Flash photolysis and antioxidant activity

The photo-chemical behaviour of a number of mono- and polyfunctional commercial phenolic antioxidants has been examined using kinetic micro-second flash photolysis. The technique provides useful information on the relationship between antioxidant structure and the efficiency of phenoxy radical production. The kinetics of decay of the phenoxy radicals are also found to be dependent on structure. Mono-functional antioxidants give phenoxy radicals which decay by a second-order process whereas polyfunctional antioxidants give phenoxy radicals that decay by a first-order process. In the former case dimerisation to give bisphenolic coupling products is observed whereas, with the latter, this process is sterically inhibited. The value of flash photolysis as a probe for studying antioxidant activity is discussed.     

Orientation of a chiral smectic C elastomer by mechanical fields

It is well known that, with respect to the director, nematic elastomers can be macroscopically aligned by uniaxial mechanical fields. Extending this method to a chiral smectic C elastomer, depending on the experimental set-up either smectic layer orientation or director orientation parallel to the stress axis occurs. In order to align the director and the smectic layers a biaxial mechanical field (e.g. shear field) consistent with the phase symmetry has to be used to achieve a macroscopically uniform orientation of the untwisted smectic C^* structure.     

Problems and results of diffusion length investigations by energy-dependent EBIC measurements

The fundamentals of the method are described. From applications of this measuring method the following results were obtained: The determination of the diffusion length on glass-plate bevels with evaporated Schottky contacts is frequently quite difficult and sometimes even impossible. Besides a reduction of the diffusion length with increasing microdefect density surprisingly also the opposite behaviour can be found. Comparative PEM and EBIC investigations yield differences between both diffusion lengths (L_EBIC < < L_PEM) depending on the sample pre-history.     

Phane properties of [2.2]paracyclophane/dehydrobenzoannulene hybrids

A series of [2.2]paracyclophane/dehydrobenzo[14]annulene (PC/DBA) hybrids (hydrocarbons 5, 6, 9, 10 b, and 10 c), [2.2]paracyclophane/dehydro[14]annulene (PC/DA) hybrids (7 and 8) and suitable model systems (11, 12, and 33) has been synthesized. Comparison of the electronic absorption spectra in each series of compounds provides further insight into the global communication between the decks in the [2.2]paracyclophane unit.     

A concept for bifocal contact‐ or intraocular lenses: liquid single crystal hydrogels (“LSCH”)

The synthesis of liquid single crystal hydrogels (“LSCH”) in suitable molds offers an innovative concept to realize bifocal contact‐ or intraocular‐lenses. LSCH combine the properties required for applications as bifocal ophthalmic lenses: the soft and water‐containing hydrogel enables oxygen permeation and exhibits high birefringence due to the liquid crystalline phase structure built up by rigid rod‐like amphiphiles. Via a photo‐initiated crosslinking reaction of aqueous solutions of monomeric lyotropic liquid crystalline amphiphiles in the macroscopically ordered liquid crystalline state, we obtain optically uniaxially ordered and transparent LSCH. The orientation process and the phase structure of the anisotropic hydrogel is analyzed by deuterium NMR‐spectroscopy. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Charge transfer at F<Subscript>16</Subscript>CoPc and CoPc interfaces to Au

We analyze the electronic properties of the interfaces between cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc), as well as fluorinated cobalt phthalocyanine (F₁₆CoPc), and an Au(100) single-crystal using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and valence band ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. Our data demonstrate that for the monolayers of both materials a charge transfer occurs from the substrate to the center of the organic molecules resulting in a central Co(I) ion. This leads to the conclusion that this effect essentially is fluorination- and ligand-independent.     

Schottky contact barrier height enhancement on p-type silicon by wet chemical etching

A wet chemical etch preceding the usual cleaning process has been found to yield Schottky barriers of high values on p-type silicon. This procedure produces a passivated surface layer which has resulted in Al/0-Si Schottky diodes with barrier height of 0.75 eV and ideality factor of 1.15. Measurements have confirmed the presence of electrically active donor-like states in this surface layer. The origin of the donor states is explained in terms of the deactivation of the boron acceptor by the formation ofH ⁺ B ^– pairs.