Synthesis and optical properties of CdS nanoribbons

Rapid production of single crystalline CdS nanoribbons with hexagonal wurtzite phase has been achieved by thermal evaporation of CdS powder on Si wafers. The flow rate of the carrier (Ar) gas along with the synthesis temperature plays an important role in defining the size and shape of the CdS nanoribbons. Scanning electron and transmission electron microscopic observations revealed the nanoribbons to have a flat end as well as side surfaces which will make it ideal for optoelectronic devices such as nanolasers and light emitting diodes based on individual nanoribbons. The nanoribbons have widths within 200-400 nm and lengths approximately a few hundred micrometers. Room-temperature photoluminescence measurements show green emission centered at approximately 525 nm which may be ascribed to the near band edge emission. The Raman spectra of the CdS nanoribbons show peaks around 304, 609, 915, and 1220 cm(-1) corresponding to the first-, second-, third-, and fourth-order longitudinal optical phonon modes, respectively.     

Surface morphology and active sites of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> for photoassisted catalysis

The main aim of this work is to discriminate the closely related adsorption and catalytic degradation processes that occur during a photocatalytic reaction. Very high-surface-area TiO₂ and Pd-doped TiO₂ were synthesized by microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis and used for degradation of methylene blue as a model pollutant dye. Thorough structural, morphological, and surface analyses of the synthesized catalysts were conducted to investigate key material properties that influence adsorption and catalytic performance. The adsorption capacity of the catalysts was determined by fitting adsorption data using the Langmuir isotherm model, and the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized samples was evaluated by periodically measuring the concentration of methylene blue as it was photocatalytically degraded under ultraviolet (UV) light. The results indicated that noble-metal incorporation compromised adsorption but favored catalytic performance.     

Reactions of bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium(IV) and zirconium(IV) chlorides with 1,1′-diacetylferrocenyl bis(hydrazones). Formation of trimetallic derivatives

Bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium(IV) and zirconium(IV) chlorides react with bis(hydrazones) derived from 1,1-diacetylferrocene in anhydrous THF in the presence of base to give complexes of the type [(Cp₂MCl)₂L] [M = Ti or Zr; LH₂ = ferrocenyl bis(hydrazones)]. Tentative structures are proposed for these complexes based upon elemental analyses, electrical conductance, magnetic moment and spectroscopic data.     

Microwave‐assisted synthesis,spectroscopy and biological aspects of binuclear titanocene chelates of isatin‐2,3‐bis(thiosemicarbazones)

The reactions of bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium(IV) chloride with a new class of bis(thiosemicarbazones) (H₂L), derived by condensing isatin with different N(4)‐substituted thiosemicarbazides, have been studied both by a conventional stirring method and also using microwave technology. Binuclear products of type [{(η⁵‐C₅H₅)₂TiCl} ₂(L)] have been isolated in both cases. Tentative structural conclusions are drawn for the reaction products based upon analysis, electrical conductance, magnetic moment and spectral (UV‐visible, IR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR) data. FAB mass spectra of these compounds were also recorded to confirm the binuclear structures. Studies were conducted to assess the growth inhibiting potential of the ligands and complexes against various fungal, viral and bacterial strains. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis,molecular and crystalline architectures,and magnetic properties of neutral nickel(II)dicyanamide coordination polymers containing a symmetrical/unsymmetrical 1,2-diamine as an end-capping ligand

Two neutral nickel(II) coordination polymers [Ni(en)(dca)₂]_n (1) and [Ni(dmen)(dca)₂]_n (2) (en = ethylenediamine; dmen = N,N-dimethylethylenediamine; dca = dicyanamide) have been synthesized and X-ray crystallographically characterized. Each nickel(II) center in 1/2 adopts a distorted octahedral coordination environment with a NiN₆ chromophore ligated by two amine N atoms of the bidentate amine (en/dmen) and four nitrile N atoms of μ_1,5 bridged dca. The metal(II) centers are connected with each other through single μ_1,5 M–NCNCN–M bridges, resulting in a 2D layer structure with a (4,4) topology in 1 and a 3D network of topology (6,6) in 2. Multiple lateral N–H···N and C–H···N hydrogen bondings promote dimensionality. The magnetic susceptibility results of 1 and 2 at very low temperature support the zero-field splitting effect of the nickel(II) ions.     

Shape selective growth of CdS one-dimensional nanostructures by a thermal evaporation process

CdS one-dimensional nanoforms such as nanowires, nanoribbons, network-like nanowires, pearl necklace type nanowires, helical-like nanowires, and nanowire arrays were formed on Si substrates by a simple thermal evaporation route. The shapes of the one-dimensional CdS nanoforms were controlled by varying the experimental parameters such as temperature and position of the substrates. Formation of the CdS one-dimensional nanoforms was initiated by the Au catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid technique, whereas the vapor-solid process played a crucial role in defining the shapes of the nanoforms. Different optical characterizations such as optical absorbance, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy were adopted to explore the physical and structural quality of these CdS nanoforms.     

Simple solvothermal route to synthesize ZnO nanosheets, nanonails, and well-aligned nanorod arrays

ZnO nanosheets, nanonails, and well-aligned nanorods were fabricated on Zn foils by a solvothermal approach using ethanol as the solvent. A lower synthesis temperature and a shorter time period favor the formation of nanosheets. By optimizing the synthesis temperature and time period, ZnO nanonails with a hexagonal cap and a long stem could be produced. A higher temperature was not favorable to produce uniform and smooth nanorods. Well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays were produced with diameters within 100-250 nm and lengths up to approximately 6 microm when NaOH was added to the solvent. By optimizing the reaction parameters, the morphology, size, and orientation of the nanoforms could be tailored. The ZnO nanorods exhibit an excitonic strong UV emission and a defect-related broad green emission at room temperature. The defect-related green emission band decreased with the improvement of the degree of alignment of the nanorods.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Annulation of Diarylamines with Olefins through CH Activation: Direct Access to N‐Arylindoles

A palladium‐catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling between diarylamines and olefins has been discovered for the synthesis of substituted indoles. This intermolecular annulation approach incorporates readily available olefins for the first time and obviates the need of any additional directing group. An ortho palladation, olefin coordination, and β‐migratory insertion sequence has been proposed for the generation of olefinated intermediate, which is found to produce the expected indole moiety.     

Fabrication of Dye-sensitized Solar Cells and Fluorescence Quenching Study Using Thiophene Based Copolymers

Photovoltaic performance of dye sensitized solar cells fabricated with a commercially available thiophene based copolymer was investigated. Poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(bithiophene)], a highly soluble polythiophene, was used as a sensitizer. An open-circuit voltage of 0.64 V and a short-circuit current density of 0.36 mA/cm² were measured. The incident photon to current conversion efficiency for the polymer was measured. Fluorescence from the other polythiophene, poly(3,3′-didodecyl quarter thiophene) was found to be quenched when blended with phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) (1:1 wt ratio), indicating the charge transfer from the conjugated polymer to PCBM.     

Gelation behavior of polysaccharide-based interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels

We report the preparation and rheological characterization of interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels made from alginate and hydrophobically modified ethyl hydroxyl ethyl cellulose (HMEHEC). To our knowledge, there have been no studies of the gelation behavior of IPNs. We found that the rheology of these systems can be easily tuned, with the elastic modulus of the IPN strongly dependent on the relative ratio of HMEHEC to alginate. The sol–gel transition of these systems was found to satisfy the Winter–Chambon criterion for gelation at various crosslinker densities. From the power law relationship of the dynamic moduli (G ^′ ~G ^″ ~ω ⁿ), the exponent n appears to be dependent on both the crosslinker density and relative amount of two polymers. The value of n was found to be ~0.5 for all samples for stoichiometric amounts of crosslinker. The effect of molecular weight of HMEHEC on the gel point and viscoelastic exponent has also been reported. Alginate seems to dominate the kinetics of the process but the effect of high molecular weight HMEHEC on the gel point, especially at lower proportion was also evident.