Temperature‐Independent Hole Mobility of a Smectic Liquid‐Crystalline Semiconductor based on Band‐Like Conduction

A liquid‐crystalline (LC) phenylterthiophene derivative, which exhibited an ordered smectic phase at room temperature, was purified by vacuum sublimation under a flow of nitrogen. During the sublimation process, thin plates with sizes of 1 mm grew on the surface of the vacuum tube. The crystals exhibited the same X‐ray diffraction patterns as the ordered smectic phase of the LC state that was formed through a conventional recrystallization process by using organic solvents. Because of the removal of chemical impurities, the hole mobility in the ordered smectic phase of the vacuum‐grown thin plates increased to 1.2×10^?1 cm² V^?1 s^?1 at room temperature, whereas that of the LC precipitates was 7×10^?2 cm² V^?1 s^?1. The hole mobility in the ordered smectic phase of the vacuum‐sublimated sample was temperature‐independent between 400 and 220 K. The electric‐field dependence of the hole mobility was also very small within this temperature range. The temperature dependence of hole mobility was well‐described by the Hoesterey–Letson model. The hole‐transport characteristics indicate that band‐like conduction affected by the localized states, rather than a charge‐carrier‐hopping mechanism, is a valid mechanism for hole transport in an ordered smectic phase.     

Control of shell thickness in silica-coating of Au nanoparticles and their X-ray imaging properties

This paper describes a performance of precise control of shell thickness in silica-coating of Au nanoparticles based on a sol-gel process, and an investigation into X-ray imaging properties for the silica-coated Au (Au/SiO(2)) particles. The Au nanoparticles with a size of 16.9±1.2 nm prepared through a conventional citrate reduction method were used as core particles. The Au nanoparticles were silica-coated with a sol-gel reaction using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica source, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as a catalyst, and (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APMS) as a silane coupling agent. An increase in TEOS concentration resulted in an increase in shell thickness. Under certain concentrations of Au, H(2)O, NaOH, and APMS, the Au/SiO(2) particles with silica shell thickness of 6.0-61.0 nm were produced with varying TEOS concentration. Absorption peak wavelength of surface plasmon resonance of the Au/SiO(2) colloid solution depended on silica shell thickness, which agreed approximately with the predictions by Mie theory. The as-prepared colloid solution could be concentrated up to an Au concentration of 0.19 M with salting-out and centrifugation. The concentrated colloid solution showed an X-ray image with high contrast, and a computed tomography value for the colloid solution with an Au concentration of 0.129 M was achieved 1329.7±52.7 HU.     

Multiresidue analytical method for the determination of antimicrobials, preservatives, benzotriazole UV stabilizers, flame retardants and plasticizers in fish using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

A multiresidue analytical method for the determination of emerging pollutants belonging to personal care products (PCPs) (antimicrobials, preservatives), benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVSs) and organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) in fish has been developed using high speed solvent extraction (HSSE) followed by silica gel clean up and ultra fast liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC–MS/MS) analysis. Developed extraction and clean up method yielded good recovery (>70%) for all the four groups of emerging pollutants, i.e. antimicrobials (78.5–85.6%), preservatives (85.0–89.4%), BUVSs (70.9–112%) and OPCs (81.6–114%; except for TEP – 68.9% and TPeP – 58.1%) with RSDs ranging from 0.7 to 15.4%. Intra- and inter-day repeatabilities were less than 19.8% and 19.0%, respectively at three spiked levels. The concentrations were given in lipid weight (lw) basis, and the method detection limits were achieved in the lowest range of 0.001–0.006 ng g⁻¹ for two antimicrobials, 0.001–0.015 ng g⁻¹ for four preservatives, 0.0002–0.009 ng g⁻¹ for eight BUVSs and 0.001–0.014 ng g⁻¹ for nine OPCs. Finally, the method was successfully validated as a simple and fast extraction method for the determination of 23 compounds belonging to PCPs, BUVSs and OPCs and applied to the analysis of three species of fish from Manila Bay, the Philippines. Concentrations ranged from 27 to 278 ng g⁻¹ for antimicrobials, 6.61 to 1580 ng g⁻¹ for paraben preservatives, −1 for BUVSs and ND (not detected) to 266 ng g⁻¹ for OPCs suggesting the ubiquitous contamination by these emerging pollutants in Manila Bay. This is the first method developed for the determination of triclocarban, four paraben preservatives and four BUVSs, in fish.     

Comparison of two preparation methods of supported Li?Ni catalyst on alumina for selective oxidation of methane

Lithium-added nickel catalysts on alumina were prepared for CO₂ reforming of methane by two methods, precipitation and impregnation. Performances of the catalysts were investigated by TG, CO-adsorption and SEM analysis. The catalyst with ratio of Li/Ni=1.0 prepared by precipitation method has high nickel dispersion, catalytic activity and stability for CO₂ reforming of methane.     

Synthesis and Physico-Chemical Properties of Homoleptic Copper(I) Complexes with Asymmetric Ligands as a DSSC Dye

To develop low-cost and efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), we designed and prepared three homoleptic Cu(I) complexes with asymmetric ligands, M1, M2, and Y3, which have the advantages of heteroleptic-type complexes and compensate for their synthetic challenges. The three copper(I) complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements. Their absorption spectra and orbital energies were evaluated and are discussed in the context of TD-DFT calculations. The complexes have high V_OC values (0.48, 0.60, and 0.66 V for M1, M2, and Y3, respectively) which are similar to previously reported copper(I) dyes with symmetric ligands, although their energy conversion efficiencies are relatively low (0.17, 0.64, and 2.66%, respectively).     

Protonation enthalpies in fluorosulfonic acid using ab initio self-consistent reaction field theory

Electrostatic solvation free energies were computed for several small neutral bases and their conjugate acids using a continuum solvation model called the self-consistent isodensity polarizable continuum model (SCIPCM). The solvation energies were computed at the restricted Hartree–Fock (RHF) and second-order Møller–Plesset (MP2) levels of theory, as well as with the Becke3–Lee–Yang–Parr (B3LYP) density functional theory, using the standard 6–31G** Gaussian basis set. The RHF solvation energies are similar to those computed at the correlated MP2 and B3LYP theoretical levels. A model for computing protonation enthalpies for neutral bases in fluorosulfonic acid solvent leads to the equation ΔH(B)=−PA(B)+ΔE_t(BH⁺)−ΔE_t(B)+β, where PA(B) is the gas phase proton affinity for base B, ΔE_t(BH⁺) is the SCIPCM solvation energy for the conjugate acid, and ΔE_t(B) is the solvation energy for the base. A fit to experimental values of ΔH(B) for 10 neutral bases (H₂O, MeOH, Me₂O, H₂S, MeSH, Me₂S, NH₃, MeNH₂, Me₂NH, and PH₃) gives β=238.4±2.9 kcal/mol when ΔΔE_t is computed using the 0.0004 e⋅bohr⁻³ isodensity surface for defining the solute cavity at the RHF/6–31G** level. The model predicts that for carbon monoxide ΔH(CO)=10 kcal/mol. Thus, protonation of CO is endothermic, and the conjugate acid HCO⁺ (formyl cation) behaves as a strong acid in fluorosulfonic acid. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 250–257, 1998     

Electrons-in-a-box model for conjugation in linear carbanions

Solving the constrained Hartree–Fock equation and using the method of the energy component analysis, we have determined the fundamental factor which causes the electrons at the negative center of conjugated carbanion to delocalize over the whole system. Constraint on the π-electron flow between the anion center and polyethylenic system produces the electronic state that the lone-pair electrons are localized at the anionic center. By doing so, a prominent increase in the kinetic energy of π electrons was observed. Such an increase was found to quantitatively fit in with that by the model that electrons are packed in a box. Thus, we could clearly show that delocalization of the carbanion in the polyethylenic system is brought forth by the relaxation of the kinetic energy pressure. We also examined conjugated carbodianion systems. Dianion involves repulsive interaction between anions causing less conjugation energy. Namely, conjugation itself is given by the release in the kinetic energy pressure, but, it is restrained by the electrostatic repulsion. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 68: 65–72, 1998