Ruthenium(II) photosensitizers of tridentate click-derived cyclometalating ligands: a joint experimental and computational study

A systematic series of heteroleptic bis(tridentate)ruthenium(II) complexes of click-derived 1,3-bis(1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)benzene N^C^N-coordinating ligands was synthesized, analyzed by single crystal X-ray diffraction, investigated photophysically and electrochemically, and studied by computational methods. The presented comprehensive characterization allows a more detailed understanding of the radiationless deactivation mechanisms. Furthermore, we provide a fully optimized synthesis and systematic variations towards redox-matched, broadly and intensely absorbing, cyclometalated ruthenium(II) complexes. Most of them show a weak room-temperature emission and a prolonged excited-state lifetime. They display a broad absorption up to 700?nm and high molar extinction coefficients up to 20?000?M(-1)cm(-1) of the metal-to-ligand charge transfer bands, resulting in a black color. Thus, the complexes reveal great potential for dye-sensitized solar-cell applications.     

Segmentation and classification of time series using ordinal pattern distributions

The distribution of ordinal patterns in time series has been found to reflect important qualitative features of the underlying system dynamics. Abrupt changes in the dynamics typically result in clearly visible differences between the distributions before and after the break. Recurring dynamical regimes can be discovered by classifying the distributions in different parts of the time series. This paper discusses two algorithms which exploit the relation between ordinal pattern distributions and system dynamics for the segmentation and classification of time series. The first algorithm employs a kernel-based statistic, the Maximum Mean Discrepancy of ordinal pattern distributions, to detect and locate change points in the time series. The second algorithm uses clustering of the ordinal pattern distributions to classify time series segments with similar dynamics. The methodology is applied to various real-life time series from physiology and economics.     

Synthesis and mesogenic properties of binuclear copper(II) complexes derived from salicylaldimine Schiff bases

The synthesis and mesomorphic (liquid crystal) properties of new binuclear dihalocopper(II) complexes derived from N- and ring-substituted salicylaldimine Schiff bases are reported, together with the mesomorphic properties of their monomeric precursor complexes. With just N-substituents both the dichlorodicopper(II) binuclear complexes and their mononuclear analogues are waxy solids with melting points that increase with their N-chain length. However, with both N- and ring-substituents in the 4-positions, the mononuclear and binuclear complexes are each liquid crystalline or mesogenic, except in case of the mononuclear complexes where the N-substituent is straight chain alkyl. The other mononuclear complexes exhibit a variety of liquid crystal phases: smectic A, C, and E (SA, SC, and SE, respectively). The liquid crystal phase SA is observed in the binuclears with shorter chain N-substituents p-R-O-C6H4- and shorter chain ring-substituents. The chain lengths were increased until the phase behavior expanded to a further form SC in the case of an N-substituent p-C14H29O-C6H4- and a -OC12H25 ring substituent. This points the way toward achieving multiphase behavior with these binuclear systems. The Cu-Br analogues of the binuclear complexes behave similarly but with significant qualitative differences, specifically lower mesophase stability and higher melting temperatures. The structures of the nonmesogenic binuclears ([Cu(N-dodecylSal)X]2, X=Cl, Br) were determined with the aid of X-ray crystallography. These are prototypes for the structures of the binuclear complexes and especially for the shape of the central Cu2O2 X2 core in the binuclears: distorted planar coordination about the copper with distortion toward tetrahedral measured by a characteristic twist angle tau (0 degrees planar; 90 degrees tetrahedral). The binuclear complexes also show magnetic coupling which can be used to estimate the geometry. For [Cu(N-dodecylSal)X]2 tau>36 degrees, which corresponds to weaker coupling than observed in the mesogenic binuclears where a stronger magnetic coupling indicates a geometry closer to planar (tau=25 degrees). The mesophases were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis and optical polarized microscopy.     

An Improved Method for Calculating Zeta-Potentials from Measurements of the Electrokinetic Sonic Amplitude

The surface electric properties of the commercially available silica, Monospher 1000 (Fa. Merck), have been studied by conductivity and ESA (electrokinetic sonic amplitude) experiments. It could be shown that accounting for the contribution of the stagnant layer to surface conductivity is indispensable in the interpretation of electrokinetic data at low ionic strength. A general method has been put forward which allows to take into account the total, experimentally accessible surface conductivity in the evaluation of ESA data of moderately concentrated suspensions. This includes additional conductivity measurements which serve for the independent estimation of the total relative surface conductivity. The resulting zeta-potentials are clearly higher than those obtained after neglecting the contribution of the stagnant layer to surface conductivity. In addition, the ionic mobilities of potassium and magnesium in the hydrodynamically stagnant layer have been investigated in some detail. It has been found that the ionic mobility of potassium is of the same order of magnitude as in the bulk solution while the mobility of magnesium is significantly reduced. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

A portable absorption-fluorometer for detection of organic substances in fluids

Using the method of multipath-saturation fluorescence, which considers both fluorescent as well as nonfluorescent substances, the total absorption coefficient can be determined with high sensitivity. This new fluorescence method is appropriate, e.g. for in-situ applications. Thus a portable absorption-fluorometer has been constructed. The main part of the device is a multireflection cell based on a design of Herriott with a 1 cm quartz-cuvette. Two pairs of spherical dielectric mirrors are used to realize the multireflection of the excitation radiation in the UV and blue spectral range. The combination of a cylindrical and a convace mirror leads to a long pathway of the excitation radiation and, thus, to a full absorption by the fluid. A first experiment has been performed with drinking water samples defined polluted by non-fluorescent p-nitrophenol and 2-nitroaniline. Based on the method of multipath-saturation fluorescence a good correlation to the substance concentration was achieved, whereas the conventional absorption failed.     

LiNbO3 layer growth in a LiVO3 high temperature solution

Homoepitaxy of LiNbO₃ takes a successful course in high temperature solutions (HTS) with LiVO₃ as a solvent. In order to optimize the deposition process the phase correlations in the pseudobinary system LiNbO₃-LiVO₃ were specified by means of DTA. At the liquidus temperatures the HTS with concentrations of 15 to 40 mole % have an approximately constant shear viscosity of η ≈ 13.5 mPa · s, similary to solvents containing lead compounds. Always smooth LPE-layers grow on singular {11 02}-substrates. Surfaces of all other orientations were found to be rough because rhomboedric faces of LiNbO₃ form in the stable state. On the negative polarized (0001 )-face epitaxy is still possible, however, on the opposite (0001)-face only a hexagonal cellular structure is observed because the singular faces develop, exclusively.