Superconductivity of MgB2: covalent bonds driven metallic

A series of calculations on MgB2 and related isoelectronic systems indicates that the layer of Mg2+ ions lowers the nonbonding B pi ( p(z)) bands relative to the bonding sigma ( sp(x)p(y)) bands compared to graphite, causing sigma-->pi charge transfer and sigma band doping of 0.13 holes/cell. Because of their two dimensionality the sigma bands contribute strongly to the Fermi level density of states. Calculated deformation potentials of gamma point phonons identify the B bond stretching modes as dominating the electron-phonon coupling. Superconductivity driven by sigma band holes is consistent with the report of destruction of superconductivity by doping with Al.     

基于外电场作用氟氯碳酰的光谱特性和解离特性

采用密度泛函方法(DFT)在B3LYP/6-31G(d)水平上优化计算了在不同外电场作用下氟氯碳酰分子的物理性质,包括键长、键角、分子体系总能量、偶极矩、能隙、红外光谱、拉曼光谱以及解离特性.研究表明在外电场(-0.02—0.07 a.u.)作用下,氟氯碳酰分子结构有明显的变化,随着外电场的增强,分子C-O键长、C-Cl键长逐渐增大,C-F键长逐渐减小,分子体系总能量、能隙先增大后减小,偶极矩先减小后增大;分子红外光谱的O p-deform、CCl stretch(str)、CF str振动发生了蓝移,CO str振动发生了红移,CO deform振动先红移后蓝移,分子拉曼光谱的O p-deform、CCl str、CF str、CO str振动移动情况与红外光谱相同,当外电场强度为0.03 a.u.时,分子C-Cl势垒消失,分子发生解离,当外电场强度为-0.005 a.u.时,分子两个键断裂,发生逐步解离.研究工作为进一步研究氟氯碳酰分子的解离特性及臭氧层的保护提供理论依据.     

Further Develop 1,3,4-Thiadiazole Based Probe to Effectively Detect 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol with the Help of DFT Calculations

Four fluorimetric probes had been developed to rapidly detect 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP). They were designed and synthesized on the basis of 1,3,4-thiadiazole framework combining calculation with experiment. Among them, SK-1 displayed strong blue emission with fluorescence quantum yield as high as 63.6% in solution. Further evaluation demonstrated that SK-1 displays good selectivity and high sensitivity for rapid and visual detection of TNP. It brought significant changes in both colour and fluorescence emission spectrum. The detection limit was as low as 38 nM. Quenching mechanism was confirmed as photo-induced electron transfer (PET) by nuclear magnetic titration and DFT calculations. What’s more, application in real water samples and solid phase paper tests illustrated the practical significance of detection of TNP in both vapor and solution.

     

Feature-Specific CT Measurements for Log Scanning: Theory and Application

Computed Tomography (CT) is extensively used as a medical diagnostic tool, and increasingly adopted for scientific and industrial research. In the wood industry, there is a growing interest in using the CT technique to assess the quality of logs entering a sawmill to enable the material to be appropriately processed into maximum value products. Internal features of interest include knots, heartwood/sapwood boundary, rot and splits. Most commercially available CT scanning systems are modeled on medical designs and provide high spatial and density resolution. They are very complex and delicate devices with correspondingly high cost. However, log scanning has its own distinctive characteristics: specific overall and feature geometries and relatively coarse scanning resolution requirement. To fit these characteristics, the novel geometry-based coarse-resolution CT scanning approach described here has been developed and implemented. The models, algorithms, scanner design and result validation are presented in detail. The resulting CT reconstructions for an example log using the proposed geometry-based coarse-resolution approach compare well with CT reconstructions for same log using the same data with conventional filtered back projection inversion. The good comparison gives confidence in the usefulness and applicability of the proposed CT method for industrial use in sawmills for log quality assessment.     

Selective conversion of cellobiose and cellulose into gluconic acid in water in the presence of oxygen, catalyzed by polyoxometalate-supported gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles loaded onto Keggin-type insoluble polyoxometalates (Cs(x)H(3-x)PW(12)O(40)) showed superior catalytic performances for the direct conversion of cellobiose into gluconic acid in water in the presence of O(2). The selectivity of Au/Cs(x)H(3-x)PW(12)O(40) for gluconic acid was significantly higher than those of Au catalysts loaded onto typical metal oxides (e.g., SiO(2), Al(2)O(3), and TiO(2)), carbon nanotubes, and zeolites (H-ZSM-5 and HY). The acidity of polyoxometalates and the mean-size of the Au nanoparticles were the key factors in the catalytic conversion of cellobiose into gluconic acid. The stronger acidity of polyoxometalates not only favored the conversion of cellobiose but also resulted in higher selectivity of gluconic acid by facilitating desorption and inhibiting its further degradation. On the other hand, the smaller Au nanoparticles accelerated the oxidation of glucose (an intermediate) into gluconic acid, thereby leading to increases both in the conversion of cellobiose and in the selectivity of gluconic acid. The Au/Cs(x)H(3-x)PW(12)O(40) system also catalyzed the conversion of cellulose into gluconic acid with good efficiency, but it could not be used repeatedly owing to the leaching of a H(+)-rich hydrophilic moiety over long-term hydrothermal reactions. We have demonstrated that the combination of H(3)PW(12)O(40) and Au/Cs(3.0)PW(12)O(40) afforded excellent yields of gluconic acid (about 85%, 418 K, 11 h), and the deactivation of the recovered H(3)PW(12)O(40)-Au/Cs(3.0)PW(12)O(40) catalyst was not serious during repeated use.     

Solvation of Na+, K+, and their dimers in helium

Helium atoms bind strongly to alkali cations which, when embedded in liquid helium, form so-called snowballs. Calculations suggest that helium atoms in the first solvation layer of these snowballs form rigid structures and that their number (n) is well defined, especially for the lighter alkalis. However, experiments have so far failed to accurately determine values of n. We present high-resolution mass spectra of Na(+)He(n), K(+)He(n), Na(2)(+)He(n) and K(2)(+)He(n), formed by electron ionization of doped helium droplets; the data allow for a critical comparison with several theoretical studies. For sodium and potassium monomers the spectra indicate that the value of n is slightly smaller than calculated. Na(2)(+)He(n) displays two distinct anomalies at n=2 and n=6, in agreement with theory; dissociation energies derived from experiment closely track theoretical values. K(2)(+)He(n) distributions are fairly featureless, which also agrees with predictions.     

A theoretical exploration of unexpected amine···π interactions

Counterintuitive amine lone pair···π interactions are computationally revealed by MP2 and CCSD(T) methods, attractive lone pair···π interactions are observed when the lone pair of nitrogen points toward the π system. Symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) calculations and atoms in molecules (AIM) analyses were performed and the origin of the calculated attractive interaction between nitrogen lone pairs and π rings is discussed. Dispersion effects were revealed to play a crucial role in the attractive lone pair···π interaction.     

Size and structure matter: enhanced CO2 photoreduction efficiency by size-resolved ultrafine Pt nanoparticles on TiO2 single crystals

A facile development of highly efficient Pt-TiO(2) nanostructured films via versatile gas-phase deposition methods is described. The films have a unique one-dimensional (1D) structure of TiO(2) single crystals coated with ultrafine Pt nanoparticles (NPs, 0.5-2 nm) and exhibit extremely high CO(2) photoreduction efficiency with selective formation of methane (the maximum CH(4) yield of 1361 μmol/g-cat/h). The fast electron-transfer rate in TiO(2) single crystals and the efficient electron-hole separation by the Pt NPs were the main reasons attributable for the enhancement, where the size of the Pt NPs and the unique 1D structure of TiO(2) single crystals played an important role.     

Change in the enzymatic dual function of the peroxiredoxin protein by gamma irradiation

PP1084 protein was exposed to gamma irradiation ranging from 5 to 500 kGy. Native PAGE showed minor structural changes in PP1084 at 5 kGy, and major structural changes at >15 kGy. Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) showed the formation of a new shoulder peak when the protein was irradiated with 15 and 30 kGy, and a double peak appeared at 100 kGy. The results of PAGE and SEC imply that PP1084 protein is degraded by gamma irradiation, with simultaneous oligomerization. PP1084 chaperone activity reached the highest level at 30 kGy of gamma irradiation, and then, decreased in a dose-dependent manner with increasing gamma irradiation. However, the peroxidase activity significantly decreased following exposure to all intensities of gamma irradiation. The improvement of chaperone activity using gamma irradiation might be promoted by the oligomeric structures containing covalently cross-linked amino acids. Consequently, PP1084 modification using gamma irradiation could elevate chaperone activity by about 3–4 folds compared to the non-irradiated protein.