Tips and Tricks for the Surface Engineering of Well-Ordered Morphologically Driven Silver-Based Nanomaterials

Particularly-shaped silver nanostructures are successfully applied in many scientific fields, such as nanotechnology, catalysis, (nano)engineering, optoelectronics, and sensing. In recent years, the production of shape-controlled silver-based nanostructures and the knowledge around this topic has grown significantly. Hence, on the basis of the most recent results reported in the literature, a critical analysis around the driving forces behind the synthesis of such nanostructures are proposed herein, pointing out the important role of surface-regulating agents in driving crystalline growth by favoring (or opposing) development along specific directions. Additionally, growth mechanisms of the different morphologies considered here are discussed in depth, and critical points highlighted.     

CuPc molecules adsorbed on Au(1 1 0)-(1 × 2): growth morphology and evolution of valence band states

We present the growth morphology, the long-range ordering, and the evolution of the valence band electronic states of ultrathin films of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) deposited on the Au(1 1 0)-(1 × 2) reconstructed surface, as a function of the organic molecule coverage. The low energy electron diffraction patterns present a (5 × 3) reconstruction from the early adsorption stages. High-resolution UV photoelectron spectroscopy data show the disappearance of the Au surface states related to the (1 × 2) reconstruction, and the presence of new electronic features related to the molecule-substrate interaction and to the CuPc molecular states. The CuPc highest occupied molecular orbital gradually emerges in the valence band, while the interface electronic states are quenched, upon increasing the coverage.     

Long‐range dependence and performance in telecom networks

Telecommunications systems have recently undergone significant innovations. These call for suitable statistical models that can properly describe the behaviour of the input traffic in a network. Here we use fractional Brownian motion (FBM) to model cumulative traffic network, thus taking into account the possible presence of long‐range dependence in the data. A Bayesian approach is devised in such a way that we are able to: (a) estimate the Hurst parameter H of the FBM; (b) estimate the overflow probability which is a parameter measuring the quality of service of a network: (c) develop a test for comparing the null hypothesis of long‐range dependence in the data versus the alternative of short‐range dependence. In order to achieve these inferential results, we elaborate an MCMC sampling scheme whose output enables us to obtain an approximation of the quantities of interest. An application to three real datasets, corresponding to three different levels of traffic, is finally considered. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A non-isothermal Ginzburg–Landau model in superconductivity: Existence,uniqueness and asymptotic behaviour

In this paper we study a Ginzburg–Landau model which describes the behaviour of a superconducting material including thermal effects. We extend the traditional formulation of the problem, by introducing the temperature as an additional state variable. Accordingly, together with the Gor’kov–Eliashberg system, we introduce an evolution equation for the absolute temperature. We examine in detail the case which allows only variations of the concentration of superconducting electrons and of the temperature, neglecting the electromagnetic field. For this problem existence and uniqueness of the solution are shown. Finally we analyze the asymptotic behaviour of the solutions, proving that the system possesses a global attractor.     

Recent developments in the synthesis of 11β-aryl-estrone derivatives

An industrial synthesis of 11β-aryl-estrone derivatives is described, based on the 1,4-addition of the aryl side-chain, as a cuprate, on to a mixture of allylic 5(10) alpha and beta epoxides, followed by hydrolysis and subsequent aromatization.     

FT–IR microspectroscopy study of blends of ester functionalized ethylene–propylene copolymer with (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropene) elastomer

An ethylene—propylene (EPR) copolymer functionalized with (1,2-dicarboethoxy)ethyl groups has been blended with a vinylidene fluoride—hexafluropropene elastomer (NML). The existence of intermolecular interactions involving mainly the carbonyl groups of the side chains of the functionalized copolymer and the methylene hydrogens of the fluoroelastomer through hydrogen bonding was shown by means of FT—IR spectroscopy. The structure and composition of some microdomains in the mixture was examined by means of FT—IR microspectroscopy.     

1-Arylsulfonylamino-1,2,3-triazole derivatives from functionalyzed 1,2-cyclohexanediones

The heterocyclization reaction of arylsulfonylhydrazones from alkyl substituted 1,2-cyclohexanediones is sensitive to the steric requirements of the alkyl groups. A mechanism for the cyclization in acidic medium is also reported.     

X-ray structure and circular dichroism of pure rotamers of bis[guanosine-5'-monophosphate(-1)](N,N,N',N'-tetramethylcyclohexyl-1,2-diamine)platinum(II) complexes that have R,R and S,S configurations at the asymmetric diamine

The use of a sterically hindered diamine ligand (Me(4)DACH) has allowed for the first time, the isolation and characterization, both in the solid state (X-ray crystallography) and in solution (circular dichroism), of pure DeltaHT rotamers of [Pt(Me(4)dach)(5'-GMP)(2)] (compounds 1 and 2 for R,R and S,S configurations of the Me(4)DACH ligand, respectively). Comparison of the CD spectra obtained for each rotamer, which differ only in the chirality of the Me(4)DACH ligand (R,R or S,S) or in the chirality of the HT conformation (Delta or Lambda), allowed us to conclude that, in the 200-350 nm range, the contributions to the overall CD spectrum that stem from diamine chirality and diamine-induced chirality of platinum d--d transitions or from sugar chirality are negligible relative to the exciton chiral coupling that occurs for pi-pi* transitions of the cis guanines. Accurate molecular structures of 1.10 D(2)O and 2.14 D(2)O (conventional crystallographic agreement indexes R(1) convergent to 2.07 % and 2.18 %, respectively) revealed that the crystallized rotamers have a DeltaHT conformation that is in agreement with all previously reported X-ray structures of [Pt(diamine)(nucleos(t)ide)(2)] complexes. This conformation allows the 5'-phosphate to be located in proximity to the Me(4)DACH ligand so that (P)O...HC(N) hydrogen-bond interactions exists in both complexes. For both structures, the canting of the guanine planes on the coordination plane is right-handed (R; canting angle (Phi) of 80.9 degrees and 73.2 degrees, respectively); this indicates that the canting direction is driven by the HT conformation chirality (Delta for both compounds) and not by the chirality of the carrier ligand (different for the two compounds). Density functional theory analysis of the conformational space as a function of Phi indicated a good agreement between the computed and experimental structures. The increase in energy for Phi values below 65 degrees and 55 degrees (for 1 and 2, respectively) is mainly due to the short intramolecular contacts between C(8)H and the cis N-Me groups on the same side of the platinum coordination plane.     

The stereocontrolled synthesis of orthogonally protected (R)-α-methyltryptophan

An expedient and highly stereocontrolled route to (R)-α-methyltryptophan and its orthogonally protected analogs has been developed via a four-step conversion from L-alanine in good overall yields. The stereochemistry of the products is confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, NMR spectroscopy and optical rotations.     

Synthesis of pyrazolo[4,5-d]- and pyrazolo[4,5-c][1]benzazepine derivatives. IV

Following our reports on synthetic tricyclic analogues of antitumor anthramycin the synthesis of some isomers pyrazolo[4,5-d]- and pyrazolo[4,5-c][1]benzazepine derivatives is reported.