Shock tube study on the thermal decomposition of ethanol

The thermal decomposition of C(2)H(5)OH highly diluted in Ar (1 and 3 ppm) has been studied by monitoring H atoms using the atomic resonance absorption spectrometry (ARAS) technique behind reflected shock waves over the temperature range 1450-1760 K at fixed pressure: 1, 1.45, and 2 atm. The rate constant and the product branching fractions have been determined by analyzing temporal profiles of H atoms; the effect of the secondary reactions on the results has been examined by using a detailed reaction mechanism composed of 103 elementary reactions. The apparent rate constant of ethanol decomposition can be expressed as k(1)/s(-1) = (5.28 ± 0.14) × 10(10) exp[-(23,530 ± 980)/T] (T = 1450-1670 K, P = 1-2 atm) without a detectable pressure dependence within the tested pressure range of this study. Branching fractions for producing CH(3) + CH(2)OH (1a) and H(2)O + C(2)H(4) (1b) have been examined by a quantitative measurement of H atoms produced in the successive decompositions of the products CH(2)OH (1a): the pressure dependence of the branching fraction for channel 1a is obtained by a linear least-squares analysis of the experimental data and can be expressed as φ(1a) = (0.71 ± 0.07) - (826 ± 116)/T, (0.92 ± 0.04) - (1108 ± 70)/T, and (1.02 ± 0.10) - (1229 ± 168)/T for T = 1450-1760 K, at P = 0.99, 1.45, and 2.0 atm, respectively. The rate constant obtained in this study is found to be consistent with previous theoretical and experimental results; however, the pressure dependence of the branching fraction obtained in this study is smaller than those of previous theoretical works. Modification of the parameters for the decomposition rate in the falloff region is suggested to be important to improve the practical modeling of the pyrolysis and combustion of ethanol.     

Modification of glassy carbon electrode with a polymer/mediator composite and its application for the electrochemical detection of iodate

A modified glassy carbon electrode was prepared by depositing a composite of polymer and mediator on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The mediator, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and the polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) were electrochemically deposited as a composite on the GCE by applying cyclic voltammetry (CV). This modified electrode is hereafter designated as GCE/PEDOT/FAD. FAD was found to significantly enhance the growth of PEDOT. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) analysis was performed to study the mass changes in the electrode during the electrodeposition of PEDOT, with and without the addition of FAD. The optimal cycle number for preparing the modified electrode was determined to be 9, and the corresponding surface coverage of FAD (Γ_FAD) was ca. 5.11 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol cm⁻². The amperometric detection of iodate was performed in a 100 mM buffer solution (pH 1.5). The GCE/PEDOT/FAD showed a sensitivity of 0.78 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻², a linear range of 4–140 μM, and a limit of detection of 0.16 μM for iodate. The interference effects of 250-fold Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, I⁻, SO₄²⁻ and SO₃²⁻, with reference to the concentration of iodate were negligible. The long-term stability of GCE/PEDOT/FAD was also investigated. The GCE/PEDOT/FAD electrode retained 82% of its initial amperometric response to iodate after 7 days. The GCE/PEDOT/FAD was also applied to determine iodate in a commercial salt.     

Vacuum-deposited small-molecule organic solar cells with high power conversion efficiencies by judicious molecular design and device optimization

Three new tailor-made molecules (DPDCTB, DPDCPB, and DTDCPB) were strategically designed and convergently synthesized as donor materials for small-molecule organic solar cells. These compounds possess a donor-acceptor-acceptor molecular architecture, in which various electron-donating moieties are connected to an electron-withdrawing dicyanovinylene moiety through another electron-accepting 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole block. The molecular structures and crystal packings of DTDCPB and the previously reported DTDCTB were characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Photophysical and electrochemical properties as well as energy levels of this series of donor molecules were thoroughly investigated, affording clear structure-property relationships. By delicate manipulation of the trade-off between the photovoltage and the photocurrent via molecular structure engineering together with device optimizations, which included fine-tuning the layer thicknesses and the donor:acceptor blended ratio in the bulk heterojunction layer, vacuum-deposited hybrid planar-mixed heterojunction devices utilizing DTDCPB as the donor and C(70) as the acceptor showed the best performance with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.6 ± 0.2% (the highest PCE of 6.8%), along with an open-circuit voltage (V(oc)) of 0.93 ± 0.02 V, a short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 13.48 ± 0.27 mA/cm(2), and a fill factor (FF) of 0.53 ± 0.02, under 1 sun (100 mW/cm(2)) AM 1.5G simulated solar illumination.     

Effect of chemical structure of interface modifier of TiO2 on photovoltaic properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene)/TiO2 layered solar cells

Two classes of phosphonic acid-bearing organic molecules, 2-oligothiophene phosphonic acid and omega-(2-thienyl)alkyl phosphonic acid were adopted as interface modifiers (IMs) of the TiO(2) surface, to increase its compatibility with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The self-assembled monolayers of these molecules on titania surface were characterized by making contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Atomic force microscopic (AFM) images revealed that the adsorption of IMs effectively smooths the TiO(2) surface. Both photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and PL lifetime measurements were made to investigate the photoinduced properties of the TiO(2)/IM/P3HT layered-junction. The PL quenching efficiency increased with the number of thiophene rings and as the alkyl chain-length in IMs decreased. Meanwhile, the decline in the PL lifetime followed a similar trend as the PL quenching efficiency. Additionally, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the ITO/TiO(2)/IM/P3HT/Au devices was examined by measuring their photocurrent density-applied voltage (J-V) curves. The experimental results indicated that the short-circuit current density (J(SC)) increased with the number of thiophene units and as the hydrocarbon chain-length in IMs decreased. However, the open-circuit voltage (V(OC)) of the devices slightly fell as the energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of IM decreased. The PCE of the device with 2-terthiophene phosphonic acid was 2.5 times that of the device with 10-(2-thienyl)decyl phosphonic acid.     

Optical Möbius symmetry in metamaterials

We experimentally observed a new topological symmetry in optical composites, namely, metamaterials. While it is not found yet in nature materials, the electromagnetic M?bius symmetry discovered in metamaterials is equivalent to the structural symmetry of a M?bius strip, with the number of twists controlled by the sign change of the electromagnetic coupling between the meta-atoms. We further demonstrate that metamaterials with different coupling signs exhibit resonance frequencies that depend only on the number but not the locations of the "twists," thus confirming its topological nature. The new topological symmetry found in metamaterials may enable unique functionalities in optical materials.     

Simple and mild stereoselective O-glycosidation using 1,2-anhydrosugars under neutral conditions

The ring opening of α-d-1,2-anhydrohexapyranoses with phenols proceeded smoothly in ethyl acetate (neutral conditions) in the absence of metal ion catalysts or additives to stereoselectively furnish 1,2-cis-α-aryl glycosides as the major product and 1,2-trans-β-aryl glycosides as the minor product in good yields. Under similar conditions, this ring opening reaction with alcohols afforded exclusively β-alkyl glycosides in excellent yields.     

Light-Responsive Arylazopyrazole Gelators: From Organic to Aqueous Media and from Supramolecular to Dynamic Covalent Chemistry

Versatile photoresponsive gels based on tripodal low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) are reported. A cyclohexane-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (CTA) core provides face-to-face hydrogen bonding and a planar conformation, inducing the self-assembly of supramolecular polymers. The CTA core was substituted with three arylazopyrazole (AAP) arms. AAP is a molecular photoswitch that isomerizes reversibly under alternating UV and green light irradiation. The E isomer of AAP is planar, favoring the self-assembly, whereas the Z isomer has a twisted structure, leading to a disassembly of the supramolecular polymers. By using tailor-made molecular design of the tripodal gelator, light-responsive organogels and hydrogels were obtained. Additionally, in the case of the hydrogels, AAP was coupled to the core through hydrazones, so that the hydrogelator and, hence, the photoresponsive hydrogel could also be assembled and disassembled by using dynamic covalent chemistry.     

A Stable and Compact Optical Module for Fiber-Optic Gyroscope Application

Abstract

This article introduces a new design for a bi-directional optical sub-assembly for fiber-optic gyroscope applications that integrates a super-luminescent light-emitting diode, a photodiode, a beam splitter, an isolator, a fiber receptacle, and a thermal electric cooler. It is less than 1.5 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm in height. As chip temperature was kept at 30°C under environment temperature of ?35°C, 25°C, and 75°C, the bi-directional optical sub-assembly reached stability at a center wavelength of 1,539 nm and a wavelength shift of 1.5 nm. A 3D simple model with the finite-element method was used to analyze thermal performance.