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•In the literature, to the best of our knowledge, there is no stability data available on norepinephrine at high concentrations up to 1.16mg/mL.•This drug is usually used in intensive care units for the restoration of blood pressure.•These stability data of highly concentrated solutions provide additional knowledge to assist intensive care services in daily practice.

•Currently, there is no database of research teams involved in stability studies.•This is the first database of research teams involved in stability studies.•This new function is a bridge between research teams and Stabilis®users.•Stabilis®users can suggest stability studies on the website.

L’analyse pharmaceutique des prescriptions de chimiothérapie et leur préparation par les pharmaciens hospitaliers sont des activités codifiées à la fois par la réglementation et les contrats de bon usage. L’implication réelle des pharmaciens sur l’ensemble des activités de pharmacie clinique en oncologie, est par contre moins connue et a justifié la réalisation d’une cartographie de ces activités à partir d’un questionnaire ad hoc. Cent-sept centres ont participé à cette étude au niveau national (taux global de participation 32,4 %). Plus de 95 % de ces centres utilisent un système informatique de prescription et 52 % d’entre eux soumettent le référencement des nouveaux médicaments à une analyse d’intérêt par le Comité du médicament. L’analyse des prescriptions permet de relever des erreurs dans environ 2 % des prescriptions. Dans 46 % des centres, les pharmaciens participent aux Réunions de concertation pluridisciplinaires. Dans 24 % des centres, ce sont les pharmaciens seniors qui y participent, dans 9 % les pharmaciens juniors et dans 23 % les deux catégories. Cette participation permet d’anticiper les modifications de protocoles ainsi que les demandes ATU. Quatre-vingt douze pour cent des pharmaciens seniors déclarent attirer l’attention du staff médical sur le niveau de preuves limité et les risques de non financement de prescriptions hors groupe 1 et 2 (AMM et protocole temporaires d’utilisation) conduisant dans 40 % des cas à la modification des prescriptions initiales. Ce taux d’intervention est de 64 % pour les juniors qui n’obtiennent une modification de prescription que dans 10 % des situations. Cette étude souligne le rôle de l’expertise pharmaceutique dans l’analyse a priori et a postériori des prescriptions de chimiothérapies. Cette cartographie doit être complétée par une analyse prospective de la mesure d’impact clinique et médico-économique de ces interventions.

Ceftazidime/avibactam est un antibiotique temps-dépendant de dernier recours pour le traitement des infections à entérobactéries BLSE et/ou productrices de carbapénemases. L’optimisation de son efficacité par administration en perfusion continue est cruciale. Le laboratoire indique 12h de stabilité entre 8/2 et 40/10mg/mL à T°C ambiante. La pyridine est l’un des produits de dégradation de la ceftazidime pouvant être toxique. La dose de pyridine sécuritaire proposée dans la littérature à ne pas dépasser est de 100mg/j. À notre connaissance, aucune étude ne s’est intéressée à la stabilité à plus forte concentration ou pour une administration en diffuseur. L’objectif est d’étudier la stabilité physicochimique du ceftazidime/avibactam dilué dans du NaCl 0,9 % et du G5 % à 125/31,25mg/mL (6g dans 48mL), en seringues polypropylènes, conservées à 20–25°C et à 25/6,25mg/mL (6g dans 240mL) en diffuseurs élastomériques, conservés à 37°C, à l’abri de la lumière.

La jonction semiconducteur/électrolyte est un système permettant de détecter aisément les processus d'injection de charges associées à des espèces chimiques en liaison avec le réseau cristallin. Ces phénomènes interviennent lors de réactions électrochimiques très diverses, comme les réactions de réduction multiélectroniques (oxygène, eau oxygénée) ou d'oxydation (décomposition des matériaux). Dans cet article, une comparaison entre InP et GaAs permet de discuter, dans le processus global, du rôle des intermédiaires réactionnels et des films de surface.

Lors du contrôle de routine de perfusions d’aciclovir, il a été démontré un défaut qualité de la spécialité utilisée pour la fabrication des préparations hospitalières. Ce travail a pour but de montrer l’intérêt d’un contrôle analytique systématique dont les conséquences peuvent être un retrait de lot du marché.

Evolution and natural selection have generated complexity and efficiency in all living families. Morpho sulkowskyi - a butterfly from Neotropic ecozone (South America) and belonging to the Nymphalidae family - concentrates on its wings distinct but complementary features contributing to its exceptional visual attraction: i) the wings are predominantly white but ii) present a bright blue metallic flash due to an iridescence process; iii) the presence of fluorescent molecules producing a violet-blue coloration when irradiated by ultraviolet light and finally iv) the particular ultrastructure of the scales presenting a three-dimensions natural photonic crystal. Due to the confinement of the fluorescent sources in a photonic crystal, the emission is preferentially directed in space and its efficiency is enhanced for particular detection angles. Furthermore, a clear correlation is observed between the reflection and the fluorescent processes that control the surface optical response. So, collecting and analyzing data over every emerging direction is shown to be crucial. To quantify these observations and characterize these optical effects, three types of measurements were carried out. First of all, the morphology of the butterfly was examined by means of scanning electron microscopes. In addition, the angular distribution of the reflected light was measured with a high performance viewing angle instrument, providing BRDF data (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function). Finally, an automatic method coupling an ultraviolet source to a gonio-spectrophotometer allows fluorescent emission characterization. This set-up, developed on purpose, is composed of various excitation and analysis modules and provides angular emission maps. Tentative explanation for the measured correlation are presented.

Stability studies performed by the pharmaceutical industry are only designed to fulfill licensing requirements. Thus, post-dilution or -reconstitution stability data are frequently limited to 24h only for bacteriological reasons regardless of the true chemical stability which could, in many cases, be longer. In practice, the pharmacy-based centralized preparation may require infusions to be made several days in advance to provide, for example, the filling of ambulatory devices for continuous infusions or batch preparations for dose banding. Furthermore, a non-justified limited stability for expensive products is obviously very costly. Thus, there is a compelling need for additional stability data covering practical uses of anticancer drugs. A European conference consensus was held in France, May 2010, under the auspices of the French Society of Oncology Pharmacy (SFPO) to propose adapted rules on stability in practical situations and guidelines to perform corresponding stability studies. For each anticancer drug, considering their therapeutic index, the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) variability, specific clinical use and risks related to degradation products, the classical limit of 10% of degradation can be inappropriate. Therefore, acceptance limits must be clinically relevant and should be defined for each drug individually. Design of stability studies has to reflect the different needs of the clinical practice (preparation for the week-ends, outpatient transportations, implantable devices, dose banding…). It is essential to use validated stability-indicating methods, separating degradation products being formed in the practical use of the drug. Sequential temperature designs should be encouraged to replicate problems seen in daily practice such as rupture of the cold-chain or temperature-cycling between refrigerated storage and ambient in-use conditions. Stressed conditions are recommended to evaluate not only the role of classical variables (pH, temperature, light) but also the mechanical stress. Physical stability such as particles’ formation should be systematically evaluated. The consensus conference focused on the need to perform more studies on the stability of biotherapies, including a minimum of three complementary separating methods and a careful evaluation of submicron aggregates. The determination of the biological activity of proteins could be also useful. A guideline on the practical stability of anticancer drugs is proposed to cover current clinical and pharmaceutical practice. It should contribute to improved security of use, optimization of centralized handling and reduced costs. Finally, we have attempted to establish a new drug stability paradigm based on practical clinical needs, to complement regulatory guidelines which are essentially orientated to the stability of manufactured drugs.

An unusual, intercalated photonic nanoarchitecture was discovered in the elytra of Taiwanese Trigonophorus rothschildi variansbeetles. It consists of a multilayer structure intercalated with a random distribution of cylindrical holes normal to the plane of the multilayer. The nanoarchitectures were characterized structurally by scanning electron microscopy and optically by normal incidence, integrated and goniometric reflectance measurements. They exhibit an unsaturated specular and saturated non-specular component of the reflected light. Bioinspired, artificial nanoarchitectures of similar structure and with similar properties were realized by drilling holes of submicron size in a multilayer structure, showing that such photonic nanoarchitectures of biological origin may constitute valuable blueprints for artificial photonic materials.

Branchiooculofacial syndrome BOFS is an autosomaldominant condition characterized by three main features, respectively: branchial defects, ocular anomalies, and craniofacial defects including cleft lip andor palate CLP. We report on one family with three affected, and two sporadic cases that have been found to carry missense mutations in the newly reported BOFS gene: TFAP2A. This report confirms the involvement of this transcription factor in this developmental syndrome with clinical variability. Moreover, we present CT scan temporal bone anomalies in the familial cases, related to branchial arch defects, highlighting the importance of radiological investigations for differential diagnosis. © 2009 WileyLiss, Inc.

Alkyl monolayers anchored to an atomically flat hydrogenated (111)-oriented silicon surface through covalent Si−C bonding have been submitted to an oxygen plasma treatment of controlled power density. The chemical state of the surface was monitored insitu in real time in the plasma cell using multiple-internal-reflection infrared spectroscopy and exsitu by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. While plasma treatments of moderate power densities (∼0.1−1 W/cm3) lead to complete removal of the organic monolayer, using very-low power densities (∼10 mW cm−3) leads to selective oxidation of the organic chains with negligible etching of the monolayer and a very limited oxidation of the silicon surface. Successive formation of alcohol, ketone, and carboxyl functions is observed before reaching a quasi steady state on an hour time scale. Modelization of the plasma shows that the dominant reactive species at these low power densities is the singlet oxygen molecule (1Δg). A molecular-scale reaction mechanism is proposed, and a simple kinetic model is derived. A major conclusion is that reaching a quasi steady state is attributable to the very low amount of atomic oxygen in the plasma and to the densification of the layer upon incorporation of oxygen-bearing groups.

To delineate a new syndrome of brain dysgenesis and cutis laxa based on the description of 11 patients belonging to nine unrelated families recruited through an international collaboration effort.

Synthetic gene delivery vectors are gaining increasing importance in gene therapy as an alternative to recombinant viruses. Among the various types of non-viral vectors, cationic lipids are especially attractive as they can be prepared with relative ease and extensively characterised. Further, each of their constituent parts can be modified, thereby facilitating the elucidation of structure-activity relationships. In this forward-looking review, cationic lipid-mediated gene delivery will mainly be discussed in terms of the structure of the three basic constituent parts of any cationic lipid: the polar headgroup, hydrophobic moiety and linker. Particular emphasis will be placed on recent advances in the field as well as on our own original contributions. In addition to reviewing critical physicochemical features (such as headgroup hydration) of monovalent lipids, the use of headgroups with known nucleic-acid binding modes, such as linear and branched polyamines, aminoglycosides and guanidinium functions, will be comprehensively assessed. A particularly exciting innovation in linker design is the incorporation of environment-sensitive groups, the intracellular hydrolysis of which may lead to more controlled DNA delivery. Examples of pH-, redox- and enzyme-sensitive functional groups integrated into the linker are highlighted and the benefits of such degradable vectors can be evaluated in terms of transfection efficiency and cationic lipid-associated cytotoxicity. Finally, possible correlations between the length and type of hydrophobic moiety and transfection efficiency will be discussed. In conclusion it may be foreseen that in order to be successful, the future of cationic lipid-based gene delivery will probably require the development of sophisticated virus-like systems, which can be viewed as “programmed supramolecular systems” incorporating the various functions required to perform in a chronological order the different steps involved in gene transfection.

Cationic lipid-mediated gene transfection involves uptake of the lipid/DNA complexes via endocytosis, a cellular pathway characterized by a significant drop in pH. Thus, in the present study, we aimed to explore the impact on transfection efficiency of the inclusion of an acid-sensitive acylhydrazone function in the cationic lipid structure. We synthesized and evaluated the transfection properties of a series of four cationic steroid derivatives characterized by an acylhydrazone linkage connecting a guanidinium-based headgroup to a saturated cholestanone or an unsaturated cholest-4-enone hydrophobic domain. Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis was confirmed for all lipids, its rate being highest for those with a cholestanone moiety. The compound bis-guanidinium bis(2-aminoethyl)amine hydrazone (BGBH)-cholest-4-enone was found to mediate efficient gene transfection into various mammalian cell lines in vitro and into the mouse airways in vivo. In vitro transfection studies with BGBH-cholest-4-enone formulations also showed that incorporation of a degradable acylhydrazone bond led to low cytotoxicity and impacted the intracellular trafficking of the lipoplexes. Thus, our work allowed us to identify a cationic lipid structure with an acid-cleavable acylhydrazone linker capable of mediating efficient gene transfection in vitro and in vivo and it thereby provides a basis for further development of related acid-sensitive gene delivery systems.

The hydrogenated silicon surface can be derivatized with alkyl groups using anodization in a Grignard reagent. The derivatized surfaces have been characterized using infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the kinetics of the reaction have been investigated using in situ infrared spectroscopy. The initial reaction rate is found to be on the order of one grafted alkyl group per two elementary charges passed through the interface, corresponding to a faradaic efficiency on the order of unity. The kinetics are modeled assuming that the derivatization proceeds through electrochemically generated alkyl radicals. For the case of a flat (111) Si surface, the results are accounted for by a reaction rate proportional to current density and to radical concentration at the surface, leading to a fast reaction up to completion of monolayer coverage. The detailed shapes of the kinetic curves, and their variations with experimental conditions, are well reproduced by the model. At an atomically rough surface, the kinetics exhibit a power-law behavior. These nonexponential kinetics can be ascribed to a distribution of rate constants associated with steric-hindrance effects, as quantitatively confirmed by numerical simulations. In practice, these results show that the maximum theoretical coverage may be hard to reach. They also indicate that the electrochemical techniques are intrinsically much faster than the available chemical techniques, which is probably favorable for reaching this maximum coverage. In the case of a Grignard from bromide and iodide, the role of the halogen in improving the electronic passivation of the surface is also demonstrated. This indicates that halogenation of the surface can be a side reaction in the derivatization process. However, the dominant reaction pathway appears to be abstraction of surface hydrogen by an electrochemically generated alkyl radical and reaction of the resulting Si dangling bond with the Grignard or another alkyl radical.

Surface films are obtained on Hg0.79Cd0.21Te and CdTe by treatment in a solution of 0.1M Fe(CN)63−(ferricyanide) in 0.5M KOH. Composition profiles are obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and they reveal the presence of cadmium oxide (CdO) and elemental tellurium (Te0). The film on Hg0.79Cd0.21Te is porous and thick (e.g. 800Å), whereas the film on CdTe is nonporous and thin (<100Å). The presence of CdO instead of Cd(OH)2and the presence of Te0despite the highly oxidizing Fe(CN)63−ions are not predicted by equilibrium thermodynamics; they are due to the film growth kinetics. The origin of the surface chemical films is discussed in detail.

We report on a vibrational study of the self-assembly of para-nitroanilino–dodecane–thiol (p-NAT, NO2–C6H4–NH–(CH2)12–SH) molecules on polycrystalline gold surfaces, by means of sum-frequency generation (SFG). In the investigated spectral range (1150 to 1400 cm—1), the evolution of the vibrational fingerprint indicates that important reorientations of the molecules occur during film growth, until a stable conformation is reached slightly before saturation coverage. The experimental data are interpreted with the help of ab initio calculations from which the geometrical orientation of the self-assembled molecules can be deduced.

McKusick-Kaufman syndrome (MKKS) is a rare, recessively inherited syndrome reported mainly in young children and is characterised by vaginal atresia with hydrometrocolpos, postaxial polydactyly, and congenital heart defect. Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is the generic name for a genetically heterogeneous group of autosomal recessive disorders characterised by retinal dystrophy or retinitis pigmentosa (appearing usually between 10 and 20 years of age), postaxial polydactyly, obesity, nephropathy, and mental disturbances, or, occasionally, mental retardation. Typically, MKKS is diagnosed (and reported) in very young children, whereas the diagnosis of BBS often is delayed to the teenage years.We report here a series of nine patients diagnosed in infancy with MKKS because of the presence of vaginal atresia and postaxial polydactyly, who later developed obesity and retinal dystrophy, thus turning out to be instances of BBS.The overlap of BBS and MKKS is a real diagnostic pitfall and its importance has to be stressed, for genetic counselling, for clinical management and follow up, and for molecular approaches. The diagnosis of MKKS should be considered with caution in all published cases described exclusively in the neonatal period and in those with mental retardation. We strongly recommend all children seen in infancy with a diagnosis of MKKS to be re-evaluated for RP and other signs of BBS.

The present theoretical understanding of imaging clean and adsorbate covered metal surfaces in scanning tunneling microscopy is examined with special emphasis on a possible theoretical foundation for the observed unexpectedly large corrugation on close-packed metal surfaces. Several suggestions for explaining these experimental findings are investigated. Resonance tunneling via tip d-orbitals might be a possible mechanism of amplifying small lateral structure of electronic or elastic origin. Two complementary theoretical methods are applied. The first one concentrates on a realistic description of the potential and wave functions of the sample surface whereas the second one attempts to model a more realistic transition metal tip. In the first approach the tip is represented by a Gaussian protrusion on an otherwise planar free-electron metal surface. The sample surface is built from muffin-tin potentials accounting for the atomic structure and the d-electrons. The spatial current distribution near the tip region is obtained by summing the contributions of all scattered waves. The method has been applied to study the current to Al(111) and Pd(100) surfaces. The corrugation obtained is rather small and cannot explain the experimental observations. The second approach studies two transition metal tips consisting of a single tungsten atom adsorbed on a flat W(110) surface and on a group of four other W atoms. The cluster of four W atoms is coupled to a flat W(110) surface by using an embedding method. The basis set on the W atoms includes 6s-, 6p-, and 5d-orbitals. The electronic structure of the tip exhibits a 5d2-resonance near the Fermi level. The effects of tip d-orbitals and resonance tunneling on the lateral contrast in STM are analyzed.

The shape of the He resonance absorption line of He bubbles in metals is discussed in terms of He-metal and He-He interactions. For bubble radii larger than 10 Å the metal matrix effects are found to be negligible. For small vacancy clusters there is as yet no quantitative calculation of the role of the metal conduction electrons in determining the position and width of the He resonance excitation.The He-He interactions are treated within static line broadening theory which assumes pairwise additivity of the interactions. These are taken from ab initio quantum mechanical calculations of 2p excimer potential energy curves due to Guberman and Goddard and to Gupta and Matsen. The radial pair distribution function required by our statistical line shape calculation is computed from two theoretical models of the dense fluid: either the exact solution of Percus-Yevick's equation for hard spheres or a Molecular Dynamics computer simulation based on an accurate pair potential. The two approaches give very similar results. The blue shift of the resonance line is found to depend nearly linearly on density but our value for the slope differs substantially from the prediction of a model band structure calculation performed by the Jülich group in the framework of density functional theory.

The novel application of vacuum ultra-violet absorption spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy to helium bubbles in metals is presented. These measurements, carried out on thin aluminium films containing different concentrations of helium and various bubble size distributions, were aimed at determining the density (and thus pressure) of helium in bubbles by observing the shift and broadening of the IS-2P transition in the helium. The data coupled with a theoretical model developed by the authors (see following paper) indicate densities as high as 1023 He cm-3 for specimens containing small bubbles. Data are also presented on the effect that annealing and cooling have on these spectra. The annealing experiments give rise to fairly complex changes in absorption peak structure but with a general shift towards the unperturbed resonance line. The cooling experiment gives rise to a further shift and a narrowing of the absorption spectrum on cooling to 77 K which is tentatively identified as the liquid/solid transition in the helium. Finally, fluorescence spectrum of an Al/He specimen excited with low energy electrons is presented.

Tables of coefficients of Chebyshev expansions for computing to 11 places the abscissas and weight factors of the 12-point generalized Gauss-Laguerre quadrature formula are presented.

The properties of Si and Ge in the liquid phase are drastically different from those of crystalline Si; for nearly all the other elements no such difference is found. The coordination number changes from 4 in the diamond structure to 6-5 in the liquid state, with a substantial increase in the bond length (2·35 to 2·5 A for Si). The electronic properties are considerably altered; in particular the molten phase is metallic.In this paper, the electronic and bonding properties of liquid Si are discussed. In the absence of any reliable structural model of liquid Si, two parent crystalline structures with a coordination number of 6 are considered : the simple cubic and the white tin (β-Sn) structures. Tight-binding calculations show that the sixfold-coordinated phases have no gap, leading to a well-defined metallic character. Pseudopotential calculations confirm the lack of a gap in the simple-cubic structure. In addition, it is shown that the cohesive energy of the sixfold-coordinated phases is very close to that of the diamond structure, and that consequently these phases are energetically competitive. The change in s and p electron numbers have also been studied : the results for Si were found to be s1·41p2·59 in the diamond structure, s1·49p2·51 the β-Sn structure and s1·51p2·49 in the simple-cubic structure. This is consistent with measured isomer shift data for the α→β phase transition of Sn (Friedman et al. 1973).

Orthogonal polynomials corresponding to the weight function and defined on the positive real axis are constructed. Abscissas and weight factors for the associated Gaussian quadrature are then deduced (up to 12-point formulas). The stability of the algorithm used for this particular computation is discussed. An example is provided to test the efficiency of the new Gaussian rule.

A three generation family with Stickler syndrome is reported. Affected patients exhibited myopia with frequent retinal detachment or glaucoma. Most of them had characteristic facial dysmorphism, the Pierre-Robin sequence being observed in four individuals. Neonatal radiological signs of the Weissenbacher-Zweymüller syndrome were also noticed but early arthopathy was not reported in adults. Restriction fragment length polymorphism studies with the type II collagen gene (COL2A1) showed a recombination event between the disease locus and COL2A1, thus excluding collagen type II as the candidate gene. Although the calculation of the likelihood of genetic heterogeneity versus homogeneity based on 10 families was not statistically significant, we suggest that a second locus is probably involved in this highly variable syndrome.

The semiconductor/electrolyte junction can be used in order to detect easily electron and/or hole injection processes related to chemical species bound to the crystal lattice. These phenomena take place when multielectronic electrochemical reactions occur at the interface, such as reductions (oxygen, hydrogen peroxide) or oxidations (photoanodic decomposition). In this paper a comparison between GaAs and InP has been analyzed. The parts played in the overall electrochemical process by reaction intermediates and surface films are discussed. La jonction semiconducteur/?lectrolyte est un syst?me permettant de d?tecter ais?ment les processus d'injection de charges associ?es ? des esp?ces chimiques en liaison avec le r?seau cristallin. Ces ph?nom?nes interviennent lors de r?actions ?lectrochimiques tr?s diverses, comme les r?actions de r?duction multi?lectroniques (oxyg?ne, eau oxyg?n?e) ou d'oxydation (d?composition des mat?riaux). Dans cet article, une comparaison entre InP et GaAs permet de discuter, dans le processus global, du r?le des interm?diaires r?actionnels et des films de surface.

The surface chemistry of InAlN ultra-thin layers, having undergone an oxidation procedure usually running through the HEMT fabrication process (850°C, O2and O2+Ar) is studied by XPS. The suitability of XPS analysis to operate as a retro-engineering tool for added value microelectronic devices fabrication is shown. A precise examination of the Al2p, In3d5/2, N1s, and O1s peaks directly informs about spatial and atomic arrangement. The formation of a covering 3 nm surface oxide is evidenced after O2annealing. Once annealed, two specific additional N1s contributions are shown, at higher (404.0 eV) and lower binding energies (397.4 eV) compared to the InAlN matrix one (396.5 eV). To our knowledge, such fingerprint is rather unusual for ternary III-V materials. It reveals the formation of a nitrogen deficient interlayer, situated between the oxide overlayer and the undisturbed matrix, and the presence of interstitial N2molecules trapped at the interface. After Ar annealing, both oxide and interface layers are partially reorganized. InAlN reactivity toward higher annealing temperature (950°C) and its stability over time is finally discussed. N2molecules are unstable and progressively eliminated in time although nitrogen deficient interlayer still remains. Thermal treatments below 850°C are recommended to preserve the barrier chemical integrity.

Structurally coloured natural photonic crystals found in several insects are made of ordered porous chitin structures. In such photonic crystals, colour changes can be induced by relative gas/vapour concentration variations in a mixed atmosphere. For instance, when the composition of the atmosphere changes, the colour of Morpho sulkowskyi buttery is modied. Based on this eect, it is possible to identify closely related gases/vapours. In spite of increasing interests for such sensors, the fundamental mechanisms at the origin of the selective optical response are still not well understood. The point is that refractive index variations resulting from the introduction of a specic gas species in the atmosphere are too small to justify the dramatic changes observed in the optical response. Here, we demonstrate through numerical simulations that indeed gas/vapour-induced refractive index changes are too small to produce a signicant modication of the spectral reectance in a representative 3D periodic model of natural porous nanostructures. For this purpose, we used the rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) method for modelling light scattering from inhomogeneous optical media. The origin of the reported colour changes has therefore to be found in modications of the porous material and their impact on the photonic response.

The electrochemical deposition of indium sulfide layers is investigated with the aim of replacing cadmium sulfide layers in copper-indium-gallium diselenide thin film solar cells. In this paper the deposition conditions are first investigated from theoretical solution chemistry analysis. Experiments are then carried out using Mo-coated glass conducting substrates and gold-coated electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance. Indium chloride acidic aqueous solutions (pH ∼ 3.5–4) containing thiosulfate ions as the sulfur source are used. Cyclic voltammetry studies are carried out. A potential domain is determined which allows to deposit compact layers. XPS analysis indicates the presence of both sulfur and oxygen in the films. The double structure of the O 1s spectra and the particular S 2p energy dispersion suggest two distinct chemical environments for indium whose respective prominence depends on the deposition potential. At low overpotential, an indium sulfide layer containing oxygen species (O, OH) is predominantly identified whereas at more negative potentials a second environment attributed to the presence of sulfate-type (SOx) groups emerge. These results are discussed in relation to solution chemistry analysis and possible reaction paths are proposed.