Organic radical molecular solids based on [(TCNQ)n] (n=1 or 2): Syntheses, crystal structures, magnetic properties and DFT analyses

Four molecular solids consisting of the 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) radical and benzylpyridinium or benzylquinolinium derivatives with molar ratios of 1:1 (1-3) and 2:1 (4) have been prepared and characterized. In the crystals of 1 and 3, TCNQ⁻ monoanions and the corresponding cations form segregated stacks, which are regular in 1 but irregular in 3. Instead of segregated stacks, TCNQ⁻ monoanions in 2 form isolated π-dimers. In the crystals of 4, two crystallographic independent TCNQ species possess almost equal fractional negative charge (ca. −0.5). Two types of TCNQ species form a tetrad, these tetrads make a TCNQ stack with the pattern …BAAB…BAAB… along the crystallographic a-b direction. The magnetisms for 1-4 can be simply explained by the formation of singlet spin state. A broken symmetry approach in a density functional theory framework at the ub3lyp/6-31 g level was used to calculate the magnetic exchange constants in 1-4. The results qualitatively demonstrate the observed magnetic properties.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering studies on bombesin, its selected fragments and related peptides adsorbed at the silver colloidal surface

SERS studies presented in this work on BN^8-14, [d-Phe⁶,β-Ala¹¹,Phe¹³,Nle¹⁴]BN^6-14, [d-Tyr⁶,β-Ala¹¹,Phe¹³,Nle¹⁴]BN^6-14, BN and its modified analogues, as well as NMB, NMC, and PG-L show that these molecules at pH 8.3 bind to a colloidal silver surface mainly through Trp⁸ and Met¹⁴ residues. Trp⁸ adsorbs at the surface almost perpendicularly. Met¹⁴ appears on the surface mainly as a P_C-G conformer. His¹², as is evident from the spectra, practically does not take part in the adsorption process. Substitution of l-leucine at the 13 position of amino acid sequence with l-phenylalanine does not change substantially the pattern of the adsorption mechanism; however, substitution of phenylalanine at the 12 position (instead of l-histidine) causes changes in the SERS spectra that show that Phe¹² takes parallel orientation to the surface upon adsorption of [d-Phe¹²]BN, while in the case of [Tyr⁴,d-Phe¹²]BN this residue is perpendicular to the surface and influences the orientation of the bound Trp⁸. On the other hand, substitution of Asn with Tyr in the 6 position in nonapeptide fragment causes changes in the adsorption mechanism. In this case, the discussed fragment binds to the silver colloidal surface by Tyr⁶, Trp⁸, and Met¹⁴. The SERS spectrum of NMC is very similar to that of BN; although it differs by the binding orientation of the amide bond towards the surface. Appearance of Phe¹³ in NMB and PG-L causes that this residue competes successfully with Trp⁸ forcing it to take tilted orientation. As seen from the enhancement of the characteristic Phe vibrations this moiety in NMB and PG-L adsorbs on the silver surface in a tilted fashion. This arrangements cause that the 8-14 peptide chain in all these studied compounds takes almost a parallel orientation to the surface while the 1-5 fragment of the peptide chain is removed from the silver surface vicinity.     

The synthesis and photophysical properties of novel cationic tetra pyridiloxy substituted aluminium, silicon and titanium phthalocyanines in water

This work reports on the synthesis, characterisation and photophysical properties of new unquaternized β-2,(3)-tetra-(2 pyridiloxy) aluminium(III) (3a), silicon(IV) (3b), titanium(IV) (3c) phthalocyanines and their water-soluble quaternized counterparts, 4a, 4b and 4c, respectively. The water-soluble silicon(IV) (4b) and titanium(IV) (4c) phthalocyanine derivatives were found to be aggregated in aqueous media but were partially or fully disaggregated in the presence of a surfactant Cremophor^® EL (CEL). The photophysical properties of aggregated complexes were investigated both in the presence of CEL and in pH 11 alone. Low triplet and fluorescence yield were obtained in pH 11 but an improvement was achieved upon addition of CEL for the aggregated complexes. The unquaternized silicon(IV) phthalocyanine complex (3b) gave the highest triplet quantum yield of 0.77 in DMF followed by its quaternized derivative (4b) with triplet yield of 0.73 in pH 11 plus CEL. The highest triplet lifetime of 220 μs was obtained for 4b in the presence of CEL. Higher fluorescence yields of 0.23 were obtained for quaternized water-soluble aluminium(III) phthalocyanine derivative (4a) in the presence of CEL.     

Surface-modification of TiO2 with new metalloporphyrins and their photocatalytic activity in the degradation of 4-notrophenol

A new mono-functionalized porphyrin derivative, 5-mono-[4-(2-(4-hydroxy)-phenoxy)ethoxy]-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin (3) and its Cu(II) (3a), Zn(II) (3b) and Ni(II) (3c) metalloporphyrins were synthesized and characterized by using various spectroscopic techniques. The corresponding 3a, 3b, 3c-TiO₂ photocatalysts were then prepared and characterized by means of FT-IR and diffused reflectance spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic activities of 3a, 3b, 3c-TiO₂ were investigated by testing the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in aqueous solution under the halogen lamp irradiation. The results indicated that all the 3a, 3b, 3c enhanced the photocatalytic efficiency of bare TiO₂ in photodegrading the 4-NP, and 3a-TiO₂ exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. The result is considered a combined action of potential match of 3a with TiO₂ CB and effective impregnated of 3a onto the surface of TiO₂.     

Eu(III) and Tb(III) luminescent lanthanide systems derived from DTPA-bisamide and DTTA-based ligands incorporating bipyridine antenna

Four new polycarboxylate ligands H₃Lⁿ have been synthesized by the attachment of two or one 2,2′-bipyridine subunits onto a diethylenetriamine pentacarboxylic acid (DTPA-bisamide derivatives: H₃L¹, H₃L²) or a diethylenetriamine tricarboxylic acid (DTTA derivatives: H₃L³, H₃L⁴) core. The neutral Eu^III and Tb^III complexes of these chelates have been prepared and studied from their UV-vis and luminescence data. The main photophysical characteristics of these complexes, i.e. the absorption and luminescence spectra, the metal-centred lifetimes and the overall luminescence yields (Φ) were measured in buffered aqueous solutions. In addition the role played by non-radiative paths (vibrational energy transfer involving coordinated water molecules, involvement of ligand-to-metal charge-transfer excited states, or metal→ligand back-transfer) was investigated. In all complexes, we found that the bidentate bipyridine chromophore is not coordinated to the lanthanide ion, allowing one (LnL¹, LnL²) or two (LnL³, LnL⁴) water molecules to penetrate the first coordination sphere of the metal. Although the bipyridine chromophore behaves as remote (from the binding site) light-harvesting unit for the lanthanide ion in these systems, a sizeable sensitization of the Eu- and Tb-centred luminescence can be effective (LnL², LnL³, Φ=16-19% in aerated D₂O solutions). Our photophysical investigations show that overall non-radiative deactivation is not dependant of thermally activated non-radiative channels but the efficiency of the ligand→Ln intramolecular energy transfer has to be taken into account to explain the obtained results.     

TOWARDS DEEP AND SIMPLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRANSCENDENTAL EIGENPROBLEM OF STRUCTURAL VIBRATIONS

When using exact methods for undamped free vibration problems the generalized linear eigenvalue problem (K−ω²M) D=0 of approximate methods, e.g., finite elements, is replaced by the transcendental eigenvalue problem K (ω) D=0. Here ω is the circular frequency; D is the displacement amplitude vector; M and K are the mass and static stiffness matrices; and K (ω) is the dynamic stiffness matrix, with coefficients which include trigonometric and hyperbolic functions involving ω and mass because elements (for example, bars or beams) are analyzed exactly by solving their governing differential equations. The natural frequencies of this transcendental eigenvalue problem are generally found by the Wittrick-Williams algorithm which gives the number of natural frequencies below ω_t, a trial value of ω, as ∑J_m+s{K (ω_t)} wheres {} denotes the readily computed sign count property of K (ω) and the summation is over the clamped-clamped natural frequencies of all elements of the structure. Understanding the alternative solution forms of the transcendental eigenvalue problem is important both to accelerate convergence to natural frequencies, e.g., by plotting ∣K (ω)∣, and to improve the mode calculations, which lack the complete reliability of natural frequencies obtained by using the Wittrick-Williams algorithm. The three solution forms are: ∣K (ω)∣=0; D=0 with ∣K (ω)∣→∞; and ∣K (ω)∣≠0 with D≠0. The literature covers the first two forms thoroughly but the third form has been almost totally ignored. Therefore, it is now examined thoroughly, principally by analytical studies of simple bar structures and also by confirmatory numerical results for a rigidly jointed plane frame. Although structures are unlikely to have exactly the properties giving this form, it needs to be understood, particularly because ill-conditioning can occur for structures approximating those for which it occurs.     

Synthesis, characterization and optical limiting effect of nickel complexes of multi-sulfur 1,2-dithiolene

Three nickel complexes with a new multi-sulfur 1,2-dithiolene ligand, (n-Bu₄N)[Ni(cddt)₂] 1, (Ph₄P)[Ni(cddt)₂] 2 and [Ni(cddt)₂] 3 (cddt=4a, 6, 7, 7a-5H-cyclopenta[b]-1,4-dithiin-2,3-dithiolate), have been synthesized and characterized by electrochemical measurements, IR, EPR and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopies. The crystal structure of complex 2 is determined. Their optical nonlinearities are measured by the Z-scan technique with an 8 ns pulsed laser at 532 nm and all exhibit NLO absorptive abilities. Complexes 1 and 2 both exhibit effective self-defocusing performance (n₂=−5.81×10⁻¹⁰ esu for 1 and −4.51×10⁻¹⁰ esu for 2). The optical limiting (OL) effects were observed with nanosecond and picosecond laser pulses. The OL capability of complex 3 is superior to C₆₀ at the same experimental condition in ns measurements.     

Synthesis of 2,3-dimorpholino-6-aminoquinoxaline derivatives and application to a new intramolecular fluorescent probe

Two fluorescent monomers having a quinoxaline skeleton, N-(2,3-dimorpholinoquinoxalin-6-yl)acrylamide (QxA) and N-(1-(2,3-dimorpholinoquinoxalin-6-ylamino)prop-2-yl)methacrylamide (QxAlaMA), were synthesized. Thermo-responsive copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and a small amount of a fluorescent monomer were synthesized and their fluorescence properties investigated. The fluorescent monomers showed intense solvatochromism in their fluorescence. The wavelength at the maximum fluorescence intensity of the QxAlaMA-labeled PNIPAM dramatically blue-shifted and the fluorescence intensity of the QxA-labeled PNIPAM significantly increased around the transition temperature. It was found that these fluorescent dyes can sense and report the thermo-responsive behavior of the PNIPAM in water. Both QxAlaMA and QxA were demonstrated to be applicable to new intramolecular fluorescent probes.     

The CRESST dark matter search

The aim of CRESST (Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers) is to search for particle dark matter via elastic scattering off nuclei. The experiment is located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Italy, and it uses low-background cryogenic detectors with superconducting phase-transition thermometers for the direct detection of WIMP-nucleus scattering events.     

Indium-induced superstructures formed on Si(1 1 0) surfaces

Si(1 1 0) surfaces covered with small amounts of In deposit and then annealed at high temperature were investigated by RHEED, and two kinds of superstructures with A = 3a and B = −a + 4b, and A = 3a − 2b and B = −2a + 4b as primitive translational vectors are reported to form on the surfaces.     

Energy, momentum, and force in classical electrodynamics: Application to negative-index media

The classical theory of electromagnetism is based on Maxwell's macroscopic equations, an energy postulate, a momentum postulate, and a generalized form of the Lorentz law of force. These seven postulates constitute the foundation of a complete and consistent theory, thus eliminating the need for physical models of polarization P and magnetization M — these being the distinguishing features of Maxwell's macroscopic equations. In the proposed formulation, P(r, t) and M(r, t) are arbitrary functions of space and time, their physical properties being embedded in the seven postulates of the theory. The postulates are self-consistent, comply with special relativity, and satisfy the laws of conservation of energy, linear momentum, and angular momentum. The Abraham momentum density p_EM(r,t) = E(r,t) × H(r,t) / c² emerges as the universal electromagnetic momentum that does not depend on whether the field is propagating or evanescent, and whether or not the host media are homogeneous, transparent, isotropic, linear, dispersive, magnetic, hysteretic, negative-index, etc. Any variation with time of the total electromagnetic momentum of a closed system results in a force exerted on the material media within the system in accordance with the generalized Lorentz law.     

Synthesis,structures and near-infrared luminescence properties of Ho and Yb coordination complexes

Four Ln³⁺ coordination complexes with the formulas [Ln(p-toluylate)₂(Ac)(H₂O)]_n (Ln=Ho 1, Yb 2) and {[Ln₂(OOCCH₂CH₂COO)₃(H₂O)₄]·6H₂O}_n (Ln=Ho 3, Yb 4) were synthesized hydrothermally. Their structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complexes 1 and 2 are isomorphic and form infinite 2D network structures comprising p-toluylate and acetate (Ac^–) moieties. Complexes 3 and 4 are also isomorphic and possess infinite 2D structures in which succinate acts as bridging ligands that are connected to a 3D hydrogen bonding network by O–H…O hydrogen bonds. Solid-state IR and UV-Vis-NIR spectra, excitation and emission spectra were determined for the four complexes at room temperature. Complexes 1 and 2 exhibit characteristic NIR emission bands of Ln³⁺ ions but these are shifted and split relative to the theoretical positions. This is also evident for their UV-Vis-NIR spectra. The influence of ligands on enhancing the NIR luminescence of Ln³⁺ ions in complexes is discussed.     

Three-dimensional magnetic properties of soft magnetic composite materials

A three-dimensional (3-D) magnetic property measurement system, which can control the three components of the magnetic flux density B vector and measure the magnetic field strength H vector in a cubic sample of soft magnetic material, has been developed and calibrated. This paper studies the relationship between the B and H loci in 3-D space, and the power losses features of a soft magnetic composite when the B loci are controlled to be circles with increasing magnitudes and ellipses evolving from a straight line to circle in three orthogonal planes. It is found that the B and H loci lie in the same magnetization plane, but the H loci and power losses strongly depend on the orientation, position, and process of magnetization. On the other hand, the H vector evolves into a unique locus, and the power loss approaches a unique value, respectively, when the B vector evolves into the round locus with the same magnitude from either a series of circles or ellipses.     

Photophysical properties of a series of high luminescent europium complexes with fluorinated ligands

A series of high luminescent europium complexes have been synthesized, such as Eu(TFNB)₃phen (1), Eu(PFNP)₃phen (2), Eu(HFNH)₃phen (3) and Eu(PFND)₃phen (4), which have β-diketone ligands containing fluorinated alkyl chains with different lengths and conjugated naphthyl groups, i.e., 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(2-naphthyl)butane-1,3-dione (TFNB); 4,4,5,5,5-pentafluoro-1-(2-naphthyl)pentane-1,3-dione (PFNP); 4,4,5,5,6,6,6-heptafluoro-1-(2-naphthyl)hexane-1,3-dione (HFNH) and 4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-pentadecafluoro-1-(2-naphthyl)decane-1,3-dione (PFND). And 10-phenanthroline (phen) is coordinated as the neutral second ligand in 1-4. The crystal structures of 1 and 2 have been studied, which are typical and similar to that of 3. The results of TGA-DTA suggest that these Eu complexes have good thermal stabilities. By means of absorption and (time resolved) emission spectroscopy including determination of luminescence quantum yields, energy transfer dynamics and so on, the following results have been obtained: first, these Eu complexes show characteristic pure red color photoluminescence emission with high quantum efficiencies from the central Eu³⁺ ions through the excitation of the ligands; secondly, photophysical properties of 1, 2, 3 and 4, especially the lifetimes of excited states ⁵D₀ of Eu³⁺ ions and quantum efficiencies are influenced by the different lengths of fluorinated alkyl chains, though the singlets (S₁) and triplets (T₁) of the fluorinated ligands are almost the same.     

Luminescence and crystal-field fitting of two optical isomeric complexes of europium

FT-IR and Raman vibrational spectra and electronic emission spectra have been recorded for enantiomers of europium complexes with DBM: dibenzoylmethanate 1,2, and TTFA: 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetonate 3,4, employing the chiral ligands L_SS(+)- and L_RR(-)-4,5-pinene bipyridine. Contrary to the previously published X-ray data, where geometrical differences were stated to occur for particular enantiomers, the vibrational (and the emission) spectra of the individual optical isomers of a complex are not distinguishable. Using excitation into the Eu³⁺⁵D₂ multiplet term, the emission intensity is weak from ⁵D₁, whereas a complex structure is observed for the ⁵D₀→⁷F_J transitions. Features in the vibronic sidebands exhibit similar derived vibrational energies to those observed in the Raman spectra. Fittings of 25 4f⁶ crystal-field energy levels of 2 and 4 have been attempted with some approximations concerning the local Eu³⁺ environments. The ⁵D₀ emission lifetimes are monoexponential and are 0.5 (1,2) and 0.9 ms (3,4) at room temperature.     

Self-consistent treatment of spin and magnetization dynamic effect in spin transfer switching

The effect of itinerant spin moment (m) dynamic in spin transfer switching has been ignored in most previous theoretical studies of the magnetization (M) dynamics. Thus in this paper, we proposed a more refined micromagnetic model of spin transfer switching that takes into account in a self-consistent manner of the coupled m and M dynamics. The numerical results obtained from this model further shed insight on the switching profiles of m and M, both of which show particular sensitivity to parameters such as the anisotropy field, the spin torque field, and the initial deviation between m and M.     

Photophysical characteristics of 4,4′-bis(N-carbazolyl)tolan derivatives and their application in organic light emitting diodes

4,4′-bis(N-carbazolyl)tolan (BCT) and 4,4′-bis[N-(3,6-di-t-butyl)carbazolyl]tolan (BCT-t-Bu) were synthesized as π-expanded analogs of 4,4′-bis(N-carbazolyl)biphenyl. Their photophysical characteristics both in solution and films were thoroughly investigated. Interestingly, the phosphorescence spectrum of BCT was significantly medium-dependent, and the emission maximum was red-shifted by 131 nm from 489 nm in solution at 77 K to 620 nm in a deposited film at 5 K, suggesting the presence of strong intermolecular interactions in the film. BCT and BCT-t-Bu were found to be useful as host materials for fluorescence-based organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, their low triplet energy levels in films negated their potential to act as hosts in phosphorescence-based OLEDs.     

Adsorption mechanism of physiologically active l-phenylalanine phosphonodipeptide analogues: Comparison of colloidal silver and macroscopic silver substrates

Here we present SERS spectra of several l-phenylalanine (Phe) phosphonodipeptides, i.e., l-Phe-l-Ala-PO₃H₂ (MD1), l-Phe-l-Val-PO₃H₂ (MD2), l-Phe-β-Ala-CH(OH)-PO₃H₂ (MD3), l-Phe-l-Ala-CH(OH)-PO₃H₂ (MD4), l-Ala-(3,4-dimethoxy)-l-Phe-PO₃H₂ (MD5), and l-Ala-(3,4-dimethoxy)-(des-CH₂)-l-Phe-PO₃H₂ (MD6), immobilized on electrochemically roughened silver electrodes. These spectra are analyzed by theoretical calculations using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP level with 6-31++G∗∗ basis set. In addition, these spectra are compared with SERS spectra of these species adsorbed on a colloidal silver surface. We showed that on the macroscopic silver substrate, the Phe aromatic ring of MD3 and MD4 is oriented vertically, while for MD1 it almost “stands up” on this surface. In the other three cases, the Phe ring adopts a tilted orientation in regard to the substrate. We also find that the phosphonate , methyl/methane, or dimethoxy groups of MD1, MD2, MD3, MD5, and MD6 are involved in the interaction of these phosphonodipeptides with the electrochemically roughened surface. This phenomenon is clearly seen for -CH₂-/-CH₃/-OCH₃ moieties as well as for the group that adsorbs on the macroscopic silver substrates mainly via the PO fragment. We also showed that MD4 binds to the macroscopic silver substrate through the hydroxyl, amine, and phosphonate groups, while the methylene/methane moieties are remote from this surface. We found that studied phosphonodipeptides often adsorb differently on the macroscopic silver substrate and on the colloidal silver nanoparticles. For example, MD1 adopts an almost vertical orientation on the electrochemically roughened silver substrate and is tilted or close to flat on the silver nanoparticles.     

Nonlinear optical absorption and fluorescence of phosphine-substituted bithiophenes in the violet-blue spectral region

The nonlinear optical absorptions of two 5,5′-bis(diphenylphosphino)-2,2′-bithiophene derivatives, Ph₂(X)P(C₄H₂S)₂P(X)Ph₂ (X = O, 1; S, 2), have been investigated by direct transmission measurement with both picosecond and nanosecond laser pulses from 420 nm to 480 nm. Saturated dichloromethane solutions of 1 and 2 exhibit strong nonlinear optical absorptions in this violet-blue spectral region with that of 2 being stronger at all wavelengths. In the picosecond regime, at 420 nm, the transmittance rapidly falls to 50% when the incident fluence is 0.22 J/cm² for 1 and 0.11 J/cm² for 2. Two-photon absorption appears to be the primary mechanism for this nonlinear absorption. The two-photon absorption coefficients β for 1 (2.1 cm/GW) and 2 (4.4 cm/GM) were obtained by fitting the measurement of transmittance as the function of incident beam intensity at 420 nm. These β values are comparable with some of the best results obtained for organic materials in the green, red and infrared spectral region. Both compounds also show fluorescence with an emission peak at 390 nm for 1 and 400 nm for 2. The fluorescence of 1 is considerably stronger than is that of 2. The combination of the wide band gap and strong fluorescence emission of 1 makes it a promising candidate as a host material for blue organic light emitting diodes.     

Photoluminescent properties of heteroleptic cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes bearing 1,3-bis(3,4-dibutoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dionate as an ancillary ligand

A new series of heteroleptic cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes Pt-1a-f was synthesized, employing 2-arylpyridine (or 1-arylisoquinoline) (HC^∧N-1) and 1,3-bis(3,4-dibutoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dione (HO^∧O-1) for cyclometalation and as ancillary ligands, respectively, and photoluminescent properties were investigated. Focusing on red-shifted phosphorescence, C^∧N ligands containing π-extended aromatics and electron-rich heterocycles were examined. All obtained complexes exhibited photoluminescence at ambient temperature, and the emission maxima ranged from green (λ_PL=518 nm) to far red (λ_PL=708 nm). The large Stokes shifts of more than 100 nm and sub-microsecond or microsecond emission lifetimes revealed that these complexes are phosphorescent emissive. The quantum yield of Pt-1 ranged from 0.02 to 0.59 at ambient temperature and decreased as the emission maximum was red-shifted. In comparison with the reference platinum(II) complexes, Pt-2 bearing an aliphatic ancillary ligand, such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylheptane-3,5-dionate (O^∧O-2), the ligand O^∧O-1 did not significantly affect the photoluminescence emission maxima, indicating that the energy gap between the singlet ground state and the triplet level was predominantly dependent on the C^∧N ligand.