The monomer-dimer equilibrium and thermodynamic of several ionic dyes (Neutral Red, Nile Blue A, Safranine T and Thionine) has been investigated by means of spectrophotometric and chemometrics methods. The dimerization constants of these ionic dyes have been determined by studying the dependence of their absorption spectra on the temperature in the range 20-75 degrees C at concentrations of Neu...

An optical urea biosensor was fabricated by stacking several layers of sol-gelfilms. The stacking of the sol-gel films allowed the immobilization of a Nile Bluechromoionophore (ETH 5294) and urease enzyme separately without the need of anychemical attachment procedure. The absorbance response of the biosensor was monitoredat 550 nm, i.e. the deprotonation of the chromoionophore. This multi-laye...

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Two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy is a powerful technique to study nuclear and electronic correlations between different transitions or initial and final states. Here we describe in detail our development of inherently phase-stabilized 2D Fourier-transform spectroscopy for electronic transitions. A diffractive-optic setup is used to realize heterodyne-detected femtosecond four-wave mixing in a ...

We have developed a two-dimensional (2D) Fourier-transform femtosecond spectroscopy technique for the visible spectral region. Three-pulse photon echo signals are generated in a phase-matched noncollinear four-wave mixing box geometry that employs a 3-kHz repetition-rate laser system and optical parametric amplification. Nonlinear signals are fully characterized in amplitude and phase by spectr...

Climate change is likely to have severe effects on water availability in Ethiopia. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of climate change on the Gilgel Abay River, Upper Blue Nile Basin. The Statistical Downscaling Tool (SDSM) was used to downscale the HadCM3 (Hadley centre Climate Model 3) Global Circulation Model (GCM) scenario data into finer scale resolution. The Soil and W...

Some laser applications produce high power densities that can be dangerous to equipment and operators. We have fabricated thin-film coatings by using molecular electrostatic self-assembly to create a spectrally selective absorbing coating that is able to withstand thermal fluctuations from -20 degrees C to 120 degrees C. We made the thin-film coatings by alternating deposition of an organic dye...

We have measured the polarization and incident angle dependence of the Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) signal of a nile blue monolayer adsorbed on a flat gold surface. Comparisons with predictions of electromagnetic (EM) theory indicate that the molecules are predominantly adsorbed flat on the surface. These results provide the most direct demonstration of the concept of surface select...