Crystal chemistry, band engineering, and photocatalytic activity of the LiNb3O8-CuNb3O8 solid solution.

A new solid solution has been prepared in the system LiNb3O8-CuNb3O8, and the impacts of chemical composition and crystal structure have been investigated for the resulting band gap sizes and photocatalytic activities for water reduction to hydrogen under visible light. All members of the solid solution were synthesized by solid-state methods within evacuated fused-silica vessels, and their phase purities were confirmed via powder X-ray diffraction techniques (space group P2(1)/a, a = 15.264(5)-15.367(1) Å, b = 5.031(3)-5.070(1) Å, c = 7.456(1)-7.536(8) Å, and ß = 107.35(1)-107.14(8)°, for 0 ≤ x ≤ 1). Rietveld refinements were carried out for the x = 0.09, 0.50, and 0.70 members of the solid solution, which reveal the prevailing isostructurality of the continuous solid solution. The structure consists of chains of (Li/Cu)O6 and NbO6 octahedra. The optical band gap size across the solid solution exhibits a significant red-shift from ∼3.89 eV (direct) to ∼1.45 eV and ∼1.27 eV (direct and indirect) with increasing Cu(I) content, consistent with the change in sample color from white to dark brown to black. Electronic structure calculations based on density-functional theory methods reveal the rapid formation of a new Cu 3d(10)-based valence band that emerges higher in energy than the O 2p band. While the pure LiNb3O8 is a highly active UV-photocatalyst for water reduction, the Li(1-x)Cu(x)Nb3O8 solid is shown to be photocatalytically active under visible-light irradiation for water reduction to hydrogen.

Synthesis, structure, negative thermal expansion, and photocatalytic property of Mo doped ZrV2O7.

A new series of compounds identified in the phase diagram of ZrO(2)-V(2)O(5)-MoO(3) have been synthesized via the solution combustion method. Single crystals of one of the compounds in the series, ZrV(1.50)Mo(0.50)O(7.25), were grown by the melt-cool technique from the starting materials with double the MoO(3) quantity. The room temperature average crystal structure of the grown crystals was solved using the single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The crystals belong to the cubic crystal system, space group Pa3 (No. 205) with a = 8.8969 (4) Å, V = 704.24 (6) Å(3), and Z = 4. The final R(1) value of 0.0213 was achieved for 288 independent reflections during the structure refinement. The Zr(4+) occupies the special position (4a) whereas V(5+) and Mo(6+) occupy two unique (8c) Wyckoff positions. Two fully occupied O atoms, (24d) and (4b), one partially occupied O atom (8c) have been identified for this molybdovanadate, which is a unique feature for these crystals. The structure is related to both ZrV(2)O(7) and cubic ZrMo(2)O(8). The temperature dependent single crystal studies show negative thermal expansion above 370 K. The compounds have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, solid-state UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic activity of these compounds has been investigated for the degradation of various dyes, and these compounds show specificity toward the degradation of non-azoic dyes.

Crystal chemistry of the noncentrosymmetric eulytites: A(3)Bi(XO(4))(3) (X = V, A = Pb; X = P, A = Ca, Cd, Sr, Pb).

Eulytite compounds, A(3)Bi(XO(4))(3) (X = P, A = Ca, Cd, Sr, Pb), belong to the noncentrosymmetric space group I4̅3d (No. 220) as determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The crystals were grown from the melt-cool technique with considerable difficulty as the compounds melt incongruently at their melting temperature, except for the compound Pb(3)Bi(PO(4))(3). The unit cell parameter a is 9.984(5), 9.8611(3), 10.2035(3), and 10.3722(2) Šfor Ca(3)Bi(PO(4))(3), Cd(3)Bi(PO(4))(3), Sr(3)Bi(PO(4))(3), and Pb(3)Bi(PO(4))(3) respectively, and there are four formula units in the unit cell. The structure of Pb(3)Bi(VO(4))(3), a unique eulytite with vanadium substitution, is compared with all these phosphorus substituted eulytites. The A(2+) and Bi(3+) cations occupy the special position (16c) while the O anions occupy the general Wyckoff position (48e) in the crystal structure. Only one O position has been identified for Pb(3)Bi(PO(4))(3) and Pb(3)Bi(VO(4))(3), whereas two O atom sites were identified for Ca(3)Bi(PO(4))(3), Cd(3)Bi(PO(4))(3), and Sr(3)Bi(PO(4))(3). The UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra indicate large band gaps for all the phosphate eulytites while a lower band gap is observed for the vanadate eulytite. The feasibility of the use of these compounds in optoelectronic devices has been tested by measuring the second-harmonic generation (SHG) values which have been found to be of a magnitude equivalent to the commercially used KDP (KH(2)PO(4)).

Synthesis, characterization, and crystallographic study of the PbO-Bi2O3-V2O5 system: Pb(3-x)Bi(2x/3)V2O8 (0.20 < or = x < or = 0.50).

A new solid solution Pb(3-x)Bi(2x/3)V(2)O(8) (0.20 < or = x < or = 0.50), stabilizing the high-temperature gamma form of Pb(3)V(2)O(8), has been isolated in the system Pb(3)V(2)O(8)-BiVO(4). The single-crystal structure of the composition x = 0.50 (Pb(2.5)Bi(1/3)V(2)O(8)) was solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The compound crystallizes in the trigonal crystal system R3m (No. 166) with a palmierite structural type with a = 5.7463(3) A, c = 20.3047(12) A, V = 580.64(5) A(3), and Z = 3. The final R1 value of 0.0406 was achieved for 217 independent reflections during the structure refinement. The variable-temperature powder XRD shows the absence of any phase transition for all of the members of the solid solution in the limit of 398-80 K. The new solid solution has been characterized by neutron powder diffraction, solid-state UV-vis diffuse-reflectance spectra, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Alternating-current impedance studies indicate conductivity on the order of 10(-4) Omega(-1) cm(-1) for Pb(2.5)Bi(1/3)V(2)O(8). The change in color of the samples from brown to yellow at high temperature was explained by XPS studies, which indicate the plausible formation of the ppm level of Bi(2)O(3) at such elevated temperature ranges.

Characterization of the pH-dependent interaction between the gap junction protein connexin43 carboxyl terminus and cytoplasmic loop domains.

A prevailing view regarding the regulation of connexin43 (Cx43) gap junction channels is that, upon intracellular acidification, the carboxyl-terminal domain (Cx43CT) moves toward the channel opening to interact with specific residues acting as a receptor site. Previous studies have demonstrated a direct, pH-dependent interaction between the Cx43CT and a Cx43 cytoplasmic loop (Cx43CL) peptide. This interaction was dependent on alpha-helical formation for the peptide in response to acidification; more recent studies have shown that acidification also induces Cx43CT dimerization. Whether Cx43CT dimerization is an important structural component in Cx43 regulation remains to be determined. Here we used an assortment of complimentary biophysical techniques to characterize the binding of Cx43CT or its mutants to itself and/or to a more native-like Cx43CL construct (Cx43CL(100-155), residues 100-155). Our studies expand the observation that specific Cx43CT domains are important for dimerization. We further show that properties of the Cx43CL(100-155) are different from those of the Cx43CL peptide; solvent acidification leads to Cx43CL(100-155) oligomerization and a change in the stoichiometry and binding affinity for the Cx43CT. Homo-Cx43CT and Cx43CL(100-155) oligomerization as well as the Cx43CT/Cx43CL(100-155) interaction can occur under in vivo conditions; moreover, we show that Cx43CL(100-155) strongly affects resonance peaks corresponding to Cx43CT residues Arg-376-Asp-379 and Asn-343-Lys-346. Overall, our data indicate that many of the sites involved in Cx43CT dimerization are also involved in the Cx43CT/Cx43CL interaction; we further propose that chemically induced Cx43CT and Cx43CL oligomerization is important for the interaction between these cytoplasmic domains, which leads to chemically induced gating of Cx43 channels.

Structural changes in the carboxyl terminus of the gap junction protein connexin43 indicates signaling between binding domains for c-Src and zonula occludens-1.

Regulation of cell-cell communication by the gap junction protein connexin43 can be modulated by a variety of connexin-associating proteins. In particular, c-Src can disrupt the connexin43 (Cx43)-zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) interaction, leading to down-regulation of gap junction intercellular communication. The binding sites for ZO-1 and c-Src correspond to widely separated Cx43 domains (approximately 100 residues apart); however, little is known about the structural modifications that may allow information to be transferred over this distance. Here, we have characterized the structure of the connexin43 carboxyl-terminal domain (Cx43CT) to assess its ability to interact with domains from ZO-1 and c-Src. NMR data indicate that the Cx43CT exists primarily as an elongated random coil, with two regions of alpha-helical structure. NMR titration experiments determined that the ZO-1 PDZ-2 domain affected the last 19 Cx43CT residues, a region larger than that reported to be required for Cx43CT-ZO-1 binding. The c-Src SH3 domain affected Cx43CT residues Lys-264-Lys-287, Ser-306-Glu-316, His-331-Phe-337, Leu-356-Val-359, and Ala-367-Ser-372. Only region Lys-264-Lys-287 contains the residues previously reported to act as an SH3 binding domain. The specificity of these interactions was verified by peptide competition experiments. Finally, we demonstrated that the SH3 domain could partially displace the Cx43CT-PDZ-2 complex. These studies represent the first structural characterization of a connexin domain when integrated in a multimolecular complex. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the structural characteristics of a disordered Cx43CT are advantageous for signaling between different binding partners that may be important in describing the mechanism of channel closure or internalization in response to pathophysiological stimuli.