Doublet Chirality Transfer and Reversible Helical Transition in Poly(3,5‐disubstituted phenylacetylene)s with Pyrene as a Probe Unit†

A novel doublet chirality transfer (DCT) model was demonstrated in cis poly(3,5‐disubstituted phenylacetylene)s, i.e., S‐I , R‐I , and S‐I‐NMe . The chiral message from the stereocenter of alkylamide substituent at 3‐position induced the polyene backbone to take cis‐transoid helical conformation with a predominant screw sense. And in turn the helical backbone acted as a scaffold to orient the pyrene probes, which was linked to phenyl rings through 5‐position, to array in an asymmetric manner. A combinatory analyses of ¹H NMR, Raman, FTIR, UV‐vis absorption, CD, and computer simulation suggested that the main‐chain stereostructure, solvent nature, and intramolecular hydrogen bonds played important and complex roles on DCT. High cis‐structure content and intramolecular hydrogen bonds were beneficial for the realization of DCT. Reversible helix‐helix transition was observed in S‐I by changing the nature of solvents. In DMF, S‐I adopted a relatively contracted helix, where the main chain exhibited strong optical activity, but that of pyrene was weak. In contrast, a relatively stretched helix formed in CHCl₃, in which the optical activity of pyrene was much larger, whereas that of the polyene backbone was the weakest. This helix‐helix transition was attributed to the intramolecular hydrogen bonds, which was confirmed by solution‐state FTIR spectra and computer calculations.     

Characterization of the 310-helix in model peptides by HRMAS NMR spectroscopy

A tetra- and a hepta-homopeptide from the C(alpha)-tetrasubstituted Aib (alpha-aminoisobutyric acid) residue were covalently linked to the POEPOP resin by the fragment-condensation approach. The conformational preferences of the two model peptides were determined for the first time on a solid support by means of high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. The results obtained indicate that the Aib homopeptides adopt a regular 3(10)-helical structure even when they are covalently bound to a polymeric matrix, and thus confirm the remarkable conformational stability of the peptides rich in this amino acid. An ATR-FTIR spectroscopic investigation, performed in parallel, also confirmed that these polymer-bound peptides do indeed adopt a helical conformation. The results of this study open the possibility to exploit the peptide-resin conjugates based on C(alpha)-tetrasubstituted alpha-amino acids as helpful, structurally organized templates in molecular recognition studies or as catalysts in asymmetric synthesis.     

Active transient elasto-acoustic response damping of a thick-walled liquid-coupled piezolaminated cylindrical vessel

The linear 3D piezoelasticity theory in conjunction with the versatile transfer matrix approach and the wave equation for the internal acoustic domain are employed for active non-stationary vibroacoustic response control of an arbitrarily thick, tri-laminate, fluid-filled, simply supported, piezocomposite cylindrical tank, excited by arbitrary (non-axisymmetric) time-dependent on-surface mechanical loads. The smart structure is composed of a supporting core layer of functionally graded orthotropic material perfectly bonded to inner and outer spatially distributed radially polarized functionally graded piezoceramic sensor and uniform force actuator (FGPM) layers. Active vibration damping is implemented by transferring the accumulated voltage on the sensor layer to the piezoelectric actuator layer in context of proportional and derivative control laws. Durbin's numerical inverse Laplace transform scheme is utilized to calculate the time response histories of the relevant interface displacement/stress components, center-point acoustic pressure, and actuator voltage, for selected loading configurations (i.e., concentrated step, impulse, and moving external loads). Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the adopted distributed sensing/actuation configuration together with the active damping control strategy in suppressing the vibroacoustic response of a three-layered (Ba₂NaNb₅O₁₅/Al/PZT4) water-filled piezoelastic cylindrical tank. Limiting cases are considered and the validity of results is established by comparison with the available data as well as with the aid of a commercial finite element package.     

Global attractor for the Navier–Stokes equations with the heat convection in a cylindrical pipe

Global existence of regular solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations coupled with the heat convection in a cylindrical pipe has already been shown. In this paper, we prove the existence of the global attractor to the equations and convergence of their solutions to a stationary one. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sequence and Structure of Peptoid Oligomers Can Tune the Photoluminescence of an Embedded Ruthenium Dye

The understanding of structure–function relationships within synthetic biomimetic systems is a fundamental challenge in chemistry. Herein we report the direct correlation between the structure of short peptoid ligands—N-substituted glycine oligomers incorporating 2,2′-bipyridine groups—varied in their monomer sequence, and the photoluminescence of Ru^II centers coordinated by these ligands. Based on circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy we demonstrate that while helical peptoids do not affect the fluorescence of the embedded Ru^II chromophore, unstructured peptoids lead to its significant decay. Transmittance electron microscopy (TEM) revealed significant differences in the arrangements of metal-bound helical versus unstructured peptoids, suggesting that only the latter can have through-space interactions with the ruthenium dye leading to its quenching. High-resolution TEM enabled the remarkable direct imaging of singular ruthenium-bound peptoids and bundles, supporting our explanation for structure-depended quenching. Moreover, this correlation allowed us to fine-tune the luminescence properties of the complexes simply by modifying the sequence of their peptoid ligands. Finally, we also describe the chiral properties of these Ru–peptoids and demonstrate that remote chiral induction from the peptoids backbone to the ruthenium center is only possible when the peptoids are both chiral and helical.     

Homo‐double helix formation of an optically active conjugated polymer bearing carboxy groups and amplification of the helicity upon complexation with achiral and chiral amines

An optically active, m‐terphenyl‐based π‐conjugated polymer bearing carboxy groups was synthesized by the copolymerization of the diethynyl monomer bearing a carboxy group with (S,S)‐2,5‐bis(2‐methylbutoxy)‐1,4‐dibromobenzene using Sonogashira reaction. The copolymer showed a weak circular dichroism (CD) in the main‐chain chromophore region due to a homo‐double helix formation with an excess helical handedness biased by the chiral alkoxy substituents through self‐association. However, upon complexation with achiral amines, such as piperidine, the CD intensity of the polymer significantly increased resulting in the formation of a greater excess one‐handed homo‐double helix via hydrogen‐bonded inclusion complexation with the achiral amines between each strand, leading to the amplification of the helicity. A preferred‐handed homo‐double helix was also induced in the polymer in the presence of nonracemic amines. The effect of the achiral and chiral amines on the homo‐double helix formation was investigated by comparing the CD spectra of the polymer to those of its model dimer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 990–999     

Two negative minima of the first normal stress difference in a cellulose‐based cholesteric liquid crystal: Helix uncoiling

The shear rate dependence of material functions such as shear viscosity (η) and the first normal stress difference (N₁) were given and interpreted earlier by Kiss and Porter. Their widely accepted work revealed the possibility of having a negative minimum of N₁ for polymeric liquid crystals. In this work, we disclose for the first time the evidence of two negative N₁ minima on a sheared cellulosic lyotropic system. The lower shear rate minimum is ascribed to the uncoiling of the cholesteric helix, as theoretically predicted earlier. Our findings contribute also to the understanding of the other minimum already reported in the literature and attributed to the nematic director tumbling mode. Moreover, the elastic change that the LC‐HPC sample undergoes during the helix unwinding of the cholesteric structure is also by means of oscillatory measurements. This study is a contribution for the understanding of the structure‐properties relationship linked with the complex rheological behavior of chiral nematic cellulose‐based systems and may help to improve their further processing. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 821–830     

Doubly N‐Confused [36]Octaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1): Isomerization,Bis‐Metal Coordination,and Topological Chirality

A novel [36]octaphyrin analogue embedding two N‐confused pyrrole units demonstrated unique prototropy‐coupled isomerization between the Figure‐of‐eight and dumbbell conformers. Upon bis‐metal coordination, fixation of fully π‐conjugated Figure‐of‐eight structures was achieved as referred from the X‐ray crystal structure. Chirogenesis of the helical enantiomers was proved by intense circular dichroism (CD) response in the near infrared (NIR) region.