ATR-IR spectroscopy as applied to nucleic acid films

For the first time the ATR technique was applied to obtain IR absorption spectra of DNA and RNA dry films. There was worked out procedure of the nucleic acid removal from germanium plate, which obviously was a main obstacle to application of ATR-IR spectroscopy to nucleic acids. This technique of IR spectroscopy was applied to confirmation of RNA tropism of aurin tricarboxylic acid observed by molecular biological methods.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy toward application in plasmonic photocatalysis on metal nanostructures

Among photothermal, photovoltaic and photochemical techniques, photochemistry is superior in energy storage and transportation by converting photons into chemical fuels. Recently plasmonic photocatalysis, based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) generated from noble metal nanostructures, has attracted much attention. It promotes photochemical reaction efficiency by optimizing the solar spectrum absorption and the surface reaction kinetics. The deeper understanding is in urgent need for the development of novel plasmonic photocatalysts. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which is also originated from the LSPR effect, provides an excellent opportunity to probe and monitor plasmonic photoreactions in situ and in real-time, with a very high surface sensitivity and energy resolution. Here, fundamentals of plasmonic photocatalysis and SERS are first presented based on their connections to the LSPR effect. Following by a validity analysis, latest studies of SERS applied for the plasmon mediated photochemical reaction are reviewed, focusing on the reaction kinetics and mechanism exploration. Finally, limitations of the present study, as well as the future research directions, are briefly analyzed and discussed.     

Solvent sorption measurements in polymeric membranes with ATR-IR spectroscopy

Long-term stability and performance of polymeric membranes in solvent and mixed solvent media can be reduced due to sorption and swelling of the membrane matrix. For this reason quantification of sorption and swelling is of major importance for the development of future applications of membrane processes in solvent and mixed solvent media. In this work a method is discussed, based on attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), to establish sorption and sorption selectivity of a cellulose acetate (CA) membrane in water/methanol and water/ethanol mixtures. By analysis of specific peaks from the ATR-IR spectra of the solvents, the preferential sorption of water in CA membranes can be quantified. In the presence of methanol, the selectivity for water ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 between 52 and 90% of methanol. For ethanol, the selectivity for water ranges from about 1 (30% ethanol) to 2 (90% ethanol). From the work it follows that ATR-IR provides an easy and non-destructive method to study the sorption behavior of the polymeric membrane separation layer.     

Reversible nonlinear conduction behavior for high‐density polyethylene/graphite powder composites near the percolation threshold

The reversible nonlinear conduction (RNC) behavior of high‐density polyethylene/graphite powder composites with various graphite powder volume concentrations slightly above the threshold has been studied. The relationships between the current density (J) and electric field (E) of the composites, as shown in J(E) curves, can be well described by the scaling functions of J/J_c ～ (E/E_c) when E < E_c and J/J_c ～ (E/E_c) when E > E_c, where J_c is the crossover current density and E_c is the crossover electric field. The results indicate that J_c scales with the linear conductivity σ₀ as J_c ～ σ. It is believed that the macroscopic RNC is a combined result of the microscopic conduction processes, involving electronic transporting along carbon chains and tunneling or hopping across thin polymer bridges. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2833–2842, 2001     

Polymer collapse, protein folding, and the percolation threshold

We study the transition of polymers in the dilute regime from a swollen shape at high temperatures to their low-temperature structures. The polymers are modeled by a single self-avoiding walk (SAW) on a lattice for which l of the monomers (the H monomers) are self-attracting, i.e., if two nonbonded H monomers become nearest neighbors on the lattice they gain energy of interaction (epsilon = -/epsilon/); the second type of monomers, denoted P, are neutral. This HP model was suggested by Lau and Dill (Macromolecules 1989, 22, 3986-3997) to study protein folding, where H and P are the hydrophobic and polar amino acid residues, respectively. The model is simulated on the square and simple cubic (SC) lattices using the scanning method. We show that the ground state and the sharpness of the transition depend on the lattice, the fraction g of the H monomers, as well as on their arrangement along the chain. In particular, if the H monomers are distributed at random and g is larger than the site percolation threshold of the lattice, a collapsed transition is very likely to occur. This conclusion, drawn for the lattice models, is also applicable to proteins where an effective lattice with coordination number between that of the SC lattice and the body centered cubic lattice is defined. Thus, the average fraction of hydrophobic amino acid residues in globular proteins is found to be close to the percolation threshold of the effective lattice.     

The effect of glass transition on phase separation in binary off-critical blends: different coarsening regimes near the nonequilibrium percolation threshold

The nonequilibrium percolation threshold was shown to take an intermediate position between binodal and mean-field spinodal. Below the nonequilibrium percolation threshold, a bicontinuous phase structure was produced. This percolation structure, depending on supersaturation, breaks down to ramified clusters slowly assuming a spherical droplet form or contracts to the center of the sample. In the latter case, at late stages, secondary phase separation is observed. Accepted: 21 September 1998     

Conductive mechanism of polymer/graphite conducting composites with low percolation threshold

Preparation of the conducting composites of polystyrene/expanded graphite via in situ polymerization and investigation of the conductive mechanism were carried out. They are characterized by high conductivity and a low percolation threshold. The electrical conductivity reached 10^?2 S/cm with 3.0 vol % expanded graphite content, whereas the percolation threshold was 1.0 vol %. Optical micrographs revealed the heterogeneous distribution of the graphite particles and the formation of a conductive network in the polymer matrix. A model of primary particle was proposed to interpret the conductive phenomena. The primary particle is the basic conductive unit in the composites that comprises three of the following parts: the graphite particle, the compact‐adsorbed layer, and the wrapping shell. Our model was also used to explain the experimental data in our previous studies on nylon‐6/expanded graphite composites. A low percolation threshold of conducting composites can be also explained according to the model of the primary particle. Furthermore, the theoretical line of conductivity versus primary particle content calculated from the revised Flory's theory fits the experimental data well. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 954–963, 2002     

Surface-enhanced hyper-Raman spectroscopy with a picosecond laser: gold and copper colloids

We have obtained surface-enhanced hyper-Raman scattering (SEHRS) spectra of crystal violet, rhodamine 6G and Ru(trpy) (BPE)₃²⁺ adsorbed on gold and copper colloidal surfaces (where TRPY=2,2′,2″-terpyridine, BPE=trans-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene). Our results demonstrate that the SEHRS effect is not intrinsically restricted to a Ag substrate and that surface enhancements at the emitted hyper-Raman photon frequencies are not required for observing SEHRS signals.     

Fourfold ionization by electrons near the threshold

Threshold law for the processe+A ^q +→A( ^q+4)++5e has been derived within the classical theory. For neutral targets (q=0) the threshold exponent assumes value 5.08, consistent with previous calculations for ionizations of lower orders. The method fails forqn-fold ionization is provided, which predicts values for the threshold exponent κ=7.8 and 12.5 forn=5, 6 respectively.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of water: Iniplications of the electromagnetic model

The electromagnetic model of surface-enhanced Raman scattering is used to show that in colloidal sols the failure to observe enhanced Raman signals from adsorbed water or even from a macroscopic layer of water near the surface is due not only to the small Raman cross section of water and the fact that any such enhanced signal is overwhelmed by that from the bulk water, but also because of the high wave number of the vibrational mode of water.     

ATR-IR spectroscopy of pendant NH2 groups on silica involved in the Knoevenagel condensation

The liquid-phase Knoevenagel condensation between benzaldehyde and ethyl cyanoacetate catalyzed by aminopropyl-modified silica has been investigated using in situ attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. The aim of the work was to demonstrate the different levels of information on the reaction mechanism that can be achieved by operating the spectroscopic cell in the absence and in the presence of a solvent, in flow-through and stop-flow modes and in combination with concentration modulation spectroscopy. The reaction mechanism involves the formation of an imine intermediate whose existence has been verified in situ by combining in one experiment continuous and stop-flow operations. Identical information has been gained more elegantly using concentration modulation spectroscopy, which additionally provided information on the possible origin of the solvent effect observed in the Knoevenagel reaction. Faster production and consumption of the imine intermediate was observed in cyclohexane solvent than in toluene. Identification of other species evolving on the catalyst surface and monitoring of the effluents of the spectroscopic cell provided some insight in possible catalyst deactivation.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering measurements on silver nanoparticles covered with differently formed platinum films

Gold and silver electromagnetic nanoresonators covered by a thin layer of platinum are often used to study adsorption of various molecules on “model platinum surfaces” with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. In this contribution spectra of pyridine adsorbed on films formed from core–shell Ag@Pt and Ag@Ag–Pt nanoparticles and pure Pt or Ag nanoparticles were measured using a confocal Raman microscope. The SERS spectra of pyridine adsorbed on alloy Ag@Ag–Pt nanoparticles could not be obtained as a linear combination of spectra measured on pure Ag and Pt surfaces. In other words, for silver electromagnetic nanoresonators covered by platinum there is no simple correlation between the “quality” of the deposited Pt layer and the relative intensity of SERS bands characteristic for adsorbate interacting with silver. The SERS spectra accumulated from various places of a film formed from Ag@Pt or Ag@Ag–Pt nanoclusters may differ significantly. Using Ag@Pt nanoparticles with practically negligible amount of Ag on the surface (as per the stripping measurement), it is possible to record SERS spectrum in which the contribution characteristic for pyridine adsorbed on the Ag surface is well visible. It means that, even for macroscopic samples of core–shell Ag–Pt nanoparticles, averaging of many spectra measured at various locations of the sample should be carried out to characterize reliably their properties.     

Hellmann–Feynman theorem near the threshold

The features of the spectrum structure are considered for situations where some parameter λ of the N‐electron Hamiltonian reaches the threshold value η under which the discrete energy level falls into the continuous spectrum. The electron density properties are also studied. It is proved that for a sequence of the wave functions converging in energy to the lower bound of the continuous spectrum as λ approaches η the corresponding sequence of the electron densities converges to the density of the (N ? 1)‐electron ground state. The results generalize the Hellmann–Feynman theorem for the cases where only the one‐side energy derivatives exist or there is no limiting wave function. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2002     

Growth process of polymers near the gelation threshold

We will review experimental results obtained recently on the determination of the laws governing the growth process of polymer clusters as the gel point is approached. The exponent γ which characterizes the increase of the mean weight-average molecular weight M_w as the gel point is approached and the exponent τ which characterizes the mass distribution were measured on different chemical systems. They were found to be independent of the chemical system (within experimental error) and very close to exponent values calculated by computer simulations following the percolation model. Therefore, the sol-gel transition is a critical phenomenon of connectivity belonging to the same class of universality as percolation.     

The photodissociation of molecules near the ionisation threshold

The photodissociation (PD) of the moleculeXY near the ionisation threshold is considered within the framework of the multichannel quantum defect theory. The general analytical dependence, determining the relation between the PD amplitude, the adiabatic amplitudes of dipole transitions and elements of the collisions matrix describing the associative ionisation (X+Y→e ^?+XY ⁺) and resonance scattering of atoms (X+Y→X′+Y′), has been obtained. The collisions matrix is determined by the system of algebraic equations and is expressed via the parameters which can be reconstructed from the molecule terms adiabatic picture. The obtained expressions can be used in case of a random number of Rydberg and dissociative channels. The role of the resonance mechanism of the molecules intermediate predissociative and autoionisational states population has been investigated. The peculiarities of the PD spectra structure for different physical situations have been studied. It has been shown that the Rydberg continuum states population increases the process general efficiency (the PD cross-section averaged over resonances increases). The NO molecule near-threshold PD, proceeding through thenpπ Rydberg states is calculated.     

Preparation and characterization of PVC/PANI conductive composite with extremely low percolation threshold

Aniline was polymerized in the presence of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) powders in hydrochloric acid to in situ prepare poly(vinyl chloride)/polyaniline (PVC/PANI) composite particles. UV‐vis spectra and FT‐IR spectra indicate PANI in PVC/PANI composite particles possessed a higher oxidation state with decreased aniline content in reactants. Both conductivity and impact strength of the dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) doped PANI composites (PVC/PANI‐DBSA), which were compression molded from the in situ prepared PVC/PANI particles, increase with the pressing temperature and decrease with the increase of DBSA doped PANI (PANI‐DBSA) loading. An excellent electric conductivity of 5.06 × 10^?2 S/cm and impact strength of 0.518 KJ/m² could be achieved for the in situ synthesized and subsequently compression molded composite. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.