Photonic crystals with a chiral basis by holographic lithography

We demonstrate the use of holographic lithography to fabricate chiral photonic crystals. These structures are calculated to exhibit strong optical activity even though they are made from material that is not intrinsically optically active. By control of the polarizations of the interfering plane waves that are used to define the three-dimensional microstructure it is possible to create left- and right-handed and closely related non-chiral structures.     

Photonic crystals for the visible spectrum by holographic lithography

We describe a general and flexible technique for the fabrication of three-dimensional photonic crystals that is particularly well adapted to the production of structures with the sub-micron periodicity required for applications in the visible optical spectrum. Three-dimensional microstructure is generated by using a four-beam laser interference pattern to expose a thick layer of photoresist. Exposed areas are rendered insoluble; unexposed areas are dissolved away leaving a three-dimensional photonic crystal formed of cross-linked polymer with air-filled voids. The polymeric structure may be used as a template for the production of photonic crystals with higher refractive index contrast. Photonic crystals made of polymer and of TiO₂ have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and by optical diffraction measurements.     

Studies on the palladium-catalysed direct alkenylation of 1,2-azoles

Electron-rich isoxazoles, isothiazoles and pyrazoles undergo palladium-catalysed direct alkenylation in moderate yields.     

Host-[2]rotaxanes as cellular transport agents

Host-[2]rotaxanes, containing a diarginine-derivatized dibenzo-24-crown-8 (DB24C8) ether as the ring and a cyclophane pocket or an aromatic cleft as one blocking group, are cell transport agents. These hosts strongly associate with a variety of amino acids, dipeptides, and fluorophores in water (1 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0), DMSO, and a 75/25 (v/v) buffer to DMSO solution. All peptidic guests in all solvent systems have association constants (K(A)'s) in the range of 1 x 10(4) to 5 x 10(4) M(-)(1), whereas the K(A) range for the fluorophores is 1 x 10(4) to 9 x 10(5) M(-)(1). Association constants for the cyclophane itself, cyclophane 3, are smaller. These values are in the 1 x 10(3) to 5 x 10(3) M(-)(1) range, which shows that the rotaxane architecture is advantageous for guest binding. Cyclophane-[2]rotaxane 1 efficiently transports fluorescein and a fluorescein-protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor into eukaryotic COS-7 cells, including the nucleus. Interestingly, cleft-[2]rotaxane 2 does not transport fluorescein as efficiently, even though the results from the fluorescence assays show that both [2]rotaxanes bind fluorescein with the same ability.