Preparation and Properties of Highly Oriented Sr0.3Ba0.7Nb2O6 Thin Films by a Sol-Gel Process

We succeeded in the preparation of epitaxial or highly oriented strontium-barium niobate (Sr_0.3Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆) thin film by a sol-gel process. A homogeneous coating solution was prepared with Sr and Ba acetates and Nb(OEt)₅ as raw materials, and acetic acid and diethylene glycol monomethyl ether as solvents. Sr_0.3Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ film sintered at 900°C on MgO(1 0 0) was oriented with c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. Sr_0.3Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ film sintered at 700°C on SrTiO₃(1 0 0) was an epitaxial and oriented with c-axis in parallel to the substrate surface. Transmittance of Sr_0.3Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ film (film thickness: 144 nm) was more than 60% at the range from 400 to 800 nm. Refractive index was 2.33 at 633 nm. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the Sr_0.3Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ thin films prepared on polycrystal Pt substrates were 600 and 0.06 at room temperature and 1 kHz, respectively. The curie temperature (T_c) of polycrystalline Sr_0.3Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ thin films was about 200°C. At room temperature and 50 kHz, remanent polarization (P_r) and coercive field (E_c) of the polycrystalline thin films were 1.79 C/cm² and 2.69 kV/cm, respectively.     

Organic spin clusters: macrocyclic-macrocyclic polyarylmethyl polyradicals with very high spin S = 5-13

Synthesis and magnetic studies of a new class of organic spin clusters, possessing alternating connectivity of unequal spins, are described. Polyarylmethyl polyether precursors to the spin clusters, with linear and branched connectivity between calix[4]arene-based macrocycles, are prepared via modular, multistep syntheses. Their molecular connectivity and stereoisomerism are analyzed using NMR spectroscopy. The absolute masses (4-10 kDa) are determined by FABMS and GPC/MALS. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) provides the radii of gyration of 1.2-1.8 nm. The corresponding polyradicals with 15, 22, and 36 triarylmethyls, which are prepared and studied as solutions in tetrahydrofuran-d(8), may be described as S' = 7/2, 1/2, 7/2 spin trimer (average S = 5-6), S' = 7/2, 1/2, 6/2, 1/2, 7/2 spin pentamer (average S = 7-9), and spin nonamer (average S = 11-13), respectively, as determined by SQUID magnetometry and numerical fits to linear combinations of the Brillouin functions. For spin trimer and pentamer, the quantitative magnetization data are fit to new percolation models, based upon random distributions of chemical defects and ferromagnetic vs antiferromagnetic couplings. The value of S = 13 is the highest for an organic molecule.     

Organic spin clusters. A dendritic-macrocyclic poly(arylmethyl) polyradical with very high spin of S = 10 and its derivatives: synthesis, magnetic studies, and small-angle neutron scattering

Synthesis and characterization of organic spin clusters, high-spin poly(arylmethyl) polyradicals with 24 and 8 triarylmethyls, are described. Polyether precursors to the polyradicals are prepared via modular, multistep syntheses, culminating in Negishi cross-couplings between four monofunctional branch (dendritic) modules and the tetrafunctional calix[4]arene-based macrocyclic core. The corresponding carbopolyanions are prepared and oxidized to polyradicals in tetrahydrofuran-d(8). The measured values of S, from numerical fits of magnetization vs magnetic field data to Brillouin functions at low temperatures (T = 1.8-5 K), are S = 10 and S = 3.6-3.8 for polyradicals with 24 and 8 triarylmethyls, respectively. Magnetizations at saturation (M(sat)) indicate that 60-80% of unpaired electrons are present at T = 1.8-5 K. Low-resolution shape reconstructions from the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) data indicate that both the polyradical with 24 triarylmethyls and its derivatives have dumbbell-like shapes with overall dimensions 2 x 3 x 4 nm, in agreement with the molecular shapes of the lowest energy conformations obtained from Monte Carlo conformational searches. On the basis of these shapes, the size of the magnetic anisotropy barrier in the polyradical, originating in magnetic shape anisotropy, is estimated to be in the milliKelvin range, consistent with the observed paramagnetic behavior at T >or= 1.8 K. For macromolecular polyradicals, with the elongated shape and the spin density similar to the polyradical with 24 triarylmethyls, it is predicted that the values of S on the order of 1000 or higher may be required for "single-molecule-magnet" behavior, i.e., superparamagnetic blocking (via coherent rotation of magnetization) at the readily accessible temperatures T > 2 K.     

Batch foam fractionation of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) vine retting solution

The aqueous protein solution from kudzu(Pueraria lobata) vine retting broth, without the addition of other surfactants, was foam-fractionated in a vertical tubular column with multiple sampling ports. Time-varying trajectories of the total protein levels were determined to describe the protein behavior at six positions along the 1-m column. The lowest two trajectories of this batch process represented a loss of proteins from the bulk liquid and tended to merge and decay together in time; the other trajectories displayed a gain in proteins in the foam phase. These upper column port protein concentration trajectories generally increased in time up to 45 min, followed by a decrease, reflecting the removal of proteins from the column ports. The foam became dryer as it passed up the column to the top port. The protein concentration was about 5–8×higher in the top port foam than in the initial bulk solution, mainly as a result of liquid drainage from the foam along the column axis. This concentration increase in the collected foam was dependent on the initial pH of the bulk solution. The mol-wt profile of the proteins in the concentrated foam effluent was determined by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis. An analysis of the gel electropherograms indicated that the most abundant proteins could be cellulases and pectinases.     

Organic spin clusters: annelated macrocyclic polyarylmethyl polyradicals and a polymer with very high spin S=6-18

Synthesis and magnetic studies of annelated macrocyclic polyradicals and a related high-spin polymer with macrocyclic repeat units are described. Polyarylmethyl polyether precursors to the polyradicals and the related polymer are prepared by using Negishi cross-coupling of difunctionalized calix[4]arene-based macrocycles. The three lowest homologues, with high degree of monodispersity, are tetradecaether (14-ether) 3-(OCH(3))(14), octacosaether (28-ether) 4-(OCH(3))(28), and dotetracontaether (42-ether) 5-(OCH(3))(42), in which 2, 4, and 6 calix[4]arene-based macrocycles are annelated to the center macrocycle, respectively. The evidence for their annelated structures (ladder connectivities) is based upon FAB-MS and the (1)H NMR based end-group analysis. The absolute masses (4-12 kDa) were determined by FAB-MS and GPC/MALS. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) provides the radii of gyration of 1.7, 2.0, and 3.2 nm for 4-(OCH(3))(28), 5-(OCH(3))(42), and polymer 6-(OCH(3))(n), respectively. The corresponding polyarylmethyl polyradicals 3 and 4, and polymer 6 possess average values of S approximately 6-7, S approximately 10, and S approximately 18, respectively, as determined by SQUID magnetometry and numerical fits to linear combinations of Brillouin functions. The quantitative values of magnetization at saturation and of magnetic susceptibilities indicate that about 40-60 % of unpaired electrons are present at low temperatures (T=1.8-5 K). For polyradical 3, the variable temperature magnetic data are fit to the Heisenberg Hamiltonian based model. The variable magnetic field data at low temperatures are also fit to a percolation-based model for organic spin cluster, with random distribution of chemical defects, and ferromagnetic versus antiferromagnetic couplings, providing quantitative agreement between the experiment and the theory. For polyradical 3 (with S approximately 6-7), annealing at room temperature for 0.5 h leads to a polyradical with S approximately 5.     

A Dendritic Macrocyclic Organic Polyradical with a Very High Spin of S=10

Designed as a ferromagnetically coupled spin pentamer , the macrocyclic polyradical 1 possesses an average spin of S=10 in the ground state. This is the highest spin quantum number that has yet been measured for an organic molecule. Ar=tBuC₆H₄.