Gold nanoparticles manipulate the quantum efficiency of phosphorescent molecules, which are attached via biotin−streptavidin recognition at a distance of 4 nm to the nanoparticle surface. Time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy reveals an increase in the radiative as well as in the nonradiative rate of the phosphorescent molecules upon binding to gold nanoparticles. The increase in the radiative rate alone would lead to an increased luminescence quantum yield. However, this effect is outweighed by the distinct enhancement of the nonradiative rate due to energy transfer, resulting in an overall quenching of the luminescence.

Based on the planar SOFC and SOE technology, a high temperature metal – air battery was operated at temperatures between 700°C and 800°C. It reached charging and discharging capacities of about 2 hours at power densities of more than 250mW/cm². A Siemens stack concept was developed and validated in numerous lab experiments as well as in several stack demonstrators of more than 1kW power output. The storage material is a proprietary development consisting of a iron/iron oxide combination which can be produced economically. It showed very low degradation rates of 1 - 2% in 1,000 charging / discharging cycles. More than 10,000 cycles were reached in 10x10 cm² short stacks. System efficiencies for the upper MW range of > 60% and a cycle life of about 10,000 cycles will be achieved.

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Transition metal complexes such as biotinylated ruthenium(II) tris(bipyridyl) and palladium(II) porphyrin show an increase in luminescence intensity and lifetime upon binding to streptavidin in aqueous solution. Here we show that this increase of luminescence lifetime and intensity are caused by the shielding of the transition metal complexes from dissolved oxygen through streptavidin rather than by hydrophobicity effects as recently claimed.

In a new synthetic approach phenylcyanamide (Hpca) was synthesized by methylation of phenylthiourea followed by a basic work-up. All products along the synthetic route have been fully characterized by means of NMR, IR, and X-ray studies. The first structural report of neutral mixed crystals of phenylcyanamide containing monomeric and trimeric Hpca is presented. Examination of these intriguing mixed crystals revealed the formation of distinct layers of monomeric and trimeric Hpca. These layers are interconnected by weak hydrogen bonds. The trimer represents triphenylisomelamine, which readily isomerizes to the triphenylmelamine in the melt, in accord with computations at the B3LYP level, indicating an exothermic process (DeltaH = -49.4 kcal mol(-1)). Pure trimeric Hpca (triphenylisomelamine) was obtained either by recrystallization of the mixed crystals from boiling water or by trimerization of monomeric Hpca in isopropanol for 12 h under reflux conditions. For comparison tritylcyanamide (Htca) and potassium phenylcyanamide as an [18]crown-6 complex [K([18]crown-6)pca] have been synthesized, and the solid-state structures were determined using X-ray diffraction techniques. The thermal behavior was studied by thermo-analytical experiments. In agreement with the experimental results, computations predict an exothermic cyclotrimerization process for Hpca (DeltaH = -41.3 kcal mol(-1)).