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

On the nature of initial solvation in bulk polar liquids: Gaussian or exponential?

Measurement of time evolution of fluorescence of a probe solute has been a quintessential technique to quantify how dipolar solvent molecules dynamically minimize the free energy of an electronically excited probe. During such solvation dynamics in bulk liquids, a substantial part of relaxation was shown to complete within sub-100 fs from time-gated fluorescence measurements, as also predicted by molecular dynamics simulation studies. However, equivalent quantification of solvation timescales by femtosecond pump-probe and broadband fluorescence measurements revealed an exponential nature of this initial relaxation having quite different timescales. Here, we set out to unveil the reason behind these puzzling contradictions. We introduce a method for estimating probe wavelength-dependent instrument response and demonstrate that the observation of the Gaussian vs exponential nature of initial relaxation is indeed dependent on the method of data analysis. These findings call for further experimental investigation and parallel development of theoretical models to elucidate the molecular-level mechanism accounting for different types of early time solvation.

Anomalous proton transfer of a photoacid HPTS in nonaqueous reverse micelles

The proton transfer reaction is one of the fundamental chemical reactions where the reaction dynamics strongly depend on solvent properties such as acidity or basicity. A photoacid 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (HPTS) shows a sharp decrease of pKa (7.7 → 0.5) upon photoexcitation, and the excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) occurs with ultrafast time constants of 2.5 and 89 ps in bulk aqueous solution. However, the two-step proton transfers via the contact ion pair formation and the proton diffusion are strongly limited inside the nanopools of reverse micelles (RMs). The confinement in small RMs strongly impeded the proton transfer reactions. In this work, we report the ESPT of HPTS confined in methanol-in-oil RMs by steady-state and time-resolved electronic spectroscopy. Interestingly, HPTS shows substantial deprotonation in the excited state only in small RMs, while the ESPT of HPTS does not occur in bulk methanol solution due to the low basicity of aliphatic alcohols. The kinetic analysis of time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption measurements will compare the proton transfer dynamics of HPTS in the water-in-oil and methanol-in-oil RMs. The ESPT of photoacids, especially in the nonaqueous RMs, can be crucial in understanding many important chemical reactions involving proton transfer in the confined environments of cells and membranes.

Synthesis and Excited-State Properties of Donor-Acceptor Azahelical Coumarins

A set of three donor-acceptor azahelical coumarins (DA-AHCs), namely, H-AHC, Me-AHC, and Ph-AHC, were rationally designed and synthesized, and their excited-state properties were comprehensively investigated. All three DA-AHCs are shown to display very high fluorosolvatochromic shifts as a result of significant intramolecular charge transfer in their excited states. The para-quinoidal forms of the latter apparently contribute predominantly to large dipole moments in their excited states. By virtue of the fact that these helical systems structurally incorporate a highly fluorescent coumarin dye, they exhibit high quantum yields in both solution and solid states. Indeed, their emission behaviors in the crystalline media are shown to be remarkably correlated with their respective crystal packings. Incisive analyses demonstrate (i) strengthening of hydrogen bonding in the excited state promotes quenching (H-AHC), (ii) efficient crystal packing promotes high emission (Me-AHC) by precluding deactivations via vibrational motions, and (iii) loose crystal packing contributes to excited-state deactivation to account for low quantum yields of emission (Ph-AHC).

Amyloids Formed by Nonaromatic Amino Acid Methionine and Its Cross with Phenylalanine Significantly Affects Phospholipid Vesicle Membrane: An Insight into Hypermethioninemia Disorder

The incorrect metabolic breakdown of the nonaromatic amino acid methionine (Met) leads to the disorder called hypermethioninemia via an unknown mechanism. To understand the molecular level pathogenesis of this disorder, we prepared a DMPC lipid membrane, the mimicking setup of the cell membrane, and explored the effect of the millimolar level of Met on it. We found that Met forms toxic fibrillar aggregates that disrupt the rigidity of the membrane bilayer, and increases the dynamic response of water molecules surrounding the membrane as well as the heterogeneity of the membrane. Such aggregates strongly deform red blood cells. This opens the requirement to consider therapeutic antagonists either to resist or to inhibit the toxic amyloid aggregates against hypermethioninemia. Moreover, such disrupting effect on membrane bilayer and cytotoxicity along with deformation effect on RBC by the cross amyloids of Met and Phenylalanine (Phe) was found to be most virulent. This exclusive observation of the enhanced virulent effect of the cross amyloids is expected to be an informative asset to explain the coexistence of two amyloid disorders.

Tracking Wormlike Micelle Formation in Solution: Unique Insight through Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopic Study

Although worm-like micelles were invented 35 years ago, its formation pathway remains unclear. Inspired by the fact that a single molecular level experiment could provide meaningful and additional information, especially in a heterogeneous subpopulation, herein, we present a single molecular level study on the formation of wormlike micelles by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium salicylate (NaSal) in water. Our results indicated a coexistence of normal spherical micelles along with a big wormlike micelle in its formation path. More interestingly, we have two unique insights into the formation mechanism, which are inaccessible in ensemble averaged experiments: (i) at extremely low concentrations of the surfactant, [CTAB]/[NaSal] ∼ 0.06, the wormlike micelle attains the highest size; and (ii) the relative concentration of wormlike micelles is highest when [CTAB]/[NaSal] ∼ 2.

How Far Is "Bulk Water" from Interfaces? Depends on the Nature of the Surface and What We Measure

Using systematic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we revisit the question: At what distance from an interface do the properties of "bulk water" get recovered? We have considered three different kinds of interfaces: nonpolar (hydrophobic; isooctane-water interface), charged (negative; AOT bilayer), and polar (zwitterionic; POPC bilayer). In order to interrogate the extent of perturbation of the interfacial water molecules as a function of the distance from the interface, we utilize a diverse range of structural and dynamical parameters. To capture the structural perturbations, we look into local density (translational order), local tetrahedral order parameter, and dipolar orientation of the water molecules. We also explore the anisotropic diffusion of the water molecules in the direction perpendicular to the interface as well as the planar diffusion parallel to the interface in a distance dependent manner. In addition, the orientational time correlation functions have been computed to understand the extent of slowdown in the rotational dynamics. As expected, the electrostatic field emanating from the charged AOT interface seems to have the highest long-range effect on the orientational order and dynamics of the water molecules, whereas specific interactions like hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction lead to significant trapping and kinetic slowdown for both AOT and POPC (zwitterionic) very close to the interface. Our analysis highlights that not only the length-scale of perturbation depends on the nature of the interfaces and specific interactions but also the type of water property that we measure/calculate. Different water properties seem to have widely different length-scale of perturbation. Orientational order parameters seem to be perturbed to a much longer length-scale as compared to translational order parameters. The global orientational order of water can be perturbed even up to ∼4-5 nm near the negatively charged AOT surface in the absence of any extra electrolyte. This observation has significant implication toward the interpretation of experimental measurements as well since different spectroscopic techniques would probe different parameters or water properties with possible mutual disagreement and inconsistency between different types of measurements. Thus, our study provides a broader and unifying perspective toward the aspect of "context dependent" structural and dynamical perturbation of "interfacial water".

Altered relaxation dynamics of excited state reactions by confinement in reverse micelles probed by ultrafast fluorescence up-conversion

Chemical reactions in confined environments are important in areas as diverse as heterogenous catalysis, environmental chemistry and biochemistry, yet they are much less well understood than the equivalent reactions in either the gas phase or in free solution. The understanding of chemical reactions in solution was greatly enhanced by real time studies of model reactions, through ultrafast spectroscopy (especially when supported by molecular dynamics simulation). Here we review some of the efforts that have been made to adapt this approach to the investigation of reactions in confined media. Specifically, we review the application of ultrafast fluorescence spectroscopy to measure reaction dynamics in the nanoconfined water phase of reverse micelles, as a function of the droplet radius and the charge on the interface. Methods of measurement and modelling of the reactions are outlined. In all of the cases studied (which are focused on ultrafast intramolecular reactions) the effect of confinement was to suppress the reaction. Even in the largest micelles the result in the bulk aqueous phase was not usually recovered, suggesting an important role for specific interactions between reactant and environment, for example at the interface. There was no simple one-to-one correspondence with direct measures of the dynamics of the confined phase. Thus, understanding the effect of confinement on reaction rate appears to require not only knowledge of the dynamics of the reaction in solutions and the effect of confinement on the medium, but also of the interaction between reactant and confining medium.

Addressing the Exigent Role of a Coumarin Fluorophore toward Finding the Suitable Microenvironment of Biomimicking and Biomolecular Systems: Steering to Project the Drug Designing and Drug Delivery Study

The photophysics of 4-azidocoumarin (4-AC), a novel fluorescent coumarin derivative, is well established by the investigation of the alteration of the microheterogeneous environment comprising two types of systems: supramolecular systems, cyclodextrins (CDs), and biomolecular systems, serum albumins (SAs). The enhanced emission of the ligand with the organized assemblies like α-CD, β-CD, and γ-CD by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence and fluorescence anisotropy at 298 K is compared with those of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin (HSA). The remarkable enhancement of the emission of ligand 4-AC along with the blue shift of the emission for both the systems are visualized as the incorporation of 4-AC into the hydrophobic core of the CDs and proteins mainly due to reduction of nonradiative decay process in the hydrophobic interior of CDs and SAs. The binding constants at 298 K and the single binding site are estimated using enhanced emission and anisotropy of the bound ligand in both the systems. The marked enhancement of the fluorescence anisotropy indicates that the ligand molecule experiences a motionally constrained environment within the CDs and SAs. Rotational correlation time (θ_c) of the bound ligand 4-AC is calculated in both the categories of the confined environment using time-resolved anisotropy at 298 K. Molecular docking studies for both the variety of complexes of the ligand throw light to assess the location of the ligand and the microenvironment around the ligand in the ligand-CD and ligand-protein complexes. Solvent variation study of the probe 4-AC molecule in different polar protic and aprotic solvents clearly demonstrates the polarity and hydrogen-bonding ability of the solvents, which supports the alteration of the microenvironments around 4-AC due to binding with the biomimicking as well as biomolecular systems. Dynamic light scattering is employed to determine the hydrodynamic diameter of free BSA/HSA and complexes of BSA/HSA with the ligand 4-AC.

Role of Different States of Solubilized Water on Solvation Dynamics and Rotational Relaxation of Coumarin 490 in Reverse Micelles of Gemini Surfactants, Water/12-s-12.2Br- (s = 5, 6, 8)/n-Propanol/Cyclohexane

The present study demonstrates how the different states of solubilized water viz. quaternary ammonium headgroup-bound, bulklike, counterion-bound, and free water in reverse micelles of a series of cationic gemini surfactants, water/12-s-12 (s = 5, 6, 8).2Br^-/n-propanol/cyclohexane, control the solvation dynamics and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 490 (C-490) and microenvironment of the reverse micelles. The relative number of solubilized water molecules of a given state per surfactant molecule decides major and minor components. A rapid increase in the number of bulklike water molecules per surfactant molecule as compared to the slow increase in the number of each of headgroup- and counterion-bound water molecules per surfactant molecule with increasing water content (W _o) in a given reverse micellar system is responsible for the increase in the rate of solvation and rotational relaxation of C-490. The increase in the number of counterion-bound water molecules per surfactant molecule and the concomitant decrease in the number of bulklike water molecules per surfactant molecule with increasing spacer chain length of gemini surfactants at a given W _o are ascribed to the slower rates of both solvation and rotational relaxation. Relative abundances of different states of water have a role on the microenvironment of the reverse micelles as well. Thus, a comprehensive effect of different states of water on dynamics in complex biomimicking systems has been presented here.

Entrapment in micellar assemblies switches the excimer population of potential therapeutic luminophore azapodophyllotoxin

Azapodophyllotoxin is a new class of anti-tumor agent with brilliant therapeutic activity and understanding its physicochemical nature in bio-mimetic microenvironments may provide substantial importance in context of its intercellular localization, efficacy as well as delivery. The present work epitomizes environment-sensitive fluorescence modulation of a prodigy, 4-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-10-phenyl-3,4,6,7,8,10- hexahydro-1H-cyclopenta[g]furo[3,4-b]quinoline-1-one (HPFQ) from the class of anti-cancer agent Azapodophyllotoxin, in differently charged model bio-mimetic micellar microenvironment of cationic CTAB, anionic SDS and neutral Triton X-100 using UV-visible absorption, steady state fluorescence, time-resolved fluorescence and fluorescence anisotropy studies. As a distinct phenomenon, anticancer HPFQ exhibits prolific fluorescence in solvents of varying polarity, originating from a mixed contribution of locally excited, charge transfer and excimer emission. A dramatic modulation in the photophysics of HPFQ has been observed in two types of surfactant consortiums: pre-micellar and post-micellar at physiological and anoxic pH. On photo-excitation, anti-cancer HPFQ exists in monomer-excimer equilibrium with varying ratios in different polarity regions. The marked enhancement in fluorescence intensity of HPFQ in post-micellar region of the surfactant under study probably arises due to regeneration of the monomer from its excimer. This reoccurrence reduces the possibility of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from monomer to excimer, which essentially increases the desired emission intensity. Localization of HPFQ in micellar systems highly depends on polarity gradient inside the micelle, electrostatic, hydrophobic and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. Further corroboration with the polarity sensitive experiments in dioxane-water mixture indicates towards spatial localization of the probe molecule in the stern layer of cationic CTAB, sheer surface of neutral TX100 and outer Gouy-Chapman layer in anionic SDS micelles. A molecular binary logic gate correlates the dominance of micellization over the polarity factor, which enhances the fluorescence response of HPFQ. The enhancement of the emissive potential of anti-cancer HPFQ in biomimetic environments by switching its excimer population may have an immense importance to achieve the status of a dual therapeutic and imaging agent altogether in progressive biomedical research.

Computer simulation study of fluorocarbon phosphate surfactant based aqueous reverse micelle in supercritical CO2: roles of surfactant functional groups, ionic strength, and phase changes in CO2

Structural and dynamic properties of an aqueous micelle organized from fluorocarbon phosphate surfactant molecules in supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) are investigated via molecular dynamics computer simulations. The roles of the functional groups and ionic strength of the surfactants on the formation of reverse micelles in supercritical CO₂, and related water dynamics characterized as translational and reorientational dynamics, are systematically demonstrated by employing three different phosphate-based surfactants paired with sodium cations. The strong electrostatic interactions between the phosphate head groups and sodium cations result in formation of an aqueous core inside the surfactant aggregates, where water molecules are bonded together with loss of the tetrahedral hydrogen bonded network found in bulk water. It is found that all the three surfactants with CO₂-philic fluorocarbon double tails build up well-stabilized reverse micelles in supercritical CO₂, avoiding direct contacts between CO₂ and water molecules. Despite this, the surfactant with a carboxylic ester linkage between the phosphate head and fluorocarbon tail group tends to coordinate water molecules toward sustaining the inter-water hydrogen bonds, indicating better efficiency at covering the aqueous core with hydrophobic groups compared to one without a carboxylic ester group. As for water molecules confined in the reverse micelle, their translational and reorientational motions, and fluctuating dynamics of the inter-water hydrogen bonds, significantly slow down compared to bulk water at ambient temperature. The water dynamics become more restricted with an increase in ionic strength of the anionic surfactant; this is attributed to divalent surfactant heads and sodium cations being more tightly bound together with bonding to water compared to monovalent ones. Lastly, the structural and dynamic changes of the reverse micelle caused by a phase change in CO₂ are monitored with gradually decreasing temperature and pressure from the supercritical to gaseous state for CO₂. The average reverse micelle structure equilibrated in supercritical CO₂ is found to remain stable over a time period of 0.2 ms through a depressurization process to gaseous CO₂. We note that the diverse pathways of surfactant self-aggregation in gaseous CO₂ could be controlled by the preceding solvation procedure in the supercritical regime which governs the final aggregated structures in gaseous CO₂.

Ultrafast Solvation Dynamics Reveal that Octa Acid Capsule's Interior Dryness Depends on the Guest

Coumarins are well-known to exhibit environment-dependent excited-state behavior. We have exploited this feature to probe the accessibility of solvent water molecules to coumarins (guest) encapsulated within an organic capsule (host). Two sets of coumarins, one small that fits well within the capsule and the other larger that fits within an enlarged capsule, are used as guests. In our study, the two sets of coumarins serve different purposes: one is employed to explore electron transfer across the capsule and the other to release photoprotected acids into the aqueous environment. The capsule is made up of two molecules of octa acid (OA) and is soluble in an aqueous medium under slightly basic conditions. Molecular modeling studies revealed that while the OA capsule is fully closed with no access to water in the case of smaller coumarins, with the larger molecules, the capsule is not tight and the guest is in contact with water molecules, the number being dependent on the size of the coumarin. We have used the ultrafast time-dependent Stokes shift method to understand the solvent dynamics around the above guest molecules encapsulated within an OA capsule in an aqueous medium. Results depict that for the smaller sets of coumarins, water cannot access the guests within the OA cavity during their excited state lifetime. However, the case is completely different for the larger coumaryl esters. Distorted capsule structure exposes the guest to water, and a dynamics Stokes shift is observed. The average solvation time decreases with the increasing size of guests that clearly indicates accessibility of the encapsulated guests toward greater number of water molecules as the capsule structure distorts with increasing size of the guests. Results of the ultrafast solvation dynamics are consistent with that of molecular dynamics simulation.

Water Structure and Dynamics in the Stern Layer of Micelles: Femtosecond Mid-Infrared Pump-Probe Spectroscopy Study

Molecular-level understanding of the water structure and dynamics in the Stern layer of micelles is important to elucidate the active role of water in biological processes on membrane surfaces. Micelles and reverse micelles are considered to be excellent membrane model systems. Here, to address the question of whether or not the spatial confinement effect on water in reverse micelles and nanometric water pool systems plays a role in modulating water dynamics, we consider four different aqueous micelle solutions and study the water dynamics in the Stern layer of micelles using a femtosecond mid-infrared pump-probe spectroscopy technique. Vibrational energy relaxation and rotational dynamics of the O?D stretch mode of HDO and the azido stretch mode of hydrazoic acid are critically dependent on the charge, polarity, and chemical structure of the surfactant head group. In particular, water molecules in the Stern layer of micelles, which are not in spatially confined environments, are notably different from those in bulk water. This finding clearly indicates that changes in the vibrational and rotational dynamics of water molecules, even in spatially confined systems, are mainly induced by surface effects instead of spatial confinement effects. We believe that the present experimental results are of importance for understanding water-involved biochemical processes on biological membranes.

Biomimetic systems trigger a benzothiazole based molecular switch to 'turn on' fluorescence

Molecular switches are valuable tools for the detection of many chemical and biological processes. On the other hand, Schiff bases are known for their simplicity in synthesis and their enormous biochemical applications. In this scenario, when a strategically designed Schiff base acts as a molecular switch in biomimetic environments drags inevitable attention. In this article, we hereby demonstrate an interesting behavior of a strategically designed bioactive benzothiazole based Schiff base (E)-2-(((6-chlorobenzo[d]thiazol-2-ylimino)methyl)-5-diethylamino) phenol (CBMDP) whose fluorescence characteristics dramatically modulate as consequence of its structural modification in aqueous and biomimetic environments individually. Electronic absorption, steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopic techniques along with DFT based quantum chemical calculation evidence that in pure organic solvents CBMDP exists in highly fluorescent enol-imine (N) form which transform into feebly fluorescent hydrated species (H) in bulk aqueous media. Contrariwise, on interaction with the ionic and non-ionic micellar media or with liposome, a structural restoration occurs from less fluorescent hydrated (H) species into a highly fluorescent normal (N) one. This molecular flipping of the title compound upon micellar compartmentalization is possibly caused by the micropolarity of the local environment and further supported by its spectral behavior in different polarity gradient solvent mixture of water-dioxane (protic-aprotic) and water-methanol (protic -protic). Usually, Schiff bases are prone to hydrolysis in aqueous media, interestingly, the structural framework of this strategically designed molecule only allow the first step of hydrolysis, which is hydration of azomethine linkage whereas it withstand the second step, and that possibly helps the structural restoration process. Hence the article described herein may emphasize how a systematically designed Schiff base framework can be used as 'turn off- turn on' fluorescent molecular switch which may be extremely useful for its applications in the area of biochemical sensors.

Elucidation of active site dynamics of papain and the effect of encapsulation within cationic and anionic reverse micelles

In this study, steady state, solvation dynamics and rotational dynamics experiments have been carried out on a system of DACIA-tagged papain in bulk water and inside the water pool of cationic (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) and anionic (sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate, AOT) reverse micelles with varying water contents (W₀ = 20 to 50). While the absorption and emission maxima and the excited state lifetime did not show any noticeable change with the variation of the size of the reverse micelle, the change in solvation time, Stokes shift, rotational correlation time and residual anisotropy with the change in reverse micellar size were quite revealing. The average solvation time and Stokes shift of papain in bulk water are 0.22 ns and 125 cm^-1 respectively, which increase to 0.96 ns and 718 cm^-1 while inside CTAB reverse micelle of W₀ = 20. The solvation time and Stokes shift values decrease with the increase in the size of reverse micelle, approaching the corresponding values in bulk water when W₀ = 50. The solvation time and Stokes shift of the DACIA-tagged papain was found to be high while inside AOT reverse micelle also (0.47 ns and 438 cm^-1 respectively when W₀ = 20), but there was no monotonous variation with the change in size of micellar size as in the case with CTAB reverse micelle. From the anisotropy studies, it was seen that inside CTAB and AOT reverse micelles, there is a significant amount of residual anisotropy, which is absent in the case of DACIA-tagged papain in bulk water. The rotational correlation times were also found to be higher inside the reverse micelles than those in bulk water. Both residual anisotropy and rotational correlation time were found to be more in the case with AOT reverse micelle than with CTAB reverse micelle. These behaviours could be explained based on the electrostatic forces acting between the papain having a positive surface charge and the reverse micelles of cationic CTAB and anionic AOT.

Dynamics of ionic liquids in bulk and in confinement by means of (1)H NMR relaxometry - BMIM-OcSO4 in an SiO2 matrix as an example

(1)H nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry is applied to reveal information on the translational and rotational dynamics of the ionic liquid: 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazoliumoctyl sulfate (BMIM-OcSO4) in bulk and in a confinement formed by a nanoporous SiO2 matrix. The experimental studies were performed in a very broad frequency range, from 8 kHz to 40 MHz (referring to the (1)H resonance frequency), in order to probe motional processes at very different time scales using a single experiment, and in the temperature range of 243-303 K. The relaxation results for BMIM-OcSO4 in bulk are interpreted in terms of three relaxation contributions: a term associated with the translational dynamics of the ions (it has been assumed that the translational dynamics of cations and anions can be described by one diffusion coefficient) and two terms associated with the rotational motion of the anion and the cation, respectively. The relationships between the obtained dynamic parameters (rotational correlation times and translational diffusion coefficients) are thoroughly discussed and used as a "reference" for the dynamics of BMIM-OcSO4 confined in an SiO2 matrix. Analysis of the corresponding relaxation data for the confined liquid shows that the confinement does not significantly affect the rotational dynamics, but it has a considerable impact on the translational motion. It is demonstrated that the relaxation term associated with the translational dynamics stems from two contributions: a contribution from a core (bulk-like) fraction of the liquid and from a fraction moving near the pore surface and therefore being for some time adsorbed on the pore walls. The translational diffusion coefficient for the last fraction is determined and several conclusions regarding the residence lifetime of the ions on the surface are drawn. Moreover, an additional motional process on the timescale of ns or shorter is revealed in the confinement.

Spectroscopic and Calorimetric Studies of Molecular Recognitions in a Dendrimer-Surfactant Complex

Molecular recognitions, causing supramolecular complex formation between a hyperbranched polymer molecule (polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer generation 3) with oppositely charged surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous solution, were studied by using various spectroscopic techniques and calorimetric titration of heat change measurements. Spectroscopic measurements were performed using dynamic Stokes shift (DSS), rotational anisotropy decay, and translational diffusion of a fluorescent probe molecule coumarin 153 (C153) noncovalently attached to the dendrimer-surfactant complex. All these studies unanimously confirm that the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) of SDS falls to ∼0.8 mM (from its critical micelle concentration (CMC) ∼ 8 mM) in the presence of ∼0.2 mM dendrimer. Further studies of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurement show that the CAC of SDS in the presence of dendrimer remains invariant to the dendrimer concentration. Complexation reaction between SDS and dendrimer is highly exothermic in nature. A maximum heat release (ΔH∼ -6.6 kJ/mol of SDS binding) was observed at a SDS-to-dendrimer mole ratio of ∼3-5; where up to 3 to 5 SDS molecules were encapsulated by one dendrimer molecule to form dendrimer-SDS encapsulation complex. When negatively charged SDS was replaced with a positively charged surfactant dodecyl-trimethylammonium-bromide (DTAB), we found that the DTAB hardly interacted with positively charged dendrimer due to the charge-charge repulsions.

Anomalous water dynamics at surfaces and interfaces: synergistic effects of confinement and surface interactions

In nature, water is often found in contact with surfaces that are extended on the scale of molecule size but small on a macroscopic scale. Examples include lipid bilayers and reverse micelles as well as biomolecules like proteins, DNA and zeolites, to name a few. While the presence of surfaces and interfaces interrupts the continuous hydrogen bond network of liquid water, confinement on a mesoscopic scale introduces new features. Even when extended on a molecular scale, natural and biological surfaces often have features (like charge, hydrophobicity) that vary on the scale of the molecular diameter of water. As a result, many new and exotic features, which are not seen in the bulk, appear in the dynamics of water close to the surface. These different behaviors bear the signature of both water-surface interactions and of confinement. In other words, the altered properties are the result of the synergistic effects of surface-water interactions and confinement. Ultrafast spectroscopy, theoretical modeling and computer simulations together form powerful synergistic approaches towards an understanding of the properties of confined water in such systems as nanocavities, reverse micelles (RMs), water inside and outside biomolecules like proteins and DNA, and also between two hydrophobic walls. We shall review the experimental results and place them in the context of theory and simulations. For water confined within RMs, we discuss the possible interference effects propagating from opposite surfaces. Similar interference is found to give rise to an effective attractive force between two hydrophobic surfaces immersed and kept fixed at a separation of d, with the force showing an exponential dependence on this distance. For protein and DNA hydration, we shall examine a multitude of timescales that arise from frustration effects due to the inherent heterogeneity of these surfaces. We pay particular attention to the role of orientational correlations and modification of the same due to interaction with the surfaces.

Solvation and hydrogen bonding aided efficient non-radiative deactivation of polar excited state of 5-aminoquinoline

The mechanism of efficient fluorescence quenching of 5-aminoquinoline in alcoholic solvents.

Hydrotrope induced structural modifications in CTAB/butanol/water/isooctane reverse micellar systems

SAXS and NMR studies to gain insight of structural alterations in reverse micellar nanotemplates in presence of hydrotropes.

A Comparative Study of the Influence of Sugars Sucrose, Trehalose, and Maltose on the Hydration and Diffusion of DMPC Lipid Bilayer at Complete Hydration: Investigation of Structural and Spectroscopic Aspect of Lipid-Sugar Interaction

It is well-known that sugars protect membrane structures against fusion and leakage. Here, we have investigated the interaction between different sugars (sucrose, trehalose, and maltose) and phospholipid membrane of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phoshpocholine (DMPC) using dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and other various spectroscopic techniques. DLS measurement reveals that the addition of sugar molecule results a significant increase of the average diameter of DMPC membrane. We have also noticed that in the presence of different sugars the rotational relaxation and solvation time of coumarin 480 (C480) and coumarin 153 (C153) surrounding DMPC membrane increases, suggesting a marked reduction of the hydration behavior at the surface of phospholipid membrane. In addition, we have also investigated the effect of sugar molecules on the lateral mobility of phospholipids. Interestingly, the relative increase in rotational, solvation and lateral diffusion is more prominent for C480 than that of C153 because of their different location in lipid bilayer. It is because of preferential location of comparatively hydrophilic probe C480 in the interfacial region of the lipid bilayer. Sugars intercalate with the phospholipid headgroup through hydrogen bonding and replace smaller sized water molecules from the membrane surface. Therefore, overall, we have monitored a comparative analysis regarding the interaction of different sugar molecules (sucrose, trehalose, and maltose) with the DMPC membrane through DLS, TEM, solvation dynamics, time-resolved anisotropy, and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) measurements to explore the structural and spectroscopic aspect of lipid-sugar interaction.

Confined Water as Model of Supercooled Water

Water in confined geometries has obvious relevance in biology, geology, and other areas where the material properties are strongly dependent on the amount and behavior of water in these types of materials. Another reason to restrict the size of water domains by different types of geometrical confinements has been the possibility to study the structural and dynamical behavior of water in the deeply supercooled regime (e.g., 150-230 K at ambient pressure), where bulk water immediately crystallizes to ice. In this paper we give a short review of studies with this particular goal. However, from these studies it is also clear that the interpretations of the experimental data are far from evident. Therefore, we present three main interpretations to explain the experimental data, and we discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunately, none of the proposed scenarios is able to predict all the observations for supercooled and glassy bulk water, indicating that either the structural and dynamical alterations of confined water are too severe to make predictions for bulk water or the differences in how the studied water has been prepared (applied cooling rate, resulting density of the water, etc.) are too large for direct and quantitative comparisons.

Solvation, rotational relaxation and fluorescence correlation spectroscopic study on ionic liquid-in-oil microemulsions containing triple-chain surface active ionic liquids (SAILs)

In this article, solvation dynamics and rotational relaxation approaches have been applied to explore the microheterogeneity of surface active ionic liquid (SAIL) containing microemulsions, i.e. [P₁₃][Tf₂N] or [N₃₁₁₁][Tf₂N]/[BHD][AOT]/[IPM].

Aggregation–disaggregation pattern of photodynamically active ZnPcS4 and its interaction with DNA alkylating quinone: effect of micellar compactness and central metal ion

The graphical abstract shows the aggregation–disaggregation pattern of ZnPcS₄ in neutral and different cationic micelles and its enhanced interaction with a DNA alkylating quinone in a TTAB micellar medium.

Exploration of the presence of bulk-like water in AOT reverse micelles and water-in-oil nanodroplets: the role of charged interfaces, confinement size and properties of water

We show that the distance from the interface at which bulk-like properties are recovered strongly depends on the choice of order parameter being probed: translational < tetrahedral ≪ dipolar orientation.

Selective prototropism of lumichrome in cationic micelles and reverse micelles: a photophysical perspective

BHDC micelles and reverse micelles selectively transform the alloxazine form of lumichrome to the anionic isoalloxazine form, around neutral pH.

Solvation Dynamics in Different Phases of the Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline System

Reverse hexagonal (HII) liquid crystalline material based on glycerol monooleate (GMO) is considered as a potential carrier for drugs and other important biomolecules due to its thermotropic phase change and excellent morphology. In this work, the dynamics of encapsulated water, which plays important role in stabilization and formation of reverse hexagonal mesophase, has been investigated by time dependent Stokes shift method using Coumarin-343 as a solvation probe. The formation of the reverse hexagonal mesophase (HII) and transformation to the L2 phase have been monitored using small-angle X-ray scattering and polarized light microscopy experiments. REES studies suggest the existence of different polar regions in both HII and L2 systems. The solvation dynamics study inside the reverse hexagonal (HII) phase reveals the existence of two different types of water molecules exhibiting dynamics on a 120-900 ps time scale. The estimated diffusion coefficients of both types of water molecules obtained from the observed dynamics are in good agreement with the measured diffusion coefficient collected from the NMR study. The calculated activation energy is found to be 2.05 kcal/mol, which is associated with coupled rotational-translational water relaxation dynamics upon the transition from "bound" to "quasi-free" state. The observed ∼2 ns faster dynamics of the L2 phase compared to the HII phase may be associated with both the phase transformation as well as thermotropic effect on the relaxation process. Microviscosities calculated from time-resolved anisotropy studies infer that the interface is almost ∼22 times higher viscous than the central part of the cylinder. Overall, our results reveal the unique dynamical features of water inside the cylinder of reverse hexagonal and inverse micellar phases.

Surfactant induced aggregation–disaggregation of photodynamic active chlorin e6 and its relevant interaction with DNA alkylating quinone in a biomimic micellar microenvironment

Ce6 undergoes enormous aggregation in the PMC of different surfactants which subsequently disaggregated after CMC and shows dynamic interaction with alkylating quinone.

Single water solvation dynamics in the 4-aminobenzonitrile–water cluster cation revealed by picosecond time-resolved infrared spectroscopy

The excess energy of photoionization can control the time scale of single water solvent orientation dynamics from picoseconds to infinitely long trapping in a local minimum.