Electroluminescence properties of In-doped Zn2SiO4 thin films prepared by sol–gel process

The effect of In doping on the electroluminescence (EL) properties of Zn₂SiO₄:In thin films was investigated. In-doped Zn₂SiO₄ thin films were deposited on BaTiO₃ substrates and their EL properties were characterized in this study. X-ray powder diffraction patterns of In-doped Zn₂SiO₄ powders revealed a single phase of Zn₂SiO₄ for In concentrations up to approximately 1.5 mol%, whereas a secondary phase of In₂O₃ was observed for In concentrations in the range of 2–10 mol%. The maximum luminance of thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) devices varied significantly with the amount of In doping. The highest luminance with blue emission was obtained when 2 mol% In was doped. The blue emission of In-doped Zn₂SiO₄ thin film may be related to the In substitution for Zn. The 2 mol% In-doped Zn₂SiO₄ thin film exhibited blue emission with CIE color coordinates of x=0.208 and y=0.086.     

Emission-Color Control in Polymer Films by Memorized Fluorescence Solvatochromism in a New Class of Totally Organic Fluorescent Nanogel Particles

In this work, a new class of totally organic fluorescent nanogel particles and their exceptionally specific behaviors based on their unique structures are introduced, which draws a sharp line from conventional fluorophore-doped and fluorophore-branched-type particles. The nanogel particles, the diameter of which could be controlled by adjusting reaction conditions, such as the solvent system, were spontaneously fabricated with a spherical shape by direct polymerization of non-heterocyclic aromatic compounds, such as 2,6-dihydroxyanthracene, 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene, and 9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)fluorene with triazinane as the cross-linker. A fluorophoric moiety formed from a polymer main chain was realized in the particle, and consequently, the resultant content of the fluorophoric moiety was around 70–80 wt % per particle. The uniqueness and versatility of the particles can be emphasized by their good compatibility with various solvents due to their amphiphilic and ampholytic swelling properties, but also by their remarkable fluorescent solvatochromism in the dispersion state. Furthermore, these behaviors were preserved even in their polymer composite system. This study also demonstrates that various fluorescent polymer films can be fabricated with emission color control due to memorization of the solvatochromism phenomenon of the dispersed fluorescent nanoparticles.     

Derivatization of tributyltin with sodium tetrakis(4-fluorophenyl)-borate for sensitivity improvement of tandem mass spectrometry.

Derivatization of tributyltin for tandem mass spectrometry is described. Tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT) were derivatized with sodium tetrakis(4-fluorophenyl)borate. After optimization of their MS/MS conditions, derivatization conditions were examined. Under the optimum conditions using in-situ derivatization, the calibration curves for the TBT and TPT were linear in the ranges of 0.4 - 200 and 1.2 - 200 pg of Sn, respectively. The detection limits for TBT and TPT were 0.07 and 0.43 pg of Sn, respectively. In the case of TBT, the detection limit with 4-fluorophenylation was improved about five times compared with that with pentylation (0.35 pg). This improvement is ascribed to the bond-dissociation energy of Sn-aryl being stronger than that of Sn-alkyl. Namely, the selective fragmentation of 4-fluorophenyl TBT resulted in high sensitivity. The relative recoveries of TBT and TPT from seawater were 99 and 109%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the seawater samples.     

Contribution of recoil implantation to removal of monolayer impurity atoms on metal surfaces

The decay of one monolayer gold atoms at the nickel surface by bombardment with 5 keV Ar⁺ ions at room temperature has been studied by means of the RBS technique. It is found that the gold concentration decreases bi-exponentially with increasing ion fluence. It is shown that the fast decay component gives the removal cross-section which is the summation of the desorption and the recoil-implantation cross-sections. The recoil-implantation cross-section is evaluated from the difference between the removal cross-section and the desorption cross-section obtained at a previous high-temperature experiment.     

Assignment of the 13C-NMR spectrum of phenanthro[4,3-A]dibenzothiophene through the utilization of two-dimensional relayed coherence transfer and double quantum coherence spectroscopy

Total assignment of the ¹³C-nmr spectrum of the helical molecule phenanthro[4,3-a]dibenzothiophene at 125.762 MHz is reported. Assignments were made by the combined application of ¹³C-¹³C autocorrelated double quantum coherence and heteronuclear relayed coherence transfer (RELAY) experiments.     

Successive methyl migrations occurring in the acid treatment of 1-epoxyethyl-1,2,2-trimethyl-cyclopentane derivative

Acid treatment of (IR, 3S,1′S)-1-(1′,2′-Epoxyethyl)-1,2,2-trimethyl-3-acetoxymethyl-cyclopentane $\text{6}$) has been shown to yield three products ($\text{8}$, $\text{9}$, $\text{10}$), among which $\text{8}$ and $\text{9}$ are 1-oxa-bicyclo[3.3.0]octane derivatives formed $\text{via}$ successive methyl migrations followed by an oxorane ring closure.     

Molecular design and biological potential of galacto-type trehalose as a nonnatural ligand of shiga toxins

Galacto-type trehalose, a "C-4 epimer of trehalose", possesses a stereochemical structure around the alpha(1-1)-linkage analogous to that of the globobiosyl alpha(1-4)-linkage in Gb(2) and Gb(3) ceramides, which are known as the ligands of Shiga toxins produced by pathogenic E. coli. This paper presents evidence supporting the new idea of using a trehalosyl alpha(1-1)-linkage as a substitute for the galactobiosyl alpha(1-4)-linkage.     

Study on magnetization reversal of cobalt nanowire arrays by magnetic force microscopy

The magnetic properties of self-assembly cobalt nanowire arrays formed in anodic porous alumina template were investigated by nanosize imaging method and macroscopic magnetic measurement. We have successfully made a wire-by-wire observation of magnetization reversal of a cobalt nanowire array using magnetic force microscopy with a home-made FePt tip. The nanowires in this medium have uniaxial anisotropy with easy axis along the wire due to the large aspect ratio of the wires (30 nm in diameter and 300 nm in length). Considering the nanowires as single-domain structures, we can obtain the average DC demagnetization curve from nanosize images by calculating the number of wires in each magnetized direction, and the results agreed well with the DC demagnetization curve measured by macroscopic measurement. The magnetostatic field between wires was evaluated by a new nanosize imaging method. Macroscopic measurement shows that reversible magnetization occurs in this medium. Nanosize images of the remanent and saturated states prove that the reversible magnetization processes mainly take place inside individual wires and reversed wires induced by magnetostatic field just give a little contribution to the reversible magnetization.     

Rapid Legionella pneumophila determination based on a disposable core–shell Fe3O4@poly(dopamine) magnetic nanoparticles immunoplatform

A novel amperometric magnetoimmunoassay, based on the use of core–shell magnetic nanoparticles and screen-printed carbon electrodes, was developed for the selective determination of Legionella pneumophila SG1. A specific capture antibody (Ab) was linked to the poly(dopamine)–modified magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs@pDA-Ab) and incubated with bacteria. The captured bacteria were sandwiched using the antibody labeled with horseradish peroxidase (Ab-HRP), and the resulting MNPs@pDA-Ab-Legionella neumophila-Ab-HRP were captured by a magnetic field on the electrode surface. The amperometric response measured at −0.15 V vs. Ag pseudo-reference electrode of the SPCE after the addition of H₂O₂ in the presence of hydroquinone (HQ) was used as transduction signal. The achieved limit of detection, without pre-concentration or pre-enrichment steps, was 10⁴ Colony Forming Units (CFUs) mL⁻¹. The method showed a good selectivity and the MNPs@pDA-Ab exhibited a good stability during 30 days. The possibility of detecting L. pneumophila at 10 CFU mL⁻¹ level in less than 3 h, after performing a membrane-based preconcentration step, was also demonstrated.     

A plasmonic photocatalyst consisting of silver nanoparticles embedded in titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) displays photocatalytic behavior under near-ultraviolet (UV) illumination. In another scientific field, it is well understood that the excitation of localized plasmon polaritons on the surface of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) causes a tremendous increase of the near-field amplitude at well-defined wavelengths in the near UV. The exact resonance wavelength depends on the shape and the dielectric environment of the NPs. We expected that the photocatalytic behavior of TiO2 would be greatly boosted if it gets assisted by the enhanced near-field amplitudes of localized surface plasmon (LSP). Here we show that this is true indeed. We named this new phenomenon "plasmonic photocatalysis". The key to enable plasmonic photocatalysis is to deposit TiO2 on a NP comprising an Ag core covered with a silica (SiO2) shell to prevent oxidation of Ag by direct contact with TiO2. The most appropriate diameter for Ag NPs and thickness for the SiO2 shell giving rise to LSP in the near UV were estimated from Mie scattering theory. Upon implementing a device that took these design considerations into account, the measured photocatalytic activity under near UV illumination of such a plasmonic photocatalyst, monitored by decomposition of methylene blue, was enhanced by a factor of 7. The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity increases with a decreased thickness of the SiO2 shell. The plasmonic photocatalysis will be of use as a high performance photocatalyst in nearly all current applications but will be of particular importance for applications in locations of minimal light exposure.