De-mixing dynamics of a binary liquid system in a controlled-pore glass

The European Physical Journal E - The temperature-induced microphase separation of the binary liquid system iso-butyric acid+heavy water (iBA + D2O) in a mesoporous silica glass (CPG-10-75) of...     

The 2-naphthol-water2 cluster: two competing types of hydrogen-bonding arrangements

The potential energy surfaces of the S(0) and S(1)(pi(*)<--pi) states of the 2-naphthol(H(2)O)(n), n is an element of {1,2} clusters were explored at the level of coupled cluster (CC2) response theory. In the electronic ground state two different types of hydrogen-bonding networks coexist for n=2, (i) a cyclic one [similar to those of the water trimer and phenol(H(2)O)(2)] where the hydroxy group of the aryl alcohol acts simultaneously as H donor for the first, and as H acceptor for the second water molecule, and (ii) a hydrogen-bonding arrangement where the aromatic pi system is taking over the role as H acceptor. In the S(1) state, on the other hand, the cyclic conformers are unstable. Consequently, the first group of cyclic ground state conformers gives rise to broad unstructured band shapes in the absorption spectrum, whereas the second group of conformers involving the aromatic pi system gives rise to nicely structured band shapes. Based on these results the puzzling absorption spectrum of the n=2 cluster can properly be interpreted.     

The English Galileo: Thomas Harriot and the Force of Shared Knowledge in Early Modern Mechanics

I discuss the work of the English mathematician and philosopher Thomas Harriot (1560–1621), analyzing especially his work on projectile motion, and comparing it to that of his contemporary Galileo Galilei (1564–1642). I argue that although their work on projectile motion was carried out independently and displays both similarities and differences, it shows that they focused on common challenging objects of study that embodied what I term “points of contact” between preclassical and classical mechanics. I also argue that their shared knowledge defined the space of possible solutions to the problem of projectile motion, although the inferential pathways they followed through their shared knowledge proceeded in exactly opposite directions. I conclude that their work suggests that the lines of development in early modern mechanics converged in such a way that the long-term development of science was largely unaffected by the peculiarities in an individual scientist’s work.     

Molecular aniline clusters. II. The low-lying electronic excited states

The lowest electronically excited states of the aniline dimer and trimer related to the lowest π(?)←π transition of the monomer are investigated by applying time-dependent coupled cluster theory, primarily at the level of the (spin-component-scaled) CC2 model. Minimum energy structures in the vicinity of the Franck-Condon points were determined on the individual potential energy surfaces. For the dimer we find an excimer and a head-to-tail configuration (with the monomers substantially displaced relative to the ground state minimum) for the lowest (dark) and second lowest (bright) states, respectively. The excitation is delocalized on both chromophores for both of these states. For the trimer three distinct minima with quite different hydrogen-bonding arrangements are found for the three lowest states. In strong contrast to the dimer the excitation here is clearly localized on the individual aniline chromophores for each of these three states. One of the three geometries is rather similar to the ground state minimum, while the two others are rather different and thus have presumably quite small Franck-Condon factors. It can be expected that only the electronic origin of the first conformer can eventually be detected in the absorption spectrum of the trimer, provided that it is separated by high-enough barriers from other, energetically lower configurations.     

1912: A turning point on Einstein's way to general relativity

On his way to general relativity, Einstein used the equivalence principle to formulate a theory of the static gravitational field. In this context he introduced an approximate coordinate transformation to an accelerated frame which turns out to be closely related to Rindler coordinates, widely used in modern general relativity. This work, published in the Annalen, led him directly to interpret gravitation in terms of spacetime curvature.     

Nb and Ta Adducts: Connecting d0 Metal Chlorides and Phosphorus Sulfide Cages

Phosphorus sulfide cages α‐P₄S₄, α‐P₄S₅, β‐P₄S₅, and β‐P₄S₆ and transition‐metal chlorides TaCl₅ and NbCl₅ form molecular adducts in CS₂/n‐hexane. The crystal structures of the adducts (TaCl₅)(α‐P₄S₄), (TaCl₅)(α‐P₄S₅), (TaCl₅)(β‐P₄S₅), (NbCl₅)(β‐P₄S₅), and (TaCl₅)(β‐P₄S₆) are reported and their conformation and energetic stability are discussed on the basis of ab initio electronic structure calculations. Furthermore bond lengths of coordinated and noncoordinated phosphorus sulfide cages obtained from experiment and theory are compared, emphasizing the changes within the cages that emerge upon coordination.     

Phenol-water(1<or=n<or=3) revisited: an ab initio study on the photophysics of these clusters at the level of coupled cluster response theory

The S1(pi*<--pi) state surfaces of the phenol-water(1相似文献   

De-mixing dynamics of a binary liquid system in a controlled-pore glass. A neutron spin-echo spectroscopy and small angle neutron scattering study

The temperature-induced microphase separation of the binary liquid system iso-butyric acid+heavy water (iBA + D(2)O) in a mesoporous silica glass (CPG-10-75) of nominal pore width 7.5 nm was investigated by neutron spin-echo spectroscopy (NSE) and neutron small-angle scattering (SANS). Two mixtures of different composition were studied at different scattering angles at temperatures above and below the bulk phase transition temperature. The phase separation in the pore space is found to occur at a lower temperature than the bulk transition and extends over a significant temperature range. The effective diffusion coefficient derived from NSE at low scattering angles is found to decrease by one order of magnitude from 70 degrees C to 20 degrees C. This observation is attributed to the growing size of concentration fluctuations having a cut-off at ca. 8 nm, which corresponds to the mean pore size. The dynamics of the concentration fluctuations appears to be strongly influenced by the confinement in the pores, as it differs strongly from the bulk behaviour. These results are consistent with the preliminary results of the SANS study.     

Local structure of a phase-separating binary mixture in a mesoporous glass matrix studied by small-angle neutron scattering

The mesoscopic structure of the binary system isobutyric acid + heavy water (D(2)O) confined in a porous glass (controlled-pore silica glass, mean pore width ca. 10 nm) was studied by small-angle neutron scattering at off-critical compositions in a temperature range above and below the upper critical solution point. The scattering data were analyzed in terms of a structure factor model similar to that proposed by Formisano and Teixeira [Eur. Phys. J. E 1, 1 (2000)], but allowing for both Ornstein-Zernike-type composition fluctuations and domainlike structures in the microphase-separated state of the pore liquid. The results indicate that the phase separation in the pores is shifted by ca. 10 K and spread out in temperature. Microphase separation is pictured as a transition from partial segregation at high temperature, due to the strong preferential adsorption of water at the pore wall, to a tube or capsule configuration of the two phases at low temperatures, depending on the overall composition of the pore liquid. Results for samples in which the composition of the pore liquid can vary with temperature due to equilibration with extra-pore liquid are consistent with this picture.     

Phase behavior and local structure of a binary mixture in pores: mean-field lattice model calculations for analyzing neutron scattering data

We investigate the phase behavior of an asymmetric binary liquid A-W mixture confined between two planar homogenous substrates (slit pore). Molecules of species W interact preferentially with the solid walls via a long-range potential. Assuming nearest-neighbor attractions between the liquid molecules, we employ a lattice-gas model and a mean-field approximation for the grand potential. Minimization of this potential yields the density profiles of thermodynamically stable phases for fixed temperature, chemical potentials of both species, pore width and strengths of attraction. This model is used to analyze experimental small-angle neutron-scattering (SANS) data on the microscopic structure of the binary system isobutyric acid (iBA)+heavy water (D2O) inside a mesoscopic porous matrix (controlled-pore glass of about 10 nm mean pore width). Confinement-independent model parameters are adjusted so that the theoretical liquid-liquid coexistence curve in the bulk matches its experimental counterpart. By choosing appropriate values of the pore width and the attraction strength between substrates and water we analyze the effect of confinement on the phase diagram. In addition to a depression of the liquid-liquid critical point we observe surface induced phase transitions as well as water-film adsorption near the walls. The temperature dependence of the structure of water-rich and iBA-rich phases of constant composition are discussed in detail. The theoretical predictions are consistent with results of the SANS study and assist their interpretation.