissociation constants were determined to be 7.6 and 10.3 in methanol solution. Utilizing this proton-accepting ability of 2, we succeeded in synthesizing HBPT assemblies 3, 4, and 5 from the reactions in CH(3)OH, THF, and CH(3)CN, respectively, with the same D/A ratio of H(2)CA/[Fe(pbph)(2)] = 10:1. These assemblies were found to have one-dimensional (1-D), two-dimensional (2-D), and three-dimensional (3-D) hydrogen-bonded networks with D/A ratios of 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 for 3, 4, and 5, respectively. In 3, a 1-D hydrogen-bonded chain composed of the alternate arrangement of [Fe(Hpbph)(2)](2+) and CA(2-), {···[Fe(Hpbph)(2)](2+)···CA(2-)···}(∞), was surrounded by solvated methanol molecules to form isolated 1-D hydrogen-bonded chains. In the HBPT assembly 4, a 2-D hydrogen-bonded sheet was formed from two types of hydrogen-bonded chains, {···[Fe(Hpbph)(2)](2+)···HCA(-)···HCA(-)···}(∞) and {···HCA(-)···HCA(-)···}(∞), and solvated THF molecules did not form any hydrogen bonds. In 5, two orthogonal hydrogen-bonded chains constructed from the neutral chloranilic acid molecules, {···CA(2-)···2(H(2)CA)···}(∞), were formed in addition to the 1-D hydrogen-bonded chain similar to that in 3, resulting in the formation of a rigid 3-D hydrogen-bonded network structure. By controlling the dimensionality of the hydrogen bond network, we found that the 2-D HBPT assembly 4 is sufficiently flexible to exhibit interesting vapochromic behavior in response to various organic vapors.     

Electrochemical Oxidation of Ammonia on Ir Anode in Potential Fixed Electrochemical Sensor

Ir catalyst possesses a good electrocatalytic activity and selectivity for the oxidation of NH3 and/or NH4OH at Ir anode in the potential fixed electrochemical sensor with the neutral solution. Owing to the same electrochemical behavior of NH3 and NH4OH in a NaClO4 solution, NH4OH can be used instead of NH3 for the experimental convenience. It was found that the potential of the oxidation peak of NH4OH at the Ir/GC electrode in NaClO4 solutions is at about 0.85 V, and the current density of the oxidation peak of NH4OH is linearly proportional to the concentration of NHaOH. The electrocatalytic oxidation of NH4OH is diffusion-controlled. Especially, Ir has no electrocatalytic activity for the CO oxidation, illustrating that CO does not interfere in the measurement of NH4OH and the potential fixed electrochemical NH3 sensor with the neutral solution, and the anodic Ir catalyst possesses a good selectivity. Therefore, Ir may have practical application in the potential fixed electrochemical NH3 sensor with the neutral solution.     

A Reference Electrode for Electrochemical and Cryoelectrochemical Use in Tetrahydrofuran Solvent

We report a reference electrode for direct use in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at low temperatures. A reference solution containing equimolar amounts of ferrocene/ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate (Fc/Fc⁺) are prepared to give a 4 mM solution in THF that contains tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAF) supporting electrolyte thus, minimizing liquid junction potentials. The reference solution is added to a sealed glass tube with a porous frit at one end, and a platinum wire is inserted into the tube. The reference electrode assembly is then inserted into a THF test solution. Potentiometric measurements show that the system responds in the expected Nernstian fashion over the concentration and temperature ranges, 4 mM to 40 μM and 20 °C to ?45 °C respectively. In addition, it is shown by steady–state cyclic voltammetry at a platinum microelectrode that the chemical reactivity of ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate (Fc⁺) otherwise seen in THF is suppressed by ion‐pairing with PF using tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAF) as the supporting electrolyte.     

酸化膨润土催化合成乙基叔丁基醚的研究

以不同浓度的H2SO4对膨润土进行改性,得到酸化膨润土催化剂x%H2SO4-BN(x=20,25,30,35,40),通过XRD,BET,FT-IR,Py-IR和NH3-TPD对膨润土的结构和性质进行表征,证明膨润土经酸化后,骨架结构基本没有变化,但是其比表面和孔容有很大的提高,且弱酸位增多.将其用于催化乙醇(EtOH)和叔丁醇(TBA)合成乙基叔丁基醚(ETBE)的醚化反应.结果表明,30%H2SO4-BN催化活性最好,最佳实验条件:催化剂用量为3.5%(催化剂与叔丁醇的质量百分比),反应温度130℃,原料摩尔比(EtOH:TBA)为2∶1.     

铂和铱催化剂在中性电解液中对nh3电氧化性能

比较了Pt和Ir催化剂在中性NaCIO4电解液中对NH3氧化的电催化活性和选择性.发现NH3和NH4OH在Pt和Ir催化剂上的电氧化性能相似,因而可用NH4OH代替NH3进行研究.NH4OH在Pt和Ir催化剂上氧化峰峰电流密度与NH4OH浓度呈很好的线性关系,因而Pt和Ir均能作为控制电位电解型NH3传感器的催化剂.当NH4OH浓度为0.013 mol/L时,NH3在Pt和Ir催化剂上的氧化峰分别位于0.4和0.8 v,NH4OH在Pt催化剂上的氧化峰峰电位负于在Ir催化剂上的,这是Pt催化剂的优点,但NH4OH在Ir催化剂上的氧化峰峰电流密度为Pt催化剂上的2.5倍以上,说明NH4OH在Ir催化剂上的检测灵敏度远高于在Pt催化剂上的.而且CO对NH3在Ir催化剂上的检测没有干扰,但在Pt催化剂上有明显干扰.因此,初步的研究结果表明,Ir催化剂较适用于定电位电解型的NH3电化学传感器的阳极催化剂.     

Condensation and structure of silicic acid in tetrahydrofuran

Silicic acid (SA) was extracted with THF from aqueous sodium metasilicate (SMS) solutions neutralized with hydrochloric acid, followed by silylation to give silylated SA from which the condensation and structure of SA in tetrahydrofuran (THF) were investigated. The degree of extraction markedly depends on SA and HCl concentrations. The condensation of 0.86 and 3.5 mol/L SA-THF solutions was followed by measuring the viscosity of the solutions at 0 and 20°C. The silylated SA was isolated as a distillate (LS) and a residue (HS) with low and high M?_ns (ca. 1300 and 3800) by vacuum distillation. The ratio of LS against HS decreased as a SA concentration in THF increased. In an aqueous solution, SA exists as lower molecular weight SAs compared with those in THF. SAs such as monomer, dimer, cyclic tri- and tetramer were the main components in a 0.1 mol/L aqueous solution. On the extraction with THF from an aqueous solution, SA was found to undergo condensations to form more polymerized SAs. From the THF solutions of SA concentration above 0.5 mol/L, the HS was obtained as a main component (73%) which was expected to have ladder-like structures. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Molecular self-assembly at bare semiconductor surfaces: preparation and characterization of highly organized octadecanethiolate monolayers on GaAs(001)

Through rigorous control of preparation conditions, organized monolayers with a highly reproducible structure can be formed by solution self-assembly of octadecanethiol on GaAs (001) at ambient temperature. A combination of characterization probes reveal a structure with conformationally ordered alkyl chains tilted on average at 14 +/- 1 degrees from the surface normal with a 43 +/- 5 degrees twist, a highly oleophobic and hydrophobic ambient surface, and direct S-GaAs attachment. Analysis of the tilt angle and film thickness data shows a significant mismatch of the average adsorbate molecule spacings with the spacings of an intrinsic GaAs(001) surface lattice. The monolayers are stable up to approximately 100 degrees C and exhibit an overall thermal stability which is lower than that of the same monolayers on Au[111] surfaces. A two-step solution assembly process is observed: rapid adsorption of molecules over the first several hours to form disordered structures with molecules lying close to the substrate surface, followed by a slow densification and asymptotic approach to final ordering. This process, while similar to the assembly of alkanethiols on Au[111], is nearly 2 orders of magnitude slower. Finally, despite differences in assembly rates and the thermal stability, exchange experiments with isotopically tagged molecules show that the octadecanethiol on GaAs(001) monolayers undergo exchange with solute thiol molecules at roughly the same rate as the corresponding exchanges of the same monolayers on Au[111].     

Hydrogen-bond interaction in 1:1 complexes of tetrahydrofuran with water, hydrogen fluoride, and ammonia: a theoretical study

Ab initio and density-functional theory electronic structure calculations have been performed for the 1:1 complexes of tetrahydrofuran with water, hydrogen fluoride, and ammonia. Upon hydrogen bonding with H2O and HF, the structure of tetrahydrofuran (THF) remains relatively unchanged with the exception of THF sites involved in hydrogen-bonding interaction. But the similar findings are not true, upon hydrogen bonded with NH3, where the C2 symmetry of THF changed. The hydrogen-bonding strength for the 1:1 complexes of THF with water, HF, and NH3 is found to be in the order HF>H2O>NH3, which is well characterized by the order in bond angles O2H15F14, O2H16O14, and O2H15N14 closer to linearity, respectively, and the redshifted of stretching frequencies of upsilon(FH), upsilon(OH), and upsilon(NH), respectively. This work is an attempt to provide important predictions and to aid in future experimental and theoretical studies towards the understanding of such hydrogen-bonded van der Waals systems.     

烷基氯化铵体系中分子有序组合体的转化

采用动态光散射、吸收光谱、粘度及电镜透射等方法研究了烷基氯化铵在弱碱性条件下溶液浓度变化对分子有序组合体结构的影响.当表面活性剂浓度大于cmc时,分子有序组合体的形态随表面活性剂浓度的增加出现胶团-囊泡-球状胶团的转化过程,这与水解产生的极性有机物烷基胺量的变化密切相关.     

Gold nanoparticles coated with semi-fluorinated oligo(ethylene glycol) produce sub-100 nm nanoparticle vesicles without templates

Gold nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters of 5, 10, and 20 nm coated with semifluorinated oligo(ethylene glycol) ligands were formed into sub-100 nm hollow NP assemblies (NP vesicles) in THF without the use of a template. The NP vesicles maintained their structure even after the solvent was changed from THF to other solvents such as butanol or CH(2)Cl(2). NMR analyses indicated that the fluorinated ligands are bundled on the NPs and that the solvophobic feature of the fluorinated bundles is the driving force for NP assembly. The formed NP vesicles were surface-enhanced Raman scattering-active capsules.     

Dynamic light scattering studies of additive effects on the microstructure of aqueous gemini micelles

Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements have been performed at 30 degrees C to see the effects of additives on the microstructure of gemini alkanediyl-alpha,omega-bis(dimethylcetylammonium bromide) surfactants, (Br-, n-C16H33N+Me2-(CH2)s-Me2- N+n-C16H33, Br-, 16-s-16, where s = 4, 5, 6). In pure aqueous solutions, the hydrodynamic diameter, Dh, was found to increase rapidly with geminis in comparison to their monomeric counterpart cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (n-C16H33N+Me3, Br-, CTAB) on increasing surfactant concentration. The additives considered in the present study are n-alcohols (C4-C6OH) and n-hexylamine (C6NH2) on the micellar growth of 0.03 M 16-4-16 in the presence and absence of 0.001 M KBr. The presence of 0.001 M KBr or organic additives at lower concentrations singly or jointly has little effect on the micellar size. As the chain length of the additive increases, the size increases with the increase of additive concentration, the magnitude being substantial in the presence of 0.001 M KBr. However, for equal chain length additives (C6OH, C6NH2), the effect was greater for C6OH. In case of C6NH2, the value of Dh reaches to almost constancy when the concentration of the additive was increased. Increased effectiveness of additives in the presence of added salt (KBr) is discussed in light of electrostatic and hydrophobic forces operating in the solution, which are always responsible for growth processes.     

Etching behavior of silicon nanowires with HF and NH4F and surface characterization by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy: similarities and differences between one-dimensional and two-dimensional silicon surfaces

A systematic study of the etching behavior of one-dimensional (1-D) Si nanowires (SiNWs) in various HF and NH4F etching solutions is reported. The concentration and pH dependences of the etching time (which is inverse to the "stability") of the SiNWs in these solutions were investigated. A V-shaped bimodal etching curve was observed for HF solutions with concentrations of 0.5-40%. Specifically, SiNWs exhibit high stability in both low (0.5%) and high (40%) concentrations of HF solution, with the lowest stability (i.e., fastest etching rate) occurring at 2% (1 M) HF solution. With NH4F, the time needed to totally etch away the SiNWs sample decreases with increasing concentration (from 1-40%). The opposite is true when the pH of the NH4F solution was maintained at 14. These surprising results were rationalized in terms of "passivation" of the SiNW surfaces by HF or related molecules via hydrogen bonding for Si-H-terminated surfaces in HF solutions (with low pH values) and by NH4(+) ions via ionic bonding for Si-O(-)-terminated surfaces in NH4F solutions (with high pH values), respectively. Furthermore, it was found that SiNWs are stable only in relatively narrow pH ranges in these solutions. When SiNWs are etched with HF, the stability range is pH = 1-2 where the surface moieties are Si-H(x) species (x = 1-3). When SiNWs are etched with NH4F, the stability range is pH = 12-14 where the surface moieties are mainly Si-(O-)x species (x = 1-3). These rationales were confirmed by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements, which showed that, while etching SiNWs with HF gave rise to Si-H(x) surface species, no Si-H(x) species were observed when SiNWs were etched with NH4F. The latter finding is at odds with the corresponding results reported for the two-dimensional (2-D) Si wafers where etching with either HF or NH4F produces Si-H(x) species on the surface. This difference suggests either that the etching mechanisms for NH4F versus HF are different for SiNWs or, more likely, that the Si-H(x) surface species produced in NH4F solutions are so unstable that they are hydrolyzed readily at pH > 4. The similarities and differences of the etching behaviors and the resulting surface speciations between the 1-D SiNWs and the 2-D Si wafers suggest that the nanoscale structures as well as the low dimensionality of SiNWs may have contributed to the rapid hydrolysis of the surface Si-H(x) species in NH4F solutions, especially at high pH values.     

Improved solution- and solid-phase preparation of hydroxamic acids from esters

The addition of small amounts of solid KCN to solution and solid-phase esters in THF/MeOH/50% aqueous NH2OH increases the efficiency of their transformation to the corresponding hydroxamic acids.     

Porous structures of polymer films prepared by spin coating with mixed solvents under humid condition

We investigate the effects of interfacial energy between water and solvent as well as polymer concentration on the formation of porous structures of polymer films prepared by spin coating of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) in mixed solvent of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and chloroform under humid condition. The interfacial energy between water and the solvent was gradually changed by the addition of chloroform to the solvent. At a high polymer concentration (0.15 g/cm3 in THF), porous structures were limited only at the top surfaces of CAB films, regardless of interfacial energies, due to the high viscosity of the solution. At a medium concentration (approximately 0.08 g/cm3 in THF), CAB film had relatively uniform pores at the top surface and very small pores inside the film because of the mixing of the water droplets with THF solution. When chloroform was added to THF, pores at the inner CAB film had a comparable size with those at the top surface because of the reduced degree of the mixing between the water droplets and the mixed solvent. A further decrease in polymer concentration (0.05 g/cm3 in THF) caused the final films to have a two-layer porous structure, and the size of pores at each layer was almost the same.     

Preparation of non‐spherical particles from amphiphilic block copolymers

Simple self‐assembly techniques to fabricate non‐spherical polymer particles, where surface composition and shape can be tuned through temperature and the choice of non‐solvents was developed. A series of amphiphilic polystyrene‐b‐poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline) block copolymers were prepared and through solvent exchange techniques using varying non‐solvent composition a range of non‐spherical particles were formed. Faceted phase separated particles approximately 300 nm in diameter were obtained when self‐assembled from tetrahydrofuran (THF) into water compared with unique large multivesicular particles of 1200 nm size being obtained when assembled from THF into ethanol (EtOH). A range of intermediate structures were also prepared from a three part solvent system THF/water/EtOH. These techniques present new tools to engineer the self‐assembly of non‐spherical polymer particles. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 750–757     

Light‐Induced Reversible Self‐Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles Surface‐Immobilized with Coumarin Ligands

A novel light‐induced reversible self‐assembly (LIRSA) system is based on the reversible photodimerization and photocleavage of coumarin groups on the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in THF solution. Facilitated by coumarin groups, light irradiation at 365 nm triggers the stable assembly of monodisperse AuNPs; the resulting self‐assembly system can be disassembled back to the disassembled state by a relatively short exposure to benign UV light. The reversible self‐assembly cycle can be repeated 4 times. A specific concentration range of coumarin ligand and the THF solvent were identified to be the two predominant factors that contribute to the LIRSA of AuNPs. This is the first successful application of reversible photodimerization based on a coumarin derivative in the field of AuNP LIRSA. This LIRSA system may provide unique opportunities for the photoregulated synthesis of many adjustable nanostructures and devices.     

NaBH4-induced assembly of immobilized Au nanoparticles into chainlike structures on a chemically modified glass surface

A facile method of obtaining chainlike assemblies of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on a chemically modified glass surface based on NaBH(4) treatment is developed. Citrate-stabilized AuNPs (17 nm) are immobilized on a glutaraldehyde-functionalized glass surface and assembled into chainlike structures after treatment with aqueous sodium borohydride (NaBH(4)) solution. The production and morphology of the AuNP chainlike assemblies are controlled by the density of the immobilized NPs, the concentration of NaBH(4) solution, and the treatment time. The AuNP assemblies are stable in water and can undergo drying. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic data show that the number of citrate ions on the AuNPs decreased by 43% after treatment with 5 mg/mL NaBH(4) solution. The NaBH(4)-induced partial removal of the citrate ions and the roughness of the glass surface greatly affect the binding force of AuNPs on the substrate. The immobilized AuNPs begin to move at the solid-liquid interface without desorbing when the strength of the binding force was decreased. These mobile NPs form chainlike assemblies under the driving force of van der Waals interaction and diffusion. This interface-based formation of chainlike assemblies of AuNPs may provide a simple protocol for the 1D assembly of other Au-coated colloidal nanoparticles.