Band distortions in emission and specular reflection FTIR spectroscopy

General equations for emittance and reflectance of multilayer systems are given. It is demonstrated that band distortions can be avoided by application of the appropriate working equations. An opaque (thick) sample is employed as a reference.     

Dynamical Evidence of Aggregates in Isomeric Alcohols Mixtures by O—H Stretching Band Analysis

Abstract

Polarized and depolarized Raman data in mixed isomeric alcohols n-Pentanol and 2-Methyl-2-Butanol are presented. The spectra, obtained as a function of temperature and concentration, have been performed in the intramolecular O—H stretching region. The analysis of the spectral features of the deconvoluted bands, center frequency, percentage intensity and halfwidth, performed in the frame of a previous investigation on the pure components, shows that the aggregative processes, present in these H-bonded liquids, reflect themselves also on this spectral region furnishing evidence that, as evidenciated by other techniques, in the 2M-2BuOH rich region, the formation of hetero-structures, determining a strengthened respect to the more “fragile” pure tertiary alcohol, is present.     

A Probe of Valence and Conduction Band Electronic Structure of Lead Oxide Films for Photodetectors

We investigate how the electronic structure of amorphous lead oxide (a-PbO) films deposited on ITO substrate is changed after annealing at various temperatures. Both experimental soft X-ray spectroscopic and density functional theory (DFT) based computational techniques are used to explore the electronic structure of this material. X-ray emission, resonant X-ray inelastic scattering, and X-ray absorption spectroscopic techniques are employed to directly probe the valence and conduction bands. We discover that the films are very stable and remain amorphous when exposed to temperatures below 300 °C. An amorphous-to-polycrystalline (α-PbO phase) transformation occurs during annealing at 400 °C. At 500 °C, an alpha to beta phase change is observed. These structural modifications are accompanied by the band gap value changing from 1.4±0.2 eV to 2.0±0.2 eV upon annealing at 400 °C and to 2.6±0.2 eV upon annealing at 500 °C. A difference between surface and bulk structural properties is found for all samples annealed at 500 °C and above; these samples also exhibit an unexpected suppression of O : 2p density of states (DOS) near the bottom of the conduction band, whereas additional electronic states appear well within the valence band. This study provides a significant step forward to understanding the electronic properties of two polymorphic forms of PbO needed for optimization of this material for use in X-ray sensors.     

Infrared spectroscopic characterization of oriented polyamide 66: Band assignment and crystallinity measurement

Having found much ambiguity in the infrared band assignments for polyamide 66 (PA66), we revisited some of these assignments before using infrared spectroscopy to assess microstructure changes resulting from multiple thermal treatments. We discovered that earlier assignments of the 1144 and 1180 cm⁻¹ bands to the amorphous (noncrystalline) phase were incorrect, whereas the bands at 924 and 1136 cm⁻¹ can be attributed unambiguously to the noncrystalline phase. We also confirmed that PA66 bands at 936 and 1200 cm⁻¹ are crystalline bands. The normalized absorbance of the 1224‐cm⁻¹ fold band increases in proportion to crystallinity, indicating that chain folding is the predominant mechanism of thermal crystallization in PA66. We demonstrated that infrared spectroscopy can be used to estimate the degree of crystallinity of PA66, and two methods were explored. One is a calibration method in which the band ratio of 1200 and 1630 cm⁻¹ is plotted against crystallinity measured by density. The other is an independent infrared method based on the assumption that PA66 satisfies a two‐phase structure model. The crystallinity determined by the independent infrared method showed good agreement with the crystallinity obtained from density measurements. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 516–524, 2000     

TiO2薄膜光电极能带结构和催化活性的初探

以阳极氧化法制得的TiO₂薄膜光电极为工作电极,铂环为对电极,饱和甘汞电极为参比电极,组成光电催化降解苯酚体系.运用电化学阻抗图谱(EIS),测得光电催化过程中TiO₂薄膜光电极的空间电荷层电容,计算出半导体能带结构参数——空间电荷层宽度W.结果证明:当空间电荷层宽度W随阳极偏压增加而增大时,TiO₂薄膜电极光催化活性提高;当其等于薄膜厚度时,光催化活性最好,此时出现最佳偏压值;继续增加偏压,活性反而有所下降.     

Exploring the Reactivity of Multicomponent Photocatalysts: Insight into the Complex Valence Band of BiOBr

The band structure of multicomponent semiconductor photocatalysts, as well as their reactivity distinction under different wavelengths of light, is still unclear. BiOBr, which is a typical multicomponent semiconductor, may have two possible valence‐band structures, that is, two discrete valence bands constructed respectively from O 2p and Br 4p orbitals, or one valence band derived from the hybridization of these orbitals. In this work, aqueous photocatalytic hydroxylation is applied as the probe reaction to investigate the nature and reactions of photogenerated holes in BiOBr. Three organic compounds (microcystin‐LR, aniline, and benzoic acid) with different oxidation potentials were selected as substrates. Isotope labeling (H₂¹⁸O as the solvent) was used to determine the source of the O atom in the hydroxyl group of the products, which distinguishes the contribution of different hydroxylation pathways. Furthermore, a spin‐trapping ESR method was used to quantify the reactive oxygen species (^.OH and ^.OOH) formed in the reaction system. The different isotope abundances of the hydroxyl O atom of the products formed, as well as the reverse trend of the ^.OH/^.OOH ratio with the oxidative resistance of the substrate under UV and visible irradiation, reveal that BiOBr has two separate valence bands, which have different oxidation ability and respond to UV and visible light, respectively. This study shows that the band structure of semiconductor photocatalysts can be reliably analyzed with an isotope labeling method.     

Low‐Band Gap Polymeric Cyanine Dyes Absorbing in the NIR Region

Two new, fully conjugated polymeric cyanine dyes based on trimethine and heptamethine moieties have been synthesized. Both polymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, UV‐vis and IR spectroscopy, elementary analysis and cyclic voltammetry. The structure of one material could be confirmed with NMR spectroscopy. Upon head‐to‐tail coupling of the dye moieties distinct bathochromic shifts up to 159 nm were observed for the polymers which absorb solely in the near infrared (NIR) region with maxima up to 1 002 nm and very high molar absorption coefficients. This highly efficient absorption in the NIR spectral domain combined with the strong electron accepting properties makes these dyes interesting candidates for many optical applications; investigations on photovoltaic devices based on polymeric cyanine dye/C₆₀ heterojunctions identify one of these possibilities.

     

Ozone‐Induced Band Bending on Metal‐Oxide Surfaces Studied under Environmental Conditions

Ozone adsorption and decomposition on metal oxides is of wide interest in technology and in atmospheric chemistry. Here, ozone‐adsorption‐induced band bending is observed on Ti‐ and Fe‐oxide model surfaces under dry and humid conditions. Photoelectron spectroscopic studies indicate the effect of charge transfer to O₃, which limits the surface coverage of the precursor to decomposition reactions. This is also consistent with the negative pressure dependence observed in previous studies. These results contribute to our fundamental understanding of ozone adsorption and decomposition mechanisms on metal oxides of environmental and technological relevance.     

Label‐Free Imaging of Intracellular Temperature by Using the O−H Stretching Raman Band of Water

We propose a label‐free method for measuring intracellular temperature using a Raman image of a cell in the O?H stretching band. Raman spectra of cultured cells and the medium were first measured at various temperatures using a Raman microscope and the intensity ratio of the two regions of the O?H stretching band was calculated. The intensity ratio varies linearly with temperature in both the medium and cells, and the resulting calibration lines allow simultaneous visualization of both intracellular and extracellular temperatures in a label‐free manner. We applied this method to the measurement of temperature changes after the introduction of FCCP (carbonyl cyanide‐p‐trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone) in living cells. We observed a temperature rise in the cytoplasm and succeeded in obtaining an image of the change in intracellular temperature after the FCCP treatment.     

The Valence States of Nickel,Tin, and Sulfur in the Ternary Chalcogenide Ni3Sn2S2—XPS, 61Ni and 119Sn Mössbauer Investigations,and Band Structure Calculations

The hitherto controversial valence states of nickel and tin in the ternary chalcogenide Ni₃Sn₂S₂ (see structure) have been determined by photoelectron and Mössbauer spectroscopy (⁶¹Ni, ¹¹⁹Sn). Results from band structure calculations confirmed that this shandite phase is a metal and that the approximate distribution of the valence electrons is (Ni⁰)₃(Sn(1)^II)(Sn(2)^II)(S^II−)₂.     

Long Distance Measurements up to 160 Å in the GroEL Tetradecamer Using Q‐Band DEER EPR Spectroscopy

Current distance measurements between spin‐labels on multimeric protonated proteins using double electron–electron resonance (DEER) EPR spectroscopy are generally limited to the 15–60 Å range. Here we show how DEER experiments can be extended to dipolar evolution times of ca. 80 μs, permitting distances up to 170 Å to be accessed in multimeric proteins. The method relies on sparse spin‐labeling, supplemented by deuteration of protein and solvent, to minimize the deleterious impact of multispin effects and substantially increase the apparent spin‐label phase memory relaxation time, complemented by high sensitivity afforded by measurements at Q‐band. We demonstrate the approach using the tetradecameric molecular machine GroEL as an example. Two engineered surface‐exposed mutants, R268C and E315C, are used to measure pairwise distance distributions with mean values ranging from 20 to 100 Å and from 30 to 160 Å, respectively, both within and between the two heptameric rings of GroEL. The measured distance distributions are consistent with the known crystal structure of apo GroEL. The methodology presented here should significantly expand the use of DEER for the structural characterization of conformational changes in higher order oligomers.     

Rational Design of a Solvatochromic Fluorescent Uracil Analogue with a Dual‐Band Ratiometric Response Based on 3‐Hydroxychromone

Fluorescent nucleoside analogues with strong and informative responses to their local environment are in urgent need for DNA research. In this work, the design, synthesis and investigation of a new solvatochromic ratiometric fluorophore compiled from 3‐hydroxychromones (3HCs) and uracil fragments are reported. 3HC dyes are a class of multi‐parametric, environment‐sensitive fluorophores providing a ratiometric response due to the presence of two well‐resolved bands in their emission spectra. The synthesized conjugate demonstrates not only the preservation but also the improvement of these properties. The absorption and fluorescence spectra are shifted to longer wavelengths together with an increase of brightness. Moreover, the two fluorescence bands are better resolved and provide ratiometric responses across a broader range of solvent polarities. To understand the photophysical properties of this new fluorophore, a series of model compounds were synthesized and comparatively investigated. The obtained data indicate that uracil and 3HC fragments of this derivative are coupled into an electronic conjugated system, which on excitation attains strong charge‐transfer character. The developed fluorophore is a prospective label for nucleic acids. Abstract in Ukrainian: .     

Band fluorescence of xenon

The Xe₂ emission band at 168 nm has been observed during irradiation of xenon gas with the 147 nm resonance line. The band is attributed to Xe₂ molecules formed by reaction between ground-state and metastable (2_u) xenon atoms.     

Zum 200. Band

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Zum 250. Band

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The Solvent‐Dependent Shift of the Amide I Band of a Fully Solvated Peptide as a Local Probe for the Solvent Composition in the Peptide/Solvent Interface

We determine the shift and line shape of the amide I band of a model AK peptide from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the peptide dissolved in methanol/water mixtures with varying composition. The IR spectra are determined from a transition dipole coupling exciton model. A simplified empirical model Hamiltonian is employed, which takes into account both the effect of hydrogen bonding and the intramolecular vibrational coupling. We consider a single isolated AK peptide in a mostly helical conformation, while the solvent is represented by 2600 methanol or water molecules, simulated for a pressure of 1 bar and a temperature of 300 K. Over the course of the simulations, minor reversible conformational changes at the termini are observed, which are found to only slightly affect the calculated spectral properties. Over the entire composition range, which varies from pure water to the pure methanol solvent, a monotonous shift towards higher frequency of the IR amide I band of about 8 wavenumbers is observed. This shift towards higher frequency is comparable to the shift found in preliminary experimental data also presented here on the amide I′ band. The shift is found to be caused by two counter‐compensating effects. An intramolecular red shift of about 1.2 wavenumbers occurs, due to stronger intramolecular hydrogen bonding in a methanol‐rich environment. Dominating, however, is the intermolecular solvent‐dependent shift towards higher frequency of about 10 wavenumbers, which is attributed to the less effective hydrogen‐bond‐donor capabilities of methanol compared to water. The importance of the solvent contribution to the IR shift, as well as the significantly different hydrogen formation capabilities of water and methanol, makes the amide I band sensitive to composition changes in the local environment close to the peptide/solvent interface. This allows, in principle, an experimental determination of the composition of the solvent in close proximity to the peptide surface. For the AK peptide case, we observe at low methanol concentrations a significantly enhanced methanol concentration at the peptide/solvent interface, supposedly promoted by the partially hydrophobic character of the AK peptide’s solvent‐accessible surface.