A host-guest complex between a metal-organic cyclotriveratrylene analog and a polyoxometalate: [Cu6(4,7-phenanthroline)8(MeCN)4]2PM12O40(M = Mo or W)

The synthesis and crystal structure of Cu(6)(4,7-phenanthroline)(8)(MeCN)(4)(6+) a novel Cu(i)-molecular hexamer is described in which the metal cations and phenanthroline molecules self-assemble into a dimer of shallow triangular-shaped bowls, within which are located large spherical polyoxometalate anions PM(12)O(40)(3-)(M = Mo or W).     

Development of a pulsed-laser,fiber-optic-based fluorimeter: determination of fluorescence decay times of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sea water

A fiber-optic-based system for remote measurement of time-resolved fluorescence emission spectra is described and characterized. A pulsed nitrogen laser is used to induce fluorescence and a time-gated, one-dimensional photodiode array is used to measure the decay of the fluorescence emission spectra. The results compare favorably with reported values for well characterized compounds having fluorescence decay times in the range 4–50 ns. The potential of using time-resolved fluorimetry (TRF) over fiber-optic cables as a means of improving the specificity of remote fluorescence determinations of spectrally similar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sea water is demonstrated.     

Sampling and sample-preparation strategies based on solid-phase microextraction for analysis of indoor air

Applications of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to the sampling and analysis of volatile organic compounds in indoor air are reviewed, including a summary of quantification methods, coatings, compounds, concentrations, sampling locations and times, and detection limits. Strategies for on-site and off-site sampling and analysis, advantages and challenges associated with SPME for air sampling are discussed.     

Comprehensive analytical figures of merit for fluorimetry of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

The analytical figures of merit for fluorescence of sixty polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons are presented. The limits of detection for most of the compounds are below 50 ng ml^-1 and the average relative standard deviation at 1 μg ml^-1 for each compound is 1.4%. The fluorescence excitation and emission peak wavelengths are listed. These results confirm the excellent detection limits and precision offered by this technique for quantification of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Carbophilic 3‐Component Cascades: Access to Complex Bioactive Cyclopropyl Diindolylmethanes

Naturally occurring indole‐3‐carbinol and 3,3‐diindolylmethane show bioactivity in a number of disparate disease areas, including cancer, prompting substantial synthetic analogue activity. We describe a new approach to highly functionalised derivatives that starts from allene gas and proceeds via the combination of a three‐component Pd⁰‐catalysed cascade with a one‐pot, three‐component carbophilic Pt^II cascade linked to a stereoselective acid‐catalysed Mannich–Michael reaction that generates complex cyclopropyl diindolylmethanes which show selective activity against prostate cancer cell lines.     

Experimental investigation into the nonlinear dynamics of a bistable laminate

Nonlinear Dynamics - An experimental study of the single-well and twin-well, also referred to as intra-well and inter-well, respectively, nonlinear dynamics of a bistable composite laminate is...     

A polyoxometallate-templated coordination polymer: synthesis and crystal structure of [Cu3(4,4'-bipy)5(MeCN)2]PW12O(40).2C6H5CN

The spherical phosphotungstate ion, PW12O40(3-), has been used as a non-coordinating anionic template for the construction of a novel, three-dimensional Cu(I) coordination polymer.     

Finite element analysis and experimental study on dynamic properties of a composite beam with viscoelastic damping

This paper investigates the frequency dependent viscoelastic dynamics of a multifunctional composite structure from finite element analysis and experimental validation. The frequency-dependent behavior of the stiffness and damping of a viscoelastic material directly affects the system's modal frequencies and damping, and results in complex vibration modes and differences in the relative phase of vibration. A second order three parameter Golla–Hughes–McTavish (GHM) method and a second order three fields Anelastic Displacement Fields (ADF) approach are used to implement the viscoelastic material model, enabling the straightforward development of time domain and frequency domain finite elements, and describing the frequency dependent viscoelastic behavior. Considering the parameter identification a strategy to estimate the fractional order of the time derivative and the relaxation time is outlined. Agreement between the curve fits using both the GHM and ADF and experiment is within 0.001 percent error. Continuing efforts are addressing the material modulus comparison of the GHM and the ADF model. There may be a theoretical difference between viscoelastic degrees of freedom at nodes and elements, but their numerical results are very close to each other in the specific frequency range of interest. With identified model parameters, numerical simulation is carried out to predict the damping behavior in its first two vibration modes. The experimental testing on the layered composite beam validates the numerical predication. Experimental results also show that elastic modulus measured from dynamic response yields more accurate results than static measurement, such as tensile testing, especially for elastomers.     

Nonlinear dynamics of a bistable piezoelectric-composite energy harvester for broadband application

The continuing need for reduced power requirements for small electronic components, such as wireless sensor networks, has prompted renewed interest in recent years for energy harvesting technologies capable of capturing energy from ambient vibrations. A particular focus has been placed on piezoelectric materials and devices due to the simplicity of the mechanical to electrical energy conversion and their high strain energy densities compared to electrostatic and electromagnetic equivalents. In this paper an arrangement of piezoelectric layers attached to a bistable asymmetric laminate is investigated experimentally to understand the dynamic response of the structure and power generation characteristics. The inherent bistability of the underlying structure is exploited for energy harvesting since a transition from one stable configuration to another, or “snap-through”, is used to repeatedly strain the surface bonded piezoelectric and generate electrical energy. This approach has been shown to exhibit high levels of power extraction over a wide range of vibrational frequencies. Using high speed digital image correlation, a variety of dynamic modes of oscillation are identified in the harvester. The sensitivity of such modes to changes in vibration frequency and amplitude are investigated. Power outputs are measured for repeatable snap-through events of the device and are correlated with the measured modes of oscillation. The typical power generated is approximately 3.2?mW, comparing well with the needs of typical wireless senor node applications.