An S = 6 cyanide-bridged octanuclear FeIII4NiII4 complex that exhibits slow relaxation of the magnetization

The synthesis and structural and magnetic characterization of an S = 6 cyanide-bridged octanuclear FeIII4NiII4 (1) complex is described. Ac susceptibility and mu-SQUID measurements suggest that fast magnetization relaxation is present in zero-field due to quantum tunneling of the ground spin state (QTM) while application of small magnetic fields induces slow relaxation of the magnetization.     

An S = 2 cyanide-bridged trinuclear Fe(III)2Ni(II) single-molecule magnet

Treatment of [NEt4][(pzTp)Fe(III)(CN)3] (1) with Ni(II)(OTf)2 (OTf = trifluoromethanesulfonate) and 1,5,8,12-tetraazadodecane (L) affords {[(pzTp)Fe(III)(CN)3]2[Ni(II)L]} x 1/2MeOH (2), while 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) affords {[(pzTp)Fe(III)(CN)3]2[Ni(II)(bipy)2]} x 2 H2O (3). Magnetic measurements indicate that 2 and 3 have S = 2 ground states and that 3 exhibits slow relaxation of the magnetization above 2 K.     

Fabrication of upended taper-shaped cuprous thiocyanate arrays on a copper surface at room temperature

A new strategy has been well designed to form upended taper-shaped cuprous thiocyanate (hereafter abbreviated as CuCNS) arrays on a copper substrate with use of a simple solution-phase method at room temperature. This method consists of a liquid-solid reaction between a solution of thiocyanate ammonium and the copper substrate itself in the assistance of formamide. Novel CuCNS arrays are approximately perpendicular to copper substrate surfaces. Every single crystal shows an upended taper-like morphology (i.e., the tip end points into the surface of copper substrate and the other big end of the taper exposes out, like a dart thrusting into the copper substrate). On the basis of structure and chemical bond analysis, CuCNS crystals tend to grow along the c-axis, which is essential for the formation of CuCNS arrays on a copper substrate. This approach also provides a facile strategy to produce different patterns on different copper substrates, which may be applicable to the synthesis of other inorganic materials with various potential applications.     

A 3D porous zinc MOF constructed from a flexible tripodal ligand: Synthesis, structure, and photoluminescence property

A new metal-organic framework, [Zn₅(trencba)₂(OH)₂Cl₂·4H₂O] (1) [H₃trencba=N,N,N′,N′,N′′,N′′-tris[(4-carboxylate-2-yl)methyl]-tris(2-aminoethyl)amine], constructed from a flexible tripodal ligand based on C₃ symmetric tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, has been synthesized hydrothermally and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, TG, XRD and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 1 contains an unprecedented linear penta-nuclear zinc cluster fragment. Each ligand links four penta-nuclear fragments, and every fragment links eight ligands to generate a three-dimensional non-interpenetrated porous framework. The uncoordinated water molecules were observed trapped in the void pores. Compound 1 represents the first example of (6,8)-connected 3D bi-nodal framework based on a single kind of organic ligand. The photoluminescence measurements showed that complex 1 exhibits relatively stronger blue emissions at room temperature than that of the ligand.     

Electronegativity identification of novel superhard materials

We show that electronegativity can be used to effectively identify the hardness of crystal materials on the basis of a new microscopic model for hardness. Bond electronegativity is proposed to characterize the electron-holding energy of a bond, which is the intrinsic origin of hardness. Applying this model to c-BC(2)N materials, we confirm the proper bond composition of the experimentally observed phase of c-BC(2)N, in which the bond ratio N(C-C):N(B-N):N(B-C):N(C-N) is 3:3:1:1. A number of bonds that can or cannot form a superhard material are qualitatively distinguished, which enables us to explore novel superhard materials by screening possible elemental combinations.     

Surface functionalization of carbon nanofibers by sol-gel coating of zinc oxide

In this paper the functional carbon nanofibers were prepared by the carbonization of ZnO coated PAN nanofibers to expand the potential applications of carbon nanofibers. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers were obtained by electrospinning. The electrospun PAN nanofibers were then used as substrates for depositing the functional layer of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the PAN nanofiber surfaces by sol-gel technique. The effects of coating, pre-oxidation and carbonization on the surface morphology and structures of the nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results of SEM showed a significant increase of the size of ZnO nanograins on the surface of nanofibers after the treatments of coating, pre-oxidation and carbonization. The observations by SEM also revealed that ZnO nanoclusters were firmly and clearly distributed on the surface of the carbon nanofibers. FTIR examination also confirmed the deposition of ZnO on the surface of carbon nanofibers. The XRD analysis indicated that the crystal structure of ZnO nanograins on the surface of carbon nanofibers.     

Existence of invariant curves with prescribed frequency for degenerate area preserving mappings

We consider small perturbations of analytic non-twist area preserving mappings, and prove the existence of invariant curves with prescribed frequency by KAM iteration. Generally speaking, the frequency of invariant curve may undergo some drift, if the twist condition is not satisfied. But in this paper, we deal with a degenerate situation where the unperturbed rotation angle function r → ω + r²ⁿ⁺¹ is odd order degenerate at r = 0, and prove the existence of invariant curve without any drift in its frequency. Furthermore, we give a more general theorem on the existence of invariant curves with prescribed frequency for non-twist area preserving mappings and discuss the case of degeneracy with various orders.     

High‐performance liquid chromatography based chemical fingerprint analysis and chemometric approaches for the identification and distinction of three endangered Panax plants in Southeast Asia

Among Panax genus, only three endangered species Panax notoginseng, P. vietnamensis, and P. stipuleanatus that have a similar morphology are mainly distributed in Southeast Asia. These three plants are usually misidentified or adulterated. To identify them well, their chemical chromatographic fingerprints were established by an effective high‐performance liquid chromatography method. By comparing the chromatograms, the three Panax species could be distinguished easily using the 22 characteristic peaks. Besides, the data of the chromatographic fingerprints aided by chemometric approaches were applied for the identification and investigation the relationship of different samples and species. Using similarity analysis, the chemical components revealed higher similarity between P. vietnamensis and P. stipuleanatus. The results of hierarchical clustering analysis indicated that samples belonging to the same species could be clustered together. The result of principal component analysis was similar with hierarchical clustering analysis and the three principal components accounted for >80.5% of total variability.     

Molecular electrodes at the exposed edge of metal/insulator/metal trilayer structures

Producing reliable electrical contacts of molecular dimensions has been a critical challenge in the field of molecule-based electronics. Conventional thin film deposition and photolithography techniques have been utilized to construct novel nanometer-sized electrodes on the exposed vertical plane on the edge of a thin film multilayer structure (metal/insulator/metal). Via thiol surface attachment to metal leads, an array of paramagnetic, cyanide-bridged octametal complexes, [(pzTp)FeIII(CN)3]4[NiII(L)]4[O3SCF3]4 (1) [(pzTp) = tetra(pyrazol-1-yl)borate; L = 1-S(acetyl)tris(pyrazolyl)decane], were covalently linked onto the electrodes forming a dominant conduction pathway. A series of molecule-based devices were fabricated using Ni, NiFe, Ta, and Au as metal electrodes separated by insulating Al2O3 spacers, followed by treatment with 1. A series of control experiments were also performed to demonstrate that the conduction path was through tethered metal clusters. The molecular current was analyzed via the Simmons tunnel model, and calculations are consistent with electron tunneling through the alkane ethers to the central metal core. With a Ni/Al2O3/Au molecular electrode, the tether binding was found to be reversible to the top Au layer, allowing for a new class of chemical detection based on the steric bulk of coordinating analytes to disconnect the molecular current path. Simple and economical photolithography/liftoff/self-assembly fabrication techniques afford robust molecular junctions with high reproducibility (>90%) and long operational lifetimes (>1 year).