Tensiography and Liquid Drop Metrology

This research focused on drop metrology and the use of camera technology and vibration analysis influence on theoretical and practical tensiography. Drop shape and Tensiography are explained and how they relate to each other. Studies shows a relationship between vibration frequency and surface tension of liquids. However they also reveal the need for a theoretical understanding of the vibration tensiotrace of drops. Camera studies on large diameter dropheads used in tensiography are explored. Various image analysis methods were investigated for determining drop shape from camera images. Examination of the digital image reveals measurement issues. High speed camera images reveal new details of the drop separation process. An examination of drop modelling methods from camera images and the principles of such modelling were undertaken. Camera studies were developed which enabled the practical investigation of edge-detection. The theory developed links the drop shape with the tensiotrace of drops examined. The ray tracing method of the modelling of drop shape would have to be consolidated by establishing a definitive relationship between drop shape and the tensiotrace. This lead to acquiring photo images of real drops to get the profile of its edge or the drop shape. Various methods are used and assumptions are made in finding the edge of a drop from a photo image, in particular to the measurement of length, radii and angles

On affine invariant and local Loomis-Whitney type inequalities

We prove various extensions of the Loomis-Whitney inequality and its dual, where the subspaces on which the projections (or sections) are considered are either spanned by vectors $w_i$ of a not necessarily orthonormal basis of $\mathbb{R}^n$, or their orthogonal complements. In order to prove such inequalities we estimate the constant in the Brascamp-Lieb inequality in terms of the vectors $w_i$. Restricted and functional versions of the inequality will also be considered

Facile kinetic induction of a dihydropyridide to pyrrolide ring contraction

A sterically demanding N-aryl carbodiimide reacts with magnesium 1,4-dihydropyridides to initiate heterocyclic ring contraction and pyrrolide formation under unprecedentedly mild conditions.</p

An In-Depth Study of the Use of Eosin Y for the Solar Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Benzylic Amines

The direct utilization of solar light for synthetic photochemistry is a sustainable and efficient technological goal. Herein we report the first in-depth study on the use of the inexpensive organic photocatalyst eosin Y for solar photocatalysis by demonstrating the oxidative coupling of benzylic amines to form imines, a class of valuable intermediates in chemical synthesis. By the use of a unique experimental setup with a custom-built variable-intensity solar light simulator, replication of a natural-sunlight environment was achieved. The relative significance of different variables on the reaction rate constant was quantitatively evaluated through comprehensive experimental design. Reaction kinetics and mechanistic information were obtained using both a batch reactor and a spinning-disc reactor. A maximum pseudo-first-order rate constant of 1.59 × 10^–3 s^–1 was obtained at a maximum turnover frequency of 192 h^–1 through optimization of the reaction conditions. Experiments carried out using a spinning-disc reactor confirmed that the reaction was not mass-transfer-limited but rather photon-transfer-limited

Harnessing Plasticity in an Amine-Borane as a Piezoelectric and Pyroelectric Flexible Film

We demonstrate that trimethylamine borane can exhibit desirable piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties. The material was shown to be able operate as a flexible film for both thermal sensing, thermal energy conversion and mechanical sensing with high open circuit voltages (&gt;10 V). A piezoelectric coefficient of d33≈10–16 pC N−1, and pyroelectric coefficient of p≈25.8 μC m−2 K−1 were achieved after poling, with high pyroelectric figure of merits for sensing and harvesting, along with a relative permittivity of (Formula presented.) 6.3.</p

Helical frontier orbitals of conjugated linear molecules

Compounds containing allenes, cumulenes and oligoynes (polyalkynes) have attracted attention for both their conformation and reactivity. Whilst the textbook molecular orbital description explains the general electronic and molecular structure of the cumulenes, there are anomalies in both the crystal structures and cycloaddition products involving oligoynes and allenes; the understanding of these molecules is incomplete. Through a computational study we elucidate that the frontier orbitals of the allene and oligoyne families are extended helices. These orbitals are the linear analogue to the Mobius aromatic systems, which also display non-linear pi interactions. The axial chirality found in allenes and oligoynes is intimately related to the topology of the frontier orbitals, and has implications for predictions of cycloaddition pathways, structure stability and spectroscopy

Helical Frontier Orbitals of Conjugated Linear Molecules

Compounds containing allenes, cumulenes and oligoynes (polyalkynes) have attracted attention for both their conformation and reactivity. Whilst the textbook molecular orbital description explains the general electronic and molecular structure of the cumulenes, there are anomalies in both the crystal structures and cycloaddition products involving oligoynes and allenes; the understanding of these molecules is incomplete. Through a computational study we elucidate that the frontier orbitals of the allene and oligoyne families are extended helices. These orbitals are the linear analogue to the Möbius aromatic systems, which also display non-linear p interactions. The axial chirality found in allenes and oligoynes is intimately related to the topology of the frontier orbitals, and has implications for predictions of cycloaddition pathways, structure stability and spectroscopy