The multiwavelength UV/Vis detector: New possibilities with an added spectral dimension

The multiwavelength (MWL) detector is a new type of absorption detector for AUC. The commercial absorption detector of the Beckman Coulter XLA AUC can only handle a single wavelength per scan with the possibility to scan at maximum 3 wavelengths, whereas MWL-AUC can handle all the wavelengths in the UV/Vis region at one time. The result is impressive since now a full spectral dimension is added to each single scan. In this chapter, we are explaining development history, instrumentation, and future perspective of MWL-AUC

Investigation of negative resistance induced by directional scattering in a two dimensional electron gas /

In the last decades, it became possible to manufacture high mobility twodimensional conductors. The study of electron transport in such two dimensional conductors has led to discovery of many new physical phenomena, two of which were awarded with Nobel prizes. The reduction in the dimensions of a conductor drastically changes the scattering properties of carriers. Intercarrier scattering angle is also severely reduced in two dimensions. Recently, it was shown that this kind of directional scattering can be exploited to achieve electron multiplication and absolute negative resistance in a three terminal configuration. Experimental results suggest that such an effect should boost as the device size shrinks and can be useful to fabricate compact high frequency sources that are not yet within the reach of conventional semiconductor devices. The purpose of this thesis is to extend further the experimental study of such phenomena, and in particular, to understand its dependence on the device size. For this a new fabrication method has been developed. This method gives a greater flexibility to shrink the device size down to sub-microns. The new generation of fabricated devices produce high electron multiplication ratios up to 5

Investigation of β-carotene–gelatin composite particles with a multiwavelength UV/vis detector for the analytical ultracentrifuge

A multiwavelength UV/vis detector for the analytical ultracentrifuge (MWL-AUC) has been developed recently. In this work, β-carotene–gelatin composite particles are investigated with MWL-AUC. Band centrifugation with a Vinograd cell is used to ensure maximum sample separation. Spectral changes of the system are observed in dependence of the sedimentation coefficient and are attributed to a previously unknown inhomogeneity of the β-carotene chemical composition with both H- and J-aggregates coexisting in a mixture. In addition, our data suggest that pure H- and J-aggregates exist in a particle while their relative concentrations in a mixture determine the color characteristics of the sample. The unique abilities and properties of MWL-AUC include sedimentation coefficient distributions for all possible wavelengths, full UV/vis spectra of each different species in the mixture and 3D movies of the sedimentation process. These properties significantly extend the scope of the analytical ultracentrifuge technique and show that complex biopolymer multicomponent mixtures can be resolved into their individual species

Performance of a fast fiber based UV/Vis multiwavelength detector for the analytical ultracentrifuge

The optical setup and the performance of a prototype UV/Vis multiwavelength analytical ultracentrifuge (MWL-AUC) is described and compared to the commercially available Optima XL-A from Beckman Coulter. Slight modifications have been made to the optical path of the MWL-AUC. With respect to wavelength accuracy and radial resolution, the new MWL-AUC is found to be comparable to the existing XL-A. Absorbance accuracy is dependent on the light intensity available at the detection wavelength as well as the intrinsic noise of the data. Measurements from single flashes of light are more noisy for the MWL-AUC, potentially due to the absence of flash-to-flash normalization in the current design. However, the possibility of both wavelength and scan averaging can compensate for this and still give much faster scan rates than the XL-A. Some further improvements of the existing design are suggested based on these findings

The Open AUC Project

Progress in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) has been hindered by obstructions to hardware innovation and by software incompatibility. In this paper, we announce and outline the Open AUC Project. The goals of the Open AUC Project are to stimulate AUC innovation by improving instrumentation, detectors, acquisition and analysis software, and collaborative tools. These improvements are needed for the next generation of AUC-based research. The Open AUC Project combines on-going work from several different groups. A new base instrument is described, one that is designed from the ground up to be an analytical ultracentrifuge. This machine offers an open architecture, hardware standards, and application programming interfaces for detector developers. All software will use the GNU Public License to assure that intellectual property is available in open source format. The Open AUC strategy facilitates collaborations, encourages sharing, and eliminates the chronic impediments that have plagued AUC innovation for the last 20 years. This ultracentrifuge will be equipped with multiple and interchangeable optical tracks so that state-of-the-art electronics and improved detectors will be available for a variety of optical systems. The instrument will be complemented by a new rotor, enhanced data acquisition and analysis software, as well as collaboration software. Described here are the instrument, the modular software components, and a standardized database that will encourage and ease integration of data analysis and interpretation software

History of spectroscopy and modern micromachined disposable Si ATR-IR spectroscopy

In this article, the historical development of spectroscopy is examined and the spectroscopy devices used today are described. Then, we focus on infrared (IR) spectroscopy, which cannot give valuable signal in aqueous solution. Attenuated total reflection (ATR)-IR technique solves the problem. In addition, we specifically mention newly developed disposable ATR-IR crystals and micromachined silicon (Si) ATR-IR. Disposable crystal systems and microfluidics systems can be integrated with existing miniature ATR analyzers. If the integration is successful, the technique might be used in biomedical measuring instruments, reactions' analyses, and ultra-high-pressure analyses.TUBITAK (115E038

On the pathway of photoexcited electrons: probing photon-to-electron and photon-to-phonon conversions in silicon by ATR-IR

Photoexcitation and charge carrier thermalization inside semiconductor photocatalysts are two important steps in solar fuel production. Here, photoexcitation and charge carrier thermalization in a silicon wafer are for the first time probed by a novel, yet simple and user-friendly Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) syste

Attenuated Total Reflection-Infrared Nanofluidic Chip with 71 nL Detection Volume for <i>in Situ</i> Spectroscopic Analysis of Chemical Reaction Intermediates

We present a micromachined silicon attenuated total reflection-infrared (ATR-IR) crystal with integrated nanofluidic glass channels which enables infrared spectroscopic studies with only 71 nL sample volume. Because of the short path length through silicon, the system allows IR spectroscopy down to 1200 cm^–1, which covers the typical fingerprint region of most organic compounds. To demonstrate proof-of-principle, the chip was used to study a Knoevenagel condensation reaction between malononitrile and <i>p</i>-anisaldehyde catalyzed by different concentrations of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]­undec-7-ene (DBU) in solvent acetonitrile. By <i>in situ</i> measurement, it was demonstrated for the first time that at certain concentrations of DBU, reaction intermediates become stabilized, an effect that slows down or even stops the reaction. This is thought to be caused by increased ionic character of the solvent, in which protonated DBU stabilizes the intermediates. This clearly demonstrates that infrared mechanistic studies of chemical reactions are feasible in volumes as little as 71 nL