Raman scattering in low wavenumber region as a new probe to structural properties of microcrystalline silicon

The structural properties of microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) are studied by Raman scattering. It is found that the intensity of each Raman band closely correlates with the absorption coefficient in the interband region and that the Raman band at ca. 150 cm^?1 is a sensitive probe to randomness of Si-Si bonding structure in μc-Si.     

Simple methods for the syntheses of (E)-4- and (E)-5-alkenoic acids by the SN2′ type reactions of γ-vinyl-γ-butyrolactone and δ-vinyl-δ-valerolactone with organocopper reagents

γ-Vinyl-γ-butyrolactone and δ-vinylδ-valerolactone react regio- and stereoselectivity with Grignard reagents in the presence of a copper(I) catalyst or with diorganocuprates to afford (E)-4- and (E)-5-alkenoic acids, respectively, in high yields. Synthetic utility of the former reaction is demonstrated in the simple synthesis of (4E,7Z)-4,7-tridecadienyl acetate.     

Characterization of chaotic order and its applications to furuta's type operator inequalities

Very recently, we obtained a simple characterization of the chaotic order log A≥log B among positive invertible operators AB on a Hilbert space. In this note, we discuss Furuta's type operator inequalities as applications of our characterization of the chaotic order.     

Complexability of o-bisguanidinobenzenes with arsenic and phosphoric acids in solution and solid states, and the potential use of their immobilized derivatives as solid base ligands for metal salts and arsenic acid

The role of o-bisguanidinobenzenes (BGBs) as new Brønsted base ligands for arsenic and phosphoric acids was examined. In solution state, complexation was evaluated by Job’s plot in ¹H NMR experiment, indicating a 1:1 complex formation, whereas in solid state crystalline structures of complexes obtained were addressed by X-ray crystallographic analysis and/or solid state ¹³C NMR experiment, in which 1:2 complexes between the BGB and the acid components were normally formed. Based on these results, Merrifield and Hypogel^® resin-anchored BGBs were designed and prepared as the corresponding polymer-supported host ligands. Evaluation of their coordination ability with metal salts (ZnCl₂ and CoCl₂) and arsenic acid in aqueous media by ICP-MS showed that the latter Hypogel^® resin-anchored BGBs acted as effective immobilized base ligands.     

Mechanistic study of electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid at platinum in acidic solution by time-resolved surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy

Surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) combined with cyclic voltammetry or chronoamperometry has been utilized to examine kinetic and mechanistic aspects of the electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid on a polycrystalline Pt surface at the molecular scale. Formate is adsorbed on the electrode in a bridge configuration in parallel to the adsorption of linear and bridge CO produced by dehydration of formic acid. A solution-exchange experiment using isotope-labeled formic acids (H(12)COOH and H(13)COOH) reveals that formic acid is oxidized to CO(2) via adsorbed formate and the decomposition (oxidation) of formate to CO(2) is the rate-determining step of the reaction. The adsorption/oxidation of CO and the oxidation/reduction of the electrode surface strongly affect the formic acid oxidation by blocking active sites for formate adsorption and also by retarding the decomposition of adsorbed formate. The interplay of the involved processes also affects the kinetics and complicates the cyclic voltammograms of formic acid oxidation. The complex voltammetric behavior is comprehensively explained at the molecular scale by taking all these effects into account.     

Thermoreversible sol-gel transition of an aqueous solution of polyrotaxane composed of highly methylated alpha-cyclodextrin and polyethylene glycol

Novel thermo-gelling aqueous solution systems are developed with a polyrotaxane, consisting of methylated alpha-cyclodextrin and polyethylene glycol, based on the slide-ring properties of the macrocycles along the linear chain.     

Stochastic Komatu–Loewner evolutions and BMD domain constant

For Komatu–Loewner equation on a standard slit domain, we randomize the Jordan arc in a manner similar to that of Schramm (2000) to find the SDEs satisfied by the induced motion $\xi \left(t\right)$ on $?\mathbb{H}$ and the slit motion $\mathbf{s}\left(t\right)$. The diffusion coefficient $\alpha$ and drift coefficient $b$ of such SDEs are homogeneous functions.Next with solutions of such SDEs, we study the corresponding stochastic Komatu–Loewner evolution, denoted as ${\mathrm{SKLE}}_{\alpha ,b}$. We introduce a function $b_{\mathrm{BMD}}$ measuring the discrepancy of a standard slit domain from $\mathbb{H}$ relative to BMD. We show that ${\mathrm{SKLE}}_{\sqrt{6},?b_{\mathrm{BMD}}}$ enjoys a locality property.     

Preparation, properties, and reduction of a novel TCNQ-type thienoquinoid

[Structure: see text] TCNQ-type bithienoquinoid condensed with a alpha-dicarbonyl group was synthesized. The compound revealed a reversible reduction wave at +0.32 V vs SCE. The radical anion species was cleanly generated by a reduction with Na-Hg and characterized: lambdamax=1027 nm in vis-NIR and a large spin density of the beta-carbon atoms on the fused ring by EPR spectroscopy. The radical anion salts were isolated by a reduction with iodide and showed moderate conductivity.     

Braid group, gauge invariance, and topological order

Topological order in two-dimensional systems is studied by combining the braid group formalism with a gauge invariance analysis. We show that flux insertions (or large gauge transformations) pertinent to the toroidal topology induce automorphisms of the braid group, giving rise to a unified algebraic structure that characterizes the ground-state subspace and fractionally charged, anyonic quasiparticles. Minimal ground-state degeneracy is derived without assuming any relation between quasiparticle charge and statistics. We also point out that noncommutativity between large gauge transformations is essential for the topological order in the fractional quantum Hall effect.