Structural and Optical Properties of Gold/Silica “Mushroom” Particles Prepared by Interfacial Templating

Complex shaped nanoparticles featuring structural or surface chemical patchiness are of special interest in both fundamental and applied research areas. This study reports the preparation and optical properties of gold/silica “mushroom” nanoparticles, where a gold particle is only partially covered by the silica cap. The synthetic approach allows precise control over the particle structure. The interfacial preparation method relies on partially embedding the gold particles in a polystyrene layer that masks the immersed part of the gold particle during silica shell growth from an aqueous solution. By adjusting sacrificial polystyrene film thickness and silica growth time, precise control over the coverage and cap thickness can be achieved. Correlative electron microscopy and single particle scattering spectroscopy measurements underline the high precision and reproducibility of the method. The good agreement between the measured and simulated single particle spectra supported by near‐field calculations indicates that the observed changes in the dipolar plasmon resonance are influenced by the extent of coverage of the gold core by the silica cap. The straightforward methods readily available for gold and silica surface modification using range of different (bio)molecules make these well‐defined nanoscale objects excellent candidates to study fundamental processes of programmed self‐assembly or application as theranostic agents.     

Mössbauer study of novel iron(II) complexes synthesized with Schiff bases

Novel [Fe(4-benzyl-2-hydroxyphenyl-propylidene)₂ethylene-diamine], and [Fe (2,4,6-trihydroxy-benzyl-4-metoxiphenyl-methylidene)₂ethylene-diamine] complexes were synthesized by reacting Fe^II salt with the indicated Schiff-base ligands. The compounds were characterized by⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, FTIR, UV-VIS, TG-DTA-DTG, MS, AFM, XRD, cyclic voltammetry and biological activity measurements. 295 K and 78 K Mössbauer spectra revealed that iron is dominantly in high spin Fe^II state in both complexes while simultaneously a minor low spin Fe^II was also present in both complexes, furthermore a minor high spin Fe^III was observed in [Fe(2,4,6-trihydroxy-benzyl-4-metoxiphenyl- methylidene) ₂ethylene-diamine], too.     

Thermal properties of electrospun polyvinylpyrrolidone/titanium tetraisopropoxide composite nanofibers

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this work, polyvinylpyrrolidone/titanium tetraisopropoxide (PVP/TTIP) composite nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning from alcoholic...     

Über die Koebesche Konstante 1/4

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

A general method for the synthesis of sugar 2-C-sulfonic acids by 1 --> 2 arylthio group migration in acid-sensitive thioglycosides. Direct transformation of thiotrityl ethers into C-sulfonic acids

[reaction: see text] Fully protected triphenylmethyl 2-O-mesyl-1-thio-beta-d-gluco- (14) and -alpha-d-mannopyranoside (28) were transformed by a stereoselective intramolecular 1 --> 2 trans-arylthio migration into methyl 2-S-triphenylmethyl-alpha-d-manno- (15) and -beta-d-glucopyranoside (29), respectively, using NaOCH(3) as nucleophile. The 2-S-triphenylmethyl ethers (15 and 29) were directly oxidized to sugar 2-C-sulfonic acids by using oxone (2KHSO(5), KHSO(4), K(2)SO(4)). Compounds (21, 23, 32, and 35) are the first representatives of secondary sugar C-sulfonic acids.     

Interlayer exchange coupling,crystalline and magnetic structure in Fe/CsCl–FeSi multilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Crystalline and magnetic structure as well as the interlayer exchange coupling in MBE grown Fe/FeSi multilayers are investigated. From conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy and ion beam channeling measurements the spacer FeSi material is found to be stabilized in a crystalline metastable metallic FeSi phase with the CsCl structure. Strong non-oscillatory interlayer exchange coupling is identified with magnetometry and synchrotron Mössbauer reflectometry. From the fits of the time spectrum and the resonant ?—? scans a model for the sublayer magnetization of the multilayer is deduced.

     

Thermotropic Polymer Gels: Smart Gel Glass

Several attempts have been made recently in order to develop “smart” windows, which can moderate light and heat intensities. Thermotropic gels have met with growing interest because of their advanced properties. Based upon phase transitions of polymer gels, a novel thermally adjustable window, which includes a gel layer, has been developed in our laboratory. The so-called gel-glass becomes opaque when the temperature exceeds a certain value and goes back to its original transparent state when it is cooled below the critical value again. Intelligent “gel-glasses” made of these materials can moderate the amount of sunlight and radiated heat. The optical properties of the gel layer are also modified by the Joule heat of audio frequency AC current. Two types of gel-glasses have been developed and investigated. Phase transition temperature of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) based gel was adjusted by copolymerization and by changing of the solvent composition. The cloud point of a poly(methyl vinyl ether) – water system in a PVA gel was varied by modifying the composition of the swelling agent. In the case of electrically adjustable thermotropic windows, optical properties, energy consumption and temperature changes during the switching process were studied.     

Thermal decomposition and spectral characterization of di[carbonatotetraamminecobalt(III)] sulfate trihydrate and the nature of its thermal decomposition products

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Detailed vibrational (IR, Raman, far-IR) and thermal (TGA, TG–MS, DSC) analysis has been performed on...     

Interrogation of the Effect of Polymorphism of a Metal-Organic Framework Host on the Structure of Embedded Pd Guest Nanoparticles

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are very promising host materials for nanoscale guest materials. However, some MOFs such as MIL-53 are known to undergo phase transitions which can complicate the guest particle size control. In this study, Pd nanoparticles embedded in Al-MIL-53 were synthesised via (a) electrodeposition and (b) gas-phase reduction. A thorough structural investigation revealed that each synthesis method most likely favoured a different phase of Al-MIL-53, presenting the possibility of MOF phase selection as a technique for size control of embedded nanoparticles. For the first time, we hereby report the use of pair distribution function analysis to successfully investigate the structure and morphology of guest particles embedded in a MOF host.     

Tikhonov regularization of a second order dynamical system with Hessian driven damping

Mathematical Programming - We investigate the asymptotic properties of the trajectories generated by a second-order dynamical system with Hessian driven damping and a Tikhonov regularization term...