Self detachment of free-standing porous silicon membranes in moderately doped n-type silicon

In this article we describe a reliable etching method to fabricate porous silicon free-standing membranes (FSMs) based on a self detachment of the porous layer in moderately doped n-type silicon substrates. We found that stable growth of smooth and straight pores is restricted to a narrow range of etching conditions and, unlike p-type substrates, the lift-off of the membrane is a self-limited process that does not require a large burst of current. The detachment of the porous membrane is independent of the structure of the already porosified layer, meaning that the average pore diameter can be tuned from nano to macro size within the same membrane. We also demonstrate that, despite their limited thickness, FSMs are quite robust and can sustained further processing. Thus, the etching receipt we are proposing here extends the range of sensors and filters that can be fabricated using porous silicon technology.     

Local coordination and dynamics in liquid antimony trichloride/water mixture

Summary EXAFS Rayleigh wing and Raman-scattering data in SbCl₃/H₂O mixture are presented. The measurements, carried out at the PULS facility on the ClK-edge and on theL _{I, II, III}-edges as a function of temperature, allow us to define the local order around the absorber. In particular, clear evidence exists that intramolecular Sb−Cl and intermolecular Sb...Cl distances and coordination, similar to the ones existing in pure SbCl₃, are present. The data analysis reveals also that the water molecules are linked to the chlorine, giving rise to a cross-link between the antimony trichloride chains. The light scattering response confirms these structural hypotheses, indicating that the primitiveC _3v symmetry of the SbCl₃ molecule is lowered by the water presence. Evidence also exists that new vibrational bands are originated by the chlorine-water bonds. Finally we detected a phononlike contribution, in the low-frequency region, that gives an effective Raman vibrational density of states.

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Riassunto Nel presente lavoro si presentano e si discutono i risultati di misure EXAFS, di Rayleigh wing e di scattering Raman nella miscela SbCl₃/H₂O. Le misure EXAFS, eseguite presso i laboratori PULS di Frascati, sia sullo spigoloK del cloro che sugli spigoliL _{I, II, III} dell’antimonio, permettono di ottenere informazioni sull’ordine locale del sistema. In particolare si evidenziano formazioni di legami intramolecolari Sb−Cl ed intermolecolari Sb...Cl che sono simili nelle distanze e nella coordinazione a quelli esistenti nel fuso. Si definisce anche il ruolo dell’acqua che, coordinandosi con i clori, agisce da ponte tra catene di tricloruro di antimonio. Le misure di scattering di luce confermano le ipotesi strutturali emerse dai risultati di spettroscopia EXAFS: la simmetria originaleC _3v della molecola SbCl₃ si abbassa nell’interazione con l’acqua. Inoltre nuove bande vibrazionali appaiono negli spettri Raman, legati all’interazione cloro-acqua. Infine nella regione spettrale a bassa frequenza si evidenziano modi cooperativi connessi con la presenza di una densità di stati vibrazionali.

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Резюме В работе приводятся данные для рзлеевского крыла EXAFS и комбинационного рассеяния в смеси SbCl₃/H₂O. Измерения наK-кра Cl иL _{I, II, III}-краях, как функция температуры, позволяют нам определить локальный порядок около поглотителя. В частности, отмечается, что внутримолекулярные Sb−Cl и межмолекулярные Sb...Cl расстояния и координация оказываются сходными с величинами, существующими в чистом SbCl₃. Анализ данных также показывает, что молекулы воды связаны с хлором, что приводит к кросс-связи межлу цепочками SbCl₃. Рассеяние света подтверждает эти структурые гипотезы, указывая на то, что примитивнаяC _3v симметрия молекулы SbCl₃ уменьшается из-за присутствия воды. Также подтверждается, что образуются новые колебательные зоны благодаря связям хлора с водой. В заключение, мы детектируем фононно-подобный вклад в низкочастотной области, который дает эффективную плотность рамановских колебательных состояний.

     

Effective cell uptake of nanoassemblies of a fluorescent amphiphilic cyclodextrin and an anionic porphyrin

An emitting nanoassembly composed of a novel amphiphilic cyclodextrin functionalised with a covalently appended fluorophore and an anionic porphyrin internalizes effectively in tumor cells, allowing simultaneously the detection of carrier and photosensitiser.     

Metal-mediated self-assembly of tetrapyridyl porphyrins by Na+ ions

In the presence of the sodium salt of a bulky anion, which allows the solubility of Na(+) in low polarity solvents, various tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin derivatives can spontaneously self-assemble from CH(2)Cl(2) into supramolecular nanostructures exhibiting a long-range order, through the coordination of Na(+) ions by the pyridyl moieties at the macrocycle periphery.     

Exotic properties and potential applications of quantum metamaterials

We discuss here potential venues for applications and exotic features of quantum metamaterials. We explore the coupling of conventional electromagnetic metamaterials with quantum emitters and the wave properties of quantum metamaterials obtained by tailoring their effective band structure. We discuss anomalous enhancement effects in the quantum emission properties of individual and collections of small emitters in the presence of metamaterials, as well as matter-wave cloaking and anomalous tunneling phenomena for quantum mechanical waves in artificial materials with exotic band structures.     

Self-similar p-adic fractal strings and their complex dimensions

We develop a geometric theory of self-similar p-adic fractal strings and their complex dimensions. We obtain a closed-form formula for the geometric zeta functions and show that these zeta functions are rational functions in an appropriate variable. We also prove that every self-similar p-adic fractal string is lattice. Finally, we define the notion of a nonarchimedean self-similar set and discuss its relationship with that of a self-similar p-adic fractal string. We illustrate the general theory by two simple examples, the nonarchimedean Cantor and Fibonacci strings. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Correlation between hydrogen/deuterium exchange and Amide I band intensity in hemoglobin aqueous solution under static or 50 Hz magnetic field

Samples of hemoglobin in deuterium oxide solution (D₂O) and in bidistilled H₂O water solution, both at the concentration of 100 mg/ml, were exposed to a static magnetic field at 100 mT; analogous samples were exposed to 50 Hz magnetic field at 1 mT. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy was used to analyze separately the response of the secondary structure of this protein (diluted in both aqueous solutions) to separated exposure to both magnetic fields. The most relevant result which was observed after exposures was the significant increasing in intensity of the Amide I band, which was already explained in previous studies assuming that proteins α-helix aligned along the direction of the applied magnetic field due to its large dipole moment. In particular, in this study it was shown that hydrogen/deuterium exchange induced a reduction of the increasing of Amide I vibration band. This result can be explained assuming that Amide hydrogens of hemoglobin exchange with solvent deuterium atoms, causing an increase in mass of the protein and a correlated increasing in inertia of the α-helix, reducing significantly the torque effect of the applied magnetic field.     

Multiscaling wavelet analysis of infrared and Raman data on polyethylene glycol 1000 aqueous solutions

Infrared and Raman scattering spectra of aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene glycol) with nominal weight 1000 Da have been collected and analyzed as a function of the water content both in terms of a two-state physical model and in terms of an innovative multiscale wavelet cross-correlation approach. Both the analysis procedures allow to highlight the spectral shape changes occurring when water is added to pure polymer, showing the effectiveness of the wavelet analysis. It is shown that, provided that the pure polymer spectral contribution is subtracted from the aqueous solutions spectra, the shape of the intramolecular O–H stretching band can be reproduced by a superposition of the spectrum of bulk water and of the spectrum of hydration water, i.e., the spectrum relative to the water molecules bonded to the polymer chain. The weight of the bonded-water spectrum changes with concentration furnishing a polymer hydration number value which well agrees with hydration number data, reported in literature, obtained with other techniques. On the other hand, the intramolecular infrared O–H stretching band and the low-frequency Raman spectra, for all the investigated polymeric aqueous solutions, when analyzed through a multiscale wavelet cross-correlation approach reveal that significant spectral changes are registered in the 0.00–0.46 water weight fraction range. Such complementary experimental and analytic findings suggest the picture that when the water content increases, the water molecules saturate the two lone pairs of each oxygen atom of the polymer furnishing a hydration number which agrees with previous determinations and hence supporting the validity of the wavelet approach.     

Response of hydrogen bonding to low-intensity 50 Hz electromagnetic field in typical proteins in bi-distilled water solution

Samples of hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin in different bi-distilled water solutions were exposed to a 50?Hz electromagnetic field at the intensity of 1?mT to investigate the response of hydrogen bonding to the applied field after exposure of 3?h by means of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. Spectral analysis evidenced a significant decrease in the absorbance signal of the Amide I vibration in exposed samples of hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin water solutions. In addition, Fourier self-deconvolution analysis and min-max normalization applied in the mid-infrared region to exposed and unexposed hemoglobin samples revealed a significant increase in the absorbance signal of the Amide II band and an up-shift toward the high energies of 1.5?cm^?1 after exposure. Similar findings were observed after exposure of bovine serum albumin. These results can be easily explained assuming that hydrogen bonding in the secondary structure of these proteins in bi-distilled water solutions was enhanced after exposure to 50?Hz electromagnetic field.