Grain boundary segregation in UFG alloys processed by severe plastic deformation

Grain boundary segregations were investigated by Atom Probe Tomography in an Al-Mg alloy, a carbon steel and Armco\trademark Fe processed by severe plastic deformation (SPD). In the non-deformed state, the GBs of the aluminium alloy are Mg depleted, but after SPD some local enrichment up to 20 at.% was detected. In the Fe-based alloys, large carbon concentrations were also exhibited along GBs after SPD. These experimental observations are attributed to the specific structure of GBs often described as "non-equilibrum" in ultra fine grained materials processed by SPD. The grain boundary segregation mechanisms are discussed and compared in the case of substitutional (Mg in fcc Al) and interstitial (C in bcc Fe) solute atoms

Is either direct photolysis or photocatalysed H-shift of peroxyl radicals a competitive pathway in the troposphere?

Peroxyl radicals (ROO.) are key intermediates in atmospheric chemistry, with relatively long lifetimes compared to most other radical species. In this study, we use multireference quantum chemical methods to investigate whether photolysis can compete with well-established ROO. sink reactions. We assume that the photolysis channel is always ROO. + h nu => RO + O(P-3). Our results show that the maximal value of the cross-section for this channel is sigma = 1.3 x 10(-18) cm(2) at 240 nm for five atmospherically representative peroxyl radicals: CH3OO., C(O)HCH2OO., CH3CH2OO., HC(O)OO. and CH3C(O)OO.. These values agree with experiments to within a factor of 2. The rate constant of photolysis in the troposphere is around 10(-5) s(-1) for all five ROO.. As the lifetime of peroxyl radicals in the troposphere is typically less than 100 s, photolysis is thus not a competitive process. Furthermore, we investigate whether or not electronic excitation to the first excited state (D-1) by infrared radiation can facilitate various H-shift reactions, leading, for example, in the case of CH3OO. to formation of O.H and CH2O or HOO. and CH2 products. While the activation barriers for H-shifts in the D-1 state may be lower than in the ground state (D-0), we find that H-shifts are unlikely to be competitive with decay back to the D-0 state through internal conversion, as this has a rate of the order of 10(13) s(-1) for all studied systems.Peer reviewe

Nanostructure and properties of a Cu-Cr composite processed by severe plastic deformation

A Cu-Cr composite was processed by severe plastic deformation to investigate the role of interphase boundaries on the grain size reduction mechanisms. The as-deformed material exhibits a grain size of only 20nm. This gives rise to a dramatic increase of the hardness. Some deformation induced Cu super saturated solid solutions were clearly exhibited and it is shown that they decrease the hardness. The formation of such supersaturated solid solution and their influence on the mechanical properties are discussed

Relations between the aromaticity and magnetic dipole transitions in the electronic spectra of hetero[8]circulenes

Magnetically induced current densities have been calculated at the second-order MOller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) level for seven hetero[8]circulenes and their dicationic and dianionic forms. Calculations of the magnetic dipole transition moments have also been carried out at the algebraic diagrammatic construction (ADC(2)) and the second-order approximate coupled-cluster (CC2) levels. The calculations show that the degree of aromaticity and the size of the magnetic dipole transition moment of the lowest magnetic-dipole allowed excited state are related. We show that neutral hetero[8]circulenes are weakly antiaromatic when the first excited state with a large magnetic dipole transition moment of 10-16 a.u. lies at high energies (approximate to 2.8-3.5 eV). For the dications, this transition often lies at much lower energies. Hetero[8]circulene dications with large magnetic dipole transition moments are strongly antiaromatic. The lowest excited states of the hetero[8]circulene dianions have very small magnetic dipole transition moments implying that they are aromatic.Peer reviewe

Predicting the degree of aromaticity of novel carbaporphyrinoids

Magnetically induced current densities have been calculated for dioxaporphyrin, dithiaporphyrin, true carbaporphyrins, and N-confused porphyrins using the gauge-including magnetically induced current (GIMIC) method. The current-strength susceptibilities (current strengths) have been obtained by numerically integrating the current flow passing selected chemical bonds. The current strength calculations yield very detailed information about the electron delocalization pathways of the molecules. The strength of the ring-current that circles around the porphyrinoid macroring is used to estimate the degree of molecular aromaticity. The studied porphyrinoid structures have been obtained by replacing the NH and N groups of porphin with formally isoelectronic moieties such as O, S, CH and CH2. Replacing an NH moiety of trans-porphin with isoelectronic O and S does not significantly change the current strengths and pathways, whereas substitution of N with an isoelectronic CH group leads to significant changes in the current pathway and current strengths. CH2 groups cut the flow of diatropic currents, whereas in strongly antiaromatic molecules a significant fraction of the paratropic ring-current is able to pass the sp(3) hybridized inner carbons. N-confused porphyrinoids sustain a ring current whose strength is about half the ring-current strength of porphin with the dominating current flow along the outer pathway via the NH moiety. When no hydrogen is attached to the inner carbon of the inverted pyrrolic ring, the current prefers the inner route at that ring.Peer reviewe

Closed-shell paramagnetic porphyrinoids

Magnetizabilities and magnetically induced ring-current strength susceptibilities have been calculated at the Hartree-Fock, density functional theory and second order Moller-Plesset levels for a number of antiaromatic closed-shell carbaporphyrins, carbathia-porphyrins and isophlorins. The calculations yield a linear relation between magnetizabilities and ring-current strength susceptibilities. The calculations show that the porphyrinoids with the largest ring-current strength susceptibility are closed-shell paramagnetic molecules with positive magnetizabilities. The closed-shell paramagnetism is due to the large paramagnetic contribution to the magnetizability originating from the strong paratropic ring current in the antiaromatic porphyrinoids.Peer reviewe

Bicycloaromaticity and Baird-type bicycloaromaticity of dithienothiophene-bridged [34]octaphyrins

Aromatic properties of two recently synthesized dithienothiophene-bridged (DTT) [34]octaphyrins have been investigated by calculating magnetically induced current densities and vertical excitation energies. These intriguing molecules have been proposed to be the first synthesized neutral bicycloaromatic compounds. The triplet state of their dications was even suggested to be Baird-type bicycloaromatic rendering them very interesting as a new prototype of molecules possessing simultaneously the two rare types of aromaticity. Here, we investigate computationally the aromatic properties of the neutral as well as the singly and doubly charged DTT-bridged [34]octaphyrins. Our study provides unambiguous information about changes in the aromatic properties of the DTT-bridged [34]octaphyrins upon oxidation. The calculations identify two independent diatropic ring currents in the neutral DTT-bridged [34]octaphyrins, showing that they are indeed bicycloaromatic. The current-density flow of the two independent ring currents of the bicycloaromatic compounds are visualized and individual aromatic pathways are quantified by performing numerical integration. The calculations show that two independent diatropic ring currents can indeed be sustained by molecules consisting of two aromatic rings that share a common set of π electrons. The current density calculations on the singly charged DTT-bridged [34]octaphyrins show that they are weakly antiaromatic, which does not agree with the suggested aromatic character deduced from spectroscopical studies. The triplet state of the two DTT-bridged [34]octaphyrin cations with very similar molecular structures have unexpectedly different aromatic character. One of them is Baird-type bicycloaromatic, whereas the triplet state of the other dication has one aromatic and one nonaromatic ring, which could not be resolved from available spectroscopical data. Calculations of excitation energies reveal that a simple model cannot be employed for interpreting the electronic excitation spectra of the present molecules, because more than 20 excited states contribute to the spectra above 2.5 eV (500 nm) showing the importance of computations. The present work illustrates how detailed information about molecular aromaticity can nowadays be obtained by scrutinizing calculated current densities.Peer reviewe

Optical and magnetic properties of antiaromatic porphyrinoids

Magnetic and spectroscopic properties of a number of formally antiaromatic carbaporphyrins, carbathiaporphyrins and isophlorins with 4n pi electrons have been investigated at density functional theory and ab initio levels of theory. The calculations show that the paratropic contribution to the magnetically induced ring-current strength susceptibility and the magnetic dipole-transition moment between the ground and the lowest excited state are related. The vertical excitation energy (VEE) of the first excited state decreases with increasing ring-current strength susceptibility, whereas the VEE of the studied higher-lying excited states are almost independent of the size of the ring-current strength susceptibility. Strong antiaromatic porphyrinoids, based on the magnitude of the paratropic ring-current strength susceptibility, have small energy gaps between the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals and a small VEE of the first excited state. The calculations show that only the lowest S-0 -> S-1 transition contributes signficantly to the magnetically induced ring-current strength susceptibility of the antiaromatic porphyrinoids. The decreasing optical gap combined with a large angular momentum contribution to the magnetic transition moment from the first excited state explains why molecules III-VII are antiaromatic with very strong paratropic ring-current strength susceptibilities. The S-0 -> S-1 transition is a magnetic dipole-allowed electronic transition that is typical for antiaromatic porphyrinoids with 4n pi electrons.Peer reviewe

Photophysical properties of the triangular [Au(HN & xe001;COH)](3) complex and its dimer

Rate constants for radiative and non-radiative transitions of the [Au(HN & xe001;COH)](3) complex and its dimer were calculated within the Herzberg-Teller approximation based on quantum mechanical principles. A high triplet quantum yield was estimated for the monomer. Internal conversion (IC) was found to be the major competing process to the intersystem crossing (ISC) from the lowest excited singlet state (S-1) to the lowest triplet state (T-1). ISC and IC from the spin-mixed T & x303;(1) state also dominate the triplet relaxation process resulting in a negligible phosphorescence quantum yield for the monomer. The IC and ISC rate constants of the dimer are considerably smaller due to much lower Franck-Condon factors. For the dimer a triplet quantum yield of 0.71 was estimated using the extended multi-configuration quasi-degenerate second-order perturbation theory (XMCQDPT2) method to calculate the transition energies. Fluorescence is the major competing process to the ISC relaxation of the S-1 state of the dimer. The ISC and IC processes are insignificant for the relaxation of the T-1 state, resulting in unity phosphorescence quantum yield. The high triplet and phosphorescence quantum yields of the [Au(HN & xe001;COH)](3) dimer make it and its higher oligomers potential candidates as dopants for phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes and as down-converters in solid-state lighting systems.Peer reviewe