Infrared Spectroscopy / Ezine
Black is black, but black is blacker
Date: Feb 1, 2008
Author: David Bradley
A novel composite material comprising a low-density arrays of loosely vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, absorbs more than 99.9 percent of the incident light that touches it. The developers claim that it could be the darkest material known. Ultimately, a material derived from this technology could be used to improve solar energy conversion and in infrared sensors.
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pyVib, a computer program for the analysis of infrared and Raman optical activity
Date: Jan 7, 2008
Author:
A new program called pyVib has been developed as a tool for the analysis of Gaussian outputs of IR, Raman as well as vibrational optical activity (VOA) spectra calculations. It is coded in Python, uses the visualization toolkit (VTK) library, and is freely available under the terms of the general GNU public license for Linux platforms.
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Oscillating electronic drifters
Date: Jan 1, 2008
Author: David Bradley
Researchers in Germany have used short pulses of infrared to observe the dashing and darting movements of electrons in one of the most technologically important materials, gallium arsenide. Their findings provide new insights into the electrical and optical properties of this material and could hint at new applications.
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Water, water
Date: Dec 1, 2007
Author: David Bradley
Optical scattering data, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy have been used to study the anomalous behaviour of water in the range 30 to 373 Kelvin. The research reveals yet more strange interactions between water molecules not seen before and could assist studies of hydrated materials, such as biopolymers at cryogenic temperatures.
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FTIR study of microwave effects on transformation of cellulose I into cellulose II during mercerization
Date: Dec 1, 2007
Author:
FTIR spectroscopy techniques were used in the study of the effect of microwave heating on the structural properties of cotton fibers and their mercerization mechanism, following microwave heating for different times and different microwave powers.
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Image comparison with new grid technology
Date: Nov 1, 2007
Author: David Bradley
An infrared and X-ray sensitive grid, developed by researchers at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, could allow scientists to correlate the results of microscopic imaging techniques much more precisely than possible before. The system could lead to improved diagnostics and even novel treatments for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer's disease.
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IR and NMR Properties of ionic liquids: Do they tell us the same thing?
Date: Nov 1, 2007
Author:
A combination of theoretical and experimental methods were used to derive the IR and NMR spectroscopic properties of imidazolium-based ionic liquids. The data provide detailed information about structural complexes and may serve as good indicators of ion-pair formation.
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Play it again
Date: Oct 1, 2007
Author: David Bradley
With the advent of the mp3 file, we have been told that the good-old fashioned CD player is now redundant. Not, so, believe researchers in Spain, who are hoping to play an entirely different tune by developing diagnostic and analytical systems to fit on a CD-ROM or DVD that can be read by conventional hardware adapted for the purpose.
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Ultrafast 2D-IR vibrational echo spectroscopy: a probe of molecular dynamics
Date: Oct 1, 2007
Author:
Experimental details of 2D-IR vibrational echo spectroscopy are described, including the experimental setup, pulse sequence, heterodyne detection, and extraction of the mainly absorptive part of the 2DIR spectrum.
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Raman and infrared studies of synthetic Maya pigments
Date: Sep 3, 2007
Author:
Synthetic Maya pigments, which can be prepared at higher concentrations than those used by the Mayas, have been analysed by FT-Raman and FTIR spectroscopy to study the effects of concentration and heating.
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