Electron-beam assisted growth of hexagonal boron-nitride layer

It has been known that a good quality h-BN layer can only be grown within a narrow temperature window of 1020–1100 K on a copper substrate. We found that the growth temperature window on Cu(111) surface could be lowered up to 100 K by ionizing and/or exciting borazine precursor gas with an electron-beam. The structures of a hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) layers grown at various substrate temperatures on a Cu(111) were examined using scanning tunneling microscopy. We found that the grown h-BN film exhibits highly inert behavior with wide bandgap semiconductor characteristics.     

Propagation‐based phase‐contrast X‐ray microtomography of a cerebral protection device retrieved after carotid artery stenting

Phase‐contrast synchrotron X‐ray microtomography (pcSyncX) based on the highly coherent X‐ray beam has previously been used to visualize the microstructures of biologic specimens, but it has never been used to evaluate embolic debris adherent on a cerebral protection device (CPD). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of pcSyncX for evaluating embolic debris during carotid artery stenting (CAS). Five patients (four males, age range 67–77 years) with severe carotid artery stenosis underwent CAS. The retrieved CPD was exposed to synchrotron radiation and 1000 pcSyncX projection images were obtained by rotating the CPD through 180°. An X‐ray shadow of a CPD was converted into a visual image by the scintillator. After microtomographic reconstruction, the three‐dimensionally reconstructed images were further segmented into the embolic debris and CPD. The total volume of emboli was calculated by summing the volume at each scanning level. The number of membrane pores covered by emboli as seen from the outer surface was counted and the percentage of covered area was calculated. Embolic debris was clearly demonstrated not only on the inner surface and within pores but also on the outer surface of the CPD. The mean total volume of embolic debris was 0.538 × 10^–6 mm³ (range 0.225–0.965 × 10^–6 mm³). Most (61.5%) of the debris was located at the apical one‐third of the CPD and 20.8% of the pore area was covered by debris.     

Colorless Operation of WDM-PON Employing Uncooled Spectrum-Sliced Reflective Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

We demonstrate a low-cost wavelength-division-multiplexed passive optical network based on colorless uncooled spectrum-sliced reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers. In this network, we achieve bit-error rates of better than 10^-10 over 32 100-GHz-spaced channels from 0 degC to 60 degC in 155-Mb/s transmissions. The penalties due to dispersion effect and Rayleigh backscattering interference over 25 km are almost negligible. We also present colorless operations over 16-channel coverage in outdoor temperature range     

Optical and Dielectric Properties of Chalcogenide Glasses at Terahertz Frequencies

Terahertz time‐domain spectroscopy has been used to study the optical and dielectric properties of three chalcogenide glasses: Ge₃₀As₈Ga₂Se₆₀, Ge₃₅Ga₅Se₆₀, and Ge₁₀As₂₀S₇₀. The absorption coefficients α(ν), complex refractive index n(ν), and complex dielectric constants ?(ν) were measured in a frequency range from 0.3 THz to 1.5 THz. The measured real refractive indices were fitted using a Sellmeier equation. The results show that the Sellmeier equation fits well with the data throughout the frequency range and imply that the phonon modes of glasses vary with the glass compositions. The theory of far‐infrared absorption in amorphous materials is used to analyze the results and to understand the differences in THz absorption among the sample glasses.     

Design and Analysis of Refractometer Based on Bend Waveguide Structure with Air Trench for Optical Sensor Applications

This study proposes a novel optical sensor structure based on a refractometer combining a bend waveguide with an air trench. The optical sensor is a splitter structure with a reference channel and a sensing channel. The reference channel has a straight waveguide. The sensing channel consists of a U‐bend waveguide connecting four C‐bends, and a trench structure to partially expose the core layer. The U‐bend waveguide consists of one C‐bend with the maximum optical loss and three C‐bends with minimum losses. A trench provides a quantitative measurement environment and is aligned with the sidewall of the C‐bend having the maximum loss. The intensity of the output power depends on the change in the refractive index of the measured material. The insertion loss of the proposed optical sensor changes from 3.7 dB to 59.1 dB when the refractive index changes from 1.3852 to 1.4452.     

Silver ion shuttling in the trimer-mimic thiacalix[4]crown tube

Novel 1,3-alternate calix-thiacalix[4]crown trimers bearing crown-5 and crown-6 were prepared. As proven by X-ray diffraction, in a 1:2 mole ratio of ligand to metal ion, the Cs(+) and K(+) ions prefer to be encapsulated in the trimeric thiacalix[4]crown-6 and crown-5, respectively. On the contrary, the Ag(+) ion was found to be entrapped in the central thiacalix spacer as a 1:1 complex confirmed by (1)H NMR spectrosocpy. Variable-temperature (1)H NMR studies for the trimeric thiacalix[4]crown-6 encapsulating the silver ion revealed that the Ag(+) ion oscillates through the central thiacalix spacer with the aid of cation-pi interactions.     

Crown-6-calix[4]arene-capped calix[4]pyrrole: an ion-pair receptor for solvent-separated CsF ions

An ion-pair receptor, 1, containing both cation- and anion-recognizing sites, has been synthesized and characterized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction structural studies and (1)H NMR spectroscopic analyses confirmed that 1 forms stable 1:1 complexes with CsF in solution and in the solid state in spite of the large separation enforced between the receptor-bound anion and cation. In 9:1 CDCl3/CD3OD, binding of fluoride anion within the calix[4]pyrrole core of 1 was not observed in the absence of a cobound cesium cation; however, it was seen in this solvent mixture under conditions where a Cs(+) cation was bound to the crown ether-strapped calix[4]arene subunit.     

Indium(III)-induced fluorescent excimer formation and extinction in calix[4]arene-fluoroionophores

New fluorogenic or/and chromogenic calix[4]arenes 1-3 with two facing amide groups linked to fluorescent pyrene units are synthesized. Orientations of the pyrene units are remote from each other in 1 and face-to-face pi-stacked in 2, which produces different photophysical properties. In the excited state, the two pyrene units of 2 form a strong intramolecular excimer displaying an emission at 472 nm with a relatively weak monomer emission at 395 nm. In contrast, 1 exhibits only a monomer emission at 398 nm because intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the phenolic OH oxygens and the amide hydrogens prevents pi-stacking of the two pyrene groups. Fluorescence changes upon addition of various metal ions show that 1 has a remarkably high selectivity for In(3+) over the other metal ions tested. Compound 1 forms 2:1 (metal:ligand), as well as 1:1 complexes, with In(3+), with fluorescence varying uniquely with the complex stoichiometry. Compound 3, which possess two pyrene units and two chromogenic azo groups, shows almost the same binding behavior toward metal ions as does 1, together with additional bathochromic shifts of the absorption maximum. Compared with 1, compound 3 emits a considerably weaker fluorescence, which is attributed to electron transfer from the pyrene units to the nitro groups of the phenylazo moieties.