Synthesis and applications of 2,7‐carbazole‐based conjugated main‐chain copolymers containing electron deficient bithiazole units for organic solar cells

A series of low‐band‐gap (LBG) donor–accepor conjugated main‐chain copolymers ( P1 – P4 ) containing planar 2,7‐carbazole as electron donors and bithiazole units (4,4′‐dihexyl‐2,2′‐bithiazole and 4,4′‐dihexyl‐5,5′‐di(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐2,2′‐bithiazole) as electron acceptors were synthesized and studied for the applications in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. The effects of electron deficient bithiazole units on the thermal, optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic (PV) properties of these LBG copolymers were investigated. Absorption spectra revealed that polymers P1 – P4 exhibited broad absorption bands in UV and visible regions from 300 to 600 nm with optical band gaps in the range of 1.93–1.99 eV, which overlapped with the major region of the solar emission spectrum. Moreover, carbazole‐based polymers P1 – P4 showed low values of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels, which provided good air stability and high open circuit voltages (V_oc) in the PV applications. The BHJ PV devices were fabricated using polymers P1 – P4 as electron donors and (6,6)‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM) or (6,6)‐phenyl‐C₇₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) as electron acceptors in different weight ratios. The PV device bearing an active layer of polymer blend P4:PC₇₁BM (1:1.5 w/w) showed the best power conversion efficiency value of 1.01% with a short circuit current density (J_sc) of 4.83 mA/cm², a fill factor (FF) of 35%, and V_oc = 0.60 V under 100 mW/cm² of AM 1.5 white‐light illumination. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis and Antitumor Evaluation of Some New Fused and Binary Pyridines

Syntheses of some new heterocyclic compounds containing pyridone, thioxopyridine, halogenated‐pyridine‐carbonitriles, pyrazolopyridine, and pyridine derivatives were achieved. Besides, a modified synthetic method for the synthesis of 2‐chloro‐4,6‐dimethyl‐nicotinonitrile ( 3 ) through the reaction of acetylacetone and malononitrile as starting materials was implemented. The reaction of 2‐chloronicotinonitrile 3 with substituted amines to 2‐aminonicotinonitrile were also investigated. Fused or binary pyridines were tested for cytotoxicity against well‐known established model Ehrlich ascites cells in vitro. Compound 13 exhibited a high antitumor activity compared with 5‐fluorouracil.     

Synthesis and characterization of light‐emitting main‐chain metallo‐polymers containing bis‐terpyridyl ligands with various lateral substituents

A series of conjugated monomers ( 5a‐5d ) with various lateral substituents were symmetrically synthesized by the Sonogashira coupling reaction, in which central aromatic units (i.e. 9,9‐dipropylfluorenes) were linked to 2,2′:6′,2′‐terpyridyl (tpy) units via phenylene/ethynylene fragments. These light‐emitting monomers were further reacted with zinc(II) ions and subsequently anion exchanged to produce supramolecular main‐chain metallo‐polymers ( 6a‐6d ). The formation of polymers 6a‐6d was confirmed by the increased viscosities (up to 1.5–1.83 times) relative to those of their analogous monomers. The results of ¹H NMR titration and UV‐Vis spectral titration revealed a detailed complexation process of metallo‐polymers by varying the molar ratios of zinc(II) ions to monomers. After coordination with zinc(II) ions, the luminescent and thermal properties of the polymers were enhanced by the formation of metallo‐supramolecular structures in contrast to their monomer counterparts. PLED devices employing these metallo‐polymers as emitters gave yellow to orange electroluminescence (EL) emissions with turn‐on voltages around 6 V. The maximum power efficiency, external quantum yield, and brightness of the PLED device containing polymer 6c were 0.33 cd A^?1 (at 14 V), 1.02%, and 931 cd m^?2 (at 14 V), respectively. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3243–3255, 2007     

Synthesis and characterization of light‐emitting oligo(p‐phenylene‐vinylene)s and polymeric derivatives containing three‐ and five‐conjugated phenylene rings

Several series of light‐emitting oligo(p‐phenylene‐vinylene)s (BIII and BV series containing three‐ and five‐conjugated phenylene rings) with various side groups and end groups attached to the cores were synthesized and characterized. The analogous PBV polymers, derived from the BV series, were also synthesized and investigated. Blue and greenish light emissions were observed in the photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) spectra of the blend and pure films with these π‐conjugated structures. In contrast to the three‐conjugated ring oligomers, the five‐conjugated ring derivatives (oligomers and polymers) had larger maximum emission wavelength values of PL and EL emissions. Mesomorphism was introduced into the BV series by the replacement of three‐conjugated rings (BIII series) with five‐conjugated phenyl cores (BV series). The liquid‐crystalline properties of the BV series with end groups (on both end rings) were better than those of analogous BV‐OC₈ without end groups. Polarized PL emissions were obtained by the alignment of liquid‐crystalline phase in rubbing cells. Upon heating, different PL emission wavelengths and intensities were observed in various phases. Not only the solubility and thermal properties but also the PL and EL properties could be effectively adjusted by the attachment of flexible alkoxy groups either on the central rings or on both end rings of the conjugated cores. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 783–800, 2006     

IMPROVEMENT OF THE SEMI-ANALYTICAL METHOD, FOR DETERMINING THE GEOMETRICALLY NON-LINEAR RESPONSE OF THIN STRAIGHT STRUCTURES: PART II—FIRST AND SECOND NON-LINEAR MODE SHAPES OF FULLY CLAMPED RECTANGULAR PLATES

In a previous series of papers, a semi-analytical model based on Hamilton's principle and spectral analysis has been developed for geometrically non-linear free vibrations occurring at large displacement amplitudes of clamped-clamped beams and fully clamped rectangular homogeneous and composite plates. In Part I of this series of papers, concerned with geometrically non-linear free and forced vibrations of various beams, a practical simple “multi-mode theory”, based on the linearization of the non-linear algebraic equations, written in the modal basis, in the neighbourhood of each resonance has been developed. Simple explicit formulae, ready and easy to use for analytical or engineering purposes have been derived, which allows direct calculation of the basic function contributions to the first three non-linear mode shapes of the beams considered. Also, various possible truncations of the series expansion defining the first non-linear mode shape have been considered and compared with the complete solution, which showed that an increasing number of basic functions has to be used, corresponding to increasingly sized intervals of vibration amplitudes; starting from use of only one function, i.e., the first linear mode shape, corresponding to very small amplitudes, for which the linear theory is still valid, and ending by the complete series, involving six functions, corresponding to maximum vibration amplitudes at the beam middle point up to once the beam thickness. For higher amplitudes, a complementary second formulation has been developed, leading to reproduction of the known results via the solution of reduced linear systems of five equations and five unknowns. The purpose of this paper is to extend and adapt the approach described above to the geometrically non-linear free vibration of fully clamped rectangular plates in order to allow direct and easy calculation of the first, second and higher non-linear fully clamped rectangular plate mode shapes, with their associated non-linear frequencies and non-linear bending stress patterns. Also, numerical results corresponding to the first and second non-linear modes shapes of fully clamped rectangular plates with an aspect ratio α=0·6 are presented. Data concerning the higher non-linear modes, the aspect ratio effect, and the forced vibration case will be presented later.     

On the Spectrum of a Class of Strongly Coupled p-Laplacian Systems

Consider the nonlinear coupled elliptic system     

The absorption spectrum of 12C2H2 IV. The regions 7600–9200 cm−1 and 10600–11500 cm−1

The absorption spectrum of ¹²C₂H₂ has been recorded by intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy (ICLAS) in the 10600–11 500 cm^?1 spectral region, where no absorption bands were previously reported. Fifteen bands starting from the vibrational ground state are observed and rotationally analysed. All corresponding excited vibrational levels were assigned using the polyad model, the so-called cluster model (El Idrissi, M.I., Liévin, J., Campargue, A., and Herman, M., 1999, J. chem. Phys., 110, 2074) which allows vibrational energies, rotational B_v constants and, to some respect, relative band intensities to be predicted. Additional data and constants are also provided in the range 7600–9200cm^?1, whenever improving the literature results, from spectra recorded previously at ULB using Fourier transform spectroscopy. The assignment procedure in the range recorded by ICLAS is detailed, leading to a deeper understanding of vibration-rotation and intensity features of the absorption bands within the frame of the cluster model.     

Stability-Indicating Spectrofluorimetric Method for Determination of Itopride Hydrochloride in Raw Material and Pharmaceutical Formulations

A simple, sensitive and rapid spectrofluorimetric method for determination of itopride hydrochloride in raw material and tablets has been developed. The proposed method is based on the measurement of the native fluorescence of the drug in water at 363 nm after excitation at 255 nm. The relative fluorescence intensity-concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.1–2 μg/mL (2.5?×?10^?7–5.06?×?10^?6 mole/L), with good correlation (r?=?0.9999), limit of detection of 0.015 μg/mL and a lower limit of quantification of 0.045 μg/mL. The described method was successfully applied for the determination of itopride hydrochloride in its commercial tablets with average percentage recovery of 100.11?±?0.32 without interference from common excipients. Additionally, the proposed method can be applied for determination of itopride in combined tablets with rabeprazole or pantoprazole without prior separation. The method was extended to stability study of itopride. The drug was exposed to acidic, alkaline, oxidative and photolytic degradation according to ICH guidelines. Moreover, the method was utilized to investigate the kinetics of the alkaline, acidic and oxidative degradation of the drug. A proposal for the degradation pathways was postulated.     

Optical investigations on the existence of phase transition in ZnO:Li thin films prepared by DC sputtering method

We investigated the effect of temperature on the absorption spectra of Zn_0.8Li_0.2O thin films (ZnO:Li), deposited at 573 K, in the wavelength range 190‐800 nm. The films were deposited on sapphire, MgO or quartz substrates by DC sputtering method. The results show a shift of the optical energy gap (E_g), with direct allowed transition type near the fundamental edge, to lower wavelengths as the temperature increases. The temperature rate of E_g changes considerably showing an anomaly around 320 K depending on type of substrate. The founded results indicated that replacement of Zn ions with Li ions induces a ferroelectric phase in the ZnO wurtzite‐type semiconductor. The exponential dependence of the absorption coefficient on the incident photon energy suggests the validity of the Urbach rule. (© 2007 WILEY ‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)