Phase equilibrium measurements of acoustically levitated squalane–CO2 mixtures by Raman spectroscopy

This work describes the phase equilibrium measurements of acoustically levitated binary mixtures with concentration measurements using Raman spectroscopy without sample extraction of the autoclave. The levitator design is implemented in a Single‐Droplet Optical Cell for levitation processes under varying atmospheres. The advantages of acoustic levitation of small droplets under increased temperatures and pressure combined with spectroscopic applications like Raman spectroscopy enable novel experiments possibly relevant to the fields of chemical engineering. To the author's knowledge, this is the first use of Raman spectroscopy for phase equilibria investigations on acoustically levitated droplets under high pressure and temperature. The results show very good agreements with literature data. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vibrational features of confined water in nanoporous TiO_2 by Raman spectra

Raman spectra of confined water adsorbed in nanoporous TiO_2 are obtained in experiment. TiO_2 samples with different pore diameters under different humidity conditions are investigated. The results indicate that the symmetric vibrational mode of water molecule is destroyed when relative humidity decreases. This indicates that the interaction between water molecules and surface of TiO_2 becomes stronger when the distance between water molecules and surface turns smaller, and the interaction plays a major role in depressing the symmetric vibrational peak. The spectra of confined water in TiO_2 and Vycor are compared. When filling fractions are the same, their spectra show distinctions no matter whether they are in partial filling condition or in full filling condition. The spectra of HDO confined in TiO_2 with different filling fractions are compared with each other. There is no clear distinction among their vibrational peaks, and the peaks mainly relate to asymmetric vibration. Therefore, the interaction between water molecules and the wall of pore decouples the symmetric vibrational mode only, and the influences on asymmetric vibrational mode show little differences among different filling fractions.     

Single‐beam coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy of gas‐phase CO2 via phase and polarization shaping of a broadband continuum

Coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy of gas‐phase CO₂ is demonstrated using a single femtosecond (fs) laser beam. A shaped ultrashort laser pulse with a transform‐limited temporal width of ∼7 fs and spectral bandwidth of ∼225 nm (∼3500 cm⁻¹) is employed for simultaneous excitation of the CO₂ Fermi dyads at ∼1285 and ∼1388 cm⁻¹. CARS signal intensities for the two Raman transitions and their ratio as a function of pressure are presented. The signal‐to‐noise ratio of the single beam–generated CO₂ CARS signal is sufficient to perform concentration measurements at a rate of 1 kHz. The implications of these experiments for measuring CO₂ concentrations and rapid pressure fluctuations in hypersonic and detonation‐based chemically reacting flows are also discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A first principles lattice dynamics and Raman spectra of the ferroelastic rutile to CaCl2 phase transition in SnO2 at high pressure

A first principles calculation of the lattice dynamical properties of rutile SnO₂ has been performed using density functional perturbation theory at ambient and high‐pressure conditions to understand the pressure‐induced phase transition. The calculated zone centre phonon modes at ambient and high pressures have been compared with Raman scattering and infrared measurements. Full phonon dispersion curves and phonon densities of states and Raman intensities at high pressures are calculated and given for the first time in literature. The ferroelastic transition from the rutile to the CaCl₂‐type structure was confirmed. It is clearly illustrated that the first transition is associated with macroscopic shear instability which arises from the strong coupling between elastic constants and softening of Raman active B_1g mode. The observed pressure of phase transition in experimental measurements was reproduced more accurately than in previous calculations, and the difference between observed and calculated transition pressure is only of the order of 2%. The mode Grüneisen parameter is quantitatively as well as qualitatively different from the earlier reported values. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Origin of the forbidden phonons in Raman scattering spectra of uranium‐doped Ca2CuO3, a spin 1/2 chain system

The Raman scattering spectra of uranium‐doped Ca₂CuO₃ were investigated. The small doping of uranium (≤5%) in this one‐dimensional spin 1/2 chain system induced three new first‐order scattering bands and two new multiphonon bands in the structure of forbidden phonons. The first‐order bands were found to agree well with the existing theoretical results from the ab initio and tight‐binding calculation. Among them, the 470 and 665 cm⁻¹ bands appeared as the basic wavenumbers of which the multiphonon overtones were composed. The grain size effect in this strongly anisotropic system was proposed not to originate from the classical phonon confinement but rather as a result of the segmentation of one‐dimensional spin chains due to doping, which in turn allowed the new vibrational modes and implied the appearance of higher overtones in the scattering spectra. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Line mixing effects in the ν2 + ν3 band of methane

This study provides the first direct experimental measurements of the off-diagonal relaxation matrix element coefficients for line mixing in air-broadened methane spectra for any vibrational band and the first off diagonal relaxation matrix elements associated with line mixing for pure methane in the ν₂ + ν₃ band of ¹²CH₄. The speed-dependent Voigt profile with line mixing is used with a multispectrum nonlinear least squares curve fitting technique to retrieve the various line parameters from 11 self-broadened and 10 air-broadened spectra simultaneously. The room temperature spectra analyzed in this work are recorded at 0.011 cm⁻¹ resolution with the McMath-Pierce Fourier transform spectrometer located at the National Solar Observatory, Kitt Peak, Arizona. The off-diagonal relaxation matrix element coefficients of ν₂ + ν₃ transitions between 4410 and 4629 cm⁻¹ are reported for eighteen pairs with upper state J values between 2 and 11. The observed line mixing coefficients for self broadening vary from 0.0019 to 0.0390 cm⁻¹ atm⁻¹ at 296 K. The measured line mixing coefficients for air broadening vary from 0.0005 to 0.0205 cm⁻¹ atm⁻¹ at 296 K.     

Line mixing and speed dependence in CO2 at 6227.9 cm: Constrained multispectrum analysis of intensities and line shapes in the 30013 ← 00001 band

Line position, intensity and line shape parameters (Lorentz widths, pressure shifts, line mixing, speed dependence) are reported for transitions of the 30013 ← 00001 band of ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁶O (ν₀ = 6227.9 cm⁻¹). The results are determined from 26 high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra recorded at room temperature with the McMath-Pierce Fourier transform spectrometer. To minimize the systematic errors of the retrieved parameters, we constrained the multispectrum nonlinear least squares retrieval technique to use quantum mechanical expressions for the rovibrational energies and intensities rather than retrieving the individual positions and intensities line by line. Self- and air-broadened Lorentz width and pressure-induced shift, speed dependence and line mixing (off-diagonal relaxation matrix elements) coefficients were adjusted individually. Errors were further reduced by simultaneously fitting the interfering absorptions from the weak 30012 ← 00001 band of ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁶O as well as the weak hot bands 31113 ← 01101, 32213 ← 02201, 40014 ← 10002 and 40013 ← 10001 of ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁶O in this spectral window. This study complements our previous work on line mixing and speed dependence in the 30012 ← 00001 band (ν₀ = 6347.8 cm⁻¹) [V.M. Devi, D.C. Benner, L.R. Brown, C.E. Miller, R.A. Toth, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 242 (2007) 90-117] and provides key data needed to improve atmospheric remote sensing of CO₂.     

Line mixing and speed dependence in CO2 at 6348 cm: Positions, intensities, and air- and self-broadening derived with constrained multispectrum analysis

Intensity and line shape parameters which predict spectral lines with absolute accuracies better than 0.3% have been determined for transitions of the 30012 ← 00001 band of ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁶O centered near 6348 cm⁻¹ from 26 high resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra recorded at room temperature with the McMath-Pierce Fourier transform spectrometer. To maximize the accuracies of the retrieved parameters, the multispectrum non-linear least squares retrieval technique was modified to adjust the rovibrational constants (G, B, D, etc.) and intensity parameters, including Herman-Wallis terms, rather than retrieving the individual positions and intensities. Speed-dependent Voigt line shapes with line mixing were required to remove systematic errors in the fit residuals. Self- and air-broadening (widths and pressure-induced shifts, speed dependence parameters) and line mixing (off-diagonal relaxation matrix elements) coefficients were thus obtained in the multispectrum fit. Remaining errors were minimized by fitting the weak 30011 ← 00001 band of ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁶O as well as the weak hot bands 31112 ← 01101, 32212 ← 02201, 40012 ← 10001, and 40013 ← 10002 of ¹⁶O¹²C¹⁶O that contribute interfering absorptions in this spectral window. This study presents the most extensive set of measurements to date for self- and air-broadening and self- and air-shift coefficients of a near infrared band of CO₂. This is also the first study where line mixing parameters have been experimentally determined for any parallel CO₂ band.     

The excited state dynamics study of di‐2‐pyridylketone in the A‐band and B‐band absorptions by using resonance Raman spectroscopy,IR and UV–visible spectroscopy

Excitation wavelengths of 282.4, 273.9 (A band), 252.7, 239.5 and 228.7 nm (B band) resonance Raman spectra were acquired for di‐2‐pyridylketone, and density functional calculations were carried out to help in the elucidation of the photo relaxation dynamics of A‐band and B‐band electronic transitions. The resonance Raman spectra show that the intensity pattern of the A band presents great difference from that of the B band, which indicate that the short‐time A‐band (S₀→S₄) photo relaxation dynamics have substantial difference from that of B band (S₀→S₁₀) . The overall picture of short‐time dynamics and the vibronic coupling mechanisms are interpreted using Albrecht's theory. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generation of UV laser light by stimulated Raman scattering in D2, D2/Ar and D2/He using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser at 355nm

A pulsed Nd:YAG laser at 355nm is used to pump Raman cell filled with D_2, D_2/Ar and D_2/He. With adequately adjusted parameters, the maximum photon conversion efficiency of the first-order Stokes light (S_1, 396.796nm) reaches 33.33% in D_2/Ar and the stability of S_1 in pure D_2 is fairly high, the energy drift being less than 10% when the pump energy drifts in the range of 5%. The conversion efficiency and stability, which are functions of the composition and pressure of the Raman medium and the energy of pump laser, are investigated. The result has been used to optimize the laser transmitter system for a differential absorption lidar system to measure NO_2 concentration profiles.     

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 on a copper electrode in 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMI.BF4) monitored by surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)

The electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into value‐added products using room temperature ionic liquids as solvent/electrolyte has been proposed as an alternative to minimize the environmental effects of CO₂ emissions. A key issue in the design of electrochemical systems for the reduction of CO₂ is the in situ identification of intermediate surface species as well as reaction products. Copper electrodes, besides being used as cathodes in the electrochemical reduction of CO₂, present surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) when properly activated. In this sense, the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ over a copper electrode in the room temperature ionic liquids 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMI.BF₄) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and by in situ SERS. The cyclic voltammetries have shown that the presence of CO₂ on the BMI.BF₄ anticipates the reduction of BMI⁺ to the corresponding carbene. Fourier‐transform‐SERS spectra excited at 1064 nm and SERS spectra excited at 632.8 nm have shown vibrational signals from adsorbed CO. These SERS results indicated that CO adsorbs on the copper surface at two different surface sites. The observation of a 2275 cm⁻¹ vibration in the SERS spectra also confirmed the presence of chemically adsorbed CO₂. Other products of CO₂ reduction in BMI.BF₄, besides CO, were identified, including BMI carbene and the BMI‐CO₂ adduct. The SERS results also suggest that the presence of a thin film of Cu₂O on the copper surface anticipates the reduction of CO₂ to CO, an important component of syngas. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.