Laser-assisted high-pressure-induced polymerization of 2-(hydroxyethyl)methacrylate

We report on a successful room-temperature polymerization of 2-(hydroxyethyl)methacrylate (HEMA) under high pressure. The polymerization is observed in a limited range of pressures 0.1 to 1.6 GPa without the use of any initiator. When the compressed sample is irradiated at 488 or 355 nm by a laser, the polymerization reaction rate is increased by a factor of 10 or 30, respectively. Moreover, the shift of the laser wavelength to the UV improves the polymerization yield of the recovered sample to 84%. The catalysis of the polymerization process by light results from a one-photon-assisted electron transfer to π* antibonding states of the monomer molecule. The observed polymerization is irreversible and almost complete, which makes this synthesis process suitable for applications.

The self-organizing fractal theory as a universal discovery method: the phenomenon of life

A universal discovery method potentially applicable to all disciplines studying organizational phenomena has been developed. This method takes advantage of a new form of global symmetry, namely, scale-invariance of self-organizational dynamics of energy/matter at all levels of organizational hierarchy, from elementary particles through cells and organisms to the Universe as a whole. The method is based on an alternative conceptualization of physical reality postulating that the energy/matter comprising the Universe is far from equilibrium, that it exists as a flow, and that it develops via self-organization in accordance with the empirical laws of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. It is postulated that the energy/matter flowing through and comprising the Universe evolves as a multiscale, self-similar structure-process, i.e., as a self-organizing fractal. This means that certain organizational structures and processes are scale-invariant and are reproduced at all levels of the organizational hierarchy. Being a form of symmetry, scale-invariance naturally lends itself to a new discovery method that allows for the deduction of missing information by comparing scale-invariant organizational patterns across different levels of the organizational hierarchy.An application of the new discovery method to life sciences reveals that moving electrons represent a keystone physical force (flux) that powers, animates, informs, and binds all living structures-processes into a planetary-wide, multiscale system of electron flow/circulation, and that all living organisms and their larger-scale organizations emerge to function as electron transport networks that are supported by and, at the same time, support the flow of electrons down the Earth's redox gradient maintained along the core-mantle-crust-ocean-atmosphere axis of the planet. The presented findings lead to a radically new perspective on the nature and origin of life, suggesting that living matter is an organizational state/phase of nonliving matter and a natural consequence of the evolution and self-organization of nonliving matter.The presented paradigm opens doors for explosive advances in many disciplines, by uniting them within a single conceptual framework and providing a discovery method that allows for the systematic generation of knowledge through comparison and complementation of empirical data across different sciences and disciplines.

A reinterpretation of the unusual barochromism of azulene

The UV–vis spectra of azulene in methylcyclohexane and acetonitrile solution at room temperature have been measured as a function of applied pressure in the 0.1–600 MPa range. The solvatochromic shifts are normal, but the barochromic shifts are unusual (hypsochromic shift in the S1–S0 absorption bands vs. normal bathochromic shifts in its S2–S0 and S3–S0 absorption bands). An analytical relationship between the barochromic shift and the differences in the polarizabilities and dipole moments of the two radiatively coupled electronic states has been derived. The unusual barochromism of azulene has been reinterpreted in terms of differences in the polarizabilities of azulene in its ground and excited states and the dominance of dispersive interactions in barochromism.Key words: barochromism, solvatochromism, azulene, polarizability, dipole moment.

Pressure-induced insulator conductor transition in a photoconducting organic liquid-crystal film

Intermolecular separation determines the extent of orbital overlap and thus the rate of electron transfer between neighbouring molecules in an organic crystal. If such a crystal is compressed, the resistivity decreases owing to a diminishing intermolecular distance. Metal insulator transitions have been observed by applying hydrostatic pressure to, for example, Langmuir films of metal nanoparticles. But previous attempts to observe a clear transition point in organic crystals, such as anthracene and tetracene, were not successful owing to difficulties with electrically insulating the high-pressure cell. Here we report a different approach by using a sample that is photoconductive and forms an organized film. A cylindrical tip (approximately 100 microm in diameter) was used to compress the sample instead of a piston/cylinder structure, entirely eliminating the problem of electrical insulation. Furthermore, by illuminating the sample with a laser, the conductivity of the sample is increased by several orders of magnitude. By monitoring the photocurrent with sensitivity at the 10(-13) A level, changes in resistivity at very low pressure could be monitored. We observe a sharp increase in current that could indicate a transition from hopping to delocalized conduction.