Synthesis and spectral studies on heterobimetallic complexes of manganese and ruthenium derived from bis[N-(2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene]oxaloyldihydrazide

The complex [Mn(L)(H₂O)₂] [H₄L = bis[N-(2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene]-oxaloyldihydrazide] reacts with activated ruthenium(III) chloride in methanol in 1:1.2 M ratio under reflux resulting in heterobimetallic complex of the composition [Mn(L)(H₂O)₄RuCl₂]Cl. The complexes of the composition [Mn(L)(A)₄RuCl₂]Cl were obtained when the above reaction was carried out in presence of heterocyclic nitrogen bases(A) such as pyridine(py), 3-picoline(3-pic) and 4-picoline(4-pic). The molar conductance values for these complexes in DMF(N,N-dimethyl formamide) solution indicate their 1:1 electrolytic nature. Magnetic moment values suggest that these heterobimetallic complexes contain Mn(IV) and Ru(III) in the same structural unit. Electronic spectral studies suggest six coordinated metal ions in these complexes. IR spectra reveal that the H₄L ligand coordinates in its keto-form to Mn(IV) and Ru(III).     

Structural and surface morphological studies of long chain fatty acid thin films deposited by Langmuir–Blodgett technique

In the present work we aim to study the structural and surface morphological characteristics of divalent cation (cadmium ion, Cd²⁺) induced thin mono- to multilayer films of fatty acids such as arachidic acid and stearic acid prepared by the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique. These ultra thin films of various numbers of layers were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). In this specific Y-type deposition, it was found that as the individual layer thickness increases, the corresponding layer by layer interfacial electron density of the thin films decreases. Since the fatty acid chain tries to maintain its minimum value of cross-sectional area, tilting occurs with respect to its nearest neighbor. The tilt angle calculated for 9 layers of cadmium arachidate (CdA₂) and cadmium stearate (CdSt₂) are 18° and 19.5°, respectively. An asymmetric air gap of thickness ∼3 Å was also seen between the tail parts of 2 molecular chains. The RMS roughness and average height factors calculated through AFM studies show non-uniform surface morphology of both CdA₂ and CdSt₂, although the calculated topographic variations were found to have more irregularity in case of CdSt₂ than in case of CdA₂.     

Electrical conduction mechanism in nanocrystalline CdTe (nc-CdTe) thin films

The present paper reports the electrical characterization of nc-CdTe thin films in different temperature ranges. Thin films of nc-CdTe are deposited on the glass substrates by Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) using the Inert Gas Condensation (IGC) method. The Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) studies are made on the CdTe nanocrystals. The surface morphology and structure of the thin films are studied by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements. Dark conductivity measurements are made on the nc-CdTe thin films in the temperature range 110–370 K in order to identify the conduction mechanism in this temperature range. The obtained results reveal three distinct regions at high, low, and sufficiently low temperature regions with decreasing activation energies. The analysis of the high temperature conductivity data is based on the Seto’s model of thermionic emission. At very low temperatures, dc conductivity (σ _d) obeys the law: lnσT ^1/2∝T ^?1/4, indicating variable-range hopping in localized states near the Fermi level. The density of the localized states N(E _F) and various other Mott’s parameters like the degree of disorder (T _O), hopping distance (R), and hopping energy (W) near the Fermi level are calculated using dc conductivity measurements at low temperatures. Carrier type, carrier concentration, and mobility are determined from the Hall measurements. The transient photoconductivity decay measurements are performed on the nc-CdTe thin films at different intensities in order to know the nature of the decay process.     

Generalized {{(\kappa, \mu)}}-Space Forms

Generalized ${{(\kappa, \mu)}}$ -space forms are introduced and studied. We examine in depth the contact metric case and present examples for all possible dimensions. We also analyse the trans-Sasakian case.     

Electrical and electrochemical studies on magnesium ion-based polymer gel electrolytes

The development of polymer gel electrolyte system with high ionic conductivity is the main objective of polymer research. Electrochemical devices based on lithium ion-conducting polymer electrolyte are not safe due to the explosive nature of lithium. An attempt has been made to synthesize magnesium ion-conducting polymeric gel electrolytes, poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)–propylene carbonate–magnesium perchlorate, PVdF(HFP)-PC–Mg(ClO₄)₂ using standard solution-cast techniques. The maximum room temperature ionic conductivity of the synthesized electrolyte system has been observed to be 5.0 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹, which is quite acceptable from a device fabrication point of view. The temperature-dependent conductivity and the dielectric behavior were also analyzed. The pattern of the temperature-dependent conductivity shows the Arrhenius behavior. The dielectric constant ε _r and dielectric loss ε _i increases with temperature in the low-frequency region but almost negligible in the high-frequency region. This behavior can be explained on the basis of electrode polarization effects. The real part M _r and imaginary part M _i versus frequency indicate that the systems are predominantly ionic conductors. Further, the synthesized electrolyte materials have been checked for its suitability in energy storage devices namely redox supercapacitor with conducting polymer polypyrrole as electrode materials, and finally, it was observed that it shows good capacitive behavior in low-frequency region. Preliminary studies show that the overall capacitance of 22 mF cm⁻² which is equivalent to a single electrode specific capacitance of 117 F gm⁻¹ was observed for the above said supercapacitors.     

Solvent density effects on the solvation behavior and configurational structure of bare and passivated 38-atom gold nanoparticle in supercritical ethane

In exploring the effects of solvent density on the mode and the degree of solvation of the bare and passivated 38-atom gold particle in supercritical ethane, we have extended the molecular dynamics simulations of the system, reported previously,(34) to cover a range of isotherms in the T > T(c) regime, where T(c) is the critical temperature of the solvent. Consonant with our previous observations, the modes of solvation of the bare and the passivated particle, deduced from the radial distribution of the solvent about the metal core center of mass, are found to be vastly different from each other at all solvent densities: while the molecules solvating the bare particle form a well-defined, two-region layer around it, those solvating the passivated particle are loosely dispersed in the passivating layer. For the bare particle, the degree of solvation (vartheta) as a function of solvent density passes through a maximum occurring in the close vicinity of the critical point, consistent with our previous results and in agreement with Debenedetti's theoretical analysis,(22,23) which predicts a solvation enhancement effect in the critical region for systems where the unlike solvent/solute interaction is much stronger than the solvent/solvent interaction. Taking the degree of solvation (vartheta) as a measure of solvent quality, we have investigated how the solvent quality would vary along the solvent-density isotherms. In the solvent-density regime rho > rho(c), the solvent quality is found to be a decreasing function of the density as a result of progressive dominance of the excluded volume effect over the attractive particle/solvent interactions. The particle/solvent affinity is greatly reduced in the presence of the passivating layer, resulting in considerable shrinkage of the good-solvent-quality domain in the supercritical regime. The solvent environment and the presence of the passivating chains produce significant disorder in the equilibrium structure assumed by the nanoparticle core.     

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels based on polysaccharides incorporated with thermo-responsive polymers as novel biomaterials

In recent years, intelligent hydrogels which can change their swelling behavior and other properties in response to environmental stimuli such as temperature, pH, solvent composition and electric fields, have attracted great interest. The hydrogels based on polysaccharides incorporated with thermo-responsive polymers have shown unique properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biological functions in addition to the stimuli-responsive characters. These "smart" hydrogels exhibit single or multiple stimuli-responsive characters which could be used in biomedical applications, including controlled drug delivery, bioengineering or tissue engineering. This review focuses on the recent developments and future trends dealing with stimuli-responsive hydrogels based on grafting/blending of polysaccharides such as chitosan, alginate, cellulose, dextran and their derivatives with thermo-sensitive polymers. This review also screens the current applications of these hydrogels in the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering and wound healing.     

Optimization of laser hole drilling process on thick gold spherical hohlraums for intense X-ray generation

Hohlraums of high-Z materials are used as soft X-ray sources to study indirect drive fusion, equation of state of materials etc. Here, we describe a method to develop spherical gold hohlraums of large wall thickness (∼70–80 μm) on which laser entrance and diagnostics holes are drilled using a 10 Hz Nd:YLF laser. Holes of different diameters have been drilled with lenses of different focal lengths. The back wall of the hohlraum is protected from the damage by shutting off the laser at pre-determined hole drilling time.