Concise multigram-scale synthesis of push-pull tricyanofuran-based hemicyanines with giant second-order nonlinearity: an alternative for electro-optic materials.

Highly stable and highly soluble push-pull heptamethine hemicyanines based on the tricyanofuran electron-accepting group can be prepared on a 15 g scale. The compounds display giant second-order nonlinear figure of merit, μβ of up to 31,000×10(-48) esu, and lead to a poled material with a second-order nonlinear response, r33 of 90 pm V(-1) at 1.06 μm.

Out-of-equilibrium biomolecular interactions monitored by picosecond fluorescence in microfluidic droplets.

We developed a new experimental approach combining Time-Resolved Fluorescence (TRF) spectroscopy and Droplet Microfluidics (DμF) to investigate the relaxation dynamics of structurally heterogeneous biomolecular systems. Here DμF was used to produce with minimal material consumption an out-of-equilibrium, fluorescently labeled biomolecular complex by rapid mixing within the droplets. TRF detection was implemented with a streak camera to monitor the time evolution of the structural heterogeneity of the complex along its relaxation towards equilibrium while it propagates inside the microfluidic channel.