Sub-surface fracture of a thin metallic foil under impact loading

We examine here sub-surface fracture of a thin metallic foil sandwiched between two elastomeric layers under impact. In particular we generate a vertical stack consisting of alternate layers of soft elastomers and thin aluminum foils and place it on a rigid substrate; we then allow a rigid sphere to impact the stack from a small vertical height. We show that under impact the foil at the top of the stack undergoes buckling deformation; however the foil sandwiched between the two elastic layers undergoes both deformation and fracture. We show that because of friction at the contacting interfaces with the elastomer, the sandwiched foil is subjected to in-plane stretching which when exceeds a threshold limit causes fracture. Experiments show that this threshold condition is reached within a range of critical thicknesses of the top and bottom elastomeric layers, for a given height of impact of the rigid spherical indenter. We present a theoretical analysis to predict the critical thickness of the stack below which the foil is expected to undergo fracture and also the critical heights within this stack at which the foil would fracture.     

Enzymatic sculpting of nanoscale and microscale surface topographies

Lithography-free etching of complex surface features is achieved by harnessing the enzyme proteinase K (PK), controlled by bovine serum albumin (BSA), to digest a biodegradable polymer. This bio-sculpting process is used to construct a membraneless filtration device for the size-based isolation and enrichment of cells from whole blood.     

Al3+ induced planarization, conformational arrest and metallochromic shift in a pyrimidine dione dye: insight from integrated hybrid quantum-classical calculations

In order to explore the possibilities of simulating metallochromism by modern molecular modeling, we apply a sequential hybrid quantum-classical approach to a prototype metallochromic system-the Al(3+) ion and pyrimidinedione (PY) dye complex. The complex shows several structural features with relevance for the metallochromism: the PY dye exhibits conformers with dynamical transitions between twisted structures, which are inhibited by the addition of the metal ion leading to planarization and a conformational arrest: the Al(3+) ion behaves like a structure-modifier for both intra and intermolecular degrees of freedom and with respect to the intermolecular solvation shell structure. The sequential approach that we have employed uses DFT/MM molecular dynamics for structure modeling and TDDFT/PCM for property modeling. The computed metallochromic shift between PY and the Al(PY)(3+) complex in DMSO solvent is obtained in excellent agreement with experiment. The results infer optimism for future use of such modeling techniques to design metallochromic indicators.     

NMR spin-spin coupling constants in polymethine dyes as polarity indicators

Herein, we explore the use of spin-spin coupling constants (SSCCs) in merocyanine (MCYNE) dyes as indicators of polarity. For this purpose, we use Car-Parrinello hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) to determine the structures of MCYNE in solvents of different polarity, followed by computations of the SSCCs by using QM/MM linear-response theory. The molecular geometry of MCYNE switches between neutral, cyanine-like, and zwitterionic depending on the polarity of the solvent. This structural variation is clearly reflected in the proton SSCCs in the polymethine backbone, which are highly sensitive to the dielectric nature of the environment; this mechanism can be used as a "polarity indicator" for different microenvironments. This result is highlighted by computing the SSCCs of the MCYNE probe in the cavity of the beta-lactoglobulin protein. The computed SSCCs clearly indicate a non-polar hydrophobic dielectric nature of this cavity.     

Neighbourhood Sum Degree-Based Indices and Entropy Measures for Certain Family of Graphene Molecules

A topological index (TI) is a real number that defines the relationship between a chemical structure and its properties and remains invariant under graph isomorphism. TIs defined for chemical structures are capable of predicting physical properties, chemical reactivity and biological activity. Several kinds of TIs have been defined and studied for different molecular structures. Graphene is the thinnest material known to man and is also extremely strong while being a good conductor of heat and electricity. With such unique features, graphene and its derivatives have found commercial uses and have also fascinated theoretical chemists. In this article, the neighbourhood sum degree-based M-polynomial and entropy measures have been computed for graphene, graphyne and graphdiyne structures. The proper analytical expressions for these indices are derived. The obtained results will enable theoretical chemists to study these exciting structures further from a structural perspective.     

Carbon/titanium oxide supported bimetallic platinum/iridium nanocomposites as bifunctional electrocatalysts for lithium-air batteries

Platinum (Pt) and iridium (Ir) catalysts are well known to strongly enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics, respectively. Pt–Ir-based bimetallic compounds along with carbon-supported titanium oxides (C–TiO₂) have been synthesized for the application as electrocatalysts in lithium oxygen batteries. Transition metal oxide-based bimetallic nanocomposites (Pt–Ir/C–TiO₂) were prepared by an incipient wetness impregnation technique. The as-prepared electrocatalysts were composed of a well-dispersed homogenous alloy of nanoparticles as confirmed by X-ray diffraction patterns and Fourier transform scanning electron microscopy analyses. The electrochemical characterizations reveal that the Pt–Ir/C–TiO₂ electrocatalysts were bifunctional with high activity for both ORR and OER. When applied as an air cathode catalyst in lithium-air batteries, the electrocatalyst improved the battery performance in terms of capacity, reversibility, and cycle life compared to that of cathodes without any catalysts.     

Design,Synthesis and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Novel Tricyclic Benzoxazine Fluoroquinolones under Conventional and Microwave Methods

In view of obtaining some potential antimicrobial compounds, we have described synthesis of novel fluoroquinolones bearing 2‐(piperidin‐4‐yl)‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazole and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. Alternatively, synthesis of these products was also demonstrated using microwave irradiation technique. The antimicrobial activity of newly synthesized compounds was evaluated against number of microorganisms and the activity is compared with highly active levofloxacin.     

The asymptotic behavior of nonoscillatory solutions of nonlinear neutral type difference equations

In this paper, the authors study the asymptotic behavior of solutions of second-order neutral type difference equations of the form

Δ²(y_n+py_n−k)+f(n,y_n−ℓ)=0,n