Solvation Dynamics of Coumarin 480 in Reverse Micelles. Slow Relaxation of Water Molecules

A molecular picture of diffusion controlled reaction: role of microviscosity and hydration on hydrolysis of benzoyl chloride at a polymer hydration region

In this study, we have attempted to explore the molecular mechanism associated with a diffusion controlled reaction at a polymer hydration region by monitoring temperature-dependent solvolysis reaction of benzoyl chloride (BzCl) in water-poly(ethylene glycol) mixture at low water concentration. BzCl being highly hydrophobic resides in the vicinity of the PEG surface and the reaction takes place at the interface. Temperature-dependent solvolysis allows one to estimate the overall Arrhenius type activation energy barrier associated with the reaction. To understand the relative contribution of hydration and diffusive motion on the overall activation energy we studied the temperature-dependent picosecond-resolved solvation dynamics using a fluorescence probe Coumarin 500 (C500). The observed acceleration of solvation dynamics with temperature finds its origin in temperature-induced transition of bound to free type interfacial water molecules near the PEG surface. Temperature-dependent acoustic and densimetric studies also support this phenomenon. The temperature-induced enhancement of the local viscosity experienced by the probe, which is calculated from the rotational anisotropy studies, furnishes the activation barrier for microviscosity as applicable to the Kramers model. The activation energy barriers estimated from the temperature-dependent solvation dynamics and microviscosity studies are correlated with that obtained from the solvolysis reaction.

Direct observation of solvation dynamics in an aqueous reverse micellar system containing silver nanoparticles in the reverse micellar core

In this work we have reported the synthesis of silver nanoparticles in aqueous AOT (dioctylsulfosuccinate, sodium salt) n-heptane reverse micelles and then carried out the study of solvation dynamics keeping the system unaltered, i.e., inside the reverse micelles containing silver nanoparticles. Solvation dynamics and anisotropy studies showed that they were highly affected and became slower in reverse micelles containing silver nanoparticle in comparison to the pure reverse micellar system.

Intramolecular charge transfer reaction, polarity, and dielectric relaxation in AOT/water/heptane reverse micelles: pool size dependence

Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) reaction in a newly synthesized molecule, of 4-(1-morpholenyl) benzonitrile (M6C), in AOT/water/heptane reverse micelles at different pool sizes has been studied by using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence emission spectroscopy. The pool size dependences of the reaction equilibrium constant and reaction rate have been explained in terms of the average polarity of the confined solvent pools estimated from the fluorescence emission Stokes shift of a nonreactive probe, coumarin 153, dissolved in these microemulsions. The complex permittivity measurements in the frequency range 0.01<or=nu/GHz<or=2 for these microemulsions at different pool sizes (0<or=w0<or=40) and AOT concentrations (0.1<or=c/M<or=0.5) at 298.15 K have also been performed. At sufficient water content, a large dispersion with a relaxation time of approximately 600 ps has been observed at approximately 300 MHz and attributed to the average reorientation of water molecules residing in the close vicinity of the polar interface of the AOT headgroup and n-heptane. The reorientation of these interfacial water molecules is probably responsible for the nanosecond component observed in numerous polar solvation dynamics experiments in these reverse micelles. Subsequently, the estimated polarity and the measured reorientational time scale have been used to explain the dramatic slowing down of the ICT reaction rate and its dependence on pool size in these confined environments.

Interaction of ionic liquid with water with variation of water content in 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6])/TX-100/water ternary microemulsions monitored by solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin 153 and coumarin 490

The interaction of water with room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) [bmim][PF6] has been studied in [bmim][PF6]/TX-100/water ternary microemulsions by solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin 153 (C-153) and coumarin 490 (C-490). The rotational relaxation and average solvation time of C-153 and C-490 gradually decrease with increase in water content of the microemulsions. The gradual increase in the size of the microemulsion with increase in w0 (w0=[water]/[surfactant]) is evident from dynamic light scattering measurements. Consequently the mobility of the water molecules also increases. In comparison to pure water the retardation of solvation time in the RTIL containing ternary microemulsions is very less. The authors have also reported the solvation time of C-490 in neat [bmim][PF6]. The solvation time of C-490 in neat [bmim][PF6] is bimodal with time constants of 400 ps and 1.10 ns.

Tuning the cooperativity of the helix-coil transition by aqueous reverse micelles

We show in this letter that the thermodynamic properties of helical peptides can be tuned by varying the degrees of backbone hydration. The latter was achieved by solubilizing peptides in the water pool of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelles with different water contents or w0 values. Far-UV circular dichroism measurements on a series of alanine-rich peptides indicate that the helicity of shorter peptides is significantly increased in AOT reverse micelles at low w0 values, as compared to the corresponding helical content in buffer. This result therefore corroborates the previous simulation studies suggesting that desolvation of backbone CO and NH groups increases the stability of monomeric helices. In addition, it was found that the thermal unfolding transition of these peptides can either be very noncooperative or very cooperative, depending on w0 and peptide chain length. A simple model, which considers the heterogeneous distribution of the water molecules inside the polar core of AOT reverse micelles as well as the geometric confinement effect exerted on the peptide by the reverse micelles, was used to interpret these results.

Compartmentalization of Reactants in Different Regions of Sodium 1,4-Bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate/Heptane/Water Reverse Micelles and Its Influence on Bimolecular Electron-Transfer Kinetics

Sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micellar medium has been used to study the photoinduced electron-transfer (ET) reactions between some coumarin derivatives and amines, namely, aniline (AN) and N,N-dimethylaniline (DMAN) at different w(0) (w(0) = [water]/[AOT]) values, to explore the appearance of Marcus inversion and also the possible role of w(0), if any, on the Marcus correlation curves. The coumarin derivatives are found to partition between the heptane-like and the water-like phases of the reverse micelles, and their locations have been confirmed by time-resolved anisotropy measurements. Fluorescence quenching is found to depend both on the location of the coumarin molecules and on the hydrophobicity of the amine donors. Various aspects such as the effect of differential partitioning of the quenchers, the location of the probes in the two phases, the diffusion of the reactants in the micellar phase, etc. have been considered to rationalize the fluorescence quenching rates in reverse micelles. Rotational relaxation times and the diffusion parameters estimated from the anisotropy results do not show good correlation with the observed quenching rates indicating that the diffusion of reactants has no role in the quenching kinetics in reverse micelles. Marcus inversion behavior has been observed for the coumarin-amine systems in the water-like phase at a relatively high exergonicity of approximately 1.2 eV suggesting that the solvent reorganization energy contributes fully to the free energy of activation for the ET reactions in the present systems. This is in accordance with the fast solvent relaxation dynamics reported in reverse micelles. Quenching rates in the water-like phase are found to decrease or increase marginally with increasing w(0) for the coumarin-DMAN and coumarin-AN systems, respectively. This is explained on the basis of the changing solubility of these amines in the water-like phase with changing w(0) values of the reverse micelles. In the heptane-like phase, no clear inversion in the quenching rate versus free energy plot could be observed because the study could not be extended to higher exergonicity due to nonsolubility of the dye C151 in this phase. Present results, especially in the water-like phase, suggest that the confinement of reactants in micellar media can effectively remove the influence of reactant diffusion on bimolecular ET rates and thus make the systems more conducive for the observation of the Marcus inverted region.

Photophysical studies of Merocyanine 540 dye in aqueous micellar dispersions of different surfactants and in different solvents

The fluorescence spectra of Merocyanine 540 (MC 540), an anionic dye have been studied in aqueous solution of different nonionic surfactants. The results show the enhancement and red shift of fluorescence bands, indicating electron transfer from the surfactants to the excited dye. This is also supported by the photovoltage generation by the dye-surfactant systems in a photoelectrochemical cell. Possible mechanisms of the excited state interaction and photovoltage generation have been suggested. From the thermodynamic, spectrophotometric and photogalvanic results, it can be concluded that the electron donating abilities of the nonionic surfactants towards MC 540 are in the order: Tween 80 approximately Tween 60>Tween 40>Tween 20>Triton X-100. The spectral studies (both absorption and fluorescence) of Merocyanine 540 have been carried out in solvents of varying polarities as well as in an aqueous micellar dispersions of nonionic surfactants. The Stokes shifts of the fluorescence from the absorption have been found to increase with increasing polarity of the solvents. An attempt has been made to ascertain the polarity of the microenvironment of Merocyanine 540 in the nonionic surfactant media from the photophysical characteristics of the dye in different solvents of known polarities.

Ultrafast fluorescence resonance energy transfer in a reverse micelle: Excitation wavelength dependence

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from coumarin 480 (C480) to fluorescein 548 (F548) in a sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelle is studied by picosecond and femtosecond emission spectroscopy. In bulk water, at the low concentration of the donor (C480) and the acceptor (F548), no FRET is observed. However, when the donor (C480) and the acceptor (F548) are confined in a AOT reverse micelle very fast FRET is observed. The time constants of FRET were obtained from the rise time of the emission of the acceptor (F548). In a AOT microemulsion, FRET is found to occur in multiple time scales--3, 200, and 2700 ps. The 3 ps component is assigned to FRET in the water pool of the reverse micelle with a donor-acceptor distance, 16 A. The 200 ps component corresponds to a donor-acceptor distance of 30 A and is ascribed to the negatively charged acceptor inside the water pool and the neutral donor inside the alkyl chains of AOT. The very long 2700 ps component may arise due to FRET from a donor outside the micelle to an acceptor inside the water pool and also from diffusion of the donor from bulk heptane to the reverse micelle. With increase in the excitation wavelength from 375 to 405 nm the relative contribution of the FRET due to C480 in the AOT reverse micelle (the 3 and 200 ps components) increases.

Interaction of ionic liquid with water in ternary microemulsions (Triton X-100/water/1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) probed by solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin 153 and coumarin 151

The interaction of ionic liquid with water in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6])/Triton X-100 (TX-100)/H2O ternary microemulsions, i.e., "[bmim][PF6]-in-water" microregions of the microemulsions, has been studied by the dynamics of solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin 153 (C-153) and coumarin 151 (C-151). The variation of the time constants of solvent relaxation of C-153 is very small with an increase in the [bmim][PF6]/TX-100 ratio (R). The rotational relaxation time of C-153 also remains unchanged in all micremulsions of different R values. The invariance of solvation and rotational relaxation times of C-153 indicates that the position of C-153 remains unaltered with an increase in R and probably the probe is located at the interfacial region of [bmim][PF6] and TX-100 in the microemulsions. On the other hand, in the case of C-151, with an increase in R the fast component of the solvation time gradually increases and the slow component gradually decreases, although the change in solvation time is small in comparison to that of microemulsions containing common polar solvents such as water, methanol, acetonitrile, etc. The rotational relaxation time of C-151 increases with an increase in R. This indicates that with an increase in the [bmim][PF6] content the number of C-151 molecules in the core of the microemulsions gradually increases. In general, the solvent relaxation time is retarded in this room temperature ionic liquid/water-containing microemulsion compared to that of a neat solvent, although retardation is very small compared to that of the solvent relaxation time of the conventional solvent in the core of the microemulsions.

Biphasic Tautomerization Dynamics of Excited 7-Hydroxyquinoline in Reverse Micelles

The excited-state tautomerization dynamics of 7-hydroxyquinoline in the water pools of reverse micelles has been investigated by monitoring time-resolved fluorescence spectra and kinetics as well as static absorption and emission spectra with a variation of water content and isotopic fractionation. The normal and the tautomeric species are found to reside preferentially in the bound- and the free-water regions of the micelles, respectively. The excited-state tautomerization of the normal species in the bound-water layers is suggested to occur via two different channels, depending on rotamers at the moment of excitation. The cis tautomerizes via proton relay from the enol group to the imino group along a hydrogen-bonded water bridge, unusual in water but common in alcohols, whereas the trans tautomerizes via the stepwise individual acid-base reactions of two prototropic groups as found in bulk water. Proton relay can take place because water in the pools has substantially reduced polarity and disrupted hydrogen-bond networks compared with bulk water.

Testing the Core/Shell Model of Nanoconfined Water in Reverse Micelles Using Linear and Nonlinear IR Spectroscopy

A core/shell model has often been used to describe water confined to the interior of reverse micelles. The validity of this model for water encapsulated in AOT/isooctane reverse micelles ranging in diameter from 1.7 to 28 nm (w0 = 2-60) and bulk water is investigated using four experimental observables: the hydroxyl stretch absorption spectra, vibrational population relaxation times, orientational relaxation rates, and spectral diffusion dynamics. The time dependent observables are measured with ultrafast infrared spectrally resolved pump-probe and vibrational echo spectroscopies. Major progressive changes appear in all observables as the system moves from bulk water to the smallest water nanopool, w0 = 2. The dynamics are readily distinguishable for reverse micelle sizes smaller than 7 nm in diameter (w0 = 20) compared to the response of bulk water. The results also demonstrate that the size dependent absorption spectra and population relaxation times can be quantitatively predicted using a core-shell model in which the properties of the core (interior of the nanopool) are taken to be those of bulk water and the properties of the shell (water associated with the headgroups) are taken to be those of w0 = 2. A weighted sum of the core and shell components reproduces the size dependent spectra and the nonexponential population relaxation dynamics. However, the same model does not reproduce the spectral diffusion and the orientational relaxation experiments. It is proposed that, when hydrogen bond structural rearrangement is involved (orientational relaxation and spectral diffusion), dynamical coupling between the shell and the core cause the water nanopool to display more homogeneous dynamics. Therefore, the absorption spectra and vibrational lifetime decays can discern different hydrogen bonding environments whereas orientational and spectral diffusion correlation functions predict that the dynamics are size dependent but not as strongly spatially dependent within a reverse micelle.

Dynamics of Solvent and Rotational Relaxation of Glycerol in the Nanocavity of Reverse Micelles

The dynamics of solvent and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 480 and Coumarin 490 in glycerol containing bis-2-ethyl hexyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT) reverse micelles have been investigated with steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We observed slower solvent relaxation of glycerol confined in the nanocavity of AOT reverse micelles compared to that in pure glycerol. However, the slowing down in the solvation time on going from neat glycerol to glycerol confined reverse micelles is not comparable to that on going from pure water or acetonitrile to water or acetonitrile confined AOT reverse micellar aggregates. While solvent relaxation times were found to decrease with increasing glycerol content in the reverse micellar pool, rotational relaxation times were found to increase with increase in glycerol content.

Dynamics of Solvent and Rotational Relaxation of Coumarin 153 in Room-Temperature Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate Confined in Brij-35 Micelles: A Picosecond Time-Resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopic Study

The dynamics of solvent and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 153 (C-153) in ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6]) and in the ionic liquid confined in Brij-35 micellar aggregates have been investigated using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We observed slower dynamics in the presence of micellar aggregates as compared to the pure IL. However, the slowing down in the solvation time on going from neat IL to IL-confined micelles is much smaller compared to that on going from water to water-confined micellar aggregates. The increase in solvation and rotational time in micelles is attributed to the increase in viscosity of the medium. The slow component is assumed to be dependent on the viscosity of the solution and involves large-scale rearrangement of the anions and cations while fast component is assumed to originate from the initial response of the anions during excitation. The slow component increases due to the increase in the viscosity of the medium and increase in fast component is probably due to the hydrogen bonding between the anions and polar headgroup of the surfactant. The dynamics of solvent relaxation was affected to a small extent due to the micelle formation.

Excited-State Double Proton Transfer of 7-Azaindole in Water Nanopools

The excited-state proton-transfer dynamics of 7-azaindole occurring in the water nanopools of reverse micelles has been investigated by measuring time-resolved fluorescence spectra and kinetics, as well as static absorption and emission spectra, with varying water content and isotope. 7-Azaindole molecules are found to exist in the bound-water regions of reverse micelles. The rate constant and the kinetic isotope effect of proton transfer are smaller than those in bulk water although both increase with the size of the water nanopool. The retardation of proton transfer in the bound regions is attributed to the increased free energy of prerequisite solvation to form a cyclically H-bonded 1:1 7-azaindole/water complex.

Spectral characteristics of ortho, meta and para dihydroxy benzenes in different solvents, pH and beta-cyclodextrin

Spectral characteristics of ortho, meta and para dihydroxy benzenes (DHB's) have been studied in different solvents, pH and beta-cyclodextrin. Solvent study shows that: (i) the interaction of OH group with the aromatic ring is less than that of amino group both in the ground and excited states, (ii) in absorption, the charge transfer interaction of OH group in para position is larger than ortho and meta positions. pH studies reveals that DHB's are more acidic than phenol. The higher pK(a) value of oDHB (monoanion-dianion) indicates that the formed monoanion is more stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. DHB's forms a 1:1 inclusion complex with beta-CD. In beta-CD medium, absorption spectra of DHB's mono and dianions shows unusual blue shifts, whereas in the excited state, the spectral characteristics of DHB's follow the same trend in both aqueous and beta-CD medium.

Photophysical Study of 3-Acetyl-4-oxo-6,7-dihydro-12H-indolo[2,3-a]quinolizine in Biomimetic Reverse Micellar Nanocavities: A Spectroscopic Approach

Photophysical properties of 3-acetyl-4-oxo-6,7-dihydro-12H-indolo[2,3-a]quinolizine (AODIQ), a bioactive molecule, has been investigated in well-characterized, monodispersed biomimicking nanocavities formed by sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) in heptane using steady-state and picosecond time resolved fluorescence and fluorescence anisotropy. The emission behavior of AODIQ is very much dependent upon the water/surfactant mole ratio (W), i.e., on the water pool size of the reverse micellar core. AODIQ exhibits a sharp decrease in fluorescence anisotropy with increasing W, implying that the overall motional restriction experienced by the molecule is decreased with increased hydration. Some of the depth-dependent relevant fluorescence parameters, namely, fluorescence maxima and fluorescence anisotropy (r), have been monitored for exploiting the distribution and microenvironment around the probe in the reverse micelles. Fluorescence spectral position and fluorescence quenching studies suggest that the probe does not penetrate into the reverse micellar core; rather it binds at the interfacial region. Quantitaive estimates of the micropolarity and microviscosity at the binding sites of the probe molecule have been determined as a function of W.

Nature of the Water Molecules in the Palisade Layer of a Triton X-100 Micelle in the Presence of Added Salts: A Solvation Dynamics Study

The effect of added electrolytes on the nature of water molecules in the palisade layer of a Triton X-100 (TX-100) micelle has been investigated using solvation dynamics studies of C153 dye in the presence of different concentrations of NaCl, KCl, and CsCl salts. In all of the cases, the solvation dynamics is found to be biexponential in nature. It is seen that in the presence of added salts the solvation dynamics becomes slower. As previously reported (Charlton et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2000, 104, 8327; Molina-Bolivar et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2002, 106, 870), the presence of salt increases micellar hydration (and also size) for TX-100, mainly due to enhancement in the mechanically trapped water content in the palisade layer. Under normal circumstances, increased micellar hydration was expected to cause faster solvation dynamics (Kumbhakar et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 19246), though in the present work, a reverse trend is in fact observed with the added salts. In accordance with solvation dynamics results, fluorescence anisotropy studies also indicate an increase in microviscosity for the palisade layer of the TX-100 micelle with the added salts. The present results have been rationalized assuming that the ions reside in the palisade layer, and due to the hydration of the ions, especially the cations, the water molecules in the palisade layer undergo a kind of clustering, causing the microviscosity to in fact increase rather than decrease as expected due to increased micellar hydration. A partial collapse of the surfactant chains due to their dehydration as caused by the hydration of the ions in the palisade layer may also add to the increase in microviscosity and the consequent retardation in relaxation dynamics in the presence of salts.

Dynamics of Nanoscopic Water: Vibrational Echo and Infrared Pump−Probe Studies of Reverse Micelles

The dynamics of water in nanoscopic pools 1.7-4.0 nm in diameter in AOT reverse micelles were studied with ultrafast infrared spectrally resolved stimulated vibrational echo and pump-probe spectroscopies. The experiments were conducted on the OD hydroxyl stretch of low-concentration HOD in the H2O, providing a direct examination of the hydrogen-bond network dynamics. Pump-probe experiments show that the vibrational lifetime of the OD stretch mode increases as the size of the reverse micelle decreases. These experiments are also sensitive to hydrogen-bond dissociation and reformation dynamics, which are observed to change with reverse micelle size. Spectrally resolved vibrational echo data were obtained at several frequencies. The vibrational echo data are compared to data taken on bulk water and on a 6 M NaCl solution, which is used to examine the role of ionic strength on the water dynamics in reverse micelles. Two types of vibrational echo measurements are presented: the vibrational echo decays and the vibrational echo peak shifts. As the water nanopool size decreases, the vibrational echo decays become slower. Even the largest nanopool (4 nm, approximately 1000 water molecules) has dynamics that are substantially slower than bulk water. It is demonstrated that the slow dynamics in the reverse micelle water nanopools are a result of confinement rather than ionic strength. The data are fit using time-dependent diagrammatic perturbation theory to obtain the frequency-frequency correlation function (FFCF) for each reverse micelle. The results are compared to the FFCF of water and show that the largest differences are in the slowest time scale dynamics. In bulk water, the slowest time scale dynamics are caused by hydrogen-bond network equilibration, i.e., the making and breaking of hydrogen bonds. For the smallest nanopools, the longest time scale component of the water dynamics is approximately 10 times longer than the dynamics in bulk water. The vibrational echo data for the smallest reverse micelle displays a dependence on the detection wavelength, which may indicate that multiple ensembles of water molecules are being observed.

Effect of alkyl chain length and size of the headgroups of the surfactant on solvent and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 480 in micelles and mixed micelles

The effect of alkyl chain length and size of the headgroups of the surfactant on the solvation dynamics and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 480 (C-480) has been investigated using dynamic Stokes' shift of C-480 in different types of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide micelles and mixed micelles. The rotational relaxation time increases with increase in alkyl chain length of the surfactant. The increase in the number of alkyl chains of the surfactant leads to the more close packed micelles, hence the microviscosity of the micelles increases and consequently rotational relaxation time increases. Solvation time also increases due to the increase in number of alkyl chains of the surfactant. The change in solvation and rotational relaxation time is more prominent in micelles compared to mixed micelles. The solvation and rotational relaxation time also increase with the increase in size of the headgroup of the surfactant.

Solvation dynamics in aqueous anionic and cationic micelle solutions: sodium alkyl sulfate and alkyltrimethylammonium bromide

Solvation dynamics of the fluorescence probe, coumarin 102, in anionic surfactant, sodium alkyl sulfate (C(n)H(2n+1)SO(4)Na; n = 8, 10, 12, and 14), and cationic surfactant, alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (C(n)H(2n+1)N(CH(3))(3)Br; n = 10, 12, 14, and 16), micelle solutions have been investigated by a picosecond streak camera system. The solvation dynamics in the time range of 10(-10)-10(-8) s is characterized by a biexponential function. The faster solvation time constants are about 110-160 ps for both anionic and cationic micelle solutions, and the slower solvation time constants for sodium alkyl sulfate and alkyltrimethylammonium bromide micelle solutions are about 1.2-2.6 ns and 450-740 ps, respectively. Both the faster and the slower solvation times become slower with longer alkyl chain surfactant micelles. The alkyl-chain-length dependence of the solvation dynamics in both sodium alkyl sulfate and alkyltrimethylammonium bromide micelles can be attributed to the variation of the micellar surface density of the polar headgroup by the change of the alkyl chain length. The slower solvation time constants of sodium alkyl sulfate micelle solutions are about 3.5 times slower than those of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide micelle solutions for the same alkyl-chain-length surfactants. The interaction energies of the geometry optimized mimic clusters (H(2)O-C(2)H(5)SO(4)(-) and H(2)O-C(2)H(5)N(CH(3))(3)(+)) have been estimated by the density functional theory calculations to understand the interaction strengths between water and alkyl sulfate and alkyltrimethylammonium headgroups. The difference of the slower solvation time constants between sodium alkyl sulfate and alkyltrimethylammonium bromide micelle solutions arises likely from their different specific interactions.

Dynamics of Solvation and Rotational Relaxation of Coumarin 153 in Ionic Liquid Confined Nanometer-Sized Microemulsions

The effects of confinement of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate on solvation dynamics and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 153 (C-153) in Triton X-100/cyclohexane microemulsions have been explored using steady-state and picosecond time-resolved emission spectroscopy. The steady-state and rotational relaxation data indicate that C-153 molecules are incorporated in the core of the microemulsions. The average rotational relaxation time increases with increase in w ([bmim][BF(4)]/[TX-100]) values. The solvent relaxation in the core of the microemulsion occurs on two different time scales and is almost insensitive to the increase in w values. The solvent relaxation is retarded in the pool of the microemulsions compared to the neat solvent. Though, the retardation is very small compared to several-fold retardation of the solvation time of the conventional solvent inside the pool of the microemulsions.

Solvation Dynamics in Reverse Micelles: The Role of Headgroup−Solute Interactions

We present molecular dynamics simulation results for solvation dynamics in the water pool of anionic-surfactant reverse micelles (RMs) of varying water content, w(0). The model RMs are designed to represent water/aerosol-OT/oil systems, where aerosol-OT is the common name for sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate. To determine the effects of chromophore-headgroup interactions on solvation dynamics, we compare the results for charge localization in model ionic diatomic chromophores that differ only in charge sign. Electronic excitation in both cases is modeled as charge localization on one of the solute sites. We find dramatic differences in the solvation responses for anionic and cationic chromophores. Solvation dynamics for the cationic chromophore are considerably slower and more strongly w(0)-dependent than those for the anionic chromophore. Further analysis indicates that the difference in the responses can be ascribed in part to the different initial locations of the two chromophores relative to the surfactant interface. In addition, slow motion of the cationic chromophore relative to the interface is the main contributor to the longer-time decay of the solvation response to charge localization in this case.