1
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Wang S, Walker-Gibbons R, Watkins B, Flynn M, Krishnan M. A charge-dependent long-ranged force drives tailored assembly of matter in solution. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 19:485-493. [PMID: 38429493 PMCID: PMC11026162 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-024-01621-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
The interaction between charged objects in solution is generally expected to recapitulate two central principles of electromagnetics: (1) like-charged objects repel, and (2) they do so regardless of the sign of their electrical charge. Here we demonstrate experimentally that the solvent plays a hitherto unforeseen but crucial role in interparticle interactions, and importantly, that interactions in the fluid phase can break charge-reversal symmetry. We show that in aqueous solution, negatively charged particles can attract at long range while positively charged particles repel. In solvents that exhibit an inversion of the net molecular dipole at an interface, such as alcohols, we find that the converse can be true: positively charged particles may attract whereas negatives repel. The observations hold across a wide variety of surface chemistries: from inorganic silica and polymeric particles to polyelectrolyte- and polypeptide-coated surfaces in aqueous solution. A theory of interparticle interactions that invokes solvent structuring at an interface captures the observations. Our study establishes a nanoscopic interfacial mechanism by which solvent molecules may give rise to a strong and long-ranged force in solution, with immediate ramifications for a range of particulate and molecular processes across length scales such as self-assembly, gelation and crystallization, biomolecular condensation, coacervation, and phase segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sida Wang
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rowan Walker-Gibbons
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Bethany Watkins
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Melissa Flynn
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Madhavi Krishnan
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- The Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Oxford, UK.
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2
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Ruixuan H, Majee A, Dobnikar J, Podgornik R. Electrostatic interactions between charge regulated spherical macroions. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2023; 46:115. [PMID: 38019363 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-023-00373-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
We study the interaction between two charge regulating spherical macroions with dielectric interior and dissociable surface groups immersed in a monovalent electrolyte solution. The charge dissociation is modelled via the Frumkin-Fowler-Guggenheim isotherm, which allows for multiple adsorption equilibrium states. The interactions are derived from the solutions of the mean-field Poisson-Boltzmann type theory with charge regulation boundary conditions. For a range of conditions we find symmetry breaking transitions from symmetric to asymmetric charge distribution exhibiting annealed charge patchiness, which results in like-charge attraction even in a univalent electrolyte-thus fundamentally modifying the nature of electrostatic interactions in charge-stabilized colloidal suspensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu Ruixuan
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Arghya Majee
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jure Dobnikar
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- Wenzhou Institute of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Guangdong, 523808, Dongguan, China
| | - Rudolf Podgornik
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Wenzhou Institute of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 325011, Zhejiang, China.
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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3
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Becker MR, Loche P, Netz RR. Electrokinetic, electrochemical, and electrostatic surface potentials of the pristine water liquid-vapor interface. J Chem Phys 2022; 157:240902. [PMID: 36586978 DOI: 10.1063/5.0127869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Although conceptually simple, the air-water interface displays rich behavior and is subject to intense experimental and theoretical investigations. Different definitions of the electrostatic surface potential as well as different calculation methods, each relevant for distinct experimental scenarios, lead to widely varying potential magnitudes and sometimes even different signs. Based on quantum-chemical density-functional-theory molecular dynamics (DFT-MD) simulations, different surface potentials are evaluated and compared to force-field (FF) MD simulations. As well explained in the literature, the laterally averaged electrostatic surface potential, accessible to electron holography, is dominated by the trace of the water molecular quadrupole moment, and using DFT-MD amounts to +4.35 V inside the water phase, very different from results obtained with FF water models which yield negative values of the order of -0.4 to -0.6 V. Thus, when predicting potentials within water molecules, as relevant for photoelectron spectroscopy and non-linear interface-specific spectroscopy, DFT simulations should be used. The electrochemical surface potential, relevant for ion transfer reactions and ion surface adsorption, is much smaller, less than 200 mV in magnitude, and depends specifically on the ion radius. Charge transfer between interfacial water molecules leads to a sizable surface potential as well. However, when probing electrokinetics by explicitly applying a lateral electric field in DFT-MD simulations, the electrokinetic ζ-potential turns out to be negligible, in agreement with predictions using continuous hydrodynamic models. Thus, interfacial polarization charges from intermolecular charge transfer do not lead to significant electrokinetic mobility at the pristine vapor-liquid water interface, even assuming these transfer charges are mobile in an external electric field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Philip Loche
- Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Roland R Netz
- Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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4
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Bespalova M, Öz R, Westerlund F, Krishnan M. Single-Molecule Trapping and Measurement in a Nanostructured Lipid Bilayer System. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:13923-13934. [PMID: 36326814 PMCID: PMC9671048 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The repulsive electrostatic force between a biomolecule and a like-charged surface can be geometrically tailored to create spatial traps for charged molecules in solution. Using a parallel-plate system composed of silicon dioxide surfaces, we recently demonstrated single-molecule trapping and high precision molecular charge measurements in a nanostructured free energy landscape. Here we show that surfaces coated with charged lipid bilayers provide a system with tunable surface properties for molecular electrometry experiments. Working with molecular species whose effective charge and geometry are well-defined, we demonstrate the ability to quantitatively probe the electrical charge density of a supported lipid bilayer. Our findings indicate that the fraction of charged lipids in nanoslit lipid bilayers can be significantly different from that in the precursor lipid mixtures used to generate them. We also explore the temporal stability of bilayer properties in nanofluidic systems. Beyond their relevance in molecular measurement, such experimental systems offer the opportunity to examine lipid bilayer formation and wetting dynamics on nanostructured surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Bespalova
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OxfordOX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Öz
- Department
of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers
University of Technology, 412 96Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Westerlund
- Department
of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers
University of Technology, 412 96Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Madhavi Krishnan
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OxfordOX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
- The
Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Sherrington Road, OxfordOX1 3QU, United Kingdom
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5
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Kloes G, Bennett TJD, Chapet-Batlle A, Behjatian A, Turberfield AJ, Krishnan M. Far-Field Electrostatic Signatures of Macromolecular 3D Conformation. NANO LETTERS 2022; 22:7834-7840. [PMID: 36125326 PMCID: PMC9562458 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c02485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
In solution as in vacuum, the electrostatic field distribution in the vicinity of a charged object carries information on its three-dimensional geometry. We report on an experimental study exploring the effect of molecular shape on long-range electrostatic interactions in solution. Working with DNA nanostructures carrying approximately equal amounts of total charge but each in a different three-dimensional conformation, we demonstrate that the geometry of the distribution of charge in a molecule has substantial impact on its electrical interactions. For instance, a tetrahedral structure, which is the most compact distribution of charge we tested, can create a far-field effect that is effectively identical to that of a rod-shaped molecule carrying half the amount of total structural charge. Our experiments demonstrate that escape-time electrometry (ETe) furnishes a rapid and facile method to screen and identify 3D conformations of charged biomolecules or molecular complexes in solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Kloes
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy J. D. Bennett
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Alma Chapet-Batlle
- Clarendon
Laboratory, Department of Physics, University
of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1
3PU, United Kingdom
| | - Ali Behjatian
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Turberfield
- Clarendon
Laboratory, Department of Physics, University
of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1
3PU, United Kingdom
- The Kavli
Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Sherrington Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Madhavi Krishnan
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
- The Kavli
Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Sherrington Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
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6
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Zhou S. Effective electrostatic forces between two neutral surfaces with surface charge separation: valence asymmetry and dielectric constant heterogeneity. Mol Phys 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2022.2094296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Zhou
- School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China
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7
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Walker-Gibbons R, Kubincová A, Hünenberger PH, Krishnan M. The Role of Surface Chemistry in the Orientational Behavior of Water at an Interface. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:4697-4710. [PMID: 35726865 PMCID: PMC9251758 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Molecular dynamics
studies have demonstrated that molecular water
at an interface, with either a gas or a solid, displays anisotropic
orientational behavior in contrast to its bulk counterpart. This effect
has been recently implicated in the like-charge attraction problem
for colloidal particles in solution. Here, negatively charged particles
in solution display a long-ranged attraction where continuum electrostatic
theory predicts monotonically repulsive interactions, particularly
in solutions with monovalent salt ions at low ionic strength. Anisotropic
orientational behavior of solvent molecules at an interface gives
rise to an excess interfacial electrical potential which we suggest
generates an additional solvation contribution to the total free energy
that is traditionally overlooked in continuum descriptions of interparticle
interactions in solution. In the present investigation we perform
molecular dynamics simulation based calculations of the interfacial
potential using realistic surface models representing various chemistries
as well as different solvents. Similar to previous work that focused
on simple model surfaces constructed by using oxygen atoms, we find
that solvents at more realistic model surfaces exhibit substantial
anisotropic orientational behavior. We explore the dependence of the
interfacial solvation potential on surface properties such as surface
group chemistry and group density at silica and carboxylated polystyrene
interfaces. For water, we note surprisingly good agreement between
results obtained for a simple O-atom wall and more complex surface
models, suggesting a general qualitative consistency of the interfacial
solvation effect for surfaces in contact with water. In contrast,
for an aprotic solvent such as DMSO, surface chemistry appears to
exert a stronger influence on the sign and magnitude of the interfacial
solvation potential. The study carries broad implications for molecular-scale
interactions and may find relevance in explaining a range of phenomena
in soft-matter physics and cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan Walker-Gibbons
- Physical & Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Alžbeta Kubincová
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Philippe H Hünenberger
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Madhavi Krishnan
- Physical & Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
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8
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Behjatian A, Walker-Gibbons R, Schekochihin AA, Krishnan M. Nonmonotonic Pair Potentials in the Interaction of Like-Charged Objects in Solution. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:786-800. [PMID: 34981941 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We consider the long-standing like-charge attraction problem, wherein under certain conditions, similarly charged spheres suspended in aqueous electrolyte have been observed to display a minimum in their interaction potential, contrary to the intuitively expected monotonically varying repulsion. Recently, we described an interfacial mechanism invoking the molecular nature of the solvent that explains this anomalous experimental observation. In our model for the interaction of negatively charged particles in water, the minimum in the pair potential results from the superposition of competing contributions to the total free energy. One of these contributions is the canonical repulsive electrostatic term, whereas the other is a solvation-induced attractive contribution. We find that whereas both contributions grow approximately exponentially with decreasing interparticle separation, the occurrence of a stable, long-ranged minimum in the pair potential arises from differences in the precise interparticle separation dependence of the two terms. Specifically, the interfacial solvation term exhibits a more gradual decay with distance than the electrostatic repulsion, permitting the attractive contribution to dominate the interaction at large distances. Importantly, these disparities become evident in quantities calculated from exact numerical solutions to the governing nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation for the spatial electrical potential distribution in the system. In marked contrast, we find that the linearized PB equation, applicable in the regime of low surface electrical potentials, does not support nonmonotonic trends in the total interaction free energy within the present model. Our results point to the importance of exact descriptions of electrostatic interactions in real systems that most often do not subscribe to particular mathematical limits where analytical approximations may provide a sufficiently accurate description of the problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Behjatian
- Physical & Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Rowan Walker-Gibbons
- Physical & Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander A Schekochihin
- Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
- Merton College, Merton Street, Oxford OX1 4JD, United Kingdom
| | - Madhavi Krishnan
- Physical & Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
- Merton College, Merton Street, Oxford OX1 4JD, United Kingdom
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9
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Bakhshandeh A, Frydel D, Levin Y. Reactive Monte Carlo simulations for charge regulation of colloidal particles. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:014108. [PMID: 34998334 DOI: 10.1063/5.0077956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We use a reactive Monte Carlo simulation method and the primitive model of electrolyte to study acid-base equilibrium that controls charge regulation in colloidal systems. The simulations are performed in a semi-grand canonical ensemble in which colloidal suspension is in contact with a reservoir of salt and strong acid. The interior of colloidal particles is modeled as a low dielectric medium, different from the surrounding water. The effective colloidal charge is calculated for different numbers of surface acidic groups, pH, salt concentrations, and types of electrolyte. In the case of potassium chloride, the titration curves are compared with the experimental measurements obtained using potentiometric titration. A good agreement is found between simulations and experiments. In the case of lithium chloride, the specific ionic adsorption is taken into account through the partial dehydration of lithium ion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin Bakhshandeh
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, CEP 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Derek Frydel
- Department of Chemistry, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Campus San Joaquin, 7820275 Santiago, Chile
| | - Yan Levin
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, CEP 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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10
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Lopez CG, Linders J, Mayer C, Richtering W. Diffusion and Viscosity of Unentangled Polyelectrolytes. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos G. Lopez
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Linders
- Physical Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Mayer
- Physical Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany
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11
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P. Oliveira M, Hünenberger PH. Systematic optimization of a fragment-based force field against experimental pure-liquid properties considering large compound families: application to oxygen and nitrogen compounds. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:17774-17793. [PMID: 34350931 PMCID: PMC8386690 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp02001c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
The CombiFF approach is a workflow for the automated refinement of force-field parameters against experimental condensed-phase data, considering entire classes of organic molecules constructed using a fragment library via combinatorial isomer enumeration. One peculiarity of this approach is that it relies on an electronegativity-equalization scheme to account for induction effects within molecules, with values of the atomic hardness and electronegativity as electrostatic parameters, rather than the partial charges themselves. In a previous article [M. P. Oliveira, M. Andrey, S. R. Rieder, L. Kern, D. F. Hahn, S. Riniker, B. A. C. Horta and P. H. Hünenberger, J. Chem. Theory. Comput. 2020, 16, 7525], CombiFF was introduced and applied to calibrate a GROMOS-compatible united-atom force field for the saturated acyclic (halo-)alkane family. Here, this scheme is employed for the construction of a corresponding force field for saturated acyclic compounds encompassing eight common chemical functional groups involving oxygen and/or nitrogen atoms, namely: ether, aldehyde, ketone, ester, alcohol, carboxylic acid, amine, and amide. Monofunctional as well as homo-polyfunctional compounds are considered. A total of 1712 experimental liquid densities ρliq and vaporization enthalpies ΔHvap concerning 1175 molecules are used for the calibration (339 molecules) and validation (836 molecules) of the 102 non-bonded interaction parameters of the force field. Using initial parameter values based on the GROMOS 2016H66 parameter set, convergence is reached after five iterations. Given access to one processor per simulated system, this operation only requires a few days of wall-clock computing time. After optimization, the root-mean-square deviations from experiment are 29.9 (22.4) kg m-3 for ρliq and 4.1 (5.5) kJ mol-1 for ΔHvap for the calibration (validation) set. Thus, a very good level of agreement with experiment is achieved in terms of these two properties, although the errors are inhomogeneously distributed across the different chemical functional groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina P. Oliveira
- Laboratorium für Physikalische Chemie, ETH Zürich, ETH-Hönggerberg, HCICH-8093 ZürichSwitzerland+41 44 632 5503
| | - Philippe H. Hünenberger
- Laboratorium für Physikalische Chemie, ETH Zürich, ETH-Hönggerberg, HCICH-8093 ZürichSwitzerland+41 44 632 5503
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12
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Barberi L, Livolant F, Leforestier A, Lenz M. Local structure of DNA toroids reveals curvature-dependent intermolecular forces. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:3709-3718. [PMID: 33784405 PMCID: PMC8053110 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In viruses and cells, DNA is closely packed and tightly curved thanks to polyvalent cations inducing an effective attraction between its negatively charged filaments. Our understanding of this effective attraction remains very incomplete, partly because experimental data is limited to bulk measurements on large samples of mostly uncurved DNA helices. Here we use cryo electron microscopy to shed light on the interaction between highly curved helices. We find that the spacing between DNA helices in spermine-induced DNA toroidal condensates depends on their location within the torus, consistent with a mathematical model based on the competition between electrostatic interactions and the bending rigidity of DNA. We use our model to infer the characteristics of the interaction potential, and find that its equilibrium spacing strongly depends on the curvature of the filaments. In addition, the interaction is much softer than previously reported in bulk samples using different salt conditions. Beyond viruses and cells, our characterization of the interactions governing DNA-based dense structures could help develop robust designs in DNA nanotechnologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Barberi
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, LPTMS, 91405, Orsay, France
| | | | | | - Martin Lenz
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, LPTMS, 91405, Orsay, France.,PMMH, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
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13
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Bakhshandeh A, dos Santos AP, Levin Y. Interaction between Charge-Regulated Metal Nanoparticles in an Electrolyte Solution. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:11762-11770. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c09446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amin Bakhshandeh
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Alexandre P. dos Santos
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Yan Levin
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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14
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Bakhshandeh A, Frydel D, Levin Y. Charge regulation of colloidal particles in aqueous solutions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:24712-24728. [PMID: 33104140 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp03633a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
We study the charge regulation of colloidal particles inside aqueous electrolyte solutions. To stabilize a colloidal suspension against precipitation, colloidal particles are synthesized with either acidic or basic groups on their surface. On contact with water, these surface groups undergo proton transfer reactions, resulting in colloidal surface charge. The charge is determined by the condition of local chemical equilibrium between hydronium ions inside the solution and at the colloidal surface. We use a model of Baxter sticky spheres to explicitly calculate the equilibrium dissociation constants and to construct a theory which is able to quantitatively predict the effective charge of colloidal particles with either acidic or basic surface groups. The predictions of the theory for the model are found to be in excellent agreement with the results of Monte Carlo simulations. This theory is further extended to treat colloidal particles with a mixture of both acidic and basic surface groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin Bakhshandeh
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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