Determining the Out-of-Plane Longitudinal Sound Speed in GeS by Broadband Time-Domain Brillouin Scattering.

Over the past decade, two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconducting materials, with their distinctive structures and unique physicochemical properties, have attracted attention for potential applications in photonics and optoelectronics. In this study, we utilized time-domain broadband Brillouin scattering on a single germanium monosulfide (GeS) crystal to determine the out-of-plane longitudinal sound speed, evaluated at vL = (4035 ± 200) m/s. The reported results demonstrate the effectiveness of this nondestructive, all-optical technique for measuring the elastic properties in fragile 2D layered materials and provide the value of the out-of-plane compressive elastic constant, C = (69 ± 7) GPa.

Laser-Induced Shockwave Crystallization in Supersaturated Solutions and Conceivable Clustering in Undersaturated Aqueous Potassium Nitrate Solutions.

In this study, a newly developed setup based on laser-induced shockwave crystallization coupled with electric conductivity monitoring was employed to study the growth of crystals in supersaturated solutions and to investigate possible clustering in undersaturated solutions of potassium nitrate (KNO3). A comparison was drawn between crystals induced by laser irradiation, by shockwaves, and spontaneously in terms of crystals' mean size, shape, and size distribution. The size distribution of produced crystals by shockwaves was also characterized in terms of laser irradiation time. The results show that produced crystals by shockwaves propagation have the sharpest size distribution and the smallest mean dimensions compared to crystals grown spontaneously or by direct laser induction. Real-time monitoring of nucleation was also performed in supersaturated solutions, while decrease in conductivity was observed in undersaturated solutions as a function of laser irradiation time.

Pore size assessment using gas in scattering media absorption spectroscopy and gas adsorption.

Here, we investigate effects of the size of pores in porous alumina powders on the broadening of the oxygen gas absorption line. The line broadening is caused by collisions of oxygen molecules with the pore walls and is extracted using gas in scattering media absorption spectroscopy (GASMAS), while the average pore size is determined using the gas adsorption technique. The average pore size of the samples studied lies within the range 10-40 nm. In this range, the contribution of the wall collision broadening is found to be approximately inversely related to the average pore diameter. Furthermore, the confined oxygen gas absorbance measured by GASMAS is found to be linearly correlated with the effective porosity evaluated by the saturation method.

Isotopic composition of bottled water in Saudi Arabia.

The 18O/16O and 2H/1H ratios of 18 water brands representing the most popular bottled water brands in the Saudi market were measured using a system based on the latest advancements in tunable off-axis integrated cavity output diode laser spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) in the near-infrared spectral region. Utilizing δ18O and the δ2H values of locally produced water samples, a meteoric water line (δ2H = 7.84 δ18O + 2.11) was extracted and found to be consistent with the slope of the global meteoric water line (GMWL) and the geographic location of Saudi Arabia.

Spectroscopic and theoretical investigation of (R)-3-methylcyclopentanone. The effect of solvent and temperature on the distribution of conformers.

Temperature-dependent electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra are reported for (R)-(+)-3-methylcyclopentanone (R3MCP) in 34 solvents. Analysis of these data yielded the enthalpy and entropy differences between axial methyl and equatorial methyl conformers, the dominant conformers for R3MCP. The weakly absorbing n-->pi* transition exhibited a decrease in lambdamax as the solvent polarity increased. Vibrational CD fine structure of the n-->pi* transition was observed in the gas phase in addition to several of the solvents. Vapor-phase CD spectra were compared to both the solution-phase spectra and theoretical calculations of the axial and equatorial methyl conformers. Optical rotation (OR) measurements for R3MCP in cyclohexane solution in the visible region showed excellent agreement with OR DFT calculations of the equatorial and axial methyl conformers. Density functional calculations with B3LYP and the 6-13G* and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets, which incorporate the solvent dielectric constant, yielded trends in thermodynamic quantities as a function of polarity and solvent dipole moments that are only weakly or not observed in experiments.