Progress on phthalocyanine-conjugated Ag and Au nanoparticles: Synthesis,characterization, and photo-physicochemical properties

Phthalocyanine (Pc) complexes are an important class of dyes with numerous (e.g., biological, photophysical, and analytical) applications. Among the methods used to improve the properties of these complexes, one should mention the introduction of different substituents, variation of the central metal ion, ligand exchange, and conjugation to nanomaterials (e.g., carbon-based nanomaterials and metal nanoparticles (NPs)). This work briefly reviews Pc complex conjugation to Ag and Au NPs, highlights the different NP shapes, and discusses the diversity of conjugation approaches. Moreover, the use of UV–Vis spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to characterize Pc-NP hybrids is summarized. The effect of conjugation on Pc photo-physicochemical properties (fluorescence, singlet oxygen generation, triplet state formation, and optical limiting behavior) is discussed, and future perspectives for the synthesis and applications of new hybrids are provided.     

铝酸钠溶液的紫外吸收峰

分别用量子化学MNDO和DV-X_α方法计算了二聚铝酸离子[Al_2O(OH)_6]~(2-)和Al(OH)_4~-。结果表明前者旋转势垒很低, 只有10.08 kJ·mol~(-1), 最稳定平衡构型为C_s。用X_α过渡态理论计算获得这两个离子紫外吸收峰的理论值分别为266.6 nm和234.4 nm, 与实验值270.0 nm和230.0 nm相当接近。因此可以认为, 紫外吸收峰270.0 nm和230.0 nm分别为[Al_2O(OH)_6]~(2-)和Al(OH)_4~-离子的最高占有轨道电子向最低空轨道跃迁时产生的吸收峰。计算结果支持铝酸钠溶液中存在二聚铝酸离子的观点。     

Mechanism and control of molecular energy flow: a modeling perspective

 Vibrational energy flow in organic molecules occurs by a multiple-time-scale mechanism that can be modeled by a single exponential only in its initial stages. The mechanism is a consequence of the hierarchical structure of the vibrational Hamiltonian, which leads to diffusion of vibrational wavepackets on a manifold with far fewer than the 3N−6 dimensions of the full vibrational state space. The dynamics are controlled by a local density of states, which does not keep increasing with molecular size. In addition, the number of vibrational coordinates severely perturbed during chemical reaction is small, leading to preservation of the hierarchical structure at chemically interesting energies. This regularity opens up the possibility of controlling chemical reactions by controlling the vibrational energy flow. Computationally, laser control of intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution can be modeled by quantum-classical, or by purely quantum-mechanical models of the molecule and control field. Received: 26 July 2002 / Accepted: 30 September 2002 / Published online: 2 December 2002 Electronic Supplementary Material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00214-002-0394-2. Acknowledgements. This work was supported by NSF grant CHE 9986670. Correspondence to: M. Gruebele e-mail: gruebele@scs.uiuc.edu     

Organophosphorus π-conjugated materials: the rise of a new field

The synthesis and electronic properties of new linear organic π-conjugated systems incorporating phosphole rings are described. Well defined α,α′-(phosphole-thiophene) oligomers possess low HOMO-LUMO gaps and their optical and electrochemical properties can be tuned via chemical modifications of the P-atoms. The physical properties of these compounds make them valuable materials for OLED’s. The coordination ability of phosphole-based dipoles has been exploited for the synthesis of efficient multipolar NLO-phores. Lastly, phospholes have been used for the synthesis of assemblies exhibiting through-bond interaction between two π-systems via P-P σ-skeletons.     

Second-order nonlinear optical properties of side-chain liquid crystalline polymers studied by second harmonic generation from thin films

The two independent elements of the second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility tensor of a range of contact poled, donor–acceptor substitued side-chain polymers are reported. The susceptibilities were measured by second harmonic generation from thin films, typically less than 0.5 μm thick, at a fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm. The largest value was χ = 2.64 pm/V which is three times greater than the χ value of KDP and was measured in a nitrobenzylidene side chain, polyhydroxystyrene polymer with an eleven unit alkyl chain spacer attaching the side group to the backbone. Typical susceptibility values obtained were χ～0.3 pm/V and X⁽²⁾₃₃～1 pm/V. The coherence lengths of the materials, which lay in the range 4–12 μm, were measured at 1064 nm by the maker fringe technique using thick, wedge-shaped samples.     

New tetra-aryl and bi-aryl porphyrins bearing 5,15-related fluorenyl pendants: the influence of arylation on fluorescence

The new tetra-aryl trans-A₂B₂-porphyrin with two fluoren-2-yl and two phenyl groups at the meso-positions has been synthesized and characterized, together with the analogous bi-aryl trans-A₂-porphyrin incorporating only the fluorenyl groups. The photophysical properties of these new compounds in solution are reported. The two additional phenyl groups in the A₂B₂ porphyrin stabilize the first excited singlet state by approximately 500 cm⁻¹ compared to the A₂ system, as revealed by the red-shift of the absorption Q bands and of the fluorescence emission bands. Both compounds display enhanced emission quantum yields compared to tetraphenylporphyrin: the augmentation is higher for the tetra-aryl than for the bi-aryl system, although not as high as for tetrafluorenylporphyrin. Fluorescence lifetime measurements of the series of four compounds suggest that the trends can be interpreted in terms of the larger influence of fluorenyl over phenyl groups in increasing the fluorescence radiative rate constant of the porphyrin, k_f.     

Doped Sol-Gel Films for Silica-on-Silicon Photonic Components

Further expansion of optical communication systems depends strongly on the development of cheap component technologies for functions such as switching, demultiplexing and amplification. Silica-on-silicon is increasingly recognised as the best approach to low cost integrated optics for such applications, but so far the functionality is limited. The purpose of NODES, a basic research collaboration sponsored by the European Union under the programme ESPRIT, has been to examine the application of sol-gel to a highly functional silica-on-silicon technology. In particular, the project has investigated film processing and characterisation, rare-earth doping for amplification, and semiconductor nanocrystallite doping for nonlinear functions. This paper presents the background and context to this work, summarises the technical results obtained, and discusses requirements and challenges for successful application of sol-gel in photonics.     

Room‐Temperature Solution‐Processed PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are attractive absorber materials for high‐efficiency photovoltaics because of their facile solution processing, bandgap tunability due to quantum confinement effect, and multi‐exciton generation. To date, all published performance records for PbS CQDs solar cells have been based on the conventional hot‐injection synthesis method. This method usually requires relatively strict conditions such as high temperature and the utility of expensive source material (pyrophoric bis(trimethylsilyl) sulfide (TMS‐S)), limiting the potential for large‐scale and low‐cost synthesis of PbS CQDs. Here we report a facile room‐temperature synthetic method to produce high‐quality PbS CQDs through inexpensive ionic source materials including Pb(NO₃)₂ and Na₂S in the presence of triethanolamine (TEA) as the stabilizing ligand. The PbS CQDs were successfully prepared with an average particle size of about 5 nm. Solar cells based on the as‐synthesized PbS CQDs show a preliminary power conversion efficiency of 1.82%. This room‐temperature and low‐cost synthesis of PbS CQDs will further benefit the development of solution‐processed CQD solar cells.     

四甲基对联苯二胺光敏化聚苯乙烯砜及其模型化合物二苄基砜分解机理的研究

N、N、 N’、N’-四平基对联苯二胺(NTMB)和 3、3’、5、5’-四甲基对联苯二胺(TMB)可以有效地光敏化二苄基砜(DBS)分解和聚苯乙烯砜(PSS)降解。敏化作用是按电子转移机理进行的,电子转移过程可以由NTMB的单重激发态,也可以由三重激发态发生。由三重态电子转移产生的三重态离子自由基对进一步反应生成产物的效率比单重态离子自由基对的效率高10倍。     

Uniqueness and clustering properties of Gibbs states for classical and quantum unbounded spin systems

We consider quantum unbounded spin systems (lattice boson systems) in -dimensional lattice space Z. Under appropriate conditions on the interactions we prove that in a region of high temperatures the Gibbs state is unique, is translationally invariant, and has clustering properties. The main methods we use are the Wiener integral representation, the cluster expansions for zero boundary conditions and for general Gibbs state, and explicitly -dependent probability estimates. For one-dimensional systems we show the uniqueness of Gibbs states for any value of temperature by using the method of perturbed states. We also consider classical unbounded spin systems. We derive necessary estimates so that all of the results for the quantum systems hold for the classical systems by straightforward applications of the methods used in the quantum case.