MOVPE growth and characterization of a ‐plane AlGaN over the entire composition range

We report the metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth and characterization of non‐polar (11 0) a ‐plane Al_x Ga_1–xN on (1 02) r ‐plane sapphire substrates over the entire composition range. Al_x Ga_1–xN samples with ～0.8 μm thick layers and with x = 0, 0.18, 0.38, 0.46, 0.66, and 1.0 have been grown on r ‐plane sapphire substrates. The layer quality can be improved by using a 3‐stage AlN nucleation layer and appropriate V/III ratio switching following nucleation. All a ‐plane AlGaN epilayers show an anisotropic in‐plane mosaicity, strongly influenced by Al incorporation and growth conditions. Careful lattice parameter measurements show anisotropic in‐plane strain that results in an orthorhombic distortion of the hexagonal unit cell, making Al composition determination from X‐ray diffraction difficult. In general lower Al incorporation is seen in a ‐plane epilayers compared to c ‐plane samples grown under the same conditions. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Study of electron donor-acceptor complexes of tri-n-octyl amine with [60]- and [70]fullerenes and some other electron acceptors by absorption spectrophotometric method

Electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes of tri-n-octylamine (TOA) with [60]- and [70]fullerenes and some other electron acceptors have been studied in chloroform medium by absorption spectrophotometric technique. Charge transfer (CT) absorption bands are observed in the visible region. Vertical ionization potential of TOA was determined utilizing CT transition energy. Oscillator strengths, transition dipole strengths and resonance energies for all the complexes have been calculated. [60]Fullerene/TOA and [70]fullerene/TOA complexes are found to decay slowly with time. Kinetics of these reactions have been studied and activation energies for such processes have been estimated. Ab initio calculations suggest that complexation of [70]fullerene with TOA is enthalpy favoured.     

Cellulose as recyclable organocatalyst for ipso-hydroxylation of arylboronic acids

Cellulose catalyzed oxidative hydroxylation of aryl and hetero-arylboronic acids to the corresponding phenols under metal and base free strategy has been demonstrated. The sustainable ipso-hydroxylation takes place using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant in water under mild condition in shorter period of time. Interestingly, easy recovery and reusability of heterogeneous catalyst without significant loss in catalytic yield makes the protocol environmentally benign.     

Fall colouring of bipartite graphs and cartesian products of graphs

The question of whether a graph can be partitioned into k independent dominating sets, which is the same as having a fallk-colouring, is considered. For k=3, it is shown that a graph G can be partitioned into three independent dominating sets if and only if the cartesian product G□K₂ can be partitioned into three independent dominating sets. The graph K₂ can be replaced by any graph H such that there is a mapping f:Q_n→H, where f is a type-II graph homomorphism.The cartesian product of two trees is considered, as well as the complexity of partitioning a bipartite graph into three independent dominating sets, which is shown to be NP-complete. For other values of k, iterated cartesian products are considered, leading to a result that shows for what values of k the hypercubes can be partitioned into k independent dominating sets.     

One-pot synthesis of strong solid state emitting mono-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes: study of their aggregation induced enhanced phosphorescence

Strong solid-state greenish-blue emitting, mono-cyclometalated iridium complexes, [Ir(ppy)(PPh(3))(2)(H)(Cl)], 2a and [Ir(F(2)ppy)(PPh(3))(2)(H)(Cl)], 2b [ppyH = 2-phenylpyridine; F(2)ppyH = 2-(2',4'-difluoro)phenylpyridine], have been synthesized by a convenient route. The 'aggregation induced enhanced phosphorescence (AIEP)' activity exhibited by these complexes has been rationalized.     

Gelation of aqueous pectin solutions: a dynamic light scattering study

We report the dynamic light scattering study of the gelation of aqueous solutions of the biopolymer, pectin, induced by the addition of calcium chloride. The time correlation function data are analyzed under the framework of the coupling model. As the solution enters the semidilute regime where gelation sets in, the relaxation process shows a stretched exponential behavior. The stretching exponent decreases and the characteristic time of the stretched exponential diverges as the system evolves to a gel. Aqueous pectin solutions in the presence of 0.1 M NaCl show similar behavior. Thus, the molecular relaxation modes of pectin solutions can be well described by the coupling model.     

Electronic spectra of C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Superscript>+</Superscript> and C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Stack><Subscript>3</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript></Stack> in the gas phase

Measurement of the ³Π-³Π transition of C₆H⁺ in the gas phase near 19486 cm⁻¹ is reported. The experiment was carried out with a supersonic slit-jet expansion discharge using cavity ringdown absorption spectroscopy. Partly resolved P lines and observation of band heads permitted a rotational contour fit. Spectroscopic constants in the ground and excited-state were determined. The density of ions being sampled is merely 2×10⁸ cm⁻³. Broadening of the spectral lines indicates the excited-state lifetime to be ≈100 ps. The electronic transition of HC₆H₂⁺ at 26402 cm⁻¹ assumed to be ¹A₁-X¹A₁ in C_2v symmetry could not be rotationally resolved.     

Linear and nonlinear rheology of wormlike micelles

Several surfactant molecules self-assemble in solution to form long, cylindrical, flexible wormlike micelles. These micelles can be entangled with each other leading to viscoelastic phases. The rheological properties of such phases are very interesting and have been the subject of a large number of experimental and theoretical studies in recent years. We shall report our recent work on the macrorheology, microrheology and nonlinear flow behaviour of dilute aqueous solutions of a surfactant CTAT (Cetyltrimethylammonium Tosilate). This system forms elongated micelles and exhibits strong viscoelasticity at low concentrations (∼0.9 wt%) without the addition of electrolytes. Microrheology measurements of G(θ) have been done using diffusing wave spectroscopy which will be compared with the conventional frequency sweep measurements done using a cone and plate rheometer. The second part of the paper deals with the nonlinear rheology where the measured shear stress σ is a nonmonotonic function of the shear rate . In stress-controlled experiments, the shear stress shows a plateau for larger than some critical strain rate, similar to the earlier reports on CPyCl/NaSal system. Cates et al have proposed that the plateau is a signature of mechanical instability in the form of shear bands. We have carried out extensive experiments under controlled strain rate conditions, to study the time-dependence of shear stress. The measured time series of shear stress has been analysed in terms of correlation integral and Lyapunov exponent to show unambiguously that the behaviour is typical of low dimensional dynamical systems.     

Extraction and chemical investigation of Kulthi (Macrotylona uniflorus,Lam.) seed protein

Studies have been carried out on the protein solubility profile of Kulthi (Macrotylona uniflorus, Lam.) seed in aqueous solution over various pHs and at different concentrations of NaCl, Na₂SO₃, CaCl₂, and MgCl₂ at pH 8.0. Amino acid analysis of isolated protein identified 17 amino acids, 9 of which are essential. Gel-permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-200 revealed the presence of seven components in the protein fraction. Their molecular weights were determined by two comparable standard methods. Extractable Kulthi seed proteins in salt solutions were separated electrophoretically into eight fractions whose molecular weights were found to be 186,200, 131,800, 108,400, 91,200, 53,700, 44,700, 38,000, and 27,500.