Laser Photolysis Study on Mechanism and Efficiency of Electron Transfer Between Fullerenes (C60 and C70) and Tetraselenafulvalenes

Abstract

Efficient electron-transfer reactions from three kind of tetraselenafulvalenes (TSeF's) to photoexcited triplet state of C₆₀ or C₇₀ in polar solvents have been confirmed by transient absorption spectroscopy observing the decay of ³C₆₀*/³C₇₀* and rise of C₆₀ ^??/C₇₀ ^??. Growth of single crystal seems to be stimulated by laser irradiation of the solution containing C₆₀ and bis(ethylenedithio)tetraselena-fulvalene (BEDT-TSeF), in which C₆₀ ^?? was effectively formed.     

Phase Relations and Volume Changes of Hafnia under High Pressure and High Temperature

Using multi-anvil high-pressure devices and synchrotron radiation, X-ray in situ observations of HfO₂ under high pressure and high temperature have been performed to investigate its phase relations and compression behavior. An orthorhombic phase (orthoI) is stable from 4 to 14.5 GPa below 1250°–1400°C and transforms to a tetragonal phase, which is one of the high-temperature forms of HfO₂, above these temperatures. Another orthorhombic phase (orthoII) with a cotunnite-type structure appears above 14.5 GPa. OrthoII is stable up to 1800°C at 21 GPa. OrthoII is quenchable to ambient conditions. The orthoI-to-orthoII transition is accompanied by ∼8 vol% decrease. The bulk moduli of orthoI and orthoII at room temperature are 220 and 312 GPa, respectively. This low compressibility of orthoII indicates that it is a potential candidate for very hard materials.     

Immunomodulatory effect of mushrooms on cytotoxic activity and cytokine production of intestinal lamina propria leukocytes does not necessarily depend on β-glucan contents

We evaluated the effects of seven mushroom extracts (Grifola frondosa, Pholiota nameko, Panellus serotinus, Hypsizygus marmoreus, Pleurotus cornucopiae, Armillaria mellea, and Flammulina velutipes) on cytotoxic activity and cytokine production of lamina propria leukocytes (LPLs) isolated from rat small (S) and large (L) intestinal mucosa. Boiling water extracts from seven species of mushrooms showed no direct cytotoxicity against the YAC-1 target cells. However, prominent increases of cytotoxicity were observed in S- and L-LPLs co-cultured with P. serotinus extract. Cytokine production (TNFα, IFNγ, IL-12 p70, and IL-4) of S- and L-LPLs was stimulated in response to P. cornucopiae extract. Mushroom extracts contributed to target cell adhesion and/or cytokine production in the effector cells. The promotion of cytotoxic activity in S- and L-LPLs was not necessarily related to β-glucan content of the mushroom.     

Reappraisal of loading rate effects on sand behavior in view of seismic design for pile foundation

This study re-visits the effects of loading rate on sand behavior in view of seismic design of pile foundation. Based on an extensive literature review covering both element testing and model testing, the paper summarizes the current understanding of the loading rate effects. The paper then describes the development of test apparatus used in this study and presents the data obtained from a series of monotonically increasing triaxial compression tests on Toyoura sand, varying the strain rate in the range of 0.005%/s to 250%/s. A total of 36 tests were conducted on dry and saturated sand, both under drained and undrained conditions with two confining pressures. The experimental results confirm that the soil strength and the soil stiffness increase as the strain rate increase. This paper also concludes that the internal friction angle and deformation modulus increase when the strain rate is high. The implications of the loading rate effect on pile foundation design are then presented.     

Nanostructured poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) films with tunable dimensions through self-assembly with polystyrene

Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) is among the most widely used conjugated polymers for opto-electronic applications. To enhance its properties, researchers have attempted to nanostructure this polymer using various processes including breath figure arrays, nanolithography and elaborated organic synthesis. We here demonstrate a simple process to nanostructure the conjugated polymer using self-assembly with polystyrene and selective removal of one of the phases. The influence of the molecular weight of each polymer on the thin film morphology was systematically studied by atomic force microscopy. Using this approach, we observe two types of nanostructure, namely, nanoporous and nanoisland structures, of which the dimensions can be tuned by modifying the molecular weight of each polymer in the blend. This simple process introduces a cost-effective alternative to produce thin films of conjugated polymer with average nano-features from 100 nm up to 500 nm which could be used in a wide range of applications.