Multi-component hybrid inorganic–organic–inorganic particles with various metal oxide outer shells

Non-agglomerated hybrid particles of 200 nm diameter with an outer metal oxide shell were prepared by reacting the COOH groups of poly((S)-N-dicarbazolyl-lysine)-covered silica particles with metal alkoxides, such as titanium, zirconium and aluminum alkoxides, followed by sol–gel processing. With tetraethoxysilane (Si(OEt)₄), the silica particle core was growing rather than forming an external metal oxide shell, as observed for the other tested metal alkoxides.     

Synthesis and characterization of cobalt(II) and copper(II) complexes with 5-amino-3,4-dimethylisoxazole

Summary Complexes of cobalt(II) and copper(II) with 5-amino-3,4-dimethylisoxazole (5-ADI) have been prepared and studied by means of magnetic susceptibility measurements, near and far i.r. spectra, electronic spectroscopy and, when possible, conductivity measurements. The 5-ADI generally behaves as bridging (N_ring-, O- or N_ring-, -NH₂) ligand. All the complexes have an octahedral sterochemistry, except Co(5-ADI)₂X₂ (X = Cl, Br), Co₂(5-ADI)₇I₄ which are tetrahedral and Cu(5-ADI)₂ (ClO₄)₂ · 4 H₂O which is square planar.     

Metal-ligand solution equilibria studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: effect of instrumental parameters

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is being increasingly employed in the study of metal-ligand equilibria in aqueous solution. In the present work, the ESI-MS spectral changes due to different settings of the following instrumental parameters are analyzed: the solution flow rate (F(S)), the nebulizer gas flow rate (F(G)), the sprayer potential (E), and the temperature of the entrance capillary (T). Twenty-eight spectra were obtained for each of six samples containing aluminum(III) and 2,3-dihydroxypyridine at various pH, in the absence or in the presence of a buffer and of sodium ions. Among the considered instrumental parameters, T produced the largest effects on the ionic intensities. F(S) and F(G) affected the ESI-MS spectra to a lower extent than T. In the investigated conditions E had the weakest effects on the spectra.The correlations observed between the ionic intensities and these instrumental parameters were interpreted considering the presence of three kinds of perturbations occurring in the ESI-MS ion source: formation of some dimers in the droplets, different transfer efficiencies from the droplets to the gas phase for different complexes (according to their surface activity), and subsequent partial thermal decomposition of the dimers and of one of the monomeric complexes in the gas phase. Our results show that the evaluation of the effects produced in the ESI-MS spectra by a change of instrumental parameters can allow to identify the perturbations occurring when metal-ligand solutions are studied by ESI-MS.     

Zinc(II) as an allosteric regulator of liposomal membrane permeability induced by synthetic template-assembled tripodal polypeptides

Three copies of peptide sequences from the peptaibol family, known to affect the permeability of the lipid bilayer of membranes, were connected to tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TREN), a tripodal metal ion ligand, to prepare functional peptides capable of modifying the permeability of liposomal membranes. Some of the resulting tripodal polypeptide derivatives are very effective in promoting carboxyfluorescein (CF) leakage from CF-loaded unilamellar vesicles composed of a 70:30 phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol blend. The activity of these novel compounds was shown to be tunable upon metal ion coordination of the TREN subunit; the tripodal apopeptide was far more effective than its ZnII complex. Leakage experiments showed that a minimum number of five amino acids per peptide chain is required to form active systems. A mechanism is proposed in which the ZnII ion changes the conformation of the template from extended to globular and thus acts as an allosteric regulator of the activity of the systems. Molecular modeling studies indicate that when the three peptide chains are connected to the template in the extended conformation, the resulting tripodal polypeptide is able to span across the membrane, thus allowing the formation of permeable channels made of a cluster of molecules. The same change of conformation induces, to some extent, fusion of the membranes of different liposomes.     

Soliton squeezing in microstructure fiber

We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, the generation of squeezed light by means of soliton self-phase modulation in microstructure fiber. We observe and characterize the formation of solitons in the microstructure fiber at 1550 nm. A maximum squeezing of 2.7 dB is observed, corresponding to 4.0 dB after correcting for detection losses. The dependence of this quantum-noise reduction on various system parameters is studied in detail. Features of the microstructure fiber can be exploited for generation of low-energy continuous-variable entangled pulses for use in all-fiber teleportation experiments.     

Effect on TSDC relaxation spectra of substitutions in the mesogenic unit and in the flexible spacer of poly(tetramethylene terephtaloyl-bis-4-oxybenzoate)

A family of four thermotropic polyesters starting with the poly(tetramethylene terephthaloyl bis-4-oxybenzoate), substituting either asymmetrically in the tetramethylene spacer or incorporating polar substituents onto the aromatic units of the mesogen, is studied by the Thermally Stimulated Depolarization Currents (TSDC) technique. The results are compared to the Dynamic-Mechanical Analysis at frequencies ranging from 0.1 to 1 Hz from 123 to 423 K. The unsubstituted polymer has a complex low-temperature TSDC spectrum corresponding to local reorientation modes due to the motion of the COO groups with different locations along the main chain. By comparing the effect of the Cl and CH₃ substituents on the relative intensity and on the mean energies of the distribution of relaxation times determined by the DSA procedure, the lowest temperature mode is attributed to the COO peripheral groups and the modes located at higher temperatures, to the internal COO groups, which may be accompanied by adjacent segments. The mechanic and dielectric α-transitions are also very sensitive to the substituents, the addition of CH₃ in the 1,4 flexible spacer shifting the glass transition temperature above room temperature. The existence of the three-dimensional order that is present in the materials with a linear spacer significantly broadens the α-relaxation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 3038–3049, 1999     

Lattice and ion dynamics in gel electrolytes based on poly(acrylonitrile) by6Li-7Li NMR

Two composite gel electrolytes prepared from mixtures of poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN), propylene carbonate (PC), ethylene carbonate (EC) and LiClO₄ have been studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and⁷Li-⁶Li NMR. The data allow estimation of ionic conductivities, local (short range) diffusivities, and lattice dynamics. Furthermore, they point to an unexpected behavior of the Li-rich sample that hints to a complex LiClO₄-PAN phase diagram. Paper presented at the 1st Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Zakynthos, Greece, September 11–18,1994