This book studies the dynamics of fundamental collective excitations in quantum materials, focusing on the use of state-of-the-art ultrafast broadband optical spectroscopy. Collective behaviour in solids lies at the origin of several cooperative phenomena that can lead to profound transformations, instabilities and phase transitions. Revealing the dynamics of collective excitations is a topic of pivotal importance in contemporary condensed matter physics, as it provides information on the strength and spatial distribution of interactions and correlation. The experimental framework explored in this book relies on setting a material out-of-equilibrium by an ultrashort laser pulse and monitoring the photo-induced changes in its optical properties over a broad spectral region in the visible or deep-ultraviolet. Collective excitations (e.g. plasmons, excitons, phonons...) emerge either in the frequency domain as spectral features across the probed range, or in the time domain as coherent modes triggered by the pump pulse. Mapping the temporal evolution of these collective excitations provides access to the hierarchy of low-energy phenomena occurring in the solid during its path towards thermodynamic equilibrium. This methodology is used to investigate a number of strongly interacting and correlated materials with an increasing degree of internal complexity beyond conventional band theory.

This book discusses several new, near-net-shape techniques for fabricating highly reliable, high-performance, complex ceramic parts. In the context of materials design, the creation of high-performance ceramic products of desired shapes has led to the need for new ceramic forming processes. The near-net-shape techniques combine both injection-molding and colloidal-forming processes. Reviewing and summarizing the research and latest advances, the book is divided into 6 parts: (1) the basic theory, development, and application of the colloidal injection molding of ceramics; (2) the tape casting technology; (3) the reliability of the product; (4) the colloidal injection molding of Si3N4 and SiC; (5) low-toxicity systems; and (6) the novel in-situ coagulation casting of ceramic suspensions via controlled release of high-valence counter ions and dispersant removal. It is intended for researchers and graduates in materials science and engineering.

Corrosion is a degrading material process frequently encountered in engineering structures and components, which may lead to costly and catastrophic failures if not properly and timely addressed. This volume describes a wide spectrum of experimental and analytical studies, which provide a fairly comprehensive account of corrosion manifestations and methodologies for addressing them in structural and industrial design. As such, it is expected to make a valuable reference publication for engineers and scientists interested in the protection of structures and components from harmful and potentially ruinous corrosive action.The collected articles comprising this volume address issues which can be categorised into two main areas. The first is concerned with material science approaches to corrosion, that is, visual or instrumental means of assessing existing behaviour or effectiveness of corrective measures and techniques. The second part of the volume comprises boundary element simulations of cathodic protection schemes for the purpose of predicting and optimising their performance.A number of practical problems are analysed such as: the coating condition on a ballast tank wall; the impressed current cathodic protection of an offshore platform and minimizing a ship's electric and magnetic signature. Topics covered include: Elemental identification; Material loss; Strain fields; Stress corrosion cracking; Corrosion resistance; Fretting corrosion; Contact surface damage; Electrochemical testing; Coating conditions; Cathodic protection; Current density distribution; Pipelines and deep well casings; Electric and magnetic signatures; Coating damage effects; Galvanic corrosion.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of thermodynamics. It is divided into four parts, the first of which equips readers with a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles of thermodynamics of equilibrium states and of their evolution. The second part applies these principles to a series of generalized situations, presenting applications that are of interest both in their own right and in terms of demonstrating how thermodynamics, as a theory of principle, relates to different fields. In turn, the third part focuses on non-equilibrium configurations and the dynamics of natural processes. It discusses both discontinuous and continuous systems, highlighting the interference among non-equilibrium processes, and the nature of stationary states and of fluctuations in isolated systems. Lastly, part four introduces the relation between physics and information theory, which constitutes a new frontier in fundamental research. The book includes step-by-step exercises, with solutions, to help readers to gain a fuller understanding of the subjects, and also features a series of appendices providing useful mathematical formulae. Reflecting the content of modern university courses on thermodynamics, it is a valuable resource for students and young scientists in the fields of physics, chemistry, and engineering.

Catalytic Kinetics: Chemistry and Engineering, Second Edition offers a unified view that homogeneous, heterogeneous, and enzymatic catalysis form the cornerstone of practical catalysis. The book has an integrated, cross-disciplinary approach to kinetics and transport phenomena in catalysis, but still recognizes the fundamental differences between different types of catalysis. In addition, the book focuses on a quantitative chemical understanding and links the mathematical approach to kinetics with chemistry. A diverse group of catalysts is covered, including catalysis by acids, organometallic complexes, solid inorganic materials, and enzymes, and this fully updated second edition contains a new chapter on the concepts of cascade catalysis. Finally, expanded content in this edition provides more in-depth discussion, including topics such as organocatalysis, enzymatic kinetics, nonlinear dynamics, solvent effects, nanokinetics, and kinetic isotope effects.

This book presents the fundamentals and the state of the art of the photophysics of molecular oxygen. The author examines optical transitions between the lowest-lying electronic states in molecular oxygen and how these transitions respond to perturbation, either from an organic molecule or from the plasmon field of a metal nanoparticle. We live on a planet filled with light and oxygen. The interaction between these two components forms the basis of excited state chemistry spanning the fields of synthetic organic chemistry, materials chemistry, molecular biology, and photodynamic treatment of cancer. Still, the fundamental ways in which oxygen is affected by light is an active subject of research and is continually being developed and rationalized. In this book, readers will learn that singlet oxygen, the excited state of oxygen that exhibits unique chemical reactivity, can be selectively made via direct optical excitation of oxygen in a sensitizer-free system. Readers will also discover that this approach can perturb living cells differently depending on the singlet oxygen "dose".

This thesis offers a unique guide to the development and application of ultrasensitive optical microscopy based on light scattering. Divided into eight chapters, it covers an impressive range of scientific fields, from basic optical physics to molecular biology and synthetic organic chemistry. Especially the detailed information provided on how to design, build and implement an interferometric scattering microscope, as well as the descriptions of all instrumentation, hardware interfacing and image processing necessary to achieve the highest levels of performance, will be of interest to researchers now entering the field.

This book offers a didactic and a self-contained treatment of the physics of liquid and flowing matter with a statistical mechanics approach. Experimental and theoretical methods that were developed to study fluids are now frequently applied to a number of more complex systems generically referred to as soft matter. As for simple liquids, also for complex fluids it is important to understand how their macroscopic behavior is determined by the interactions between the component units. Moreover, in recent years new and relevant insights have emerged from the study of anomalous phases and metastable states of matter. In addition to the traditional topics concerning fluids in normal conditions, the authors of this book discuss recent developments in the field of disordered systems in condensed and soft matter. In particular they emphasize computer simulation techniques that are used in the study of soft matter and the theories and study of slow glassy dynamics. For these reasons the book includes a specific chapter about metastability, supercooled liquids and glass transition. The book is written for graduate students and active researchers in the field.

This thesis uses a systems-level approach to study the cellular metabolism, unveiling new mechanisms and responses that were impossible to reach with traditional reductionists procedures. The results reported here have a potential application in areas like metabolic engineering and disease treatment. They could also be used in determining the accuracy of the gene essentiality of new genome-scale reconstructions. Different methods and techniques, within the contexts of Systems Biology and the field known as Complex Networks Analysis have been applied in this work to show different features of the robustness of metabolic networks. The specific issues addressed here range from pure topological aspec ts of the networks themselves to the balance of biochemical fluxes.

This book shows how the fundamentals of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy are practically implemented and illustrates the diversity of current applications. The technique is used at various levels, and applications are presented in order of increasing difficulty, with reference to theoretically obtained results. This book features a diverse array of application examples, from fields such as ionizing radiation dosimetry, neurodegenerative diseases, structural transitions in proteins, and the origins of terrestrial life. The final chapter of this book highlights the principles and applications of the technique of ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, followed by a brief introduction to advanced EPR techniques such as electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM), hyperfine sub-level correlation (HYSCORE), pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR), and continuous wave electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) experiments.

This thesis investigates the combustion chemistry of cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, and ethylcyclohexane on the basis of state-of-the-art synchrotron radiation photoionization mass spectrometry experiments, quantum chemistry calculations, and extensive kinetic modeling. It explores the initial decomposition mechanism and distribution of the intermediates, proposes a novel formation mechanism of aromatics, and develops a detailed kinetic model to predict the three cycloalkanes' combustion properties under a wide range of conditions. Accordingly, the thesis provides an essential basis for studying much more complex cycloalkanes in transport fuels and has applications in engine and fuel design, as well as emission control.

This book summarizes the latest findings by leading researchers in the field of photon science in Russia and Japan. It discusses recent advances in the field of photon science and chemistry, covering a wide range of topics, including photochemistry and spectroscopy of novel materials, magnetic properties of solids, photobiology and imaging, and spectroscopy of solids and nanostructures. Based on lectures by respected scientists at the forefront of photon and molecular sciences, the book helps keep readers abreast of the current developments in the field.

This edited volume focuses on the host-guest chemistry of organic molecules and inorganic systems during synthesis (structure-direction). Organic molecules have been used for many years in the synthesis of zeolitic nanoporous frameworks. The addition of these organic molecules to the zeolite synthesis mixtures provokes a particular ordering of the inorganic units around them that directs the crystallization pathway towards a particular framework type; hence they are called structure-directing agents. Their use has allowed the discovery of an extremely large number of new zeolite frameworks and compositions. This volume covers the main aspects of the use of organic molecules as structure-directing agents for the synthesis of zeolites, including first an introduction of the main concepts, then two chapters covering state-of-the-art techniques currently used to understand the structure-directing phenomenon (location of molecules by XRD and molecular modeling techniques). The most recent trends in the types of organic molecules used as structure-directing agents are also presented, including the use of metal-complexes, the use of non-ammonium-based molecules (mainly phosphorus-based compounds) and the role of supramolecular chemistry in designing new large organic structure-directing agents produced by self-aggregation. In addition the volume explores the latest research attempting to transfer the asymmetric nature of organic chiral molecules used as structure-directing agents to the zeolite lattice to produce chiral enantioselective frameworks, one of the biggest challenges today in materials chemistry. This volume has interdisciplinary appeal and will engage scholars from the zeolite community with a general interest in microporous materials, which involves not only zeolite scientists, but also researchers working on metal-organic framework materials. The concepts covered will also be of interest for researchers working on the application of materials after encapsulation of molecules of interest in post-synthetic treatments. Further the work explores the main aspects of host-guest chemistry in hybrid organo-inorganic templated materials, which covers all types of materials where organic molecules are used as templates and are confined within framework-structured inorganic materials (intercalation compounds). Therefore the volume is also relevant to the wider materials chemistry community.

In this book, the authors use molecular dynamics simulations to conduct a comprehensive study of the compression/superheating limit and phase transition of 2D (monolayer, bilayer, and trilayer) water/ice constrained in graphene nanocapillaries. When subjected to nanoscale confinement and under ultrahigh pressure, water and ice behave quite differently than their bulk counterparts, partly because the van der Waals pressure can spark a water-to-ice transformation, known as the metastability limit of two-dimensional (2D) liquids. From a mechanical standpoint, this liquid-to-solid transformation characterizes the compression limit (or metastability limit) of 2D water. The findings presented here could help us to better understand the phase behavior of 2D confined water/ice.

This book highlights and investigates novel solid-state luminescent properties of crystals with stimuli-responsive behavior. Several novel molecular designs for controlling crystal structures with photo-physical properties are described, with a special focus on external stimuli-responsive properties. The major goal of the material design concept was to capitalize on the chirality of crystals with stimuli-responsive properties. To allow crystals' chirality to be controlled and modified by means of external stimulation, the axial chirality of biaryl moiety was employed and, interestingly, produced several novel mechano- and vapo-responsive luminescent properties based on crystal-to-crystal or single-crystal-to-single-crystal phase transitions. In addition, the book details how the molecular rotation of luminophores in the solid phase can be used to achieve corresponding thermal-responsive phosphorescence. The reports presented here illustrate how the author has succeeded in controlling structural factors in a bulk environment by using molecular design with linking to photo-physical properties. The content will be of great interest to researchers in the field, and to members of chemical and material science societies.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience. Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.

This book describes advanced research on the structures and photochemical properties of polyatomic molecules and molecular clusters having various functionalities under cold gas-phase conditions. Target molecules are crown ethers, polypeptides, large size protonated clusters, metal clusters, and other complex polyatomic molecules of special interest. A variety of advanced frequency and time-domain laser spectroscopic methods are applied. The book begins with the principle of an experimental setup for cold gas-phase molecules and various laser spectroscopic methods, followed by chapters on investigation of specific molecular systems. Through a molecular-level approach and analysis by quantum chemical calculation, it is possible to learn how atomic and molecular-level interactions (van der Waals, hydrogen-bonding, and others) control the specific properties of molecules and clusters. Those properties include molecular recognition, induced fitting, chirality, proton and hydrogen transfer, isomerization, and catalytic reaction. The information will be applicable to the design of new types of functional molecules and nanoparticles in the broad area that includes applied chemistry, drug delivery systems, and catalysts.

The second, completely revised and enlarged edition of what has become the standard reference work in this fascinating field brings together the latest developments, supplemented by numerous practical tips, providing those working in both research and industry with an indispensable source of information. New contributions have been added, to reflect the fact that industrial processes are already established, and ionic liquids are now commercially available.
A must for everyone working in the field.

Features twenty-five chapter contributions from an international array of distinguished academics based in Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, Russia, and the USA. This multi-author contributed volume provides an up-to-date and authoritative overview of cutting-edge themes involving the thermal analysis, applied solid-state physics, micro- and nano-crystallinity of selected solids and their macro- and microscopic thermal properties. Distinctive chapters featured in the book include, among others, calorimetry time scales from days to microseconds, glass transition phenomena, kinetics of non-isothermal processes, thermal inertia and temperature gradients, thermodynamics of nanomaterials, self-organization, significance of temperature and entropy. Advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers working in the field of thermal analysis, thermophysical measurements and calorimetry will find this contributed volume invaluable. This is the third volume of the triptych volumes on thermal behaviour of materials; the previous two receiving thousand of downloads guaranteeing their worldwide impact.

The book introduces fundamentals of 3D printing with light, photoinitiating system for 3D printing as well as resins. Plenty of applications, trends and prospects are also discussed, which make the book an essential reference for both scientists and industrial engineers in the research fields of photochemistry, polymer chemistry, rapid prototyping and photopolymerization.

Although originally invented and employed by physicists, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has proven to be a very efficient technique for studying a wide range of phenomena in many fields, such as chemistry, biochemistry, geology, archaeology, medicine, biotechnology, and environmental sciences. Acknowledging that not all studies require the same level of understanding of this technique, this book thus provides a practical treatise clearly oriented toward applications, which should be useful to students and researchers of various levels and disciplines. In this book, the principles of continuous wave EPR spectroscopy are progressively, but rigorously, introduced, with emphasis on interpretation of the collected spectra. Each chapter is followed by a section highlighting important points for applications, together with exercises solved at the end of the book. A glossary defines the main terms used in the book, and particular topics, whose knowledge is not required for understanding the main text, are developed in appendices for more inquisitive readers.