Temperature-sensitive photoluminescence of CdSe quantum dot clusters

The formation of narrow size dispersed and nanometer size aggregates (clusters) of cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots (QDs) and their temperature-sensitive photoluminescence (PL) spectral properties close to room temperature (298 K) are discussed. CdSe QDs formed stable clusters with an average diameter of approximately 27 nm in the absence of coordinating solvents. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, we identified the association of individual QDs with 2-5 nm diameters into clusters of uniform size. A suspension of these clusters in different solvents exhibited reversible PL intensity changes and PL spectral shifts which were correlated with temperature. Although the PL intensity of CdSe QDs encapsulated in host matrixes and the solid state showed a response to temperature under cryogenic conditions, the current work identified for the first time QD clusters showing temperature-sensitive PL intensity variations and spectral shifts at moderate temperatures above room temperature. Temperature-sensitive reversible PL changes of clusters are discussed with respect to reversible thermal trapping of electrons at inter-QD interfaces and dipole-dipole interactions in clusters. Reversible luminescence intensity variations and spectral shifts of QD clusters show the potential for developing sensors based on QD nanoscale assemblies.     

Nitro-Mannich reaction and intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition route to acylpyrrolidinones: Synthesis of a tetramic acid and (+)-laccarin

An efficient synthetic pathway to acylpyrrolidinones via a nitro-Mannich reaction, followed by the intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a nitrile oxide to an alkyne was developed. The syntheses of a leucine-derived tetramic acid and natural tetramide (+)-laccarin were achieved in five steps using aldehydes, 2-alkynamides and nitromethane as the carbon sources.     

Rigid diol bearing 6‐6‐6 fused ring system derived from naturally occurring myo‐inositol and its polyaddition with diisocyanates

Naturally occurring myo‐inositol was developed into a highly rigid diol by converting its 3,4‐ and 1,6‐vicinal diols in trans configuration into the corresponding butane‐2,3‐diacetals. The resulting diol bearing 6‐6‐6 fused ring system, in which conformational change is strictly suppressed, was combined with diisocyanates to perform polyadditions. The resulting polyurethanes were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, and it was found that their glass transition temperatures were much higher than those of the previously reported myo‐inositol‐derived polyurethanes, which were synthesized from a myo‐inositol‐derived diol bearing 5‐6‐5 fused ring system. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3798–3803     

Electrophilic cyclization of N-alkenylamides using a chloramine-T/I2 system

A new protocol for the cyclization of N-alkenylamides using chloramine-T and iodine is described. When N-alkenylsulfonamides are treated with chloramine-T and iodine, three- to six-membered N-heterocycles are obtained with complete stereoselectivity. The method is compatible with the cyclization of the allylbenzamide or allylbenzthioamide to afford an oxazoline or thiazoline derivative, respectively. Mechanistic studies indicate that the chloramine-T/I₂ system functions as an effective iodonium species.     

Effects of oxygen vacancy on adhesion of incoherent metal/oxide interface by first-principles calculations

We investigate effects of oxygen vacancies on adhesion behavior of incoherent Ni/MgO(0 0 1) interface with large misfit, based on the density functional theory. We demonstrate that oxygen vacancies at any local atomic configuration of the incoherent geometry enhance the image-chargelike interaction between the ions in MgO and the ion-induced images in Ni, and stabilize adhesion of the Ni/MgO(0 0 1) interface. The adhesion energy of the defective interface is remarkably larger than that of the perfect interface. We also show that force constants of the adhesive interactions near the oxygen vacancies are comparable to the Ni-Mg bond at the perfect interface. The vacancy-induced enhancement of the image electron accumulation hardly contributes to the interfacial stiffness, while it is reduced by losing the covalent Ni-O interaction due to an ontop oxygen vacancy.     

Chiral DBFOX/Ph complex catalyzed enantioselective nitrone cycloadditions to alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes

1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of nitrones with alpha-alkyl- and alpha-arylacroleins are catalyzed with the DBFOX/Ph complexes of nickel(II) and magnesium(II) salts to produce the sterically controlled isoxazolidine-5-carbaldehydes, while the reactions with alpha-bromoacrolein are effectively catalyzed with the zinc(II) complexes to produce the electronically controlled isoxazolidine-4-carbaldehydes. Enantioselectivities up to 99.5% ee have been observed in the reactions performed at room temperature. [reaction: see text]     

Global aspects of turbulence induced by heteroclinic cycles in competitive diffusion Lotka-Volterra equation

This paper presents detailed numerical results of the competitive diffusion Lotka-Volterra equation (May-Leonard type). First, we derive the global phase diagrams of attractors in the parameter space including the system size, where transition lines between simple attractors are clearly obtained in accordance with the results of linear stability analysis, but the transition borders become complex when multi-basin structures appear. The complex aspects of the transition borders are studied in the case when the system size decreases. Next, we show the statistical aspects of the turbulence with special attention to the onset of the supercritical Hopf bifurcation. Several characteristic quantities, such as correlation length, correlation time, Lyapunov spectra and Lyapunov dimension, are investigated in detail near the onset of turbulence. Our data show the critical scaling law near the onset only in the restricted parameter domain. However even when the critical indices are not determined accurately, it is shown that the empirical scaling relations are obtained in a wide parameter domain far from the onset point and those scaling indices satisfy several relations. These scaling relations are discussed in comparison with the result derived by the phase reduction method. Lastly, we make a conjecture about the stability of an ecosystem based on the bifurcation diagram: the ecosystem obeying the Lotka-Volterra equation in the case of May-Leonard type is stabilized more as the system size increases.     

Phase behaviour of the discotic mesogen 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahexylthiotriphenylene (HHTT) under hydrostatic pressure

The phase behaviour of the discotic mesogen 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahexylthiotriphenylene (HHTT) was investigated under hydrostatic pressures up to 500 MPa using high pressure optical and DTA measurements. The known enantiotropic phase transitions of HHTT, i.e. crystal (Cr)-helical phase (H), H-hexagonal columnar phase (Col_h) and Col_h-isotropic liquid (I) were observed up to 32 MPa. Application of hydrostatic pressures above 32 MPa results in the H and Col_h phases becoming monotropic, depending upon the applied pressure. The H phase was observed as a monotropic phase in the pressure region between 32 and about 180 MPa. Thus, the I →Col_h →H →Cr transition sequence appeared only on cooling under these pressures, while the Cr →Col_h →I transition occurred on heating. Further increases in pressure above a second limiting value leads to the Col_h phase becoming monotropic. Thus the I →Col_h →Cr transition sequence appeared on cooling, while the Cr →I transition was observed on heating. The T vs. P phase diagram based on the data obtained in the heating mode contains two triple points; one is estimated as 40 MPa, 77.2°C for the Cr-H-Col_h triple point and the other is extrapolated as 285 MPa, 118.3°C for the Cr-Col_h-I triple point. These triple points define the upper limits for the appearance of the stable H and Col_h phases, respectively.