Author Archive

Meet Our Authors

We are delighted to present a selection of our authors from this March issue of NJC, who have kindly taken some time outside their research to answer a few questions for us. From the USA to New Zealand, through Germany and China, tour our authors’ profiles and enjoy the journey!

Women first, with Prof. Birgit Weber from the University of Bayreuth in Germany, whose research interests lie in inorganic chemistry and the study of spin crossover complexes. One of the aims in spin crossover research is the purposeful synthesis of spin crossover materials with wide thermal hysteresis loops. Intermolecular contacts play an important role for the appearance of wide hysteresis loops. For a better understanding of those interactions, we introduced the crystal contact index (CCI) to allow a quantitative analysis, explains Birgit. Read the article by Birgit Weber et al., entitled Complete and incomplete spin transitions in 1D chain iron(II) compounds which presents a quantitative correlation between the cooperative effects and the structural properties of iron(II) spin crossover complexes. NJC was chosen ‘as it is an international journal with a good reputation and a wide and general readership’, says the author. Outside the lab, Birgit enjoys spending time with her family, and playing with the children who are 1, 3, and 5 years old – pictured here with Carl and Emma. When asked for an alternative career path if not a scientist, ‘I would be a teacher or a cook’, says Birgit, ‘as I now do both!’

Our next author is Jonathan S. Lindsey, Glaxo Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at North Carolina State University. Prof. Lindsey’s research interests focus on in tetrapyrrole chemistry, understanding fundamental processes underlying photosynthesis by biomimetic reconstruction, and the early-Earth origins of photosynthesis and its relation to the origin of life. In this issue of NJC, Jon has authored two papers: one of our high-profile format Focus reviews, and an article entitled De novo synthesis and photophysical characterization of annulated bacteriochlorins. Mimicking and extending the properties of bacteriochlorophylls. ‘Bacteriochlorins are central to bacterial photosynthesis yet have largely remained outside the scope of synthesis and physical studies. The development of new routes to stable synthetic bacteriochlorins should open the door to a host of photophysical studies, and in so doing perhaps deepen our understanding of photosynthetic processes’, explains Jon.
‘My colleagues Profs. David Bocian and Dewey Holten and I wanted a general readership journal and the flexibility to write a comprehensive paper encompassing biological import, molecular design, chemical synthesis, photophysical studies, and theoretical calculations.’ Hence the authors’ choice for NJC. In his free time, Jon loves spending time with his nearly three-year old boy Linus and trying to understand how he perceives the world. If not a scientist, Jon would love to be a philantropist.

Our next author is Zhaozhu Zhang, Professor of Chemistry at the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China. His current research interests are focused on multifunctional composite materials for applications in superhydrophobic or superoleophobic surfaces.
In their article, Prof. Zhang’s team describes a simple approach to fabricate superoleophobic coatings by spraying the copper perfluorooctanoate suspension on the substrates. These coatings could be very promising for the widest array of applications as it can be applied to various surfaces without limitations of size and shape, without the need of complicated application methods. Such coatings were also found to be easily repairable after being mechanical damaged. Zhaozhu and his colleagues chose NJC due to the very large diversity of the articles published in the journal. ‘We thought this work about superoleophobicity was particularly suitable for NJC. In addition, the NJC review and publication process are very satisfying’, says Zhaozhu. In his spare time, playing badminton is Zhaozhu’s favourite hobby, which he plays on a regular twice-a-week basis.


Closing this month’s selection, we are pleased to present Peter Boyd, Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Peter’s main research interests are in the areas of synthetic, x-ray structural and physical properties of supramolecular fullerene-porphyrin complexes based on the attraction between the curved π surface of the fullerene and the planar porphyrin π surface, and the application of computational chemistry in studies of the structure, reactivity and spectroscopic properties of inorganic and organometallic complexes. His paper “A supramolecular porphyrin–ferrocene–fullerene triad” by Dani Lyons, John Mohanraj, Gianluca Accorsi, Nicola Armaroli and Peter Boyd is the result of a collaboration with Nicola Armaroli and his group in Bologna. It describes the synthesis of new bisporphyrin hosts with appended secondary donors that form strong complexes with fullerenes and the photophysical properties of these complexes. NJC was chosen for this publication as it has a significant number of publications in the areas of supramolecular chemistry, porphyrin and fullerene chemistry and their photophysical properties’, says Peter. Perhaps have you guessed from the picture, Peter’s favorite activity outside the lab is gardening, in particular landscape gardening and the cultivation of rhododendrons and azaleas.

So this is all for now, and we would like to thank very kindly these prominent scientists for accepting our invitation to join in this highlight, showcasing the diversity of the chemistry published in NJC. Thanks to all of you, and see you next month for more!

Fancy submitting an article to NJC? Then why not submit to us today or alternatively email us your suggestions.

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Noteworthy Chemistry: wastewater purification

Zhaoyang Liu, Hongwei Bai and Darren Delai Sun’s recent NJC article is highlighted in this week’s ACS Noteworthy Chemistry, along with 6 other recent publications from leading journals.

In this selected paper, the team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore report on their design of multi-functional microspheres bearing highly adsorptive, photocatalytic and magnetic properties. These microspheres composed of chitosan, TiO2, and Fe3O4 are then used for water treatments, in which the chitosan matrix provides superhigh adsorption capacity; TiO2 nanoparticles act as nano reactors for the in situ removal of contaminants adsorbed by chitosan under UV irradiation, which is an environment-friendly and safe regeneration. Finally, the magnetic property of Fe3O4 nanoparticles enables effective recovery of the microspheres, using a magnetic field, from treated water for reuse.


Facile Fabrication of Porous Chitosan/Fe3O4/TiO2 Microspheres with Multifunction for Water Purifications
Zhaoyang Liu, Hongwei Bai and Darren Delai Sun
New J. Chem., 2011, 35, 137-140
DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00593B

Interested? Then why not read all about it now.

This article will be free to access for a period of 6 weeks, until April 14th, upon a simple registration process.

Do let us know what you think by leaving a comment below!

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Hot Article: native enzymes in hybrid materials for efficient catalysis

A native enzyme, which catalyzes stereoselective aldol reactions, was successfully encapsulated in an inorganic support by Forano, Lemaire, and co-workers. This biocatalyst maintains 100% of enzyme activity through a series of different condensation reactions. In addition, the immobilized enzyme is stable under storage and can be reused several times without a notable loss of activity, highlighting its suitability for organic synthesis.

Efficient immobilization of fructose-6-phosphate aldolase in layered double hydroxide: improved stereoselective synthesis of sugar analogues
Christine Guérard-Hélaine, Bertrand Légeret, Carlos Fernandes, Vanessa Prévot, Claude Forano and Marielle Lemaire
New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00956C, Letter

Curious? Why not read all about it here. This NJC paper has been rated as ‘hot’ and is FREE to access to all for a period of four weeks, after a simple registration process at: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/account/register. Let us know your thoughts and comments below!

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Hot Article : Prussian blue-type thin films and their magnetic anisotropy

Meisel and co-workers (University of Florida, USA) report on the elaboration of thin films of a series of Prussian Blue analogs, together with their magnetic behaviour. These films were shown to exhibit magnetic anisotropy by investigating the magnetic susceptibility, and specifically the difference between parallel and perpendicular orientations of the films with respect to the applied magnetic field. The degree of anisotropy is largely explained by demagnetizing effects, and a simple model is discussed. This paper represents a first step towards the understanding of the anisotropy of thin films of coordination polymer systems, of importance if films are to be used in device applications. Furthermore, this manuscript casts light on the origin of the anisotropy of photomagnetic systems.

Anisotropic magnetism in Prussian blue analogue films
Daniel M. Pajerowski, Justin E. Gardner, Daniel R. Talham and Mark W. Meisel
New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00841A, Paper

  • This article was selected as ‘Hot’ and will be FREE to access for a period of four weeks. Why not read it now and let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below!
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  • The article will also be part of the forthcoming NJC thematic issue on Molecular Materials, to be published in the summer. To stay up-to-date with the latest NJC developments, sign up to its free table-of-contents email alert at www.rsc.org/alerts
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    From red to blue: a new strategy for Uphill Energy Conversion

    Scientists from the universities of Sao Paulo and Thueringen present a new methodology for uphill energy conversion, converting red irradiation light into blue emission light using the instability of 1,2-dioxetanes and converting chemical energy into electronic excitation energy.

    Chemiluminescence-based uphill energy conversion
    Luiz Francisco Monteiro Leite Ciscato, Dieter Weiss, Rainer Beckert, Erick Leite Bastos, Fernando Heering Bartoloni and Wilhelm Josef Baader
    New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
    DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00843E, Letter

    Curious? Why not read this NJC Letter, FREE to access until March 14th 2011

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    Read the latest NJC Perspectives

    Stay up-to-date with these 5 latest NJC Perspectives , all available as advance articles on the web.

    • Read about multiple-decker sandwich complexes containing lanthanide and actinide metals with Frank Edelmann’s article
    • Gain insights into the digestive ripening method, providing access to highly monodispersed nanoparticles as featured by Deepti S. Sidhaye and B. L. V. Prasad
    • Explore the technique of hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments in the high vacuum of a mass spectrometer to unravel the structural aspects and the gas-phase reactivity of supramolecular complexes, as detailed by Christoph A. Schalley and coworkers
    • Take a tour of the assembly, properties, functions and multiple applications of ferrocenyl dendrimers, as reviewed by Didier Astruc.
    • Delve into rare earths, jewels for functional materials of the future, by Jean-Claude G. Bünzli et al.

     

                          Multiple-decker sandwich complexes of f-elements
                          Frank T. Edelmann
                          New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
                          DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00672F, Perspective

    Many manifestations of digestive ripening: monodispersity, superlattices and nanomachining
    Deepti S. Sidhaye and B. L. V. Prasad,
    New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00359J, Perspective

    Gas-phase H/D-exchange experiments in supramolecular chemistry
    Henrik D. F. Winkler, Egor V. Dzyuba and Christoph A. Schalley
    New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
    DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00634C, Perspective

    Ferrocenyl dendrimers: multi-electron redox reagents and their applications
    Didier Astruc
    New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
    DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00875C, Perspective

    Rare earths: jewels for functional materials of the future
    Svetlana V. Eliseeva and Jean-Claude G. Bünzli
    New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
    DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00969E, Perspective

    Fancy submitting an article to NJC? Then why not submit to us today or alternatively email us your suggestions.

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    NJC Issue 2, 2011 now published

    We welcome you to NJC‘s February issue, out now.

    A Perspective article by Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo and coworkers (University of Hong-Kong) features on this month’s front cover.  In this review article, find out on  some recent examples of luminescent iridium(III) polypyridine complexes as probes for chemical and biological molecules. The targets include proton, cations and anions, small molecules, nucleic acids, protein molecules and cellular structures.

    Development of luminescent iridium(III) polypyridine complexes as chemical and biological probes, Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo, Steve Po-Yam Li and Kenneth Yin Zhang, New J. Chem., 2011, 35, 265-287, DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00478B Perspective


    The inside front cover showcases the work of V. Haridas et al. (a collaboration from teams in Australia and India), presenting  a new class of peptide-based dendrons and dendrimers that display unique vesicle-driven organogelation.

    Gelation and topochemical polymerization of peptide dendrimers, V. Haridas, Yogesh K. Sharma, Rhiannon Creasey, Srikanta Sahu, Christopher T. Gibson and Nicolas H. Voelcker, New J. Chem., 2011, 35, 303-309, DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00544D, Paper

    • In this issue, also check out our very second FOCUS article, NJC‘s  new and exciting highlight format, this month on macroporous monoliths and their use as catalytic microreactors:

    Monolithic flow microreactors improve fine chemicals synthesis, Alexander Sachse, Anne Galarneau, Bernard Coq and François Fajula, New J. Chem., 2011, 35, 259-264, DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00965B, Focus

    You can access and read the whole issue 2 of NJC here. Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

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    Hot Article: Coating technology for barrier layers in fuel cells

    In this NJC Hot article, read about the use of electrostatic spray deposition to form dense, thin and crack-free gadolinium-doped ceria films, for use as a barrier layers in solid oxide fuel cells.

    Elaboration of thin and dense CGO films adherent to YSZ by electrostatic spray deposition for IT-SOFC applications, Cécile Rossignol, Benjamin Roman, Guilherme David Benetti and Elisabeth Djurado, New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ00570C, Paper

    Why not read the full article here, FREE to access until February 21st upon a simple registration process.

    And to keep up-to-date with NJC, sign up to its free table-of-contents email alert at www.rsc.org/alerts

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    NJC Interface poster prizes winners

    Two NJC Interface poster prizes were awarded at the ElecMol’10 conference, held in Grenoble (France) last month.

    Ferry Prins (center) and Titoo Jain (right) receiving their award from Dr. Laurent Vial, NJC Assistant Editor

    • The award-winning poster of Mr Ferry Prins, a PhD student in the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands)  in the group of Prof. Herre S. J. van der Zant, was entitled “Design for an all-electric single molecule motor and a room temperature molecular memory element”. This work includes the construction and characterization of new device architectures, and also the development of novel concepts on a theoretical level.
    • Mr Titoo Jain, who is a PhD student in the Nano-Science Center & Department of Chemistry at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in the group of Prof. Thomas Bjørnholm, won for his poster entitled “Towards single-molecule junctions via self-assembly of gold nanorods“. This work is focused on nanoparticles and molecular and organic electronics.

    NJC wishes to congratulate  the two laureates who receive a one-year subscription to the journal.  Our thanks go to the organizers of the conference for their help in organizing these awards, and our deep gratitude to all of the senior scientists who served on the jury to select the two winners.

    Laurent Vial, Assistant Editor.

    Keep up-to-date and sign up to NJC’s FREE table-of-contents email alert via http://www.rsc.org/alerts

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    Meet the NJC team

    The NJC team will be attending a number of conferences in 2011. Find out where you can meet us!

    Drs. Denise Parent (Managing Editor), Marie Cote (Deputy Editor), Yannick Guari and Laurent Vial (Assistant Editors)

    Here is a selection of the conferences we will be attending:

    Please let us know if you are planning on attending any of these meetings as it would be lovely to meet you there.

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