TY - JOUR A1 - Bouakline, Foudhil A1 - Fischer, E. W. A1 - Saalfrank, Peter T1 - A quantum-mechanical tier model for phonon-driven vibrational relaxation dynamics of adsorbates at surfaces JF - The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr N2 - We present a quantum-mechanical tier model for vibrational relaxation of low-lying excited states of an adsorbate vibrational mode (system), coupled to surface phonons (bath), at zero temperature. The tier model, widely used in studies of intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution in polyatomics, is adapted here to adsorbate-surface systems with the help of an embedded cluster approach, using orthogonal coordinates for the system and bath modes, and a phononic expansion of their interaction. The key idea of the model is to organize the system-bath zeroth-order vibrational space into a hierarchical structure of vibrational tiers and keep therein only vibrational states that are sequentially generated from the system-bath initial vibrational state. Each tier is generated from the previous one by means of a successor operator, derived from the system-bath interaction Hamiltonian. This sequential procedure leads to a drastic reduction of the dimension of the system-bath vibrational space. We notably show that for harmonic vibrational motion of the system and linear system-bath couplings in the system coordinate, the dimension of the tier-model vibrational basis scales as similar to N-lxv. Here, N is the number of bath modes, l is the highest-order of the phononic expansion, and l is the size of the system vibrational basis. This polynomial scaling is computationally far superior to the exponential scaling of the original zeroth-order vibrational basis, similar to M-N, with M being the number of basis functions per bath mode. In addition, since each tier is coupled only to its adjacent neighbors, the matrix representation of the system-bath Hamiltonian in this new vibrational basis has a symmetric block-tridiagonal form, with each block being very sparse. This favors the combination of the tier-model with iterative Krylov techniques, such as the Lanczos algorithm, to solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for the full Hamiltonian. To illustrate the method, we study vibrational relaxation of a D-Si bending mode, coupled via two-and (mainly) one-phonon interactions to a fully D-covered Si(100)-(2 x 1) surface, using a recent first-principles system-bath Hamiltonian. The results of the tier model are compared with those obtained by the Lindblad formalism of the reduced density matrix. We find that the tier model provides much more information and insight into mechanisms of vibration-phonon couplings at surfaces, and gives more reliable estimates of the adsorbate vibrational lifetimes. Moreover, the tier model might also serve as a benchmark for other approximate quantum-dynamics methods, such as multiconfiguration wavefunction approaches. Published under license by AIP Publishing. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5099902 SN - 0021-9606 SN - 1089-7690 VL - 150 IS - 24 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fudickar, Werner A1 - Linker, Torsten T1 - Theoretical insights into the effect of solvents on the [4+2] cycloaddition of singlet oxygen to substituted anthracenes BT - A change from a stepwise process to a concerted process JF - Journal of physical organic chemistry N2 - The [4 + 2] cycloadditions of singlet oxygen to 9,10-diphenylanthracene (1) and the meta and para isomers of 9,10-dipyridylanthracene (2m/p) and 9,10-methoxyphenylanthracene (3m/p) have been studied by density functional calculations in the gas phase at the UB3LYP/6-31G* level and for the first time in solvents at the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM) UM062X/6-31G* level. The differences in calculated transition state (TS) energies derived from this method are in line with experimentally observed reactivity orders in solution. For the gas-phase reaction, the first TS of the stepwise pathway (TS1) has biradical character, and its energy lies below the energy of the TS of the concerted path (TSconc). In contrast, in the solvent acetonitrile, TS1 resembles a zwitterion and lies significantly higher than the TSconc. Thus, a concerted mechanism applies in solvents, and the energy gap between the TS of the two processes decreases with decreasing polarity. A change from a pyridyl against a methoxyphenyl substituent in the para position causes a maximal reduction of the activation barrier by approximately 1.7 kcal/mol, resulting in a fivefold increased reactivity. KW - anthracenes KW - DFT calculations KW - endoperoxides KW - photooxygenation KW - singlet oxygen KW - solvent effect Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/poc.3951 SN - 0894-3230 SN - 1099-1395 VL - 32 IS - 7 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zude, Manuela A1 - Hashim, Norhashila A1 - Hass, Roland A1 - Polley, Nabarun A1 - Regen, Christian T1 - Validation study for measuring absorption and reduced scattering coefficients by means of laser-induced backscattering imaging JF - Postharvest Biology and Technology N2 - Decoupling of optical properties appears challenging, but vital to get better insight of the relationship between light and fruit attributes. In this study, nine solid phantoms capturing the ranges of absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μs’) coefficients in fruit were analysed non-destructively using laser-induced backscattering imaging (LLBI) at 1060 nm. Data analysis of LLBI was carried out on the diffuse reflectance, attenuation profile obtained by means of Farrell’s diffusion theory either calculating μa [cm−1] and μs’ [cm−1] in one fitting step or fitting only one optical variable and providing the other one from a destructive analysis. The nondestructive approach was approved when calculating one unknown coefficient non-destructively, while no ability of the method was found to analysis both, μa and μs’, non-destructively. Setting μs’ according to destructive photon density wave (PDW) spectroscopy and fitting μa resulted in root mean square error (rmse) of 18.7% in comparison to fitting μs’ resulting in rmse of 2.6%, pointing to decreased measuring uncertainty, when the highly variable μa was known. The approach was tested on European pear, utilizing destructive PDW spectroscopy for setting one variable, while LLBI was applied for calculating the remaining coefficient. Results indicated that the optical properties of pear obtained from PDW spectroscopy as well as LLBI changed concurrently in correspondence to water content mainly. A destructive batch-wise analysis of μs’ and online analysis of μa may be considered in future developments for improved fruit sorting results, when considering fruit with high variability of μs’. KW - Absorption KW - European pear KW - Fruit quality KW - Phantoms KW - Reduced scattering coefficient KW - Scattering KW - Spatially resolved spectroscopy Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2019.04.002 SN - 0925-5214 SN - 1873-2356 VL - 153 SP - 161 EP - 168 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lai, Feili A1 - Feng, Jianrui A1 - Hei, Tobias A1 - Wang, Gui-Chang A1 - Adler, Peter A1 - Antonietti, Markus A1 - Oschatz, Martin T1 - Strong metal oxide-support interactions in carbon/hematite nanohybrids activate novel energy storage modes for ionic liquid-based supercapacitors JF - Energy Storage Materials N2 - Strong metal oxide-support interaction is crucial to activate high energy storage modes of carbon-supported hybrid electrodes in ionic liquid-based supercapacitors. Although it is known that conductive supports can influence the electrochemical properties of metal oxides, insights into how metal oxide-support interactions can be exploited to optimize joint energy storage properties are lacking. We report the junction between alpha-Fe2O3 nanosplotches and phosphorus-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3-P) with strong covalent anchoring of the metal oxide. The oxide-carbon interaction in CMK-3-P-Fe2O3 is strengthening the junction and charge transfer between Fe2O3 and CMK-3-P. It enhances energy storage by intensifying the interaction between ionic liquid ions and the surface of the electrode. Density functional theory simulations reveal that the strong metal oxide-support interaction increases the adsorption energy of ionic liquid to -4.77 eV as compared to -3.85 eV for a CMK-3Fe(2)O(3) hybrid with weaker binding. In spite of the lower specific surface area and apparently similar energy storage mode, the CMK-3-P-Fe2O3 exhibits superior electrical double-layer capacitor performance with a specific capacitance of 179 F g(-1) at 2 mV s(-1) (0-3.5 V) in comparison to Fe2O3-free CMK-3 and CMK-3-P reference materials. This principle for design of hybrid electrodes can be applicable for future rational design of stable metal oxide-support electrodes for advanced energy storage. KW - Supercapacitor KW - Nanohybrid KW - Iron oxide KW - Ionic liquid KW - Ordering transitions KW - Main text Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ensm.2019.04.035 SN - 2405-8297 VL - 20 SP - 188 EP - 195 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Szatmari, Istvan A1 - Belasri, Khadija A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Koch, Andreas A1 - Kleinpeter, Erich A1 - Fulop, Ferenc T1 - Ortho-Quinone methide driven synthesis of new O,N- or N,N-Heterocycles JF - ChemistryOpen : including thesis treasury N2 - To synthesize functionalized Mannich bases that can serve two different types of ortho-quinone methide (o-QM) intermediates, 2-naphthol and 6-hydroxyquinoline were reacted with salicylic aldehyde in the presence of morpholine. The Mannich bases that can form o-QM and aza-o-QM were also synthesized by mixing 2-naphthol, 2-nitrobenzaldehyde, and morpholine followed by reduction of the nitro group. The highly functionalized aminonaphthol derivatives were then tested in [4+2] cycloaddition with different cyclic imines. The reaction proved to be both regio- and diastereoselective. In all cases, only one reaction product was obtained. Detailed structural analyses of the new polyheterocycles as well as conformational studies including DFT modelling were performed. The relative stability of o-QMs/aza-o-QM were also calculated, and the regioselectivity of the reactions could be explained only when the cycloaddition started from aminodiol 4. It was summarized that starting from diaminonaphthol 25, the regioselectivity of the reaction is driven by the higher nucleophilicity of the amino group compared with the hydroxy group. 12H-benzo[a]xanthen-12-one (11), formed via o-QM formation, was isolated as a side product. The proton NMR spectrum of 11 proved to be very unique from NMR point of view. The reason for the extreme low-field position of proton H-1 could be accounted for by theoretical calculation of structure and spatial magnetic properties of the compound in combination of ring current effects of the aromatic moieties and steric compression within the heavily hindered H(1)-C(1)-C(12b)-C(12a)-C(12)=O structural fragment. KW - ortho-quinone methide (o-QMs) KW - modified Mannich reaction KW - cycloaddition KW - NMR spectroscopy KW - conformational analysis KW - DFT calculations Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/open.201900150 SN - 2191-1363 VL - 8 IS - 7 SP - 961 EP - 971 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hwang, Jongkook A1 - Walczak, Ralf A1 - Oschatz, Martin A1 - Tarakina, Nadezda A1 - Schmidt, Bernhard V. K. J. T1 - Micro-Blooming: Hierarchically Porous Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Flowers Derived from Metal-Organic Mesocrystals JF - Small N2 - Synthesis of 3D flower-like zinc-nitrilotriacetic acid (ZnNTA) mesocrystals and their conformal transformation to hierarchically porous N-doped carbon superstructures is reported. During the solvothermal reaction, 2D nanosheet primary building blocks undergo oriented attachment and mesoscale assembly forming stacked layers. The secondary nucleation and growth preferentially occurs at the edges and defects of the layers, leading to formation of 3D flower-like mesocrystals comprised of interconnected 2D micropetals. By simply varying the pyrolysis temperature (550-1000 degrees C) and the removal method of in the situ-generated Zn species, nonporous parent mesocrystals are transformed to hierarchically porous carbon flowers with controllable surface area (970-1605 m(2) g(-1)), nitrogen content (3.4-14.1 at%), pore volume (0.95-2.19 cm(3) g(-1)), as well as pore diameter and structures. The carbon flowers prepared at 550 degrees C show high CO2/N-2 selectivity due to the high nitrogen content and the large fraction of (ultra)micropores, which can greatly increase the CO2 affinity. The results show that the physicochemical properties of carbons are highly dependent on the thermal transformation and associated pore formation process, rather than directly inherited from parent precursors. The present strategy demonstrates metal-organic mesocrystals as a facile and versatile means toward 3D hierarchical carbon superstructures that are attractive for a number of potential applications. KW - 3D flower superstructures KW - hierarchically porous carbon KW - metal-organic mesocrystals KW - thermal transformation mechanism Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201901986 SN - 1613-6810 SN - 1613-6829 VL - 15 IS - 37 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yuan, Jinkai A1 - Neri, Wilfrid A1 - Zakri, Cecile A1 - Merzeau, Pascal A1 - Kratz, Karl A1 - Lendlein, Andreas A1 - Poulin, Philippe T1 - Shape memory nanocomposite fibers for untethered high-energy microengines JF - Science N2 - Classic rotating engines are powerful and broadly used but are of complex design and difficult to miniaturize. It has long remained challenging to make large-stroke, high-speed, high-energy microengines that are simple and robust. We show that torsionally stiffened shape memory nanocomposite fibers can be transformed upon insertion of twist to store and provide fast and high-energy rotations. The twisted shape memory nanocomposite fibers combine high torque with large angles of rotation, delivering a gravimetric work capacity that is 60 times higher than that of natural skeletal muscles. The temperature that triggers fiber rotation can be tuned. This temperature memory effect provides an additional advantage over conventional engines by allowing for the tunability of the operation temperature and a stepwise release of stored energy. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw3722 SN - 0036-8075 SN - 1095-9203 VL - 365 IS - 6449 SP - 155 EP - 158 PB - American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ugwuja, Chidinma G. A1 - Adelowo, Olawale O. A1 - Ogunlaja, Aemere A1 - Omorogie, Martins O. A1 - Olukanni, Olumide D. A1 - Ikhimiukor, Odion O. A1 - Iermak, Ievgeniia A1 - Kolawole, Gabriel A. A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Bodede, Olusola A1 - Moodley, Roshila A1 - Inada, Natalia M. A1 - Camargo, Andrea S.S. de A1 - Unuabonah, Emmanuel Iyayi T1 - Visible-Light-Mediated Photodynamic Water Disinfection @ Bimetallic-Doped Hybrid Clay Nanocomposites JF - ACS applied materials & interfaces N2 - This study reports a new class of photocatalytic hybrid clay nanocomposites prepared from low-cost sources (kaolinite clay and Carica papaya seeds) doped with Zn and Cu salts via a solvothermal process. X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that Cu-doping and Cu/Zn-doping introduce new phases into the crystalline structure of Kaolinite clay, which is linked to the reduced band gap of kaolinite from typically between 4.9 and 8.2 eV to 2.69 eV for Cu-doped and 1.5 eV for Cu/Zn hybrid clay nanocomposites (Nisar, J.; Arhammar, C.; Jamstorp, E.; Ahuja, R. Phys. Rev. B 2011, 84, 075120). In the presence of solar light irradiation, Cu- and Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites facilitate the electron hole pair separation. This promotes the generation of singlet oxygen which in turn improves the water disinfection efficiencies of these novel nanocomposite materials. The nanocomposite materials were further characterized using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, fluorimetry, therrnogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. The breakthrough times of the nanocomposites for a fixed bed mode of disinfection of water contaminated with 2.32 x 10(7) cfu/mL E. coli ATCC 25922 under solar light irradiation are 25 h for Zn-doped, 30 h for Cu-doped, and 35 h for Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites. In the presence of multidrug and multimetal resistant strains of E. coli, the breakthrough time decreases significantly. Zn-only doped nanocomposites are not photocatalytically active. In the absence of light, the nanocomposites are still effective in decontaminating water, although less efficient than under solar light irradiation. Electrostatic interaction, metal toxicity, and release of singlet oxygen (only in the Cu-doped and Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites) are the three disinfection mechanisms by which these nanocomposites disinfect water. A regrowth study indicates the absence of any living E. coli cells in treated water even after 4 days. These data and the long hydraulic times (under gravity) exhibited by these nanocomposites during photodisinfection of water indicate an unusually high potential of these nanocomposites as efficient, affordable, and sustainable point-of-use systems for the disinfection of water in developing countries. KW - disinfection KW - nanocomposite material KW - multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli KW - water KW - reactive oxygen species Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b01212 SN - 1944-8244 SN - 1944-8252 VL - 11 IS - 28 SP - 25483 EP - 25494 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bruun, Kristina A1 - Hille, Carsten T1 - Study on intracellular delivery of liposome encapsulated quantum dots using advanced fluorescence microscopy JF - Scientific reports N2 - Quantum dots increasingly gain popularity for in vivo applications. However, their delivery and accumulation into cells can be challenging and there is still lack of detailed information. Thereby, the application of advanced fluorescence techniques can expand the portfolio of useful parameters for a more comprehensive evaluation. Here, we encapsulated hydrophilic quantum dots into liposomes for studying cellular uptake of these so-called lipodots into living cells. First, we investigated photophysical properties of free quantum dots and lipodots observing changes in the fluorescence decay time and translational diffusion behaviour. In comparison to empty liposomes, lipodots exhibited an altered zeta potential, whereas their hydrodynamic size did not change. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), both combined with two-photon excitation (2P), were used to investigate the interaction behaviour of lipodots with an insect epithelial tissue. In contrast to the application of free quantum dots, their successful delivery into the cytosol of salivary gland duct cells could be observed when applying lipodots. Lipodots with different lipid compositions and surface charges did not result in considerable differences in the intracellular labelling pattern, luminescence decay time and diffusion behaviour. However, quantum dot degradation after intracellular accumulation could be assumed from reduced luminescence decay times and blue-shifted luminescence signals. In addition to single diffusing quantum dots, possible intracellular clustering of quantum dots could be assumed from increased diffusion times. Thus, by using a simple and manageable liposome carrier system, 2P-FLIM and 2P-FCS recording protocols could be tested, which are promising for investigating the fate of quantum dots during cellular interaction. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-46732-5 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weis, Philipp A1 - Hess, Andreas A1 - Kircher, Gunnar A1 - Huang, Shilin A1 - Auernhammer, Günter K. A1 - Koynov, Kaloian A1 - Butt, Hans-Jürgen A1 - Wu, Si T1 - Effects of Spacers on Photoinduced Reversible Solid-to-Liquid Transitions of Azobenzene-Containing Polymers JF - Chemistry - a European journal N2 - Photoisomerization in some azobenzene-containing polymers (azopolymers) results in reversible solid-to-liquid transitions because trans- and cis-azopolymers have different glass transition temperatures. This property enables photoinduced healing and processing of azopolymers with high spatiotemporal resolution. However, a general lack of knowledge about the influence of the polymer structure on photoinduced reversible solid-to-liquid transitions hinders the design of such novel polymers. Herein, the synthesis and photoresponsive behavior of new azopolymers with different lengths of spacers between the polymer backbone and the azobenzene group on the side chain are reported. Azopolymers with no and 20 methylene spacers did not show photoinduced solid-to-liquid transitions. Azopolymers with 6 or 12 methylene spacers showed photoinduced solid-to-liquid transitions. This study demonstrates that spacers are essential for azopolymers with photoinduced reversible solid-to-liquid transitions, and thus, gives an insight into how to design azopolymers for photoinduced healing and processing. KW - azobenzenes KW - isomerization KW - photochemistry KW - polymers KW - self-healing Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201902273 SN - 0947-6539 SN - 1521-3765 VL - 25 IS - 46 SP - 10946 EP - 10953 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER -