Influence of the water molecule on cation-pi interaction: ab initio second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) calculations

The influence of introducing water molecules into a cation-pi complex on the interaction between the cation and the pi system was investigated using the MP2/6-311++G method to explore how a cation-pi complex changes in terms of both its geometry and its binding strength during the hydration. The calculation on the methylammonium-benzene complex showed that the cation-pi interaction is weakened by introducing H(2)O molecules into the system. For example, the optimized interaction distance between the cation and the benzene becomes longer and longer, the transferred charge between them becomes less and less, and the cation-pi binding strength becomes weaker and weaker as the water molecule is introduced one by one. Furthermore, the introduction of the third water molecule leads to a dramatic change in both the complex geometry and the binding energy, resulting in the destruction of the cation-pi interaction. The decomposition on the binding energy shows that the influence is mostly brought out through the electrostatic and induction interactions. This study also demonstrated that the basis set superposition error, thermal energy, and zero-point vibrational energy are significant and needed to be corrected for accurately predicting the binding strength in a hydrated cation-pi complex at the MP2/6-311++G level. Therefore, the results are helpful to better understand the role of water molecules in some biological processes involving cation-pi interactions.     

Fluoro-substituted DPP-bisthiophene conjugated polymer with azides in the side chains as ambipolar semiconductor and photoresist

Photoresists are essential for the fabrication of flexible electronics through all-photolithographic processes. Single component semiconducting photoresist exhibits both semiconducting and photo-patterning properties, and as a result, the device fabrication process can be simplified. However, the design of semiconducting polymeric photoresist with ambipolar semiconducting property remains challenging. In this paper, we report a single component semiconducting photoresist (PFDPPF4T-N₃) by incorporating azide groups and noncovalent conformation locks into the side alkyl chains and conjugated backbones of a diketopyrrolopyrrole-based conjugated polymer, respectively. The results reveal that PFDPP4FT-N₃ exhibits ambipolar semiconducting property with hole and electron mobilities up to 1.12 and 1.17 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively. Moreover, field effect transistors with the individual photo-patterned thin films of PFDPPF4T-N₃ also show ambipolar semiconducting behavior with hole and electron mobilities up to 0.66 and 0.80 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively. These results offer a simple yet effective design strategy for high-performance single component semiconducting photoresists, which hold great potential for flexible electronics processed by all photolithography.

     

Properties of nanobelts and nanotubes measured by in situ TEM.

Characterizing the physical properties of individual nanostructures is challenging because of the difficulty in manipulating the objects of sizes from nanometers to micrometers. Most nanomeasurements have been carried using scanning probe microscopy. In this article, we demonstrate that transmission electron microscopy can be a powerful tool for quantitative measurements of the mechanical and electrical properties of a single nanostructure. Dual-mode resonance of an oxide nanobelt has been observed, and its bending modulus has been measured. An in situ technique was demonstrated for measuring the work function at the tip of a carbon nanotube. The ballistic quantum conductance of a multiwalled carbon nanotube was observed at room temperature using the setup in TEM. It is concluded that in situ measurement by directly linking structure with property is a future direction of electron microscopy.     

Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence Based on Tris(2,2′-bipyridyl) Ruthenium(II) with Hydroxyl Carboxylic Acid

Upon the electrochemical oxidation of tris(2,2′-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) [Ru(bpy)²⁺₃] and hydroxyl carboxylic acids, for instance, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, and -gluconic acid, bright electrochemiluminescences (ECLs) were observed. Different luminescent reactions were presented depending on the applied potential. The light emission was mainly caused by the reaction between alkoxide radical ion and Ru(bpy)³⁺₃below the potential +1.80 V (vs Ag/AgCl). The luminescence intensity obviously increased because of the more complex reaction process. The luminescence wavelength of 608 nm, which could be found either at higher potential than +1.80 V or in the potential range from +1.30 to +1.80 V, confirmed that ECL was caused by Ru(bpy)²⁺₃*. The factors which affect the determination and HPLC separation of the four acids were also investigated.     

Study of the Fluorescence System of Europium–Enoxacin and its Applications

 This paper is the study of the fluorescence enhancement of Eu³⁺-1-ethyl-6-fluoro-4-oxo-7-(1-piperazinyl)-1,8-naphthyridin-3-carbonic acid (enoxacin, EFLX) system by surfactants. It was found that sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) exhibits great enhancement on the fluorescence of the Eu-EFLX system. The molar ratio is 1:2:1 for Eu:EFLX: SDBS. Under the optimum conditions, the fluorescence intensity is a linear function of europium in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ ∼ 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L, the detection limit is 1.0 × 10⁻⁹ mol/L. The application of the Eu-EFLX-SDBS system for the determination of trace europium in rare earth samples gave satisfactory results. Received October 19, 2000. Revision August 10, 2001.