Quantum communication exploiting above threshold OPO intensity correlations and polarization encoding

We present a continuous variable quantum communication protocol based on bright continuous-wave twin-beams generated by a type-II OPO. Intensity correlation between the beams is used in conjunction with a binary randomization of polarization to guarantee security and reveal eavesdropping actions. The scheme presented is asymmetric. Bob (the receiver) retains one of the beams and sends the other one to Alice after a random rotation of its polarization. The cryptographic key elements are encoded through amplitude modulation by Alice, who sends back her beam to Bob after a second rotation of the polarization. Eventually, the beams are detected by Bob after a further random polarization rotation. The security of the system and the possibility of revealing the eavesdropping action in the case of an individual attack are demonstrated by evaluating the bit error rates.     

Repeated sorption of water in SBA-15 investigated by means of in?situ small-angle x-ray scattering

The effect of repeated cycles of water adsorption/desorption on the structural stability of ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 is studied by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). In?situ sorption measurements are conducted using a custom-built sorption apparatus in connection with a laboratory SAXS setup. Two striking irreversible changes are observed in the sorption isotherms as derived from the integrated SAXS intensity. First, the capillary condensation pressure shifts progressively to lower relative pressure values with increasing number of sorption cycles. This effect is attributed to chemisorption of water at the silica walls, resulting in a change of the fluid-wall interaction. Second, the sorption cycles do not close completely at vanishing vapour pressure, suggesting that progressively more water remains trapped within the porous material after each cycle. This effect is interpreted to be the result of an irreversible collapse of parts of mesopores, originating from pore wall deformation due to the large Laplace pressure of water acting on the pore walls at capillary condensation and capillary evaporation.     

Tribological properties of ormosil coatings

Transparent plastics are not scratch resistant. The damage leads to a loss of optical properties. Coatings prepared using either tetraethoxysilane or colloidal silica particles embedded in glymo is a way to avoid these disadvantages. Tribological experiments are carried out to better understand the surface modification due to a sliding friction. It is shown that the wear track is not directly related to usual mechanical properties such as Young's modulus and the hardness of the coating. The different stages leading to material loss are discussed in term of particle removal and debris circulation (accumulation or elimination) through the friction track. The mechanical properties of the film combined with the film to substrate adhesion are expected to play an important role as it can be deduced from results obtained as a function of the coating composition.     

Conformational analysis of methylphenidate: comparison of molecular orbital and molecular mechanics methods

Summary Methylphenidate (MP) binds to the cocaine binding site on the dopamine transporter and inhibits reuptake of dopamine, but does not appear to have the same abuse potential as cocaine. This study, part of a comprehensive effort to identify a drug treatment for cocaine abuse, investigates the effect of choice of calculation technique and of solvent model on the conformational potential energy surface (PES) of MP and a rigid methylphenidate (RMP) analogue which exhibits the same dopamine transporter binding affinity as MP. Conformational analysis was carried out by the AM1 and AM1/SM5.4 semiempirical molecular orbital methods, a molecular mechanics method (Tripos force field with the dielectric set equal to that of vacuum or water) and the HF/6-31G* molecular orbital method in vacuum phase. Although all three methods differ somewhat in the local details of the PES, the general trends are the same for neutral and protonated MP. In vacuum phase, protonation has a distinctive effect in decreasing the regions of space available to the local conformational minima. Solvent has little effect on the PES of the neutral molecule and tends to stabilize the protonated species. The random search (RS) conformational analysis technique using the Tripos force field was found to be capable of locating the minima found by the molecular orbital methods using systematic grid search. This suggests that the RS/Tripos force field/vacuum phase protocol is a reasonable choice for locating the local minima of MP. However, the Tripos force field gave significantly larger phenyl ring rotational barriers than the molecular orbital methods for MP and RMP. For both the neutral and protonated cases, all three methods found the phenyl ring rotational barriers for the RMP conformers/invertamers (denoted as cte, tte, and cta) to be: cte, tte> MP > cta. Solvation has negligible effect on the phenyl ring rotational barrier of RMP. The B3LYP/6-31G* density functional method was used to calculate the phenyl ring rotational barrier for neutral MP and gave results very similar to those of the HF/6-31G* method.     

EB/UV treatment of protective coatings for porous materials

A method for improving surface properties of porous inorganic materials is presented. The method is particularly tailored to cement-based materials in order to obtain properties suitable for mechanical applications such as dies manufacturing, where hardness, abrasion resistance and low friction are requested. The coating system is based upon using two coatings of different characteristics. The underlying base coating layer is infiltrated in air on three different formulations of hardened cement composite. Two different bi-component resins, one relatively soft and the other relatively hard, were tested as underlying surface coating. The outer surface coating, based upon a bi-component resin characterized by high hardness, is added after hardening and curing of the first layer. Both coatings were chemically hardened and then cured with EB. UV curing is also suitable for the outer surface coating. An experimental campaign was carried out in order to evaluate the influence of radiation processing as curing treatment with reference to particular investigated materials. Hardness and resistance to peeling of coating systems have been measured and are presented.     

Synthesis and properties of a new member of the calixnaphthalene family: a C(2)-symmetrical endo-calix[4]naphthalene

The synthesis of a new endo-calix[4]naphthalene is described. The reaction sequence involves the cyclocondensation of a key bisnaphthylmethane intermediate (8) with formaldehyde. This key intermediate (8) is formed using a modified Suzuki-Miyaura Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between bromomethylnaphthyl (6) and naphthylboronic acid (7), both of which can be derived from 2-hydroxynaphthoic acid.     

ChemInform Abstract: Crystal Chemistry and Electronic Structure of the Photovoltaic Buffer Layer, (In1-xAlx)2S3.

The effects of aluminium substitution in In₂S₃ are investigated by single crystal XRD, ²⁷Al NMR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations.     

Ester derivatives of hexahomotrioxacalix[3]naphthalenes: conformational and binding properties with alkali metal cations

The syntheses of the triesters formed between ethyl bromoacetate and hexahomotrioxacalix[3]naphthalene 8, and its tert-butyl analogue 11, are described. Depending on the conditions employed, cone or partial cone conformers are produced. The conformations appear to have some influence on their complexation in neutral medium, with alkali metal cations. The X-ray structure of the partial cone triester 10 is presented.     

Characterization of Biocatalysts Prepared with Thermomyces lanuginosus Lipase and Different Silica Precursors,Dried using Aerogel and Xerogel Techniques

The use of lipases in industrial processes can result in products with high levels of purity and at the same time reduce pollutant generation and improve both selectivity and yields. In this work, lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus was immobilized using two different techniques. The first involves the hydrolysis/polycondensation of a silica precursor (tetramethoxysilane (TMOS)) at neutral pH and ambient temperature, and the second one uses tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the silica precursor, involving the hydrolysis and polycondensation of the alkoxide in appropriate solvents. After immobilization, the enzymatic preparations were dried using the aerogel and xerogel techniques and then characterized in terms of their hydrolytic activities using a titrimetric method with olive oil and by the formation of 2-phenylethyl acetate in a transesterification reaction. The morphological properties of the materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, measurements of the surface area and pore size and volume, thermogravimetric analysis, and exploratory differential calorimetry. The results of the work indicate that the use of different silica precursors (TEOS or TMOS) and different drying techniques (aerogel or xerogel) can significantly affect the properties of the resulting biocatalyst. Drying with supercritical CO₂ provided higher enzymatic activities and pore sizes and was therefore preferable to drying, using the xerogel technique. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analyses revealed differences in behavior between the two biocatalyst preparations due to the compounds present.