Tracking oxytetracyline mobility across environmental interfaces by second harmonic generation

This work examines the binding behavior of the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) to mineral oxide/water interfaces in the presence and absence of organic functional groups using the interface-specific technique second harmonic generation (SHG). Studies show that OTC binding to fused quartz, methyl ester, carboxylic acid, and alkyl interfaces is fully reversible and highly dependent on solution pH, with appreciable adsorption occurring only at pH 8. Relative surface coverage at pH 8 is highest for the polar organic-functionalized surfaces, and surface saturation occurs for the methyl ester-functionalized fused quartz/water interface at 2 x 10(-5) M. Adsorption isotherm measurements indicate that the binding process is controlled by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, with free energies of adsorption on the order of -40 kJ/mol for all interfaces studied. The results indicate that OTC transport in the environment will depend heavily on soil pH and composition and have implications for the development of bacterial antibiotic resistance.     

Anion chelation by amido acid functionalized fused quartz/water interfaces studied by nonlinear optics

We report resonantly enhanced surface second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements to track the interaction of the EPA priority toxic metal pollutant chromium(VI) with fused quartz/water interfaces containing tailor-made amino acids that serve as model systems for environmental and biological interfaces. chi3 measurements of amido acid functionalized fused quartz/water interfaces are consistent with two acid-base equilibria, suggesting the formation of a laterally hydrogen-bonded environment similar to what is observed for aliphatic carboxylic acids. Chromate adsorption isotherms recorded at pH 7 are suggestive of an intramolecular chelation mechanism that becomes important when four or more hydrogen-bonding moieties are displayed toward the incoming chromate. The strong binding affinities of the amido acid functionalized fused quartz/water interfaces toward chromate are consistent with nearly 50% slower transport rates with respect to free-flowing groundwater, indicating that, in the absence of redox processes, peptide materials in heterogeneous geochemical environments can significantly increase chromate residence times. The strong evidence for synergistic effects dominating the interactions of chromate with surface-bound amido acids indicates that chemical complexity can be systematically addressed using tailor-made organic surfaces and interfaces.     

Kinetic studies of chromium (VI) binding to carboxylic acid- and methyl ester-functionalized silica/water interfaces important in geochemistry

Real-time kinetic measurements of hexavalent chromium binding to fused silica surfaces functionalized with carboxylic acid and methyl ester terminal groups are performed in situ using resonantly enhanced surface second harmonic generation (SHG) at pH 7 and 300 K. These functional groups were chosen because of their high abundance in humic acids and related biopolymers. Kinetic measurements are conducted in the submonolayer regime using chromate solution concentrations ranging from 1 x 10(-6) to 2 x 10(-5) M. The adsorption rates were analyzed using the standard Langmuir model and the Frumkin-Fowler-Guggenheim model. The desorption kinetics are consistent with a first-order process. These results indicate that hexavalent chromium mobility in carboxylic acid- and ester-rich soil environments increases with decreasing chromate concentrations. Based on the measured half-lives of the adsorbed Cr(VI) species, remobilization of bound hexavalent chromium due to natural or anthropogenic events that lower the chromate concentration in the aqueous phase can occur within minutes.     

Control of carboxylic acid and ester groups on chromium (VI) binding to functionalized silica/water interfaces studied by second harmonic generation

Resonantly enhanced surface second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements carried out at pH 7 and room temperature were performed to study how surface-bound carboxylic acid and methyl ester functional groups control the interaction of chromate ions with fused silica/water interfaces. These functional groups were chosen because of their high abundance in humic and fulvic acids and related biopolymers commonly found in soils. They were anchored to the silica surface using organosilane chemistry to avoid competing complexation processes in the aqueous solution as well as competitive adsorption of the organic compounds and chromate. The SHG experiments were carried out at room temperature and pH 7 while using environmentally representative chromate concentrations ranging from 1 x10(-6) to 2 x 10(-4) M. Chromate is found to bind to the acid- and ester-functionalized silica/water interfaces in a reversible fashion. In contrast to the plain silica/water interface, chromate binding studies performed on the functionalized silica/water interfaces show S-shaped adsorption isotherms that can be modeled using the Frumkin-Fowler-Guggenheim (FFG) model. This model predicts a coverage-dependent binding constant of K(ads) x exp(gtheta). Values for g are found to be 3.2(2), 2.1(2), and 1.3(2) for the carboxylic acid-, the ester-, and the nonfunctionalized silica/water interfaces, respectively, and are consistent with stabilizing lateral adsorbate-adsorbate interactions among the Cr(VI) species adsorbed to the functionalized surfaces. The FFG model allows for the parametrization of the solid-liquid partition coefficient and chromate retardation factors in silica-rich soil particles whose surfaces contain organic adlayers rich in carboxylic acid and methyl ester groups. The straightforward model presented here predicts that chromate retardation increases by up to 200% when carboxylic acid functional groups are present at the silica/water interface. Increases up to 50% are predicted for methyl ester-containing organic adlayers, and the retardation factor remains effectively near unity for the plain silica/water interface (no siloxanes present).     

Nonlinear susceptibility of a cyanobiphenyl derivative at the air/water interface: improved measurement of molecular orientation by optical second harmonic generation

The nonlinear susceptibility tensor, chi(2), for second harmonic generation (SHG) by a monolayer of the cyanobiphenyl derivative 4-n-octyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) at the air/water interface has been measured with the fundamental frequency variant Planck's over 2piomega=1.55 eV (lambda=800 nm). The contribution of the water subphase was estimated by measuring the magnitudes and relative phases of the nonlinear susceptibilities of the bare and monolayer-covered water surfaces. All nonzero elements of chi(2) are placed on an absolute scale by comparison with SHG in reflection from a z-cut quartz crystal. The experimental measurements for the 8CB monolayer are compared with computed susceptibilities derived by using standard time-dependent perturbation theory in conjunction with a semiempirical electronic structure model. Good agreement has been found between experimental and computational results when the average tilt angle of the cyanobiphenyl chromophore of 8CB is in the range 60-70 degrees relative to the surface normal. A critique is given of an alternative, simplified measurement procedure of the tilt angle in which only the dominant element of the molecular hyperpolarizability tensor is considered. It is shown that the simplified procedure is invalid for 8CB monolayers when the tilt angle is greater than approximately 70 degrees.     

Chromium(VI) binding to functionalized silica/water interfaces studied by nonlinear optical spectroscopy

Organic adlayers can significantly alter the interactions of environmentally relevant surfaces with their surroundings. We present the first second harmonic and broadband sum frequency generation (SHG and BBSFG) study that illustrates how organic surface functional groups can control the mobility of the priority pollutant chromium(VI) in soil: Cr(VI) binds to ester- and acid-functionalized surfaces but not to alkane-functionalized surfaces. The implications with respect to toxic metal transport across organic adlayers at liquid-solid interfaces are that aqueous Cr(VI) can be retained by polar groups common in biopolymers but not by hydrophobic groups common in surfactants.     

Enhancement of second harmonic generation in helical Sc liquid crystals

In a ferroelectric liquid crystal, a special type of phase-matching for optical second harmonic generation (SHG) is possible, where two counter-propagating fundamental waves create second harmonic waves at the edge of the selective reflection band. We compute the SHG intensity in such a situation and show that, at slight detuning from exact phase-matching, useful resonance enhancement can be obtained. A considerable amount of SHG also appears when the second harmonic frequency is in the reflection band, where the SHG wave is non-propagating.     

Second harmonic excitation spectroscopy of silver nanoparticle arrays

Frequency-scanned excitation profiles of coherent second harmonic generation (SHG) were measured for silver nanoparticle arrays prepared by nanosphere lithography. The frequency of the fundamental beam did not coincide with the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the nanoparticles and was tuned so that the coherent second harmonic (SH) emission was in the region of the LSPR at 720-750 nm. The SH emission from the arrays was compared with a smooth silver film to identify an enhancement of SH emission efficiency that peaks near approximately 650 nm for nanoparticles 50 nm in height. The polarization and orientation dependence of this enhancement suggests that it is related to a dipolar LSPR mode polarized normal to the plane of the substrate. Linear extinction spectra are dominated by in-plane dipoles and do not show this weak out-of-plane LSPR mode. The nanoparticle arrays are truncated tetrahedrons symmetrically oriented by nanosphere lithography to cancel SH from in-plane dipoles which allows observation of the weak out-of-plane component.     

Adsorption behavior of lauric acid at heptane/water interface as studied by second harmonic generation spectroscopy and interfacial tensiometry.

Interfacial tensiometry and second harmonic generation (SHG) spectroscopy were applied to examine the adsorption behavior of lauric acid (LA) at a heptane/water interface. From interfacial tensiometry measurements, the adsorption kinetics of LA was revealed to be diffusion-controlled, and the adsorption constant of LA was estimated to be 9.6 x 10(4) M(-1). The adsorption isotherms obtained by SHG measurements were analyzed by taking account of both the molecular orientation of LA at the interface and a surface electric field generated by the adsorbed LA layer. It was confirmed that the carboxylic groups of adsorbed LA molecules were well ordered at the heptane/water interface and the orientation of the carboxylate group was invariant during the adsorption process.     

Electrodeposition of flattened Cu nanoclusters on a p-GaAs(001) electrode monitored by in situ optical second harmonic generation

In situ optical second harmonic generation (SHG) technique was employed to investigate the shape and density of Cu nanoclusters, which were electrochemically formed on p-GaAs(001) electrode surfaces. Since GaAs is not a centrosymmetric medium, a significant portion of SHG signal arises from the bulk dipole susceptibility, but it was possible to separate a surface-induced signal from a bulk-induced signal by choosing an appropriate experimental geometry and appropriate data processing. The rotational anisotropy (RA) pattern of the SHG signal from a p-GaAs(001) electrode changed in both shape and magnitude during potential cycling in an electrolyte solution containing Cu2+. The surface plasmon-induced SHG signal from Cu nanoclusters deposited on GaAs was attributed to the modulation source for the RA-SHG pattern. More detailed study was carried out with both in situ SHG and ex situ AFM measurements for Cu nanoclusters deposited by potential step. The results showed that the SHG signal at the present optical geometry was sensitive to the number of oblate or flattened Cu nanoclusters with lateral diameter larger than 30 nm and that the SHG enhancement occurred because of resonant coupling between the surface plasmon induced in the flattened Cu nanoclusters and the near-infrared fundamental light.     

The First-principles Calculations of the Electronic Structures and Optical Properties of Ⅱ-Ⅲ_2-Ⅵ_4(Ⅱ = Zn,Cd; Ⅲ = In; Ⅵ = Se,Te)

The electronic structures and optical properties of II?III2?VI4(II = Zn, Cd; III = In; VI = Se, Te) compounds are studied by the density functional theory(DFT) using the Vienna ab initio simulation package(VASP). Geometrical optimization of the unit cell is in good agreement with the experimental data. Our calculations show that the valence band maximum(VBM) and conduction band minimum(CBM) are located at G resulting in a direct energy gap. The optical properties are analyzed, and the independent second harmonic generation(SHG) coefficients are determined. By an analysis of the band structure, we can get that SHG response of the system can be attributed to the transitions from the bands near the top of valence band that are derived from the Se/Te p states to the unoccupied bands contributed by the p states of In atoms.     

The interaction of cysteine with chromium(VI) ions under UV irradiation

In 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.2), the interaction of chromium(VI) with cysteine in the presence and absence of UV irradiation was studied by cyclic voltammetry and electronic spectroscopy techniques. The reduction of Cr(VI) by cysteine takes place through the formation of Cr(VI)-thioester intermediate. On the cyclic voltammograms of cysteine and Cr(VI) mixture, the peaks at -0.315 and -0.800 V were observed, and these peaks are corresponding to the reduction of Cr(VI)-thioester and thiyl radical, respectively. In the cysteine solution exposed to UV irradiation, the formation of free cystine was observed at -0.792 V. In the cysteine and Cr(VI) mixture exposed to UV irradiation, the peak current of thiyl radical increases while the peak current of Cr(VI)-thioester reaches a maximum at 15 min and then decreases by increasing UV irradiation time. The formation of the thioester in the reaction between Cr(VI) and cysteine in aqueous media has been studied by monitoring the decrease of Cr(VI) at 370 nm. It was observed that the reaction is catalyzed by the UV irradiation of the Cr(VI) and cysteine mixture.     

Determination of chromium speciation in natural systems using DGT

The techniques of diffusive gradients (DGT) and equilibration (DET) in thin-films have been combined in a single probe that can determine Cr(III) and Cr(VI) simultaneously in solution. The assembly has a layer of polyacrylamide hydrogel overlying a separate layer of resin embedded in gel. Cr(III) species accumulate exclusively and quantitatively in the resin layer, while Cr(VI) species equilibrate with both hydrogel and resin layers. The species are separated by peeling the two layers apart. Chromium is then eluted from each of the two layers. Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were determined quantitatively in standard, mixed solutions by in situ separation with DGT and detection by GF-AAS. With this method, Cr(III) is typically preconcentrated by a factor of 10 over a 24 h deployment, and limits of detection of 8 ng/L Cr(III) and 0.3 micro g/L Cr(VI) were achieved. Due to the inbuilt preconcentration of Cr(III), the technique is particularly good at measuring low concentrations of Cr(III) in the presence of an excess of Cr(VI). Measurements were performed in three soils with various levels of chromium contamination. A concentration of 3 micro g/L of labile Cr(III) was measured reproducibly in the presence of 290 micro g/L of unreactive Cr species and 0.2 micro g/L of labile Cr(III) was measured in the presence of 24 micro g/L of unreactive Cr. The unique feature of the method is that the separation of Cr(III) from Cr(VI) occurs in situ. The Cr species are then stable in the resin and gel prior to analysis, eliminating the artefacts associated with sampling and storage, which are particularly prevalent for redox-sensitive elements. Therefore, it has great potential for assessing Cr(III) and Cr(VI) concentrations in situ in environments near redox boundaries where possible dynamic changes in Cr(III) and Cr(VI) concentrations are occurring.     

An in situ second harmonic generation study of the electrochemical oxidation of silicon in fluoride media

The electrochemical oxidation of p-type Si in fluoride solutions has been studied by in situ second harmonic generation (SHG) with the SHG signal being recorded simultaneously with the cyclic voltammogram. The SHG signal is shown to change in tandem with the electrochemical response enabling the identification of transition points between different surface conditions such as hydrogen-terminated, hydrated oxide and oxide. Interpretation of the changes in SHG suggests that the initial response is due to the electric field-induced second harmonic (EFISH) due to the electric field gradient at the interface. It then becomes dominated by the variation in the resonant surface non-linear susceptibility as the changes in local bonding affect the response. SHG signals display a much greater sensitivity to surface conditions than the voltammetric response and allow the real-time identification of the potentials at which significant changes take place in the state of the surface.     

Solvent polarity at an aqueous/alkane interface: the effect of solute identity

Resonance-enhanced second harmonic generation (SHG) has been used to probe the solvatochromic behavior of two small, aromatic chromophores adsorbed to the aqueous/cyclohexane, liquid/liquid interface. SHG spectra of p-nitrophenol (PNP) and 2,6-dimethyl-PNP (dmPNP) indicate that these two chromophores sample markedly different environments. PNP sees a polar, waterlike environment, whereas solvent polarity surrounding dmPNP is dominated by the nonpolar, organic phase. Results suggest that subtle changes in solute structure can change the distribution of solutes across an interface and thus change a solute's local solvation environment.     

酞菁铜/金属薄膜界面电位与光二次谐波特性分析

Using the Kelvin probe and the optical second harmonic generation (SHG) measurement, the Space charged phenomenon and the non-linear optical effects at the interfaces of the coppertetra-tert-butyl phthalocyanine (CuttbPc) Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film deposited on a metal (AlorAu) coated glass slide substrate were in vestigated. The surface potentials decreaseas the film thickness increases and eventually approaches a saturated value. The SHG has been detected although there is a centro-symmetric systemin the Cuttb Pcmolecular, and avery strong SH signal can be investigated at 1260 nm band for Cuttb Pc/Al samples. According to a proposed physical model for Cuttb PcLB film/metal, the nonlinear mechanism were analyzed by using electromagnetic wave theory. It is considered that the enhanced SH peak of CuttbPc/Al is attributed to the strong surface potential aroused by SCIEF at the interface, and shows that the production of SH signal is correlated closely with the electrostatic phenomena at the interface.     

Ion-association aggregation of an anionic porphyrin at the liquid/liquid interface studied by second harmonic generation spectroscopy

Interfacial ion-association adsorption and aggregation of a water-soluble porphyrin, tetrakis(4-sulfonatephenyl)porphyrin (TPPS) diacid, which was promoted by a cationic cetyltrimethylammonium ion (CTA(+)), was studied by second harmonic generation (SHG) spectroscopy. Comparing the interfacial SH spectrum with the transmission absorption spectrum of TPPS in the aqueous solution elucidated the aggregation behavior of TPPS at the heptane/water interface. The time-dependent SHG spectra for TPPS aggregation and the interfacial tension lowering in the presence of CTA(+) were discussed on the basis of an electrostatic adsorption model. Then, it was suggested that TPPS diacid was highly concentrated by the ion-association with CTA(+) at the interface, which was the intermediate state before the final aggregated state.     

用激光第二谐振光研究阴离子在多晶铜电极表面上的吸附

首次用激光产生的第二谐振光(SHG)检测到金属/水溶液界面上阴离子在多晶铜电极表面上的吸附,阴离子吸附特性对SHG强度影响明显,由多晶铜电极在(0.5-x)mol/L NaClO_4+xmol/L NaBr溶液中的SHG强度-电位曲线表明铜电极表面对ClO_4~-的吸附非常弱,对Br~-有特定的吸附,SHG强度随Br~-浓度增加而增强,结果表明SHG是定量研究电化学界面区吸附特性的灵敏有效的探针,可揭示金属与吸附质间相互作用的本质。     

Non-linear optical properties of metallorganic ferroelectric liquid crystals

Second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiencies d eff were determined for Pt-containing ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs). A relatively simple method is presented which allows for the simultaneous determination of the second order susceptibility tensor coefficients d ij together with the dispersion and birefringence at the fundamental frequency. The relation between the d ij coefficients is qualitatively interpreted in terms of the molecular shape and of a scheme proposed for the molecular orientation in the ferroelectric phase. Contrary to the usual situation with calamitics, d 23 is much higher than the rest of the coefficients. This peculiarity, which reflects the 3D character of the molecular response, is interesting since d 23 is directly involved in d eff for phase matched SHG.     

Temperature resolved second harmonic generation to probe the structural purity of m-hydroxybenzoic acid

We report the use of second harmonic generation (SHG) and temperature resolved second harmonic generation (TR-SHG) for in situ probing and monitoring the structural purification of m-hydroxybenzoic acid (MHBA). Pure and mixtures of the two polymorphic forms of MHBA (metastable Pna2₁ and stable P2₁/c) and commercial MHBA were analysed by: DSC, XRPD and SHG. Results obtained with these three techniques are compared and demonstrate for that particular component, the high sensitivity and accuracy of SHG in assessing the polymorphic purity of MHBA. The SHG detection threshold for the metastable polymorph is circa 2 ppm and is several orders of magnitude better than the sensitivity of XRPD (1 wt%) and DSC (only 17 wt%). The proportion of the metastable phase in the commercial MHBA was evaluated to 1 wt% by SHG. Results of TR-SHG measurements performed on commercial MHBA at 5 K min^?1 heating rate show that TR-SHG is a good technique for an in situ monitoring of the structural purity. The present study clearly demonstrates that SHG and TR-SHG are relevant and accurate techniques for probing the structural purity and for the monitoring of solid–solid phase transitions provided one of the two varieties crystallizes in a non-centrosymmetric space group.