Label-free second harmonic and hyper Rayleigh scattering with high efficiency

Spiers Memorial Lecture: Water at interfaces

In this article we discuss current issues in the context of the four chosen subtopics for the meeting: dynamics and nano-rheology of interfacial water, electrified/charged aqueous interfaces, ice interfaces, and soft matter/water interfaces. We emphasize current advances in both theory and experiment, as well as important practical manifestations and areas of unresolved controversy.

Evolution of the electrical double layer with electrolyte concentration probed by second harmonic scattering

Investigating the electrical double layer (EDL) structure has been a long-standing challenge and has seen the emergence of several sophisticated techniques able to probe selectively the few molecular layers of a solid/water interface. While a qualitative estimation of the thickness of the EDL can be obtained using simple theoretical models, following experimentally its evolution is not straightforward and can be even more complicated in nano- or microscale systems, particularly when changing the ionic concentration by several orders of magnitude. Here, we bring insight into the structure of the EDL of SiO2 nanoparticle suspensions and its evolution with increasing ionic concentration using angle-resolved second harmonic scattering (AR-SHS). Below millimolar salt concentrations, we can successively characterize inner-sphere adsorption, diffuse layer formation, and outer-sphere adsorption. Moreover, we show for the first time that, by appropriately selecting the nanoparticle size, it is possible to retrieve information also in the millimolar range. There, we observe a decrease in the magnitude of the surface potential corresponding to a compression in the EDL thickness, which agrees with the results of several other electroanalytical and optical techniques. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the EDL compression mainly results from the diffuse layer compression rather than outer-sphere ions (Stern plane) moving closer to the surface.

Size dependence of second-harmonic scattering from nanoparticles: Disentangling surface and electrostatic contributions

Polarimetric angle-resolved second-harmonic scattering (AR-SHS) is an all-optical tool enabling the study of unlabeled interfaces of nano-sized particles in an aqueous solution. As the second harmonic signal is modulated by interference between nonlinear contributions originating at the particle's surface and those originating in the bulk electrolyte solution due to the presence of a surface electrostatic field, the AR-SHS patterns give insight into the structure of the electrical double layer. The mathematical framework of AR-SHS has been previously established, in particular regarding changes in probing depth with ionic strength. However, other experimental factors may influence the AR-SHS patterns. Here, we calculate the size dependence of the surface and electrostatic geometric form factors for nonlinear scattering, together with their relative contribution to the AR-SHS patterns. We show that the electrostatic term is stronger in the forward scattering direction for smaller particle sizes, while the ratio of the electrostatic to surface terms decreases with increasing size. Besides this competing effect, the total AR-SHS signal intensity is also weighted by the particle's surface characteristics, given by the surface potential Φ₀ and the second-order surface susceptibility χ_s,2 ². The weighting effect is experimentally demonstrated by comparing SiO₂ particles of different sizes in NaCl and NaOH solutions of varying ionic strengths. For NaOH, the larger χ_s,2 ² values generated by deprotonation of surface silanol groups prevail over the electrostatic screening occurring at high ionic strengths; however, only for larger particle sizes. This study establishes a better connection between the AR-SHS patterns and surface properties and predicts trends for arbitrarily-sized particles.

Water Orientation at the Anatase TiO2 Nanoparticle Interface: A Probe of Surface pKa Values

The acid-base properties of surfaces significantly influence catalytic and (photo)electrochemical processes. Estimation of acid dissociation constants (pKa values) for colloids is commonly performed through electroanalytical techniques or spectroscopic methods employing label molecules. Here, we show that polarimetric angle-resolved second harmonic scattering (AR-SHS) can be used as an all-optical, label-free probe of colloid surface pKa values. We apply AR-SHS to dispersions of 100 nm anatase TiO2 particles to extract surface potential and surface susceptibility, a measure of interfacial water orientation, as a function of pH. The surface potential follows changes in surface charge density, while the interfacial water orientation inverts at pH ∼4.8, ∼6, and ∼7.6. As the variation in bulk pH modifies the populations of Ti-OH2+, Ti-OH, and Ti-O- interfacial groups, a change in water orientation reports on the ratio of protonated/deprotonated species. Such observation allows for pKa evaluation from plots of surface susceptibility versus pH. A Nerstian trend in the surface potential is additionally demonstrated.

Charge Gradients around Dendritic Voids Cause Nanoscale Inhomogeneities in Liquid Water

Water is the matrix of life and serves as a solvent for numerous physical and chemical processes. The origins of the nature of inhomogeneities that exist in liquid water and the time scales over which they occur remains an open question. Here, we report femtosecond elastic second harmonic scattering (fs-ESHS) of liquid water in comparison to an isotropic liquid (CCl₄) and show that water is indeed a nonuniform liquid. The coherent fs-ESHS intensity was interpreted, using molecular dynamics simulations, as arising from charge density fluctuations with enhanced nanoscale polarizabilities around transient voids having an average lifetime of 300 fs. Although voids were also present in CCl₄, they were not characterized by hydrogen bond defects and did not show strong polarizability fluctuations, leading to fs-ESHS of an isotropic liquid. The voids increased in number at higher temperatures above room temperature, in agreement with the fs-ESHS results.

Ultrasensitive Label-Free Detection of Protein-Membrane Interaction Exemplified by Toxin-Liposome Insertion

Measuring the high-affinity binding of proteins to liposome membranes remains a challenge. Here, we show an ultrasensitive and direct detection of protein binding to liposome membranes using high throughput second harmonic scattering (SHS). Perfringolysin O (PFO), a pore-forming toxin, with a highly membrane selective insertion into cholesterol-rich membranes is used. PFO inserts only into liposomes with a cholesterol concentration >30%. Twenty mole-percent cholesterol results in neither SHS-signal deviation nor pore formation as seen by cryo-electron microscopy of PFO and liposomes. PFO inserts into cholesterol-rich membranes of large unilamellar vesicles in an aqueous solution with K_d = (1.5 ± 0.2) × 10^-12 M. Our results demonstrate a promising approach to probe protein-membrane interactions below sub-picomolar concentrations in a label-free and noninvasive manner on 3D systems. More importantly, the volume of protein sample is ultrasmall (<10 μL). These findings enable the detection of low-abundance proteins and their interaction with membranes.

Lipid Melting Transitions Involve Structural Redistribution of Interfacial Water

Morphological and gel-to-liquid phase transitions of lipid membranes are generally considered to primarily depend on the structural motifs in the hydrophobic core of the bilayer. Structural changes in the aqueous headgroup phase are typically not considered, primarily because they are difficult to quantify. Here, we investigate structural changes of the hydration shells around large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) in aqueous solution, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and temperature-dependent ζ-potential and high-throughput angle-resolved second harmonic scattering measurements (AR-SHS). Varying the lipid composition from 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine(DMPC) to 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (DMPA), to 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-l-serine (DMPS), we observe surprisingly distinct behavior for the different systems that depend on the chemical composition of the hydrated headgroups. These differences involve changes in hydration following temperature-induced counterion redistribution, or changes in hydration following headgroup reorientation and Stern layer compression.

Second Harmonic Scattering Reveals Ion-Specific Effects at the SiO2 and TiO2 Nanoparticle/Aqueous Interface

Ion-specific effects play a crucial role in controlling the stability of colloidal systems and regulating interfacial processes. Although mechanistic pictures have been developed to explain the electrostatic structure of solid/water colloidal interfaces, ion-specific effects remain poorly understood. Here we quantify the average interfacial water orientation and the electrostatic surface potential around 100 nm SiO2 and TiO2 colloidal particles in the presence of NaCl, RbCl, and CaCl2 using polarimetric angle-resolved second harmonic scattering. We show that these two parameters can be used to establish the ion adsorption mechanism in a low ionic strength regime (<1 mM added salt). The relative differences between salts as a function of the ionic strength demonstrate cation- and surface-specific preferences for inner- vs outer-sphere adsorption. Compared to monovalent Rb+ and Na+, Ca2+ is found to be preferentially adsorbed as outer-sphere on SiO2 surfaces, while a dominant inner-sphere adsorption is observed for Ca2+ on TiO2. Molecular dynamics simulations performed on crystalline SiO2 and TiO2 surfaces support the experimental conclusions. This work contributes to the understanding of the electrostatic environment around colloidal nanoparticles on a molecular level by providing insight into ion-specific effects with micromolar sensitivity.

In Situ Label-Free Study of Protein Adsorption on Nanoparticles

Improving the design of nanoparticles for use as drug carriers or biosensors requires a better understanding of the protein-nanoparticle interaction. Here, we present a new tool to investigate this interaction in situ and without additional labeling of the proteins and/or nanoparticles. By combining nonresonant second-harmonic light scattering with a modified Langmuir model, we show that it is possible to gain insight into the adsorption behavior of blood proteins, namely fibrinogen, human serum albumin, and transferrin, onto negatively charged polystyrene nanoparticles. The modified Langmuir model gives us access to the maximum amount of adsorbed protein, the apparent binding constant, and Gibbs free energy. Furthermore, we employ the method to investigate the influence of the nanoparticle size on the adsorption of human serum albumin and find that the amount of adsorbed protein increases more than the surface area per nanoparticle for larger diameters.

Hyaluronan orders water molecules in its nanoscale extended hydration shells

Hyaluronan (HA) is an anionic, highly hydrated bio-polyelectrolyte found in the extracellular environment, like the synovial fluid between joints. We explore the extended hydration shell structure of HA in water using femtosecond elastic second-harmonic scattering (fs-ESHS). HA enhances orientational water-water correlations. Angle-resolved fs-ESHS measurements and nonlinear optical modeling show that HA behaves like a flexible chain surrounded by extended shells of orientationally correlated water. We describe several ways to determine the concentration-dependent size and shape of a polyelectrolyte in water, using the amount of water oriented by the polyelectrolyte charges as a contrast agent. The spatial extent of the hydration shell is determined via temperature-dependent measurements and can reach up to 475 nm, corresponding to a length of 1600 water molecules. A strong isotope effect, stemming from nuclear quantum effects, is observed when light water (H2O) is replaced by heavy water (D2O), amounting to a factor of 4.3 in the scattered SH intensity.

Mapping Electrochemical Heterogeneity at Gold Surfaces: A Second Harmonic Imaging Study

Designing efficient catalysts requires correlating surface structure and local chemical composition with reactivity on length scales from nanometers to tens of microns. While much work has been done on this structure/function correlation on single crystals, comparatively little has been done for catalysts of relevance in applications. Such materials are typically highly heterogeneous and thus require methods that allow mapping of the structure/function relationship during electrochemical conversion. Here, we use optical second harmonic imaging combined with cyclic voltammetry to map the surface of gold nanocrystalline and polycrystalline electrodes during electrooxidation and to quantify the spatial extent of surface reconstruction during potential cycling. The wide-field configuration of our microscope allows for real-time imaging of an area ∼100 μm in diameter with submicron resolution. By analyzing the voltage dependence of each pixel, we uncover the heterogeneity of the second harmonic signal and quantify the fraction of domains where it follows a positive quadratic dependence with increasing bias. There, the second harmonic intensity is mainly ascribed to electronic polarization contributions at the metal/electrolyte interface. Additionally, we locate areas where the second harmonic signal follows a negative quadratic dependence with increasing bias, which also show the largest changes during successive cyclic voltammetry sweeps as determined by an additional correlation coefficient analysis. We assign these areas to domains of higher roughness that are prone to potential-induced surface restructuring and where anion adsorption occurs at lower potentials than expected based on the cyclic voltammetry.

Self-Assembly at Water Nanodroplet Interfaces Quantified with Nonlinear Light Scattering

The interfaces of water micro- and nanodroplets drive environmental, medical, catalytic, biological, and chemical biphasic processes. The interfacial droplet structure and electrostatics greatly determine the reactivity and efficiency of these processes. Droplet interfacial properties are elusive and generally inferred from bulk measurements and are therefore anything but exact. Here, we quantify the interfacial ordering of water and the electrostatic surface potential of nanoscale water droplets in an apolar liquid using angle-resolved polarimetric second-harmonic scattering. We also present a method to determine the amount of free charges in the hydrophobic phase, reaching a sensitivity that is 3 orders of magnitude better than conductivity measurements. Investigating the structural and surface electrostatic changes induced by AOT surfactant adsorption, we find that both the hydrogen bonding as well as the electrostatics strongly depend on the surfactant concentration. Above the critical micelle concentration, the interface mediates micelle self-assembly.

Surface Potential and Interfacial Water Order at the Amorphous TiO2 Nanoparticle/Aqueous Interface

Colloidal nanoparticles exhibit unique size-dependent properties differing from their bulk counterpart, which can be particularly relevant for catalytic applications. To optimize surface-mediated chemical reactions, the understanding of the microscopic structure of the nanoparticle-liquid interface is of paramount importance. Here we use polarimetric angle-resolved second harmonic scattering (AR-SHS) to determine surface potential values as well as interfacial water orientation of ∼100 nm diameter amorphous TiO₂ nanoparticles dispersed in aqueous solutions, without any initial assumption on the distribution of interfacial charges. We find three regions of different behavior with increasing NaCl concentration. At very low ionic strengths (0-10 μM), the Na⁺ ions are preferentially adsorbed at the TiO₂ surface as inner-sphere complexes. At low ionic strengths (10-100 μM), a distribution of counterions equivalent to a diffuse layer is observed, while at higher ionic strengths (>100 μM), an additional layer of hydrated condensed ions is formed. We find a similar behavior for TiO₂ nanoparticles in solutions of different basic pH. Compared to identically sized SiO₂ nanoparticles, the TiO₂ interface has a higher affinity for Na⁺ ions, which we further confirm with molecular dynamics simulations. With its ability to monitor ion adsorption at the surface with micromolar sensitivity and changes in the surface potential, AR-SHS is a powerful tool to investigate interfacial properties in a variety of catalytic and photocatalytic applications.

Transient domains of ordered water induced by divalent ions lead to lipid membrane curvature fluctuations

Cell membranes are composed of a hydrated lipid bilayer that is molecularly complex and diverse, and the link between molecular hydration structure and membrane macroscopic properties is not well understood, due to a lack of technology that can probe and relate molecular level hydration information to micro- and macroscopic properties. Here, we demonstrate a direct link between lipid hydration structure and macroscopic dynamic curvature fluctuations. Using high-throughput wide-field second harmonic (SH) microscopy, we observe the formation of transient domains of ordered water at the interface of freestanding lipid membranes. These domains are induced by the binding of divalent ions and their structure is ion specific. Using nonlinear optical theory, we convert the spatiotemporal SH intensity into maps of membrane potential, surface charge density, and binding free energy. Using an electromechanical theory of membrane bending, we show that transient electric field gradients across the membrane induce spatiotemporal membrane curvature fluctuations.

Polyelectrolytes induce water-water correlations that result in dramatic viscosity changes and nuclear quantum effects

Ions interact with water via short-ranged ion-dipole interactions. Recently, an additional unexpected long-ranged interaction was found: The total electric field of ions influences water-water correlations over tens of hydration shells, leading to the Jones Ray effect, a 0.3% surface tension depression. Here, we report such long-range interactions contributing substantially to both molecular and macroscopic properties. Femtosecond elastic second harmonic scattering (fs-ESHS) shows that long-range electrostatic interactions are remarkably strong in aqueous polyelectrolyte solutions, leading to an increase in water-water correlations. This increase plays a role in the reduced viscosity, which changes more than two orders of magnitude with polyelectrolyte concentration. Using D₂O instead of H₂O shifts both the fs-ESHS and the viscosity curve by a factor of ~10 and reduces the maximum viscosity value by 20 to 300%, depending on the polyelectrolyte. These phenomena cannot be explained using a mean-field approximation of the solvent and point to nuclear quantum effects.

Membrane-Protein-Hydration Interaction of α-Synuclein with Anionic Vesicles Probed via Angle-Resolved Second-Harmonic Scattering

Amyloid formation of the protein α-synuclein promotes neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease. The normal function of α-synuclein includes synaptic vesicle transport and fusion, and the protein binds strongly to negatively charged vesicles in vitro. Here, we demonstrate that nonresonant angle-resolved second-harmonic scattering detects α-synuclein binding to liposomes through changes in water orientational correlations and can thus be used as a high-accuracy and high-throughput label-free probe of protein-liposome interactions. The obtained results support a binding model in which the N-terminus of α-synuclein adopts an α-helical conformation that lies flat on the vesicle surface while the negatively charged C-terminus remains in solution.

Interaction of Oil and Lipids in Freestanding Lipid Bilayer Membranes Studied with Label-Free High-Throughput Wide-Field Second-Harmonic Microscopy

The interaction of oils and lipids is relevant for membrane biochemistry since the cell uses bilayer membranes, lipid droplets, and oily substances in its metabolic cycle. In addition, a variety of model lipid membrane systems, such as freestanding horizontal membranes and droplet interface bilayers, are made using oil to facilitate membrane monolayer apposition. We characterize the behavior of excess oil inside horizontal freestanding lipid bilayers using different oils, focusing on hexadecane and squalene. Using a combination of second-harmonic (SH) and white-light imaging, we measure how oil redistributes within the membrane bilayer after formation. SH imaging shows that squalene forms a wider annulus compared with hexadecane, suggesting that there is a higher quantity of squalene remaining in the bilayer compared with hexadecane. Excess oil droplets that appear right after membrane formation are tracked with white-light microscopy. Hexadecane droplets move directionally to the edge of the membrane with diffusion constants similar to those of single lipids, whereas squalene oil droplets move randomly with lower diffusion speeds similar to lipid condensed domains and remain trapped in the center of the bilayer for ∼1-3 h. We discuss the observed differences in terms of different coupling mechanisms between the oil and lipid molecules induced by the different chemical structures of the oils.

Morphology and structure of ZIF-8 during crystallisation measured by dynamic angle-resolved second harmonic scattering

Recent developments in nonlinear optical light scattering techniques have opened a window into morphological and structural characteristics for a variety of supramolecular systems. However, for the study of dynamic processes, the current way of measuring is often too slow. Here we present an alternative measurement scheme suitable for following dynamic processes. Fast acquisition times are achieved through Fourier imaging, allowing simultaneous detection at multiple scattering angles for different polarization combinations. This allows us to follow the crystal growth of the metal organic framework ZIF-8 in solution. The angle dependence of the signal provides insight into the growth mechanism by probing the evolution of size, shape and concentration, while polarization analysis yields structural information in terms of point group symmetry. Our findings highlight the potential of dynamic angle-resolved harmonic light scattering to probe crystal growth processes, assembly–disassembly of biological systems, adsorption, transport through membranes and myriad other applications.

Angle-resolved monitoring of structure parameters during crystal growth is often slow owing to mechanical movements. Here, the authors use second harmonic scattering and Fourier-plane imaging to dynamically monitor size, shape and concentration of ZIF-8 in situ during the growth process.

Characterization of the interface of binary mixed DOPC:DOPS liposomes in water: The impact of charge condensation

Solutions of liposomes composed of binary mixtures of anionic dioleoylphosphatidylserine (DOPS) and zwitterionic dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) are investigated with label-free angle-resolved (AR) second harmonic scattering (SHS) and electrophoretic mobility measurements. The membrane surface potential is extracted from the AR-SHS response. The surface potential changes from -10 to -145 mV with varying DOPS content ( from 0% to 100%) and levels off already at ∼ 10 % DOPS content. The ζ-potential shows the same trend but with a drastically lower saturation value (-44 mV). This difference is explained by the formation of a condensed layer of Na⁺ counterions around the outer leaflet of the liposome as predicted by charge condensation theories for polyelectrolyte systems.

Optical Third Harmonic Generation Using Nickel Nanostructure-Covered Microcube Structures

We investigated the optical third harmonic generation (THG) signal from nanostructure-covered microcubes on Ni. We found that the hierarchical structures greatly change the third-order optical nonlinearity of the metallic surface. While the symmetry and lightning rod (LR) effects on microstructures did not significantly influence the THG, the localized surface plasmon (LSP) effect on the nanostructures enhanced it. By removing the nanostructures on the hierarchical structures, THG intensity could be strongly suppressed. In the present paper, we also discuss the mechanism that enhances THG in nano/micro structures.

Water at surfaces with tunable surface chemistries

Aqueous interfaces are ubiquitous in natural environments, spanning atmospheric, geological, oceanographic, and biological systems, as well as in technical applications, such as fuel cells and membrane filtration. Where liquid water terminates at a surface, an interfacial region is formed, which exhibits distinct properties from the bulk aqueous phase. The unique properties of water are governed by the hydrogen-bonded network. The chemical and physical properties of the surface dictate the boundary conditions of the bulk hydrogen-bonded network and thus the interfacial properties of the water and any molecules in that region. Understanding the properties of interfacial water requires systematically characterizing the structure and dynamics of interfacial water as a function of the surface chemistry. In this review, we focus on the use of experimental surface-specific spectroscopic methods to understand the properties of interfacial water as a function of surface chemistry. Investigations of the air-water interface, as well as efforts in tuning the properties of the air-water interface by adding solutes or surfactants, are briefly discussed. Buried aqueous interfaces can be accessed with careful selection of spectroscopic technique and sample configuration, further expanding the range of chemical environments that can be probed, including solid inorganic materials, polymers, and water immiscible liquids. Solid substrates can be finely tuned by functionalization with self-assembled monolayers, polymers, or biomolecules. These variables provide a platform for systematically tuning the chemical nature of the interface and examining the resulting water structure. Finally, time-resolved methods to probe the dynamics of interfacial water are briefly summarized before discussing the current status and future directions in studying the structure and dynamics of interfacial water.

Zwitterionic and Charged Lipids Form Remarkably Different Structures on Nanoscale Oil Droplets in Aqueous Solution

The molecular structure of zwitterionic and charged monolayers on small oil droplets in aqueous solutions is determined using a combined second harmonic and sum frequency study. From the interfacial vibrational signature of the acyl chains and phosphate headgroups as well as the response of the hydrating water, we find that zwitterionic and charged lipids with identical acyl chains form remarkably different monolayers. Zwitterionic phospholipids form a closely packed monolayer with highly ordered acyl tails. In contrast, the charged phospholipids form a monolayer with a low number density and disordered acyl tails. The charged headgroups are oriented perpendicular to the monolayer rather than parallel, as is the case for zwitterionic lipids. These significant differences between the two types of phospholipids indicate important roles of phospholipid headgroups in the determination of properties of cellular membranes and lipid droplets. The observed behavior of charged phospholipids is different from expectations based on studies performed on extended planar interfaces, at which condensed monolayers are readily formed. The difference can be explained by nanoscale related changes in charge condensation behavior that has its origin in a different balance of interfacial intermolecular interactions.

The Molecular Mechanism of Nanodroplet Stability

Mixtures of nano- and microscopic oil droplets in water have recently been rediscovered as miniature reaction vessels in microfluidic environments and are important constituents of many environmental systems, food, personal care, and medical products. The oil nanodroplet/water interface stabilized by surfactants determines the physicochemical properties of the droplets. Surfactants are thought to stabilize nanodroplets by forming densely packed monolayers that shield the oil phase from the water. This idea has been inferred from droplet stability measurements in combination with molecular structural data obtained from extended planar interfaces. Here, we present a molecular level investigation of the surface structure and stability of nanodroplets and show that the surface structure of nanodroplets is significantly different from that of extended planar interfaces. Charged surfactants form monolayers that are more than 1 order of magnitude more dilute than geometrically packed ones, and there is no experimental correlation between stability and surfactant surface density. Moreover, dilute negatively charged surfactant monolayers produce more stable nanodroplets than dilute positively charged and dense geometrically packed neutral surfactant monolayers. Droplet stability is found to depend on the relative cooperativity between charge-charge, charge-dipole, and hydrogen-bonding interactions. The difference between extended planar interfaces and nanoscale interfaces stems from a difference in the thermally averaged total charge-charge interactions in the two systems. Low dielectric oil droplets with a size smaller than the Debye length in oil permit repulsive interactions between like charges from opposing interfaces in small droplets. This behavior is generic and extends up to the micrometer length scale.

Nonlinear optics on nano/micro-hierarchical structures on metals: focus on symmetric and plasmonic effects

In this review, the authors study their creation of nano/micro-hierarchical structures on Ag and Ni substrates by femtosecond laser treatment and their investigation of their optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) signal intensities by SHG spectroscopy. The authors obtained the nanostructure-covered microgroove and microcube structures. These hierarchical surface structures were found to modify significantly the optical nonlinearity of the metal surfaces. The macroscopic symmetry of the surface’s shapes influenced SHG, and the excitation of surface plasmons enhanced SHG. On the other hand, the nanostructures on the microstructures had an additional effect on the generated SHG. For the microcube structures, the additional SHG emission was suppressed by removing a large amount of nanostructures. Left SHG was discussed by the effect of the propagating delay.

Applications of Surface Second Harmonic Generation in Biological Sensing

Surface second harmonic generation (SHG) is a coherent, nonlinear optical technique that is well suited for investigations of biomolecular interactions at interfaces. SHG is surface specific due to the intrinsic symmetry constraints on the nonlinear process, providing a distinct analytical advantage over linear spectroscopic methods, such as fluorescence and UV-Visible absorbance spectroscopies. SHG has the ability to detect low concentrations of analytes, such as proteins, peptides, and small molecules, due to its high sensitivity, and the second harmonic response can be enhanced through the use of target molecules that are resonant with the incident (ω) and/or second harmonic (2ω) frequencies. This review describes the theoretical background of SHG, and then it discusses its sensitivity, limit of detection, and the implementation of the method. It also encompasses the applications of surface SHG directed at the study of protein-surface, small-molecule-surface, and nanoparticle-membrane interactions, as well as molecular chirality, imaging, and immunoassays. The versatility, high sensitivity, and surface specificity of SHG show great potential for developments in biosensors and bioassays.

Orientational ordering of water in extended hydration shells of cations is ion-specific and is correlated directly with viscosity and hydration free energy

Specific ion effects in aqueous solutions are investigated at the molecular, nanoscopic and macroscopic levels.

Electrolytes induce long-range orientational order and free energy changes in the H-bond network of bulk water

Electrolytes interact with water in many ways: changing dipole orientation, inducing charge transfer, and distorting the hydrogen-bond network in the bulk and at interfaces. Numerous experiments and computations have detected short-range perturbations that extend up to three hydration shells around individual ions. We report a multiscale investigation of the bulk and surface of aqueous electrolyte solutions that extends from the atomic scale (using atomistic modeling) to nanoscopic length scales (using bulk and interfacial femtosecond second harmonic measurements) to the macroscopic scale (using surface tension experiments). Electrolytes induce orientational order at concentrations starting at 10 μM that causes nonspecific changes in the surface tension of dilute electrolyte solutions. Aside from ion-dipole interactions, collective hydrogen-bond interactions are crucial and explain the observed difference of a factor of 6 between light water and heavy water.

High throughput second harmonic imaging for label-free biological applications

Second harmonic generation (SHG) is inherently sensitive to the absence of spatial centrosymmetry, which can render it intrinsically sensitive to interfacial processes, chemical changes and electrochemical responses. Here, we seek to improve the imaging throughput of SHG microscopy by using a wide-field imaging scheme in combination with a medium-range repetition rate amplified near infrared femtosecond laser source and gated detection. The imaging throughput of this configuration is tested by measuring the optical image contrast for different image acquisition times of BaTiO₃ nanoparticles in two different wide-field setups and one commercial point-scanning configuration. We find that the second harmonic imaging throughput is improved by 2-3 orders of magnitude compared to point-scan imaging. Capitalizing on this result, we perform low fluence imaging of (parts of) living mammalian neurons in culture.

Label-free probe of HIV-1 TAT peptide binding to mimetic membranes

The transacting activator of transduction (TAT) protein plays a key role in the progression of AIDS. Studies have shown that a +8 charged sequence of amino acids in the protein, called the TAT peptide, enables the TAT protein to penetrate cell membranes. To probe mechanisms of binding and translocation of the TAT peptide into the cell, investigators have used phospholipid liposomes as cell membrane mimics. We have used the method of surface potential sensitive second harmonic generation (SHG), which is a label-free and interface-selective method, to study the binding of TAT to anionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-1'-rac-glycerol (POPG) and neutral 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) liposomes. It is the SHG sensitivity to the electrostatic field generated by a charged interface that enabled us to obtain the interfacial electrostatic potential. SHG together with the Poisson-Boltzmann equation yielded the dependence of the surface potential on the density of adsorbed TAT. We obtained the dissociation constants Kd for TAT binding to POPC and POPG liposomes and the maximum number of TATs that can bind to a given liposome surface. For POPC Kd was found to be 7.5 ± 2 μM, and for POPG Kd was 29.0 ± 4.0 μM. As TAT was added to the liposome solution the POPC surface potential changed from 0 mV to +37 mV, and for POPG it changed from -57 mV to -37 mV. A numerical calculation of Kd, which included all terms obtained from application of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation to the TAT liposome SHG data, was shown to be in good agreement with an approximated solution.

Charge asymmetry at aqueous hydrophobic interfaces and hydration shells

Guilty as charged: Water is often modeled as a dielectric continuum, but the molecular structure of water is asymmetric. Two ions that have a virtually identical size, shape, and structure, but an opposite charge sign have been investigated to see whether charge makes a fundamental difference to water structuring. The spectroscopic data for the hydration and interface structures are found to be remarkably different for opposite charges.

Probing rotational and translational diffusion of nanodoublers in living cells on microsecond time scales

Nonlinear microscopes have seen an increase in popularity in the life sciences due to their molecular and structural specificity, high resolution, large penetration depth, and volumetric imaging capability. Nonetheless, the inherently weak optical signals demand long exposure times for live cell imaging. Here, by modifying the optical layout and illumination parameters, we can follow the rotation and translation of noncentrosymetric crystalline particles, or nanodoublers, with 50 μs acquisition times in living cells. The rotational diffusion can be derived from variations in the second harmonic intensity that originates from the rotation of the nanodoubler crystal axis. We envisage that by capitalizing on the biocompatibility, functionalizability, stability, and nondestructive optical response of the nanodoublers, novel insights on cellular dynamics are within reach.

Second harmonic light scattering from the surface of colloidal objects: theory and applications

Because properties of colloids containing micro- and nano-particles are much influenced by the structure of, and interactions occurring at, the particle surface, it is important to be able to characterize the particle surface in situ and nondestructively. Nonlinear light scattering from colloidal particles has been developed into a powerful and versatile technique for characterizing particle surfaces since the first demonstration of the detection of second harmonic generation from molecules adsorbed on micrometer-sized colloidal particles by Eisenthal and co-workers (Wang, H.; Yan, E. C. Y.; Borguet, E.; Eisenthal, K. B. Second Harmonic Generation from the Surface of Centrosymmetric Particles in Bulk Solution. Chem. Phys. Lett. 1996, 259, 15-20). At present, second harmonic light scattering from the particle surface can be quantitatively described by theoretical models and used to measure the adsorption kinetics, molecular structure, and reaction rates at the surfaces of a variety of micrometer- to nanometer-sized particles, including biological cells.