Trichlorosilane isocyanate as coupling agent for mild conditions functionalization of silica-coated surfaces

Despite the importance of the isocyanate group in chemistry, very few examples of isocyanate-modified silicas have been reported, and all of the strategies described so far led to partial or total hydrolysis or condensation of the isocyanate group. By synthesizing trichlorosilane isocyanate as the coupling reagent, we show that oxidized silicon wafers are successfully modified with the isocyanate group. Our method is achieved in mild conditions, at low temperature, without side-reactions and allows the formation of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of isocyanates. The isocyanate group then offers a flexible way to further functionalize silica substrates with different nucleophiles, due to its high and specific reactivity.     

An efficient general approach to modal analysis of frame resonators with applications to support loss in microelectromechanical systems

The design of high-Q resonators such as Xylophone Bar Resonators (XBRs) capable of being fabricated using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) processes is of considerable interest in light of the widespread and rapidly growing use of systems dependent on their availability and performance. This paper is concerned with vibration analysis and Q optimisation of an XBR, with the method extending directly to other planar frames and straightforwardly to more complex structures. The Rayleigh–Ritz method is discussed in some detail, first treating the discrete case, followed by developing and applying a kinematical procedure to an L-frame structure. Attention is given to geometric interpretation of the Rayleigh–Ritz procedure and to developing an intuitive understanding the method before turning to the XBR case. Having developed an approximation for system dynamics, the results are used in conjunction with an analytical model of elastic wave propagation in the substrate to obtain an estimate for the support Q factor. Natural frequencies, mode shapes, and support Q values are presented and compared to Finite Element models of the same problem, with excellent agreement observed at substantially lower computational cost. For the first time in the literature, the geometric impedance tuning principle underlying the XBR design is validated and quantified, including sensitivity to manufacturing error.     

Two-Photon Two-Focus Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy with a Tunable Distance Between the Excitation Volumes

In the present work, a Michelson interferometer was combined with a two-photon excitation microscope to perform two-focus Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy. This simple and original approach allows us to tune the distance between the two excitation volumes and determine absolute diffusion constants. The technique was validated on different model systems that demonstrate the sensitivity of the approach.     

Improvements for ground-based remote sensing of atmospheric aerosol properties by additional polarimetric measurements

We discuss the improvements in the aerosol properties characterization resulting from the additional multi-wavelength polarization measurements measured by a new CIMEL polarized sun/sky-photometer, CE318-DP. In order to process direct-sun, sky and polarization measurements in a wide spectral range (340–1640 nm), we developed new calibration methods and strategies, e.g. using the Langley plot method to calibrate both direct-sun irradiance and sky radiance, as well as combining laboratory facilities with a vicarious method to calibrate the polarized sky measurements. For studying the impact of new polarimetric measurements on the retrievals of aerosol properties, we have processed an extensive record of field measurements using an updated Dubovik and King retrieval algorithm [Dubovik O, Sinyuk A, Lapyonok T, Holben BN, Mishchenko MI, et al. Application of spheroid models to account for aerosol particle nonsphericity in remote sensing of desert dust. J Geophys Res 2006;111:D11208.]. A preliminary analysis shows that adding polarization in the inversion can reduce possible errors (notably for about 30% of our field cases) in the fine mode size distribution, real part of refractive index and particle shape parameter retrievals, especially for small particles.     

Phase separation and flux quantization in the doped quantum dimer model on square and triangular lattices

The doped two-dimensional quantum dimer model is investigated by numerical techniques on the square and triangular lattices, with significantly different results. On the square lattice, at small enough doping, there is always a phase separation between an insulating valence-bond solid and a uniform superfluid phase, whereas on the triangular lattice, doping leads directly to a uniform superfluid in a large portion of the resonating-valence-bond (RVB) phase. Under an applied Aharonov-Bohm flux, the superfluid exhibits quantization in terms of half-flux quanta, consistent with Q=2e elementary charge quanta in transport properties.     

Pierre Turq,an inspirational scientist in charge and at interfaces

Pierre Turq has made decisive contributions to the theory and to the multiscale simulation of charged systems, such as molten salts, electrolyte solutions and colloidal suspensions, in the bulk, at interfaces and under confinement. His research line focussed on dynamical properties and was characterised by constant efforts to connect his theoretical work to both experiments and practical applications. In this article, his colleagues and former students pay a tribute to his past and current research interests by illustrating some recent developments accomplished in his laboratory.     

Oxidation of alcohols by transition metal complexes part V. Selective catalytic monoalkylation of arylacetonitriles by alcohols

Selective catalytic monoalkylation of arylacetonitriles by primary alcohols can be achieved at ≤ 100° using a catalyst prepared in situ from rhodium trichloride, triphenylphosphine and sodium carbonate. RuH₂(PPh₃)₄ is a more effective catalyst for this process.