Spectroelectrochemical Evaluation of a ZnO Optically Transparent Electrode Prepared by the Spin‐spray Technique

We present a novel zinc oxide (ZnO) optically transparent electrode (OTE) prepared by the spin‐spray technique for spectroelectrochemistry. The spin‐spray technique can deposit ZnO film at a low cost, high rate deposition, and at a low temperature (<100 °C) in a single step. This new technique provides good optical transparency and electrical conductivity for ZnO. The electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties of the ZnO electrode were investigated for varying thicknesses of ZnO using methylene blue as a redox indicator. A ZnO OTE chip that includes three electrodes on a glass chip was developed for thin‐layer spectroelectrochemistry. Moreover, the ZnO films were successfully applied in an electrochemical‐localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) method for methylene blue detection by using them as a transparent conducting substrate for loading gold nanoparticles.     

Photoemission study of electronic structure evolution across the metal-insulator transition of heavily B-doped diamond

We studied the electronic structure evolution of heavily B-doped diamond films across the metal-insulator transition (MIT) using ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS). From high-temperature UPS, through which electronic states near the Fermi level (E_F) up to ∼5k_BT can be observed (k_B is the Boltzmann constant and T the temperature), we observed the carrier concentration dependence of spectral shapes near E_F. Using another carrier concentration dependent UPS, we found that the change in energy position of sp-band of the diamond valence band, which corresponds to the shift of E_F, can be explained by the degenerate semiconductor model, indicating that the diamond valence band is responsible for the metallic states for samples with concentrations above MIT. We discuss a possible electronic structure evolution across MIT.     

Sub-wavelength micromachining of silica glass by irradiation of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser with Fresnel diffraction

We investigated a simple and productive micromachining method of silica glass by ablation using a TEA CO₂ laser (10.6 μm) with a spatial resolution down to sub-wavelength scale. The silica glass was irradiated by the TEA CO₂ laser light through a copper grid mask with square apertures of 20×20 μm² attached to the silica glass surface. After the irradiation, circular holes with a diameter of several μm were formed on the silica glass surface at the centers of the apertures due to the Fresnel diffraction effect. The minimum diameter of the holes was 3.4 μm. The characteristics of the micromachining are discussed based on the electric field distributions of the CO₂ laser light under the mask using a three-dimensional full-wave electromagnetic field simulation.     

Similar dissection of sets

In 1994, Martin Gardner stated a set of questions concerning the dissection of a square or an equilateral triangle in three similar parts. Meanwhile, Gardner’s questions have been generalized and some of them are already solved. In the present paper, we solve more of his questions and treat them in a much more general context. Let \({D\subset \mathbb{R}^d}\) be a given set and let f ₁, . . . , f _k be injective continuous mappings. Does there exist a set X such that \({D = X \cup f_1(X) \cup \cdots \cup f_k(X)}\) is satisfied with a non-overlapping union? We will prove that such a set X exists for certain choices of D and {f ₁, . . . , f _k }. The solutions X will often turn out to be attractors of iterated function systems with condensation in the sense of Barnsley. Coming back to Gardner’s setting, we use our theory to prove that an equilateral triangle can be dissected in three similar copies whose areas have ratio 1 : 1 : a for \({a \ge (3+\sqrt{5})/2}\).     

INTRODUCTION OF CATIONIC GROUPS ONTO CARBON BLACK SURFACE AND THEIR DISPERSIBILITY IN WATER

Imidazoline hydrochlonde groups were successfully introduced onto carbon black surface by the treatment of imidazoline groups, which were introduced by the trapping of 2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane radicals formed by the thermal decomposition of 2,2'-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane] (AJP) with hydrochloric acid. In addition, arrridine hydrochlonde groups were introduced onto carbon black surface by the radical trapping of 2-methylpropionamidine dihydrochloride radicals formed by the thermal decomposition of 22'-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AMPAD). The content of imidazoline hydrochlonde and amidine hydrochlonde groups introduced onto carbon black was determined to be 0.6 mmol/g and 0,7 mmol/g, respectively. The mean particle size of AIP/HCl-lreated and AMPAD-treated carbon black was determined to be 31 nm and 16 nm, respectively, by dynamic light scattering method. It was found that the surface of carbon black turned from hydraphobic to hydrophilic by the introduction of cationic moieties and gave a very stable colloidal dispersion in neutral and acidic water at room temperature.     

An Efficient Synthesis of 3-Cyano-1(3H)-Isobehzofuranones

Reaction of o-formyl-N, N-diethylbenzamides (5) with trimethylsilyl cyanide affords the corresponding (0-trimethylsi-lyl)cyanohydrins (6), which on treatment with acetic acid produce 3-cyanophthalides (7) in 80–90% isolated yields.     

Importance of CH/π hydrogen bonds in recognition of the core motif in proline-recognition domains: an ab initio fragment molecular orbital study

We examined CH/π hydrogen bonds in protein/ligand complexes involving at least one proline residue using the ab initio fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method and the program CHPI. FMO calculations were carried out at the Hartree–Fock (HF)/6‐31G*, HF/6‐31G**, second‐order Møller–Plesset perturbation (MP2)/6‐31G*, and MP2/6‐31G** levels for three Src homology 3 (SH3) domains and five proline‐recognition domains (PRDs) complexed with their corresponding ligand peptides. PRDs use a conserved set of aromatic residues to recognize proline‐rich sequences of specific ligands. Many CH/π hydrogen bonds were identified in these complexes. CH/π hydrogen bonds occurred, in particular, in the central part of the proline‐rich motifs. Our results suggest that CH/π hydrogen bonds are important in the recognition of SH3 and PRDs by their ligand peptides and play a vital role in the signal transduction system. Combined use of the FMO method and CHPI analysis is a valuable tool for the study of protein/protein and protein/ligand interactions and may be useful in rational drug design. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2011     

Thermolysis,photolysis, and oxidation of an overcrowded 1,3,2-dithiastannetane derivative

Reactions of a sterically crowded 1,3,2-dithiastannetane derivative bearing 2,4,6-tris[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl (=Tbt) and 2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl (=Tip) groups on the tin atom are described. Both thermolysis and photolysis of the 1,3,2-dithiastannetane [Tbt(Tip)SnS₂CPh₂] resulted in the formation of products derived from the corresponding stannanethione [Tbt(Tip)Sn=S], while the oxidation reaction by m -chloroperbenzoic acid gave a novel tincontaining heterocyclic system, an 1,2,4,5-oxadithiastannolane derivative.