Single mode phonon energy transmission in functionalized carbon nanotubes

Although the carbon nanotube (CNT) features superior thermal properties in its pristine form, the chemical functionalization often required for many applications of CNT inevitably degrades the structural integrity and affects the transport of energy carriers. In this article, the effect of the side wall functionalization on the phonon energy transmission along the symmetry axis of CNT is studied using the phonon wave packet method. Three different functional groups are studied: methyl (-CH(3)), vinyl (-C(2)H(3)), and carboxyl (-COOH). We find that, near Γ point of the Brillouin zone, acoustic phonons show ideal transmission, while the transmission of the optical phonons is strongly suppressed. A positive correlation between the energy transmission coefficient and the phonon group velocity is observed for both acoustic and optical phonon modes. On comparing the transmission due to functional groups with equivalent point mass defects on CNT, we find that the chemistry of the functional group, rather than its molecular mass, has a dominant role in determining phonon scattering, hence the transmission, at the defect sites.     

Compound prioritization methods increase rates of chemical probe discovery in model organisms

Preselection of compounds that are more likely to induce a phenotype can increase the efficiency and reduce the costs for model organism screening. To identify such molecules, we screened ~81,000 compounds in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and identified ~7500 that inhibit cell growth. Screening these growth-inhibitory molecules across a diverse panel of model organisms resulted in an increased phenotypic hit-rate. These data were used to build a model to predict compounds that inhibit yeast growth. Empirical and in silico application of the model enriched the discovery of bioactive compounds in diverse model organisms. To demonstrate the potential of these molecules as lead chemical probes, we used chemogenomic profiling in yeast and identified specific inhibitors of lanosterol synthase and of stearoyl-CoA 9-desaturase. As community resources, the ~7500 growth-inhibitory molecules have been made commercially available and the computational model and filter used are provided.     

QTAIM charge-charge flux-dipole flux interpretation of electronegativity and potential models of the fluorochloromethane mean dipole moment derivatives

Infrared fundamental vibrational intensities and quantum theory atoms in molecules (QTAIM) charge-charge flux-dipole flux (CCFDF) contributions to the polar tensors of the fluorochloromethanes have been calculated at the QCISD/cc-pVTZ level. A root-mean-square error of 20.0 km mol(-1) has been found compared to an experimental error estimate of 14.4 and 21.1 km mol(-1) for MP2/6-311++G(3d,3p) results. The errors in the QCISD polar tensor elements and mean dipole moment derivatives are 0.059 e when compared with the experimental values. Both theoretical levels provide results showing that the dynamical charge and dipole fluxes provide significant contributions to the mean dipole moment derivatives and tend to be of opposite signs canceling one another. Although the experimental mean dipole moment derivative values suggest that all the fluorochloromethane molecules have electronic structures consistent with a simple electronegativity model with transferable atomic charges for their terminal atoms, the QTAIM/CCFDF models confirm this only for the fluoromethanes. Whereas the fluorine atom does not suffer a saturation effect in its capacity to drain electronic charge from carbon atoms that are attached to other fluorine and chlorine atoms, the zero flux electronic charge of the chlorine atom depends on the number and kind of the other substituent atoms. Both the QTAIM carbon charges (r = 0.990) and mean dipole moment derivatives (r = 0.996) are found to obey Siegbahn's potential model for carbon 1s electron ionization energies at the QCISD/cc-pVTZ level. The latter is a consequence of the carbon mean derivatives obeying the electronegativity model and not necessarily to their similarities with atomic charges. Atomic dipole contributions to the neighboring atom electrostatic potentials of the fluorochloromethanes are found to be of comparable size to the atomic charge contributions and increase the accuracy of Siegbahn's model for the QTAIM charge model results. Substitution effects of the hydrogen, fluorine, and chlorine atoms on the charge and dipole flux QTAIM contributions are found to be additive for the mean dipole derivatives of the fluorochloromethanes.     

Highly twisted triarylamines for photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer

9-(N,N-Dianisylamino)anthracene (9DAAA), 9-(N,N-dianisylamino)dinaphth([1,2-a:2'-1'-j]-anthracene (9DAAH), and 9,10-bis(N,N-dianisylamino)anthracene (910BAA) were synthesized as highly twisted triarylamines with potential for photoexcited internal charge transfer. Crystallography of 9DAAA shows its dianisylamino group to be twisted nearly perpendicular to its anthracene unit, similar to a report for 910BAA. The solution fluorescence spectra show strong bathochromic shifts for each of the three molecular systems with strongly decreased quantum efficiency in higher polarity solvents. Solution-phase (ensemble) time-resolved photoluminescence measurements show up to 4-fold decreases in fluorescence lifetime in acetonitrile compared to hexane. The combined results are consistent with photoinduced, transient intramolecular charge-transfer from the bis-anisylamine unit to the polycyclic aromatic unit. Computational modeling is in accord with intramolecular transfer of electron density from the bis-anisylamino unit to the anthracene, based on in comparisons of HOMO and LUMO.     

3D thermoplastic elastomer microfluidic devices for biological probe immobilization

Microfluidics has emerged as a valuable tool for the high-resolution patterning of biological probes on solid supports. Yet, its widespread adoption as a universal biological immobilization tool is still limited by several technical challenges, particularly for the patterning of isolated spots using three-dimensional (3D) channel networks. A key limitation arises from the difficulties to adapt the techniques and materials typically used in prototyping to low-cost mass-production. In this paper, we present the fabrication of thin thermoplastic elastomer membranes with microscopic through-holes using a hot-embossing process that is compatible with high-throughput manufacturing. The membranes provide the basis for the fabrication of highly integrated 3D microfluidic devices with a footprint of only 1 × 1 cm(2). When placed on a solid support, the device allows for the immobilization of up to 96 different probes in the form of a 10 × 10 array comprising isolated spots of 50 × 50 μm(2). The design of the channel network is optimized using 3D simulations based on the Lattice-Boltzmann method to promote capillary action as the sole force distributing the liquid in the device. Finally, we demonstrate the patterning of DNA and protein arrays on hard thermoplastic substrates yielding spots of excellent definition that prove to be highly specific in subsequent hybridization experiments.     

Conformationally rigid aromatic amino acids as potential building blocks for abiotic foldamers

This communication describes the development of conformationally constrained unnatural aromatic amino acids, constructed on rigid backbone wherein the carboxyl and amino groups project in two dimensions (planes) on the aromatic framework. Such a feature offers the possibility of design and development of conformationally ordered synthetic oligomers with intriguing structural architectures distinct from those classically observed. Furthermore, such amino acids will have the potential to extend the conformational space available for foldamer design with diverse backbone conformation and structural architectures.     

Pyridinium derivatives of histamine are potent activators of cytosolic carbonic anhydrase isoforms I, II and VII

A series of positively-charged derivatives has been prepared by reaction of histamine with substituted pyrylium salts. These pyridinium histamine derivatives were investigated as activators of the zinc enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) and more precisely the human isoforms hCA I, II and VII. Activities from the subnanomolar to the micromolar range were detected for these compounds as activators of the three isoforms, confirming the validity of current and previous designs. The substitution pattern at the pyridinium ring was the main factor influencing activity, the three isoforms showing different structural requirements for good activity, related with the number of pyridinium substituting groups and their nature, among various alkyl, phenyl and para-substituted styryl moieties. We were successful in identifying nanomolar potent and selective activators for each isozyme and also activators with a relatively good activity against all isozymes tested--valuable lead compounds for physiology and pathology studies involving these isozymes.     

Effect of complementary small molecules on the properties of bicomponent hydrogel of riboflavin

Three new bicomponent hydrogels of riboflavin (R) with salicylic acid (S), dihydroxybenzoic acid (B) and acetoguanamine (D) in 1:1 molar ratio have been reported. FTIR and UV-vis spectra suggest formation of H-bonded complexes in 1:1 molar ratio of the components. The network consists of tape, bar and helical tubes for RB11, RS11 and RD11 systems, respectively. Reversible first order phase transition and invariant storage modulus (G') with angular frequency (ω) characterise the systems as forming thermoreversible hydrogels. The RD11 gel has the highest gel melting temperature and highest critical strain compared to other gels. WAXS study indicates different crystal structures for different gels. NMR spectra reveals higher shielding of protons in RD11 gel suggesting better π-stacking compared to RS11 and RB11 gels. RD11 gel shows two-fold enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) intensity with a substantial red shift of emission peak but RB11 and RS11 gels show PL-quenching. The gels exhibit a small decrease in lifetime and the PL property is very much temperature and pH dependent. So the complementary molecules have a pronounced effect on morphology, structure, stability and optical property of riboflavin gels.     

Pyridine as proton acceptor in the concerted proton electron transfer oxidation of phenol

Taking pyridine as a prototypal example of biologically important nitrogen bases involved in proton-coupled electron transfers, it is shown with the example of the photochemically triggered oxidation of phenol by Ru(III)(bpy)(3) that this proton acceptor partakes in a concerted pathway whose kinetic characteristics can be extracted from the overall kinetic response. The treatment of these data, implemented by the results of a parallel study carried out in heavy water, allowed the determination of the intrinsic kinetic characteristics of this proton acceptor. Comparison of the reorganization energies and of the pre-exponential factors previously derived for hydrogen phosphate and water (in water) as proton acceptors suggests that, in the case of pyridine, the proton charge is delocalized over a primary shell of water molecules firmly bound to the pyridinium cation.     

Unsymmetrical diimine complexes of iron(II) and manganese(II): synthesis, structure and photoluminescence of an isomer

Two bis(unsymmetrical diimine) complexes of (L(NO(2))(?1))(L(NO(2))(?2))M(II)Cl(2) family with M = Fe and Mn, are reported (L(NO(2))(?) = (E)-3-nitro-N-(pyridine-2-ylmethylene)aniline; ? = dihedral angle between the diimine unit including pyridine ring and the phenyl ring planes). Pure tcc-(L(NO2)(33.6))(L(NO2)(79.3))Fe(II)Cl(2)·0.5H(2)O (1) and tcc-(L(NO2)(32.0))(L(NO2)(79.4))Mn(II)Cl(2)·0.5H(2)O (2) isomers have been successfully isolated in high yields and characterized by elemental analyses, variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements, IR, mass, UV-vis and M?ssbauer spectra including the single-crystal X-ray structure determinations that identified strong intermolecular non-bonding interactions in lattice (tcc refers to trans-cis-cis positions with respect to pyridine N-imine N-Cl donors). Geometries optimizations of all possible tcc, ttt, ctc, ccc and cct isomers of iron at the B3LYP/DFT level in gas-phase have shown that the tcc-isomer incorporating two non-equivalent ligands as in (L(NO(2))(42))(L(NO(2))(61))Fe(II)Cl(2), 1 (g), is stabilized by 6-20 kJ mol(-1) compared to other isomers where two ligands are equivalent. The frozen methanol glasses of 1 and 2 are luminescent at 77 K (1: λ(ext) = 370, λ(em) = 521 nm, χ(2) = 1.3, τ(avg) = 0.57 ns; 2: λ(ext) = 368, λ(em) = 524 nm, χ(2) = 1.1, τ(avg) = 0.90 ns). The DFT calculations have identified four closely spaced localized π(*) orbitals comprising of two non-equivalent ligands as UPMOs. The features contrast the tcc-isomer of (L(?))(2)Fe(II)Cl(2) (3), congener of 1 without -NO(2) substitution and non-emissive (bpy)(2)Fe(II)Cl(2) (4) where two ligands are equivalent. TD-DFT calculations have assigned intra-ligand (IL) and ligand to ligand charge transfer (LLCT) dominated excited states as the origin of luminescence of 1 and 2.