Vibrational modes of metal nanoshells and bimetallic core-shell nanoparticles

We theoretically study the spectrum of radial vibrational modes in composite metal nanostructures such as bimetallic core-shell particles and metal nanoshells with dielectric core in an environment. We calculate frequencies and damping rates of fundamental (breathing) modes for these nanostructures along with those of two higher-order modes. For metal nanoshells, we find that the breathing mode frequency is always lower than the one for solid particles of the same size, while the damping is higher and increases with a reduction in the shell thickness. We identify two regimes that can be characterized as weakly damped and overdamped vibrations in the presence of external medium. For bimetallic particles, we find periodic dependence of frequency and damping rate on the shell thickness with period being determined by the mode number. For both types of nanostructures, the frequency of higher modes is nearly independent of the environment, while the damping rate shows a strong sensitivity to the outside medium.     

Structure of binuclear platinum(III) acetamidate complexes in solutions as probed by <Superscript>195</Superscript>Pt, <Superscript>13</Superscript>C,and <Superscript>1</Superscript>H NMR spectroscopy

¹⁹⁵Pt, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy was used to study the structure of binuclear platinum(III) acetamidate complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2′-bipyridine ligands [Pt₂(phen)₂(acam)₄](NO₃)₂ (1) and [Pt₂(bipy)₂(acam)₄](NO₃)₂ (2) in aqueous solutions. The ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR spectra of solutions of complexes 1 and 2 in D₂O exhibit two signals with satellites due to the ¹⁹⁵Pt–¹⁹⁵Pt spin-spin coupling (¹ J(Pt–Pt) ≈ 6345 Hz), whereas their ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra contain four sets of signals for the protons and the carbon atoms of the heterocyclic and acetamidate ligands. The signals were assigned using the COSY, NOESY, and HSQC/ HMBC experiments and comparing the coordination shifts of the signals for the protons of heterocycles. These data allowed us to draw a conclusion that binuclear complexes 1 and 2 in solution have a head-to-head structure with nonequivalent platinum(III) atoms (coordination cores PtN₅ and PtN₃O₂), the axial-equatorial coordination of the bidentate heterocyclic molecules, and two bridging and two terminal acetamidate ligands.     

Structure Determination of Binuclear Triple-Decker Phthalocyaninato Complexes by NMR via Paramagnetic Shifts Analysis Using Symmetry Peculiarities

The detailed knowledge about the structure of multinuclear paramagnetic lanthanide complexes for the targeted design of these compounds with special magnetic, sensory, optical and electronic properties is a very important task. At the same time, establishing the structure of such multinuclear paramagnetic lanthanide complexes in solution, using NMR is a difficult task, since several paramagnetic centers act simultaneously on the resulting chemical shift of a particular nucleus. In this paper, we have demonstrated the possibility of molecular structure determination in solution on the example of binuclear triple-decker lanthanide(III) complexes with tetra-15-crown-5-phthalocyanine Ln₂[(15C5)₄Pc]₃ {where Ln = Tb (1) and Dy (2)} by quantitative analysis of the pseudo-contact lanthanide-induced shifts (LIS). The symmetry of complexes was used for the simplification of the calculation of pseudo-contact shifts on the base of the expression for the magnetic susceptibility tensor in the arbitrary oriented magnetic axis system. Good agreement between the calculated and experimental shifts in the ¹H NMR spectra indicates the similarity of the structure for the complexes 1 and 2 in solution of CDCl₃ and the structure in the crystalline phase, found from the data of the X-ray structural study of the similar complex Lu₂[(15C5)₄Pc]₃. The described approach can be useful for LIS analysis of other polynuclear symmetric lanthanide complexes.     

Recognition of perrhenate and pertechnetate by a neutral macrocyclic receptor

The synthesis and anion binding properties of a neutral macrocyclic receptor bearing H-bond donor coordination sites are described. The anion binding studies by use of UV-vis and ⁹⁹Tc NMR methods revealed that the receptor can coordinate perrhenate and pertechnetate in dimethylsulfoxide and chloroform solutions with the relatively high binding constants, viz. log K _a > 4. The coordination mode of the perrhenate to the receptor was determined by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Light-induced thermomechanical effect as a new mechanism of orientational optical nonlinearity in liquid crystals

A laser-induced thermomechanical effect in twist-aligned nematic liquid crystals has been revealed and experimentally studied. It has been proved that the nature of this phenomenon is orientational rather than diffraction. It has been shown that the orientational optical nonlinearity resulting from this effect can be as strong as the well-known giant optical nonlinearity. Moreover, giant optical nonlinearity does not exist at normal incidence of the laser beam, whereas thermomechanical nonlinearity remains of the same order of magnitude at any angle of incidence of the beam.     

<Superscript>2</Superscript>H and <Superscript>47, 49</Superscript>Ti nuclear magnetic resonance in the γ phase of titanium deuterides TiD<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>

Titanium deuterides TiD_1.92, TiD_1.98, and TiD_2.0 have been studied by ²H and ^{47, 49}Ti NMR in a magnetic field of 7.04 T and a temperature range of 120–500 K. At all temperatures and compositions, the ²H NMR line is a singlet described by the Gaussian function. The contribution of demagnetizing fields to the ²H NMR shift is ∼50 ppm. The titanium NMR spectra for all compositions comprise two signals due to the ⁴⁷Ti and ⁴⁹Ti isotopes. The shift between these signals depends on the deuterium content and temperature. The ^{47, 49}Ti NMR line shape, width, and shifts have been considered in the framework of second-order quadrupole effects for a tetragonal lattice distortion and random distribution of vacancies. The Knight shifts σ(²H) and K(^{47, 49}Ti) are a function of temperature with a clearly pronounced singularity at ∼300 K. The contact, orbital, and polarization contributions to the Knight shifts have been estimated from analysis of the temperature dependences of σ(²H) and K(^{47, 49}Ti).     

Thermoanalytical and NMR investigation of NaBH<Subscript>4</Subscript> × 2H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O thermolysis process

This paper describes the thermal investigations and kinetic analysis regarding the solid-state degradation of three compounds used as mental disorder therapeutic agents (antidepressants), namely amitriptyline, desipramine and imipramine. The study was carried according to ICTAC 2000 recommendations, by using three isoconversional methods, namely Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose and Friedman. The differential method of Friedman indicated multistep degradation, which was later confirmed by the nonparametric kinetic method (NPK). NPK method showed that all three tricyclic antidepressants are degraded by two processes. In terms of apparent activation energies for decomposition, the NPK method indicated 123.4 kJ mol^?1 for imipramine, 112.3 kJ mol^?1 for desipramine and 82.9 kJ mol^?1 for amitriptyline, and the results are in good agreement with the ones suggested by isoconversional methods.     

The Insertion of Carbon Dioxide in Combination with RNCS (R Is Et,Ph) or <Emphasis Type="Italic">N,N′</Emphasis>-Dihexylcarbodiimide into the Re–O(R) Bonds

The heteromolecular insertion of carbon dioxide in combination with heterocumulenes, iso(thio)cyanates or N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, into rhenium–alkoxy group bond was accomplished for the first time in relation to reactivity of rhenium oxoalkoxides. The ease of combined insertion of iso(thio)cyanate and carbon dioxide into Re–O(Me) bond is determined by the nature of the heterocumulene organic group. Indeed, if ethyl iso(thio)cyanate is used in the reaction, the insertion is reversible, whereas the reaction with PhNCS (unlike PhNCO) together with carbon dioxide leads to complete insertion into two Re–O(R) bonds to give the insertion product (OMe)₁₀O₆Re₄[OC(O){N(Ph)C(S)}₂-OMe]₂. In similar reactions carried out with N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, a dependence of the number of bonds participating in the inner-sphere condensation of the inserted moieties on the duration of the experiment was found for the first time. An increase in the time of synthesis from 3 to 5 h results in insertion involving six rather than three bonds, the heteromolecular insertion products being (OMe),O₆Re₄{OC(O)[(Hex)N=C=N(Hex)]₂}₃ and (OMe)₆O₆Re₄{OC(O)[(Hex)N=C=N(Hex)]₂}₆, respectively.     

From bubble to Skyrmion: Dynamic transformation mediated by a strong magnetic tip

Skyrmions in thin metallic ferromagnetic films are stable due to competition between the RKKY interaction and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. We study static nonlinear excitations in magnetic film in the presence of strong cylindrical magnetic tip of nanometer size. We mimic the RKKY interaction by the next-nearest-neighbors ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic exchange interactions. We demonstrate analytically and numerically dissipative transformation of a bubble created by a strong magnetic tip into a stable Skyrmion.     

Quantum superarrivals and information transfer through a time-varying boundary

The time-dependent Schrödinger equation is solved numerically for the case of a Gaussian wave packet incident on a time-varying potential barrier. The time evolving reflection and transmission probabilities of the wave packet are computed for several different time-dependent boundary conditions obtained by reducing or increasing the height of the potential barrier. We show that in the case when the barrier height is reduced to zero, a time interval is found during which the reflection probability is larger (superarrivals) compared to the unperturbed case. We further show that the transmission probability exhibits superarrivals when the barrier is raised from zero to a finite value of its height. Superarrivals could be understood by ascribing the features of a real physical field to the Schrödinger wave function which acts as a carrier through which a disturbance, resulting from the boundary condition being perturbed, prpagates from the barrier to the detectors measuring reflected and transmitted probabilities. The speed of propagation of this effect depends upon the rate of reducing or raising the barrier height, thus suggesting an application for secure information transfer using superarrivals.