Pre-resonance effects in deep UV Raman spectra of normal and deuterated water.

We have investigated the shape of the OH/OD stretching Raman band of water as a function of the excitation wavelength in the deep UV region (200-266 nm). By analyzing the spectral profiles, we highlighted selective pre-resonance effects in the high wavenumber component of the OH/OD stretching band, associated to distorted H-bonded water configurations. A van't Hoff treatment of the temperature-dependent Raman spectra provides an estimate of the thermal energy associated to the change from ordered (ice-like) to disordered configurations that agrees with values obtained by related methods based on a two-state model of water.

Investigating Perampanel Antiepileptic Drug by DFT Calculations and SERS with Custom Spinning Cell.

SERS, a clinical practice where medical doctors can monitor the drug concentration in biological fluids, has been proposed as a viable approach to therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of the antiepileptic drug Perampanel. The adoption of an acidic environment during the SERS experiments was found to be effective in enhancing the spectroscopic signal. In this work, we combine SERS experiments, conducted with a custom spinning cell in controlled acidic conditions, with DFT calculations aimed at investigating the possible protonated forms of Perampanel.

SERS Detection of the Anti-Epileptic Drug Perampanel in Human Saliva.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) can obtain the spectroscopic response of specific analytes. In controlled conditions, it is a powerful quantitative technique. However, often the sample and its SERS spectrum are complex.

Laser-Treated Steel Surfaces Gliding on Snow at Different Temperatures.

With the goal of substituting a hard metallic material for the soft Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) presently used to make the bases of skis for alpine skiing, we used two non-thermodynamic equilibrium surface treatments with ultra-short (7-8 ps) laser pulses to modify the surface of square plates (50 × 50 mm) made of austenitic stainless steel AISI 301H. By irradiating with linearly polarized pulses, we obtained Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS). By laser machining, we produced a laser engraving on the surface.

UV resonance Raman spectroscopy of weakly hydrogen-bonded water in the liquid phase and on ice and snow surfaces.

The hydrogen bond network has a major role in determining the physical and chemical properties of water both in the solid and in the liquid state. In the bulk liquid phase, there is a coexistence of water molecules with different degrees of coordination and their relative amount changes according to the conditions (, temperature, presence of solutes). Ice shows a larger amount of topologically under-coordinated water molecules at the surface as compared to the bulk.