Characterization and surface reactivity of ferrihydrite nanoparticles assembled in ferritin

Ferrihydrite nanoparticles with nominal sizes of 3 and 6 nm were assembled within ferritin, an iron storage protein. The crystallinity and structure of the nanoparticles (after removal of the protein shell) were evaluated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). HRTEM showed that amorphous and crystalline nanoparticles were copresent, and the degree of crystallinity improved with increasing size of the particles. The dominant phase of the crystalline nanoparticles was ferrihydrite. Morphology and electronic structure of the nanoparticles were characterized by AFM and STM. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements suggested that the band gap associated with the 6 nm particles was larger than the band gap associated with the 3 nm particles. Interaction of SO2(g) with the nanoparticles was investigated by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and results were interpreted with the aid of molecular orbital/density functional theory (MO/DFT) frequency calculations. Reaction of SO2(g) with the nanoparticles resulted primarily in SO(3)2- surface species. The concentration of SO3(2-) appeared to be dependent on the ferrihydrite particle size (or differences in structural properties).     

New Oenotheralanosterol A and B Constituents from the Oenothera biennis Roots

Two new compounds oenotheralanosterol A and B along with four known compounds have been isolated from the roots of Oenothera biennis. Their structures have been elucidated with the help of 300 MHz NMR using 1D and 2D spectral methods viz: ¹H and ¹³C NMR, ¹H‐¹H COSY, ¹H‐¹³C HETCOR and DEPT aided by EIMS, ESI Mass and IR spectroscopy.     

Effect of enhancement of selenium content in zirconium sulphoselenide on its photoelectrochemical behaviour

In this paper, we have attempted to fabricate PEC solar cells with mixed crystals of Zirconium sulphoselenide. Energy band location and redox analysis of the material have been made using Mott-Schottky plots. These studies justify the selection of an appropriate electrolyte for PEC work. Various solar cells fabricated with single crystals of selenium rich and selenium deficient zirconium sulphoselenide have been prepared. The solar cell parameters e.g. the fill factor (FF), open circuit voltage (V_oc), short circuit current (I_sc) and efficiency (η) for all the different cells have been determined. In order to see the effect of enhancement of selenium in ZrS_xSe_2−x on photoresponse, the electrolyte and intensity of illumination were kept constant and all the electrodes were prepared from crystals showing absolutely plane faces obtained through the act of cleavage with the help of an adhesive tape. The results have been thoroughly analysed and the implications have been discussed.     

Critical cavities and the kinetic spinodal for superheated liquids

We present density-functional theory (DFT) calculations for critical cavities inside model superheated liquids with varying intermolecular potentials. Our calculations show that the radius of the critical cavity and the ratio of the work of formation of the critical cavity to the work of formation of the critical bubble as predicted by the classical nucleation theory exhibit universal scaling across similar intermolecular potentials. We then utilize this observed scaling behavior by proposing two new criteria for the kinetic spinodal of superheated liquids. These criteria are based on various properties of the critical cavity as obtained from our DFT studies of the superheated Lenanrd-Jones liquid. Our predictions of the kinetic spinodal compare favorably with experimental data of the limits of superheating for various organic liquids.     

Photophysical and theoretical investigations of oligo(p-phenyleneethynylene)s: effect of alkoxy substitution and alkyne-aryl bond rotations

The unique photophysical, conformational, and electronic properties of two model phenyleneethynylene-based rigid rod molecular systems, possessing dialkoxy substitutions, are reported in comparison with an unsubstituted system. Twisting of the phenyl rings along the carbon-carbon triple bond is almost frictionless in these systems giving rise to planar as well as several twisted ground-state conformations, and this results in broad structureless absorption in the spectral region of 250-450 nm. In the case of 1,4-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene, a broad absorption band was observed due to the HOMO-LUMO transition, whereas dialkoxy-substituted compounds possess two well-separated bands. Dialkoxy substitution in the 2,5-position of the phenyl ring in phenyleneethynylenes alters its central arene pi-orbitals through the resonance interaction with oxygen lone pairs resulting in similar orbital features for HOMO and HOMO-1/HOMO-2. Electronic transition from the low-lying HOMO-1/HOMO-2 orbital to LUMO results in the high-energy band, and the red-shifted band originates from the HOMO-LUMO transition. The first excited-state transition energies at different dihedral angles, calculated by the TDDFT method, indicate that the orthogonal conformation has the highest excitation energy with an energy difference of 15 kcal/mol higher than the low-lying planar conformation. The emission of these compounds originates preferentially from the more relaxed planar conformation resulting in well-defined vibronic features. The fluorescence spectral profile and lifetimes were found to be independent of excitation wavelengths, confirming the existence of a single emitting species.     

Photochemistry of ruthenium trisbipyridine functionalized on gold nanoparticles

Design of nanohybrid systems possessing several ruthenium trisbipyridine (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)) chromophores on the surface of gold nanoparticles, by adopting a place exchange reaction, was reported and their photophysical properties were tuned by varying the density of chromophores. The charge shift between the excited and ground-state Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) chromophores was reported for the first time, leading to the formation of Ru(bpy)(3)(+) and Ru(bpy)(3)(3+). Electron-transfer products were not observed on decreasing the concentration of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) functionalized on Au nanoparticles or in a saturated solution of unbound chromophores. The close proximity of the chromophores on periphery of the gold core may lead to an electron transfer reaction and the products sustained for several nanoseconds before undergoing recombination, probably due to the stabilizing effect of the polar ethylene glycol moieties embedded between the chromophore groups.