Dual-band double-negative-index fishnet metamaterial at millimeter-waves

An effective negative refractive index (NRI) is demonstrated and experimentally verified for the first two propagation bands of a fishnet-like metamaterial at millimeter-wave frequencies. The dual-band NRI behavior is achieved by engineering the diffraction order (±1, ±1) associated with the internal mode supported between holey layers to correspond with the second propagation band. In addition to the experimental interferometric technique that accounts for the handedness of the propagation, numerical results are given to predict the dual-band effective NRI and to confirm dual-band negative refraction for a prism composed of the proposed metamaterial.     

Efficient visible-light photocatalytic water splitting by minute amounts of gold supported on nanoparticulate CeO2 obtained by a biopolymer templating method

When irradiated with visible light (λ > 400 nm) 1 wt % gold-supported ceria nanoparticles generate oxygen from water (10.5 μmol·h(-1)) more efficiently than the standard WO(3) (1.7 μmol·h(-1)) even under UV irradiation (9.5 μmol·h(-1)). This remarkable photocatalytic activity arises from a novel preparation method to reduce the particle size of ceria (5 nm) by means of electrostatic binding of Ce(4+) to alginate gel, subsequent supercritical CO(2) drying, and calcination. The low loading of Au is crucial for the observed high catalytic activity.     

DFT Studies on Hydrogen Overfall Mechanism for Catalyzed Hydroisomerization of Pentane

The mechanism and related reaction paths in the hydroisomerization of n-pentane were studied by DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. Two possible transition states were theoretically predicted and verified by the vibration frequency analysis as well as the calculations of intrinsic reaction coordinates (IRC). Furthermore, the related reaction barriers were evaluated by single point energy at the MP2/6-311++G** level with zero point vibration correction of DFT method. Thus, it is concluded that the isomerization might go through two pathways.     

Synthesis, Structure and Antibacterial Activities of 4-BBTS Schiff Base and Its Complexes

4-Bromobenzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone Schiff base (4-BBTS) and its Cu(II), Zn(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, UV, IR, MS, 1H NMR, and molar conductivity. Using disc diffusion method, the antibacterial activity tests were conducted. The results revealed that the ligand as well as all the complexes exhibits good antibacterial activities against E. Coli. and S. Aureus. Moreover, Cu(II) complex shows the best antibacterial activity, which provides beneficial reference for studying the relationship between the structures and performances.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a Dinuclear Cu(Ⅱ) Complex [Cu(C_(13)H_9N_2O)Cl]_2·(CH_3CN)_2 with Ligand 2-Benzimidazol

A new dinuclear copper complex, [Cu(C13H9N2O)Cl]2·(CH3CN)2 (C30H24Cl2Cu2N6O2), has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray structure determination. It crystallizes in the tricli- nic system, space group P1, with a = 7.6677(14), b = 9.2375(17), c = 11.227(2) , α = 81.338(3), β = 88.173(4), γ = 66.199(3)o, V = 718.9(2) 3, Z = 1, Mr = 698.53, F(000) = 354, Dc = 1.613 g/cm3, μ(MoKα) = 1.705 mm-1, the final R = 0.0645 and wR = 0.1364 for 2474 unique reflections with 1809 observed ones (I > 2σ(I)). In the title complex, each copper(II) atom is located at the center of a distorted tetrahedron consisting of four coordinate atoms (one nitrogen atom, two oxygen anions, and one chlorine atom). Two copper(II) atoms are bridged by two oxygen anions (O(1) and O(1a)) of two phenolates to form a Cu(II)–Cu(II) binuclear entity, and the distance between two copper(II) atoms is 3.0144(15) .     

Solid-State P and H NMR Investigations of Amorphous and Crystalline Calcium Phosphates Grown Biomimetically From a Mesoporous Bioactive Glass

By exploiting (1)H and (31)P magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we explore the proton and orthophosphate environments in biomimetic amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) and hydroxy-apatite (HA), as grown in vitro at the surface of a 10CaO-85SiO(2)-5P(2)O(5) mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) in either a simulated body fluid or buffered water. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of a calcium phosphate layer comprising nanocrystalline HA. Two-dimensional (1)H-(31)P heteronuclear correlation NMR established predominantly (1)H(2)O?(31)PO(4) (3-) and O(1)H?(31)PO(4) (3-) contacts in the amorphous and crystalline component, respectively, of the MBG surface-layer; these two pairs exhibit distinctly different (1)H→(31)P cross-polarization dynamics, revealing a twice as large squared effective (1)H-(31)P dipolar coupling constant in ACP compared with HA. These respective observations are mirrored in synthetic (well-crystalline) HA, and the amorphous calcium orthophosphate (CaP) clusters that are present in the pristine MBG pore walls: besides highlighting very similar local (1)H and (31)P environments in synthetic and biomimetic HA, our findings evidence closely related NMR characteristics, and thereby similar local structures, of the CaP clusters in the pristine MBG relative to biomimetic ACP.     

Ce and La single- and double-substitutional defects in yttrium aluminum garnet: first-principles study

The atomistic structure, energetics, and electronic structure of single-substitutional Ce and La defects and double-substitutional Ce-La defects in Ce,La-codoped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) Y(3)Al(5)O(12) have been studied by means of first-principles periodic boundary conditions density functional theory calculations. Single substitution of Y by Ce or by La produces atomistic expansions around the impurities, which are significantly smaller than the ionic radii mismatches and the overall lattice distortions are found to be confined within their second coordination spheres. In double-substitutional defects, the impurities tend to be as close as possible. La-codoping Ce:YAG provokes an anisotropic expansion around Ce defects. The Ce impurity introduces 4f occupied states in the 5.0 eV computed gap of YAG, peaking 0.25 eV above the top of the valence band, and empty 4f, 5d, and 6s states starting at 3.8 eV in the gap and spreading over the conduction band. La-codoping produces very small effects on the electronic structure of Ce:YAG, the most visible one being the decrease in covalent bonding with one of the oxygen atoms, which shifts 0.05 ? away from Ce and gets 0.04 ? closer to La in the most stable Ce-La double-substitutional defect.     

Calculations of fine-structure resolved collisional rate coefficients for the NH(X3Σ-)-He system

We present fine-structure-resolved collisional rate coefficients for the NH(X(3)Σ(-))-He van der Waals complex. The calculations are based on the state-of-the-art potential energy surface [Cybulski et al., J. Chem. Phys. 122, 094307 (2005)]. Close-coupling calculations of the collisional excitation cross sections of the fine-structure levels of NH by He are calculated for total energies up to 3500 cm(-1), which yield, after thermal average, rate coefficients up to 350 K. The fine-structure splitting of rotational levels is taken into account rigorously. The propensity rules between fine-structure levels are reported, and it is found that F-conserving cross sections are much larger than F-changing cross sections, as expected from theoretical considerations. The calculated rate coefficients are compared with available experimental measurements at room temperature and a fairly good agreement is found between experimental and theoretical data. The agreement confirms the relatively good quality of the scattering calculations and also the accuracy of the potential energy surface used in this work. The new set of thermal rate coefficients for this system may be used for improvements in astrophysical and atmospherical modeling.     

Knoevenagel reaction in [MMIm][MSO₄]: synthesis of coumarins

The ionic liquid 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methyl sulfate, [MMIm][MSO?], together with a small amount of water (the amount taken up by the ionic liquid upon exposure to air), acts efficiently as both solvent and catalyst of the Knoevenagel condensation reactions of malononitrile with 4-substituted benzaldehydes, without the need for any other solvent or promoter, affording yields of 92%-99% within 2-7 min at room temperature. When L-proline is used as an additional promoter to obtain coumarins from o-hydroxybenzaldehydes, the reaction also proceeds in high yields. Work-up is very simple and the ionic liquid can be reused several times. Some of the coumarins obtained are described for the first time.     

The dynamic behavior of a liquid ethanol-water mixture: a perspective from quantum chemical topology

Quantum Chemical Topology (QCT) is used to reveal the dynamics of atom-atom interactions in a liquid. A molecular dynamics simulation was carried out on an ethanol-water liquid mixture at its azeotropic concentration (X(ethanol)=0.899), using high-rank multipolar electrostatics. A thousand (ethanol)(9)-water heterodecamers, respecting the water-ethanol ratio of the azeotropic mixture, were extracted from the simulation. Ab initio electron densities were computed at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level for these molecular clusters. A video shows the dynamical behavior of a pattern of bond critical points and atomic interaction lines, fluctuating over 1 ns. A bond critical point distribution revealed the fluctuating behavior of water and ethanol molecules in terms of O-H···O, C-H···O and H···H interactions. Interestingly, the water molecule formed one to six C-H···O and one to four O-H···O interactions as a proton acceptor. We found that the more localized a dynamical bond critical point distribution, the higher the average electron density at its bond critical points. The formation of multiple C-H···O interactions affected the shape of the oxygen basin of the water molecule, which is shown in three dimensions. The hydrogen atoms of water strongly preferred to form H···H interactions with ethanol's alkyl hydrogen atoms over its hydroxyl hydrogen.