Europium‐Doped Mesoporous Titania Thin Films: Rare‐Earth Locations and Emission Fluctuations under Illumination

Herein, Eu^III‐doped 3D mesoscopically ordered arrays of mesoporous and nanocrystalline titania are prepared and studied. The rare‐earth‐doped titania thin films—synthesized via evaporation‐induced self‐assembly (EISA)—are characterized by using environmental ellipsoporosimetry, electronic microscopy (i.e. high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy, HR‐SEM, and transmission electron microscopy, HR‐TEM), X‐ray diffraction, and luminescence spectroscopy. Structural characterizations show that high europium‐ion loadings can be incorporated into the titanium‐dioxide walls without destroying the mesoporous arrangement. The luminescence properties of Eu^III are investigated by using steady‐state and time‐resolved spectroscopy via excitation of the Eu^III ions through the titania host. Using Eu^III luminescence as a probe, the europium‐ion sites can be addressed with at least two different environments within the mesoporous framework, namely, a nanocrystalline environment and a glasslike one. Emission fluctuations (⁵D₀→⁷F₂) are observed upon continuous UV excitation in the host matrix. These fluctuations are attributed to charge trapping and appear to be strongly dependent on the amount of europium and the level of crystallinity.     

Intercomparison exercise on difficult to measure radionuclides in activated steel: statistical analysis of radioanalytical results and activation calculations

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - This paper reports the results obtained during an intercomparison exercise for the determination of difficult to measure radionuclides in...     

Synthesis and inclusion properties study of some mono 6-amino ??-cyclodextrin dimers bridged by N,N-succinyldiamide linkers

Methylated and partially methylated cyclodextrin homo- and heterodimers linked by diamidosuccinic bridges were synthesised and their inclusion properties were evaluated using NMR and isothermic microcalorimetric measurements ITC. The selective binding of ligands, such as bisadamantyl derivatives, to the cavities of unprotected cyclodextrin dimers showed the equimolar formation of bidendate inclusion complexes (2:2, two ligand guest to two cavities host).     

Nanopore formation and growth in phosphoric acid Al anodization

This work describes the pore formation mechanism for anodizations of aluminum foils in phosphoric acid (pore diameters ～100 nm). A detailed study of the four major anodization regimes in phosphoric acid is presented comparing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) cross-sectional views with the respective current density transients. The comparison of the anodization process in phosphoric acid with that using sulfuric and oxalic acid electrolytes is accurately performed through the normalization of the current transients to the characteristic times and current densities of the process.     

The Honeysuckle and the Bindweed Revisited: Synthesis and Stereochemistry of Extended Helical Structures from Coordination Complexes

We report structural studies of a chiral tridentate ligand which forms helical cubanes with cobalt(II) and manganese(II). A quadruple helicate with (P)-chirality is obtained using a (S)-ligand with cobalt(II) but the ligand binds manganese(II) in one of two possible orientations and either (P)- or (M)-quadruple helicates may be observed for a given ligand enantiomer. The helicates may be linked into extended structures by p-nitrobenzoate capping ligands which show stacking interactions with neighbouring complexes. With cobalt(II) we find an extended helical structure with (M)-chirality linking helicates which themselves have (P)-chirality. With manganese(II) we observe a remarkable structure with extended (M)-helices coexisting with extended (P)-helices.     

Fringe analysis and enhanced characterization of sub-surface defects using fringe-shifted shearograms

A technique for fringe analysis using variance of directly fringe-shifted shearograms is demonstrated experimentally. Statistical variations in each of the fringe-shifted shearograms are calculated to obtain a contrast map which is then used to characterize sub-surface defects and mechanical loading points. The technique offers reduced computational load compared to Fourier transform-based fringe processing algorithms. The technique is implemented using both phase difference maps and interferograms. The latter allows the extension of the technique to physical (i.e., non-reconstructed) interferograms for the analysis of dynamic systems.     

Sampling and characterization of nanoaerosols in different environments

Efficient sampling and characterization of nanoparticles have been challenging tasks in environmental research due to the limitations of regular analytical techniques (e.g., dynamic light scattering, and nuclear magnetic resonance and UV-Vis spectroscopies) - especially the difficulties in their application to in situ and real-time monitoring, which are intrinsically related to the nanometer-size range.This critical overview aims at characterizing recent instrumental techniques (e.g., hygroscopic tandem-differential mobility analysis, thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry) for sampling and characterization of individual nanoaerosols in terms of their general operation principles, analytical parameters, advantages and limitations. We also discuss classification of this instrumentation based on off-line and/or in situ methods, and on physical and chemical characterization of nanoaerosols. Further, we summarize recent air-quality studies aimed at understanding the physical and chemical behavior of aerosols in different environments.     

Photoconduction in tunnel-coupled Ge/Si quantum dot arrays

The photoconduction in a tunnel-coupled Ge/Si quantum dot (QD) array has been studied. The photoconductance (PC) sign can be either positive or negative, depending on the initial filling of QDs with holes. The PC kinetics has a long-term character (10²?10⁴ s at T = 4.2 K) and is accompanied by persistent photoconduction (PPC), whereby the PC value is not restored on the initial level even after relaxation for several hours. These phenomena are observed upon illumination by light with photon energies both greater and smaller than the silicon bandgap. A threshold light wavelength corresponding to a long-term PC kinetics depends on the QD filling with holes. A model describing the observed PC kinetics is proposed, according to which the main contribution to the PC is related to the degree of QD filling with holes. By applying the proposed model to the analysis of PC kinetics at various excitation levels, it is possible to determine the dependence of the hopping conductance on the number of holes per QD. The rate of the charge carrier density relaxation exponentially depends on the carrier density.     

A confirmatory method for the simultaneous extraction,separation, identification and quantification of Tetracycline,Sulphonamide, Trimethoprim and Dapsone residues in muscle by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC

A rapid confirmatory multi-residue method for the analysis of tetracyclines, sulphonamides, trimethoprim and dapsone by UPLC-MS/MS is described. The method is able to quantify and confirm the following 19 compounds, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, doxycycline, sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine, trimethoprim, sulfamerazine, sulfamethizole, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxypyridazine, sulfamonomethoxine, sulfachlorpyridazine, dapsone, sulfamethoxazole, sulfisoxazole, sulfaquinoxaline and sulfadimethoxine. Samples are extracted with 0.1 M EDTA and acetonitrile, which is then evaporated under a stream of nitrogen and reconstituted in water. Following centrifugation and filtering, an aliquot is analysed by UPLC-MS/MS using positive electrospray ionisation and multiple reaction monitoring. The method is deemed rapid as all analytes are extracted by a single extraction technique, with no solid-phase extraction clean up required. Validation is according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and was carried out for bovine, porcine, ovine and poultry species. Specificity, recovery, repeatability, reproducibility, CCα and CCβ data is presented.