Ultrafast Dynamics of Styrene Microemulsions, Polystyrene Nanolatexes, and Structural Analogues of Polystyrene

Intermolecular Dynamics of Positively and Negatively Charged Aromatics and Their Isoelectronic Neutral Analogs in Aqueous Solutions

In this study, we investigated the temperature dependence of intermolecular vibrations and orientational dynamics in the aqueous solutions of imidazole hydrochloride, imidazole, sodium triazolide, and triazole using femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy (fs-RIKES) and steady-state Raman spectroscopy. The difference low-frequency Raman spectra under 250 cm-1 of the aqueous solutions relative to the neat water showed that the spectral shoulder in the high-frequency region at 60-100 cm-1, assigned to the libration of an aromatic ring, was higher in frequency for the imidazolium cation but lower for the triazolide anion than those of the respective neutral aromatics. The results of the ab initio quantum chemistry calculations of the clusters of the aromatics and water molecule(s) were consistent with the experimental spectra of the aqueous solutions. Further, the results of the temperature-dependent experiments showed that the signal intensity in the low-frequency region below 50 cm-1 increased for all solutions with an increase in temperature. In contrast, the spectral density in the high-frequency region above 80 cm-1 exhibited almost no shift for the 1.0 M solutions, while a significant red shift was observed for the 5.0 M solutions. In addition, the temperature-dependent densities, viscosities, and surface tensions were characterized for the aqueous aromatic solutions from 293 to 353 K.

Low-Frequency Spectra of 1-Methyl-3-octylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate Mixtures with Poly(ethylene glycol) by Femtosecond Raman-Induced Kerr Effect Spectroscopy

This is the first report on low-frequency spectra of ionic liquid (IL)/polymer mixtures using femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. We studied mixtures of 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([MOIm][BF₄]) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with M_n = 400 (PEG400) at various concentrations. To elucidate the unique features of the IL/polymer mixture system, mixtures of PEG400 with a molecular liquid, 1-octhylimidazole (OIm), which is a neutral analog of the cation, were also studied. In addition, mixtures of [MOIm][BF₄] with ethylene glycol (EG) and poly(ethylene glycol) with M_n = 4000 (PEG4000) were also investigated. The first moments of broad low-frequency spectra, mainly due to intermolecular vibrations for the [MOIm][BF₄]/PEG400 and OIm/PEG400, increased slightly with increasing concentration of PEG400, indicating that microscopic intermolecular interactions, in general, are slightly enhanced. We also compared the [MOIm][BF₄] mixtures with EG, PEG400, and PEG4000 at concentrations of 5 and 10 wt % PEG or EG. The low-frequency spectra of samples with the same concentrations were quite similar, but a comparison of the normalized spectra showed that the spectral intensity in the low-frequency region below ∼50 cm^-1 of the [MOIm][BF₄] mixtures with PEG400 and PEG4000 is somewhat lower than that of the [MOIm][BF₄] mixtures with EG. Although the effect of the polymer is small compared to other polymer solution systems, this feature is attributed to a suppression of translational motion in the mixtures of [MOIm][BF₄] with PEG compared to the mixtures of [MOIm][BF₄] with EG due to the greater mass of PEG than EG. Density, surface tension, viscosity, and electrical conductivity were also estimated. From Walden plots, it was found that the [MOIm][BF₄]/PEG4000 system showed more ideal electrical conductive behavior than the [MOIm][BF₄]/PEG400 and [MOIm][BF₄]/EG systems.

Low-Frequency Vibrational Motions of Polystyrene in Carbon Tetrachloride: Comparison with Model Monomer and Dependence on Concentration and Molecular Weight

In this study, the low-frequency vibrational dynamics of polystyrene (PS) in CCl₄ was investigated by femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. Ethylbenzene (EBz) was also investigated as a model monomer of the polymer to elucidate the unique dynamical features of PS in solution. The broadened low-frequency spectrum of the PS/CCl₄ in the frequency region below 150 cm^-1 is significantly different from that of the EBz/CCl₄. Difference spectra between the PS or EBz solutions and neat CCl₄, normalized to an internal vibrational mode of CCl₄, clearly show a much lower spectral intensity for the PS/CCl₄ than the EBz/CCl₄ in the low-frequency region below ca. 20 cm^-1. This indicates that translational motions are suppressed in the PS/CCl₄ compared to the EBz/CCl₄. Moreover, the high-frequency motion at ca. 70 cm^-1, mainly due to phenyl ring librations, occurs at higher frequency in PS (78 cm^-1) than EBz (65 cm^-1). In addition, the results of concentration-dependent experiments show that the first moment (M₁) of the low-frequency difference spectra of both PS/CCl₄ and EBz/CCl₄ is almost independent of the concentration. The molecular weight dependence of the low-frequency spectrum in the PS/CCl₄ shows that the M₁ value of the low-frequency spectral band of PS shifts to higher frequencies when the molecular weight of PS increases up to M_w = ∼1000, which corresponds approximately to the decamer, and then remains constant upon further increasing the molecular weight.

Ultrafast dynamics of hemin aggregates

The effects of solvents on the conformation of hemin and their implications on the dynamics of the complex have been studied using the time-resolved optical Kerr effect (OKE) with 35 fs laser pulses (at a central wavelength of 800 nm). The OKE enabled estimation to be made of the third-order nonlinear electronic susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾) of hemin solutions: it was found to be significantly smaller than that in hemin thin films. The real and imaginary components of χ⁽³⁾ were negative in both the solvents, suggesting that one-photon as well as two-photon absorption processes contribute to the nonlinear electronic susceptibility of hemin. Our study of the ultrafast heme dynamics not only unveils the instantaneous electronic response related to electronic susceptibility but also brings to the fore a novel libration process that has hitherto remained undetected. The hindered rotation in the femtosecond domain that may be responsible for this libration process possibly stems from π-π hemin oligomers formed in aqueous solution. The present results provide new insights into the conformational dynamics in the self-assembly of heme oligomers that may also be significant in certain pathogenic conditions where free heme is formed in biological systems.

Encapsulating Subsite Analogues of the [FeFe]-Hydrogenases in Micelles Enables Direct Water Interactions

Encapsulation of subsite analogues of the [FeFe]-hydrogenase enzymes in supramolecular structures has been shown to dramatically increase their catalytic ability, but the molecular basis for this enhancement remains unclear. We report the results of experiments employing infrared absorption, ultrafast infrared pump-probe, and 2D-IR spectroscopy to investigate the molecular environment of Fe2(pdt)(CO)6 (pdt: propanedithiolate) [1] encapsulated in the dispersed alkane phase of a heptane-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide-water microemulsion. It is demonstrated that 1 is partitioned between two molecular environments, one that closely resembles bulk heptane solution and a second that features direct hydrogen-bonding interactions with water molecules that penetrate the surfactant shell. Our results demonstrate that the extent of water access to the normally water-insoluble subsite analogue 1 can be tuned with micelle size, while IR spectroscopy provides a straightforward tool that can be used to measure and fine-tune the chemical environment of catalyst species in self-assembled structures.

Terahertz underdamped vibrational motion governs protein-ligand binding in solution

Low-frequency collective vibrational modes in proteins have been proposed as being responsible for efficiently directing biochemical reactions and biological energy transport. However, evidence of the existence of delocalized vibrational modes is scarce and proof of their involvement in biological function absent. Here we apply extremely sensitive femtosecond optical Kerr-effect spectroscopy to study the depolarized Raman spectra of lysozyme and its complex with the inhibitor triacetylchitotriose in solution. Underdamped delocalized vibrational modes in the terahertz frequency domain are identified and shown to blue-shift and strengthen upon inhibitor binding. This demonstrates that the ligand-binding coordinate in proteins is underdamped and not simply solvent-controlled as previously assumed. The presence of such underdamped delocalized modes in proteins may have significant implications for the understanding of the efficiency of ligand binding and protein-molecule interactions, and has wider implications for biochemical reactivity and biological function.

Inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding in phenol derivatives: a model system for poly-L-tyrosine

The ultrafast dynamics of solutions of phenol and two phenol derivatives--hydroquinone (1,4-benzenediol) and pyrocatechol (1,2-benzenediol)--have been studied with Optically Heterodyne-Detected Optical Kerr-Effect (OHD-OKE) spectroscopy. The solvents, methanol and acetonitrile, were selected to provide strong and weak solvent-solute hydrogen-bonding interactions, respectively, while pyrocatechol features an intramolecular hydrogen bond. Together these provide a series of model systems for polypeptides such as polytyrosine, which facilitate the direct study of inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. A broad contribution to the Raman spectral density of the methanol solutions at frequencies between 150 and 300 cm(-1) has been observed that is absent in acetonitrile. This contribution has been assigned to solvent-solute hydrogen-bond stretching vibrations. The OHD-OKE response of poly-L-tyrosine has been measured and was found to contain a similar contribution. Density functional theory geometry optimizations and normal mode calculations have been performed using the B3LYP hybrid functional and 6-311++G** basis set. These have yielded a complete assignment of the low-frequency Raman and far-infrared spectra of pyrocatechol for the first time, which has provided information on the nature of the intramolecular hydrogen bond of pyrocatechol.

The Ultrafast Dynamics of Hydrogen-Bonded Liquids: Molecular Structure-Dependent Occurrence of Normal Arrhenius or Fractional Stokes−Einstein−Debye Rotational Diffusive Relaxation

The ultrafast rotational-diffusive dynamics of the peptide linkage model compounds N-methylacetamide (NMA), acetamide (Ac), and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA) have been studied as a function of temperature using optically heterodyne-detected optical Kerr effect (OHD-OKE) spectroscopy. Both NMA and Ac exhibit a non-Arrhenius temperature dependence of the rotational diffusive relaxation time. By contrast, the non-hydrogen-bonding DMA exhibits normal hydrodynamic behavior. The unusual dynamics of NMA and Ac are attributed to the decoupling of single-molecule rotational diffusive relaxation from the shear viscosity via a transition between stick and slip boundary conditions, which arises from local heterogeneity in the liquid due to the formation of hydrogen-bonded chains or clusters. This provides new insight into the structure and dynamics of an important peptide model compound and the first instance of such a phenomenon in a room-temperature liquid. The OHD-OKE responses of carboxylic acids acetic acid (AcOH) and dichloroacetic acid (DCA) are also reported. These, along with the terahertz Raman spectra, show no evidence of the effects observed in amide systems, but display trends consistent with the presence of an equilibrium between the linear and cyclic dimer structures at all temperatures and moderate-to-high mole fractions in aqueous solution. This equilibrium manifests itself as hydrodynamic behavior in the liquid phase.

Intermolecular Interactions and Dynamics of Room Temperature Ionic Liquids That Have Silyl- and Siloxy-Substituted Imidazolium Cations

The intermolecular interactions and dynamics of novel ionic liquids with alkylsilyl and alkylsiloxy substitutions on the cations are studied by measuring the intermolecular vibrational spectra and reorientational dynamics using femtosecond Kerr effect methods. The new ionic liquids include 1-dimethylphenylsilylmethyl-3-methylimidazolium (PhSi-mim+), and 1-methyl-3-pentamethyldisiloxymethylimidazolium (SiOSi-mim+) cations paired with the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NTf(2)-) anion. Measured ionic liquid viscosities are surprisingly low for such bulky cation substituents. DFT electronic structure calculations on the isolated ions provide additional information about the electrostatic interactions.

Ultrafast dynamics in complex fluids observed through the ultrafast optically-heterodyne-detected optical-Kerr-effect (OHD-OKE)

The ultrafast molecular dynamics of complex fluids have been recorded using the optically-heterodyne-detected optical-Kerr-effect (OHD-OKE). The OHD-OKE method is reviewed and some recent refinements to the method are described. Applications to a range of complex fluids, including microemulsions, polymer melts and solutions, liquid crystal and ionic liquids are surveyed. The level of detail attainable with the OHD-OKE method in these complex fluids is discussed. The prospects for future experiments are discussed.

Molecular dynamics and interactions of aqueous and dichloromethane solutions of polyvinylpyrrolidone

We have investigated the dynamics of polyvinylpyrrolidone solutions (PVP, M(w)=10 000) on time scales from 20 fs to 42 ps using femtosecond optically heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. To compare the dynamics of polymer solutions with those of the analogous monomer, we also characterized solutions of 1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone (EP). Dynamics of both PVP and EP solutions have been characterized for sample concentrations of 6.4, 12.7, 24.5, 33.3, and 40.7 wt %. The longest time scale relaxations observed in the Kerr transients for these solutions occur on the picosecond time scale and are best fit to triexponential functions. The intermediate and slow relaxation time constants for PVP and EP solutions are concentration dependent. The time constants for the PVP solutions are not consistent with the predictions of hydrodynamic models, while the analogous time constants for the EP solutions do display hydrodynamic scaling. The predominant relaxation of the polymer is assigned to reorientations of the pyrrolidone side group or torsional motions of the constitutional repeat unit, with additional relaxation pathways including hydrogen bond reorganization in aqueous solution and segmental motion of multiple repeat units. The vibrational dynamics of PVP and EP solutions occur on the femtosecond time scale. These dynamics are analyzed with a focus on the additional degrees of freedom experienced by EP relative to PVP that result from the absence of the tether from the pyrrolidone group on the main chain backbone. The intermolecular Kerr spectra of PVP in H(2)O and CH(2)Cl(2) differ because H(2)O can donate a hydrogen bond to the carbonyl acceptor group on the pyrrolidone ring, while CH(2)Cl(2) cannot.

Temperature- and solvation-dependent dynamics of liquid sulfur dioxide studied through the ultrafast optical Kerr effect

The ultrafast dynamics of liquid sulphur dioxide have been studied over a wide temperature range and in solution. The optically heterodyne-detected and spatially masked optical Kerr effect (OKE) has been used to record the anisotropic and isotropic third-order responses, respectively. Analysis of the anisotropic response reveals two components, an ultrafast nonexponential relaxation and a slower exponential relaxation. The slower component is well described by the Stokes-Einstein-Debye equation for diffusive orientational relaxation. The simple form of the temperature dependence and the agreement between collective (OKE) and single molecule (e.g., NMR) measurements of the orientational relaxation time suggests that orientational pair correlation is not significant in this liquid. The relative contributions of intermolecular interaction-induced and single-molecule orientational dynamics to the ultrafast part of the spectral density are discussed. Single-molecule librational-orientational dynamics appear to dominate the ultrafast OKE response of liquid SO2. The temperature-dependent OKE data are transformed to the frequency domain to yield the Raman spectral density for the low-frequency intermolecular modes. These are bimodal with the lowest-frequency component arising from diffusive orientational relaxation and a higher-frequency component connected with the ultrafast time-domain response. This component is characterized by a shift to higher frequency at lower temperature. This result is analyzed in terms of a harmonic librational oscillator model, which describes the data accurately. The observed spectral shifts with temperature are ascribed to increasing intermolecular interactions with increasing liquid density. Overall, the dynamics of liquid SO2 are found to be well described in terms of molecular orientational relaxation which is controlled over every relevant time range by intermolecular interactions.

Why Are Viscosities Lower for Ionic Liquids with −CH2Si(CH3)3 vs −CH2C(CH3)3 Substitutions on the Imidazolium Cations?

We have prepared novel room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) with trimethylsilylmethyl (TMSiM)-substituted imidazolium cations and compared the properties of these liquids with those for which the TMSiM group is replaced by the analogous neopentyl group. The ionic liquids are prepared with both tetrafluoroborate (BF(4)(-)) and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NTf(2)(-)) anions paired with the imidazolium cations. At 22 degrees C, the TMSiM-substituted imidazolium ILs have shear viscosities that are reduced by a factor of 1.6 and 7.4 relative to the alkylimidazolium ILs for the NTf(2)(-) and BF(4)(-) anions, respectively. To understand the effect of silicon substitution on the viscosity, the charge densities have been calculated by using density functional theory electronic structure calculations. The ultrafast intermolecular, vibrational, and orientational dynamics of these RTILs have been measured by using femtosecond optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy (OHD-RIKES). The intermolecular dynamical spectrum provides an estimate of the strength of interactions between the ions in the RTILs, and provides a qualitative explanation for the observed reduction in viscosity for the silicon-substituted RTILs.

Time-resolved optical Kerr-effect investigation on CS2/polystyrene mixtures

The relaxation dynamics of carbon disulfide are investigated in mixtures with polystyrene (PS) using the time-resolved optical heterodyne-detected optical Kerr effect (OHD-OKE). The data are analyzed using both the model-dependent approach, which assumes four distinct temporal responses, and the model-independent Fourier transform approach, which generates a spectral response that can be compared with results obtained by depolarized Rayleigh scattering. A slow dynamics is observed for the OHD-OKE transient decaying exponentially with a time constant that varies from 1.68 ps for neat CS2 to 3.76 ps for the most concentrated CS2PS mixture. The increase of this time constant accompanies an increase in the viscosity of the mixture, so we can associate this component with the diffusive reorientation process of the induced polarizability anisotropy of the carbon disulfide in the mixture. The short-time nuclear response is characterized in the frequency domain by a broad band that peaks around 30 cm(-1) for neat carbon disulfide, and is associated with a complex relaxation pattern. The vibrational distribution shifts to higher frequencies when the PS concentration is increased in the mixture. This result is discussed in terms of an increase in the interaction strength between the PS phenyl rings and the carbon disulfide molecules.

A new ultrafast technique for measuring the terahertz dynamics of chiral molecules: the theory of optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr optical activity

Optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr optical activity (OHD-RIKOA) is a nonresonant ultrafast chiroptical technique for measuring the terahertz-frequency Raman spectrum of chirally active modes in liquids, solutions, and glasses of chiral molecules. OHD-RIKOA has the potential to provide much more information on the structure of molecules and the symmetries of librational and vibrational modes than the well-known nonchirally sensitive technique optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr-effect spectroscopy (OHD-RIKES). The theory of OHD-RIKOA is presented and possible practical ways of performing the experiments are analyzed.

Ultrafast dynamics of pyrrolidinium cation ionic liquids

We have investigated the ultrafast molecular dynamics of five pyrrolidinium cation room temperature ionic liquids using femtosecond optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. The ionic liquids studied are N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide P14+/NTf2-), N-methoxyethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide P1EOE+/NTf2-), N-ethoxyethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide P1EOE+/NTf2-), N-ethoxyethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bromide P1EOE+, and N-ethoxyethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanoamide P1EOE+/DCA-). For comparing dynamics among the five ionic liquids, we categorize the ionic liquids into two groups. One group of liquids comprises the three pyrrolidinium cations P14+, P1EOM+, and P1EOE+ paired with the NTf2- anion. The other group of liquids consists of the P1EOE+ cation paired with each of the three anions NTf2-, Br-, and DCA-. The overdamped relaxation for time scales longer than 2 ps has been fit by a triexponential function for each of the five pyrrolidinium ionic liquids. The fast ( approximately 2 ps) and intermediate (approximately 20 ps) relaxation time constants vary little among these five ionic liquids. However, the slow relaxation time constant correlates with the viscosity. Thus, the Kerr spectra in the range from 0 to 750 cm(-1) are quite similar for the group of three pyrrolidinium ionic liquids paired with the NTf2- anion. The intermolecular vibrational line shapes between 0 and 150 cm(-1) are fit to a multimode Brownian oscillator model; adequate fits required at least three modes to be included in the line shape.

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.

Ultrafast Dynamics of Liquid Poly(ethylene glycol)s and Crown Ethers Studied by Femtosecond Raman-Induced Kerr Effect Spectroscopy

Ultrafast molecular dynamics of liquid poly(ethylene glycol)s, tetra(ethylene glycol), penta(ethylene glycol), and poly(ethylene glycol) with the molecular weight of 600, and crown ethers, 12-crown-4 and 15-crown-5, have been investigated by means of femtosecond optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. Picosecond Kerr transients of poly(ethylene glycol)s and crown ethers are characterized by a biexponential function with the time constants of about 2 and 20 ps. Both the faster and slower time constants do not vary much among the five oligo(ethylene oxide)s. Femtosecond dynamics is discussed based on the Kerr (depolarized Raman) spectra obtained by Fourier transform deconvolution analysis of the high time resolution Kerr transients. The broad low-frequency band (0-200 cm(-1)) in the Kerr spectrum is analyzed by two Brownian oscillators. The spectral shapes of linear poly(ethylene glycol) and cyclic crown ether are very different. Both the low- and high-frequency Brownian oscillators for crown ethers show lower frequency and broader spectral features than those for poly(ethylene glycol)s. The comparison of the low-frequency spectra of poly(ethylene glycol)s and crown ethers shows that the low-frequency spectrum of 15-crown-5 is closer to that of poly(ethylene glycol)s than that of 12-crown-4 is. The difference of the low-frequency spectra between poly(ethylene glycol) and crown ether is discussed with the concepts of molecular conformation and liquid density. The features of the observed intramolecular vibrational bands are also correlated with the molecular conformations.

Optical Kerr Effect Spectroscopy Using Time-Delayed Pairs of Pump Pulses with Orthogonal Polarizations

We characterize in detail a recently introduced technique in which perpendicularly polarized pulses with controllable intensities and timing are used for the excitation step in optical Kerr effect spectroscopy. We examine the ratio of pump pulse intensities required to cancel the contribution of reorientational diffusion or of a Raman-active intramolecular vibration to the signal as a function of the delay time between excitation pulses. These results indicate that the signal can be described well as arising from the sum of independent third-order responses initiated by each pump pulse. This conclusion is further supported by using data obtained with a single pump pulse to model decays obtained with two pump pulses.

Ultrafast molecular dynamics of liquid aromatic molecules and the mixtures with CCl4

The ultrafast molecular dynamics of liquid aromatic molecules, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, cumene, and 1,3-diphenylpropane, and the mixtures with CCl(4) have been investigated by means of femtosecond optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. The picosecond Kerr transients of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and cumene and the mixtures with CCl(4) show a biexponential feature. 1,3-Diphenylpropane and the mixtures with CCl(4) show triexponential picosecond Kerr transients. The slow relaxation time constants of the aromatic molecules and the mixtures with CCl(4) are qualitatively described by the Stoke-Einstein-Debye hydrodynamic model. The ultrafast dynamics have been discussed based on the Kerr spectra in the frequency range of 0-800 cm(-1) obtained by the Fourier transform analysis of the Kerr transients. The line shapes of the low-frequency intermolecular spectra located at 0-180 cm(-1) frequency range have been analyzed by two Brownian oscillators ( approximately 11 cm(-1) and approximately 45 cm(-1) peaks) and an antisymmetric Gaussian function ( approximately 65 cm(-1) peak). The spectrum shape of 1,3-diphenylpropane is quite different from the spectrum shapes of the other aromatic molecules for the low magnitude of the low-frequency mode of 1,3-diphenylpropane and/or an intramolecular vibration. Although the concentration dependences of the low- and intermediate-frequency intermolecular modes (Brownian oscillators) do not show a significant trend, the width of high-frequency intermolecular mode (antisymmetric Gaussian) becomes narrower with the higher CCl(4) concentration for all the aromatics mixtures with CCl(4). The result indicates that the inhomogeneity of the intermolecular vibrational mode in aromatics/CCl(4) mixtures is decreasing with the lower concentration of aromatics. The intramolecular vibrational modes of the aromatic molecules observed in the Kerr spectra are also shown with the calculation results based on the density functional theory.

Orientational and interaction induced dynamics in the isotropic phase of a liquid crystal: Polarization resolved ultrafast optical Kerr effect spectroscopy

The ultrafast dynamics of the isotropic phase of a liquid crystal 4'-pentyl-4-p-biphenylcarbonitrile (5CB) have been investigated using polarization resolved optical Kerr effect spectroscopy. Measurements were made as a function of both temperature and dilution in nonpolar solvents. To separate single molecule and interaction induced components to the relaxation of the induced birefringence, measurements of both the anisotropic and isotropic response were made. The isotropic response was found to be dominated by a damped low-frequency mode of intramolecular origin. There is a minor additional component assigned to an interaction induced contribution. There is at most an extremely weak isotropic signal beyond 1 ps, showing that the picosecond time scale dynamics of 5CB are dominated by orientational relaxation. The isotropic response is independent of temperature in the range studied (0.2-50 K above the nematic to isotropic phase-transition temperature). The anisotropic response exhibits relaxation dynamics on time scales spanning subpicosecond to several hundred picoseconds and beyond. The fastest components are dominated by a librational response, but there are smaller contributions from three low-frequency intramolecular modes, and a contribution from interaction induced effects. The low-frequency spectral density extracted from these data are independent of temperature in the range studied, 0.2-30 K above the phase-transition temperature, but shift to lower frequency on dilution in alkane solvents. In neat 5CB the picosecond time scale orientational dynamics are dominated by temperature-independent reorientation within the pseudonematic domains, while in solution these are disrupted, and the orientational response becomes faster and temperature dependent.