High-power diode-pumped Yb3+:CaF2 femtosecond laser

We report what is believed to be the first demonstration of a high-power passively mode-locked diode-pumped femtosecond laser based on an Yb3+:CaF2 single crystal, directly pumped by a 15-W fiber-coupled laser diode. With a 5-at. % Yb3+ -doped sample and prisms for dispersion compensation we obtained pulses as short as 150 fs, with 880 mW of average power and up to 1.4-W average output power, with a pulse duration of 220 fs, centered at 1049 nm. The laser wavelength could be tuned from 1040 to 1053 nm in the femtosecond regime. Using chirped mirrors for dispersion compensation, the oscillator provided up to 1.74 W of average power, with a pulse duration of 230 fs, corresponding to a pulse energy of 20 nJ and a peak power of 85 kW.     

Development of horseradish peroxidase/layered double hydroxide hybrid catalysis for phenol degradation

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Both photocatalytic and enzymatic degradation of phenol were studied in order to evaluate and to compare the catalytic potential of both methods. For this,...     

Superconductivity in non-stoichiometric and tin-substituted La2CuO4: preparation, characterization, Mössbauer and microwave-absorption studies

Two samples of non-stoichiometric La₂CuO₄ were synthesized, one with La/Cu<2, and the other with 10% Sn substituting Cu. They were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and microwave-absorption techniques. The microwave-absorption data indicated that they were both superconducting, with the transition temperatures T_c of 40.5 and 41.5 K, the one doped with Sn possessing the higher T_c. The Mössbauer spectra revealed that there exist two kinds of Sn(IV) atoms disordered with Cu. Their isomer shift, δ=−0.244(4) mm/s, is in agreement with Sn(IV) coordinated by oxygen. One site was characterized by a single Mössbauer line, being associated with a weakly distorted environment, wherein the Sn, coordinated more symmetrically, is surrounded by four Cu²⁺ ions. On the other hand, the other site, characterized by a Mössbauer doublet exhibited a quadrupole splitting Δ=1.07(2) mm/s, being associated with a highly distorted coordination, explained to be due to Sn occupying two adjacent cationic sites. To our knowledge, such a substitution for copper ions not resulting in a decrease of T_c has not been reported previously.     

The Millimeter-Wave Spectrum of 2,3-Dihydrofuran

The millimeter-wave spectrum of 2,3-dihydrofuran in the ground and five ring-puckering excited states has been measured in the frequency range 100–250 GHz. The ground and first ring-puckering excited states have been fitted to a two-state Hamiltonian including Coriolis coupling interaction. The determined energy difference of 18.684(7) cm⁻¹between these states and theaandbtype coupling parameters are consistent with the ring-puckering potential function and the previously observed dependence of the centrifugal distortion constants Δ_JK, Δ_K, and δ_K. A small ring-puckering dependence of the quartic centrifugal distortion constants Δ_Jand δ_Jhas been also observed. This dependence is well accounted for in terms of the ring-puckering potential function and the vibrational dependence of the rotational constants.     

BaSnF4 fast ion conductor: Variations versus the method of preparation and anomalous temperature variation of the quadrupole splitting

A new method of preparation of high performance fluoride ion conductor, BaSnF₄, by water leaching of newly discovered barium tin(II) chloride fluorides, has been designed, and the materials have been studied and compared to the solid prepared by the usual dry method. The unit-cell parameters and crystallite dimensions were found to vary with the method of preparation. In addition, the crystallite dimensions were found to be highly anisotropic for the samples obtained by the wet method. The Mössbauer spectrum is made of a large tin(II) quadrupole doublet, and a broad tin(IV) oxide peak due to surface oxidation. The tin(II) spectrum is in agreement with covalently bonded tin(II) having a strongly stereoactive lone pair. An unusually high dependence of the quadrupole splitting at low temperatures was observed (5.8 times larger than for α-SnF₂).     

Tunable single-frequency operation of a diode-pumped vertical external-cavity laser at the cesium D<Subscript>2</Subscript> line

We report on a diode-pumped vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser emitting around 852 nm for Cesium atomic clocks experiments. We have designed a 7-quantum-well semiconductor structure optimized for low laser threshold. An output power of 330 mW was achieved for 1.1 W of incident pump power. Furthermore, a compact setup was built for low-power single-frequency emission. We obtained an output power of 17 mW in a single longitudinal mode, exhibiting both broad (9 nm) and continuous (14 GHz) tunability around the Cesium D₂ line. The laser frequency has been stabilized on an atomic transition with residual frequency fluctuations ∼300 kHz. Through a beatnote experiment the −3 dB laser linewidth has been measured to <500 kHz over 10 ms.     

The equilibrium C-H bond length

The equilibrium C-H bond length has been determined up to now for about 40 polyatomic molecules. These data are used to demonstrate the existence of quantitative correlations betweenr _e(C-H), isolated C-H bond stretching frequency and average distancer _g. It is also shown that ab initio calculations are often reliable to calculate the absolute value ofr _e(C-H), if an empirical correction is made. Some other correlations are also discussed. Finally, accurater _e(C-H) values are predicted for simple molecules.     

Understanding the importance of the viscosity contrast between the sample solvent plug and the mobile phase and its potential consequence in two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography

The effect of solvent viscosity mismatch on elution performance in reversed-phase HPLC was studied using moment analysis. Two conditions were tested: (1) the mobile phase viscosity was less than the injection plug viscosity, and (2) the mobile phase viscosity was greater than the injection plug viscosity. Under the first condition, retention time and elution performance decreased as the viscosity contrast between the mobile phase and injection plug increased. The effect on performance was more marked as the injection volume increased. A decrease in performance of 12% for compounds with retention factors up to 2.8 was apparent even when the viscosity contrast was only 0.165 cP. In the second set of conditions, elution performance was actually observed to increase, by as much as 25% for a 40 μL injection, as the viscosity contrast between the mobile phase and the solute plug increased. No change in the retention factor was observed. This behaviour was attributed to the shape of an injection plug as it enters into the column, whereby a low viscosity plug permeates away from the wall when the column contains a higher viscosity mobile phase, and vice a versa for a high viscosity plug entering a low viscosity mobile phase. At no stage was either a band splitting or shoulders observed with viscosity contrasts up to 1.283 cP, as could have been expected.     

Use of an on-line imprinted polymer pre-column, for the liquid chromatographic-UV absorbance determination of carbaryl and its metabolite in complex matrices

A carbaryl and 1-naphtol molecular imprinted polymers (MIP1 and MIP 2, respectively) were prepared using suspension polymerization and tested for selective and reversible binding to carbaryl and 1-naphtol, respectively. In the suspension polymerization technique used, polymers of methacrylic acid (MAA), highly cross-linked with ethylene dimethacrylate, provide a specific binding sites for the carbaryl molecule and its metabolite when using it as a template to be removed after polymerization. The molecular imprinted polymer with a particle size of approximately 5 microm were isolated and packed into a pre-column (50 mm x 4.6 mm id) that was used to isolate carbaryl and its metabolite from complex matrices injected on a high performance liquid chromatography system using ultra-violet detection without extensive sample preparation and clean up. The HPLC method had a detection limit of 1.00 ng/mL and a linear response (r2 > 0.98) over the concentration range of 1.00-10.0 ng/mL.     

AB initio study of the regular polyhedral molecules N4, P4, As4, N8, P8 and As8

Ab initio pseudopotential SCF calculations were performed on tetrahedral X₄ molecules using double-zeta basis sets with and without d functions. The inclusion of d orbitals shortens the bond lengths, stabilizes the X₄ structures and intensifies the electron density inside the tetrahedron. The cubic X₈ molecules, calculated without d AOs, are not predicted to be more stable than 2X₄. Repulsions between parallel bonds in X₈ may compensate the lack of ring strain.