Sol-Gel Synthesis and Optical Studies of Rare Earth and Transition Metal Ions Doped Nanocrystalline Aluminum and Yttrium Oxides

The paper reviews the studies of sol-gel produced nanocrystalline -Al₂O₃ and cubic Y₂O₃ doped with RE³⁺ and TM³⁺ ions. The effects of spatial confinement (on nanometer scale) in optical properties of sol-gel produced insulating nanocrystalline oxide materials doped with rare earth and transition metal ions are discussed. The experimental studies showed that in insulators these effects are mostly connected with the changes in the vibrational spectrum and the increased role of the surface in nanocrystals. The transformations between the crystalline forms of Al₂O₃ and the properties of doped corundum ceramics are studied. The methods of sol-gel synthesis of highly dispersed nanocrystalline -Al₂O₃ and cubic Y₂O₃ doped with RE³⁺ and TM³⁺ ions in wide range of concentrations are described. It is shown that optical techniques are useful for characterization of sol-gel produced materials.     

Second-order nonlinear-optical response of new polymeric materials based on epoxides

In the example of new nonlinear-optical polymeric materials based on the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, bonded covalently to a series of chromophores, it has been demonstrated that an increase of the second-order nonlinear-optical characteristics in the polymers can be achieved by creating a more complex conjugated -electron structure.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 308–312, September–October, 1995.     

Self-organization of macromolecules and liquid-crystalline phase transitions in solutions of cellulose esters

For hydroxypropyl cellulose-ethanol, hydroxyethyl cellulose-water, and cyanoethyl cellulose-DMAA systems, phase diagrams are constructed and the regions of existence of isotropic and anisotropic phases and the dimensions of macromolecules and supramacromolecular particles in a wide composition range are determined through the use of the cloud-point method, polarization microscopy, the turbidityspectrum method, dynamic light-scattering measurements, and a polarization optical apparatus. It is shown that the formation of LC phases with an increase in the polymer concentration is associated with a significant enlargement of supramolecular particles.     

Properties of solutions and films of blends of water-soluble cellulose ethers with Zosterin

Viscosity characteristics of dilute and moderately concentrated solutions of blends of methyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and carboxymethyl cellulose with Zosterin were studied. Composite films were prepared from solutions of the polymer blends; their IR spectra and physicomechanical and thermomechanical properties were studied. The region of thermodynamic compatibility of cellulose ethers with Zosterin was determined by solvent vapor sorption.     

Reactions of 3-amino-1-phenyl- and 3-amino-1-(thien-2-yl)-4,4,4-trifluorobut-2-en-1-ones with 1,2-diaminopropane and 1,2-diamino-3,3,3-trifluoropropane

The reactions of 3-amino-1-phenyl-and 3-amino-1-(thien-2-yl)-4,4,4-trifluorobut-2-en-1-ones with 1,2-diaminopropane under kinetically controlled conditions afford mixtures ofcis andtrans isomers of 2-aroylmethyl-4-methyl-2-trifluoromethylimidazolidines. Analogous reactions with 1,2-diamino-3,3,3-trifluoropropane yieldcis-2-aroylmethyl-2,4-bis(trifluoro-methyl)imidazolidines. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2135–2139, November, 1999.     

Properties of solutions and films of blends of water-soluble cellulose ethers with poviargol

Rheological properties of moderately concentrated aqueous solutions of blends of methyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose with Poviargol antiseptic (nanodispersed silver stabilized with polyvinylpyrrolidone) were studied. Composite films were prepared from solutions of the polymer blends, and the physicomechanical and thermomechanical properties of the films were examined. The region of thermodynamic compatibility of cellulose ethers with Poviargol was determined by the method based on sorption of solvent vapor.     

Properties of solutions and films of blends of ethyl cellulose with polyvinylpyrrolidone and Poviargol

Viscosity properties of dilute and concentrated ethanol solutions of blends of ethyl cellulose with polyvinylpyrrolidone and Poviargol bactericidal formulation (silver metal nanoparticles stabilized with polyvinylpyrrolidone) were studied. The physicomechanical and thermomechanical properties of films prepared from solutions of the polymer blends were determined. Experiments on solvent vapor sorption showed that ethyl cellulose is incompatible with polyvinylpyrrolidone and Poviargol in the solid state in the entire composition range examined.     

Tuning of the charge and energy transfer in ternary CdSe/poly(3-methylthiophene)/poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanocomposite system

Composite CdSe:poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MT) nanoparticles have been synthesized via polymerization of 3-methylthiophene (3MT) in the presence of CdSe particles of nanorod or dot-like morphology and dispersed in the poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) matrix. The effect of the P3MT layer to mediate charge and energy transfer between CdSe and P3HT in the ternary nanocomposite system has been studied using electronic absorption, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and current–voltage measurements. The energy level diagram of the composite system has been deduced based on optical and electrochemical data of the separate components of the system. The contribution of the low- and high-molecular fractions of P3MT to control the charge transfer in order to optimize the intermediary role of P3MT is analyzed. Particularly, it was shown that excitation of the low-molecular P3MT leads to energy transfer to both CdSe and P3HT components, and it also serves as a barrier against recombination of electrons and holes separated at CdSe and P3HT, respectively. Thus, the role of the P3MT interlayer in assisting the charge separation and increasing an open-circuit voltage in the photovoltaic cell based on the ternary system is demonstrated.     

Fluorescence Study of Lipid Bilayer Interactions of Eu(III) Coordination Complexes

The interaction between Eu(III) tris-β-diketonato coordination complexes (EC), displaying antitumor activity, and lipid vesicles composed of zwitterionic lipid phosphatidylcholine has been studied using fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. To characterize EC-membrane binding, several fluorescent probes, including pyrene, Prodan and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene, have been employed. It has been found that EC display effective partitioning into lipid phase, giving rise to structural modifications of both polar and nonpolar lipid bilayer regions, viz. enhancement of membrane hydration and increase in tightness of lipid chain packing. The fact that EC accumulating in lipid bilayer are incapable of inducing significant disruption of membrane structural integrity creates strong prerequisites for development of liposomal nanocarriers of these potential antitumor drugs. Such a possibility is also corroborated by the observation that EC membrane incorporation does not prevent lipid bilayer partitioning of long-wavelength squaraine dyes which represent promising candidates for visualization of liposome biodistribution.