Fabrication of nano-porous silicon oxide layers by plasma polymerisation methods

We report on the synthesis of nano-porous silicon oxide (SiO₂) layers by gas phase polymerisation reactions of hexamethy disiloxane and oxygen. The SiO₂ layers are deposited onto one or more layers of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) particles spin coated onto the substrate surface. Subsequent annealing of the films to high temperature (500 °C) leads to the pyrolysis of the polymeric particles resulting in a 3D nanoporosity in the film. X-ray Photoelectron (XPS) and Fourier Transform Infra Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) show an SiO₂-like surface chemistry and virtually complete removal of the organic components. These materials offer a very high surface area-to-volume ratio suitable for sensing applications.     

Synthesis and two-photon absorption property of new π-conjugated dendritic fluorophores containing styrylpyridyl moieties

Four new multi-branched two-photon absorption chromophores, namely 1-(4-bromobenzal)-3,5-bis(4-((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)phenyl)benzene (4), tris(4-((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)phenyl)-benzene (5), 6-chloro-N²,N⁴-bis(4-((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)phenyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (6), tris-[4-(2-pyridin-4-yl-vinyl)-phenyl]-amine (7), have been synthesized and characterized. One-photon fluorescence, fluorescent quantum yields and two-photon fluorescence have been investigated. The experimental two-photon absorption cross-sections of 4–7 in DMF are 6, 11, 13 GM (pumped by 740 nm laser) and 19 GM (pumped by 800 nm laser), respectively. The calculated two-photon absorption cross-sections of 4–7 are 5.41, 7.67, 9.57 and 76.14 GM, respectively. The two-photon induced fluorescent peak wavelengths of 4–7 in DMF are 421, 425, 474 and 534 nm pumped by 680, 680, 740 and 800 nm laser, respectively. The results show that molecule 7 is a good two-photon absorption fluorophore possessing long two-photon fluorescent lifetime, good fluorescent quantum yield and large two-photon absorption cross-section. The two-photon absorption peak wavelength of molecule 7 is at 800 nm, which is favourable for initiating two-photon photopolymerization.     

Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 nanotubes synthesis and infrared absorption properties

Herein a useful methodology to synthesize the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanotubes via a dip-coating deposition process with anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template is proposed. The nano-porous AAO templates were produced using a controlled two-step electrochemical anodization technique. The PZT/AAO composite was formed using the dip-coating wetting technique. The prepared PZT precursor solution was driven into the nanopore channels of AAO template under the driving force of capillary action, subsequently the sintering process of the as-filled templates was carefully tuned to obtain Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ nanotubes of crystalline tetragonal phase with uniform pore size and ordered arrange. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results show that in the 1200–1900 cm⁻¹ band, the composite structure of PZT/AAO has obvious absorption peaks at 1471.56 cm⁻¹ and 1556.09 cm⁻¹, the absorption intensity of the composite structure is about six times of pure AAO template. The unusual optical properties found in PZT/AAO composite will stimulate further theoretical and experimental interests in ferroelectric nanostructures.     

Growth and optical properties of Er,Yb:YAl3(BO3)4 crystal

Single crystal of erbium, ytterbium-codoped yttrium aluminum tetraborate Er,Yb:YAl₃(BO₃)₄(Er,Yb:YAB) has been grown by the flux method. The absorption spectrum in the visible and NIR regions of Er,Yb:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ crystal are measured at room temperature and fluorescence spectrum of Er,Yb:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ crystal are also measured at room temperature, excited by 976 nm laser. Not only the strong NIR emission peaks located at 1548 nm was observed, but also the visible up-conversion luminescence has been found. The specific heat of the Er/Yb:YAB crystal at room temperature is 0.81 J/g °C.     

Heterotactic Enthalpic Interactions of L-Arginine with 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanoi in Aqueous Solutions at 298.15,303.15 and 310.15 K

The enthalpies of mixing of L-arginine with 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol and their respective enthalpies of dilution in aqueous solutions at 298.15,303.15 and 310.15 K were determined as a function of the mole fraction by flow microcalorimetric measurement.These experimental results were analyzed to obtain heterotactic enthalpic interaction coefficients(hxy,hxxy,hxyy)according to the McMillan-Mayer theory.The hxy coefficients between L-arginine molecule studied and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol molecule in aqueous solutions at 298.15,303.15 and 310.15 K were found to be all negative.The results were discussed in terms of solute-solute interaction and solute-solvent interaction.     

Interfacial assembly of sandwich mixed (Phthalocyaninato)(Porphyrinato) rare earth triple-decker complexes: Effect of in situ coordination

Interfacial assembly of sandwich mixed (phthalocyaninato)(porphyrinato) rare earth triple-decker complexes [(Pc)Eu(Pc)Eu(TPyP)] (1) and [(TPyP)Sm(Pc)Sm(TPyP)] (2) (Pc = phthalocyaninate, TPyP = meso-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrinate) has been comparatively studied at the air/pure water and the air/CdCl₂ aqueous solution subphase interfaces. Surface pressure-area isotherms revealed the remarkable increase of limiting mean molecular area of the triple-deckers with the presence of Cd²⁺, suggesting the occurrence of in situ interfacial coordination. The formation of coordination bonds between the pyridyl groups of TPyP macrocycles in the triple-deckers and Cd²⁺ ions from the subphase was further supported by FT-IR spectroscopic data. Electronic absorption measurements showed the formation of J-aggregates of the triple-decker molecules in the interfacial assembled films.     

A residual-based a posteriori error estimator for a fully-mixed formulation of the Stokes–Darcy coupled problem

In this paper we develop an a posteriori error analysis of a new fully mixed finite element method for the coupling of fluid flow with porous media flow in 2D. Flows are governed by the Stokes and Darcy equations, respectively, and the corresponding transmission conditions are given by mass conservation, balance of normal forces, and the Beavers–Joseph–Saffman law. We consider dual-mixed formulations in both media, which yields the pseudostress and the velocity in the fluid, together with the velocity and the pressure in the porous medium, and the traces of the porous media pressure and the fluid velocity on the interface, as the resulting unknowns. The set of feasible finite element subspaces includes Raviart–Thomas elements of lowest order and piecewise constants for the velocities and pressures, respectively, in both domains, together with continuous piecewise linear elements for the traces. We derive a reliable and efficient residual-based a posteriori error estimator for the coupled problem. The proof of reliability makes use of the global inf–sup condition, Helmholtz decompositions in both media, and local approximation properties of the Clément interpolant and Raviart–Thomas operator. On the other hand, inverse inequalities, the localization technique based on element-bubble and edge-bubble functions, and known results from previous works, are the main tools for proving the efficiency of the estimator. Finally, some numerical results confirming the theoretical properties of this estimator, and illustrating the capability of the corresponding adaptive algorithm to localize the singularities of the solution, are reported.     

Interfacial modifying layer-driven high-performance organic thin-film transistors and their nitrogen dioxide gas sensors

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) based on bottom-gate bottom-contact configuration were fabricated by inserting two kinds of modifying layers at the interface of source/drain electrode and organic semiconductor, while nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) sensing capability was also evaluated based on the obtained OTFTs. Compared to OTFT without interfacial layer, the field-effect mobility (μ) was enhanced from 0.018 cm²/Vs to 0.15 cm²/Vs by incorporating with MoO_x interfacial layer. Moreover, when exposed to 30 ppm NO₂, the saturation current and μ of OTFT with MoO_x interfacial layer increase 22.7% and 26.7%, respectively, while in original OTFT, the values are only 3.0% and 3.7%, respectively. The mechanism of performance improvement of OTFT sensor was systematically studied by focusing on the interface of source/drain electrode and organic semiconductor. The reduced contact resistance leads to higher μ, meanwhile, pentacene morphology modulation on MoO_x contributes to better diffusion of NO₂ molecules. As a result, higher μ and more diffused gas molecules enhance the gas sensing property of the transistor.