Monolayers of amino acid-type amphiphiles

The monolayer characteristics of selected N-alkanoyl substituted α-amino acid are studied with the objective to demonstrate the specific effect of the chemical structure of the polar head group which is highlighted with the D- and L-enantiomers of the following selected examples: R-alanine, R-serine, R-threonine, R-allo-threonine, and R-aspartic acid (R = C16, C18). The thermodynamic effect of the head group variation is studied. Experimental π-A isotherms of the N-tetradecyl-L-alanine monolayers show similar behavior as those of usual amphiphiles. The -CH3-group in R-alanine with the simplest head group structure is substituted by a -CH2-OH group in R-serine and serine methylester and by a -CH- CH3-OH group in R-threonine (or allo-threonine) and threonine methylester. The introduction of the methyl group in 3-position of serine (serine to 3-methyl-serine = threonine) shifts the characteristic temperatures by >20 K to lower values determined for N-C16-Dl-serine. The formation of the corresponding methylester decreases these temperatures by 15 K for serine with the shorter (C16) alkyl chain and only by ∼5 K for threonine with the longer chain (C18). The π-A curves of the enantiomeric and racemic allo-forms show similar features to those of N-stearoyl-threonine. The absolute T0-values (disappearance of the LE/LC-transition) are 4-5 K larger compared with the corresponding N-stearoyl-threonines, but the ΔT0 between the enantiomeric (D) and the racemic (DL) forms is only slightly larger than that of N-stearoyl-threonine. Monolayers of different N-alkanoyl substituted α-amino acid amphiphiles have been mesoscopically characterized. Substantial topological differences are observable at the condensed phase domains of several amino acid amphiphiles, such as, N-palmitoyl aspartic acid, N-palmitoyl- or N-stearoyl serine methyl ester, N-stearoyltyrosine, N-palmitoyl or N-myristoyl alanine. Many fascinating domain shapes are found, but always the curvatures of the two enantiomeric forms are directed in an opposite sense. The domain shape of the 1:1 racemic mixtures is usually different, but very often oppositely curved texture elements are observable. GIXD is used to study the characteristic features of the lattice structure of condensed monolayer phases on the Angstrom scale. Specific for all structures is the large tilt angle with respect to the surface normal, which decreases only marginally by compression. The large size of the head groups and strong interactions between them dominate the monolayer structure. As presented for NC16 and N-C18-threonine, N-C16-DL -serine, N-C16-L -serine, NC16 DL -serine-ME, NC16 L -serine-ME, NC18 DL -threonine-ME, and NC18 L -threonine-ME the enantiomers form an oblique lattice structure (3 diffraction peaks), whereas two peaks are observed for the racemates forming NNN tilted orthorhombic structures. A complete phase diagram of mixed monolayers of the D- and L-enantiomers of N-stearoyl-threonine with two eutectic points at xD ≈ 0.25 and xD ≈ 0.75 is proposed. The quantum chemical semiempirical PM3 method is applied to calculate the thermodynamic and structural parameters of clusterization in finite and infinite clusters for N-alkanoyl-substituted alanine with n = 8-17 carbon atoms in the chain at the air/water interface with the aim to obtain a new theoretical verification of the experimental results.

Influence of Stereochemistry on the Monolayer Characteristics of N-alkanoyl-Substituted Threonine and Serine Amphiphiles at the Air-Water Interface

Thermodynamic and structural properties of the N-alkanoyl-substituted α-amino acids threonine and serine, differing only by one CH₃ group in the head group, are determined and compared. Detailed characterization of the influence of stereochemistry proves that all enantiomers form an oblique monolayer lattice structure whereas the corresponding racemates build orthorhombic lattice structures due to dominating heterochiral interactions, except N-C16-dl-serine-ME as first example of dominating homochiral interactions in a racemic mixture of N-alkanoyl-substituted α-amino acids. In all cases, the liquid expanded-liquid condensed (LE/LC) transition pressure of the racemic mixtures is above that of the corresponding enantiomers. Phase diagrams are proposed. Using the program Hardpack to predict tilt angles and cross-sectional area of the alkyl chains shows reasonable agreement with the experimental grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) data.

Influence of linkage type (ether or ester) on the monolayer characteristics of single-chain glycerols at the air-water interface

O-1-Alkylglycerols are ubiquitous constituents in various biological materials but their biological significance is still largely unknown. So far, reports about the striking role of structural features on the interfacial properties of 1-O-alkylglycerol monolayers are quite rare. Therefore, in the present paper 1-O-alkylglycerol monolayers are comprehensively characterized on mesoscopic and molecular scales in the accessible ranges of temperature and surface pressure. Two Bragg peaks found for the condensed monolayer phase of the racemates at all pressures investigated indicate an orthorhombic structure with NN-tilted alkyl chains at lower pressures and NNN-tilted chains at higher pressures. In contrast to the continuous change of the tilt angle, as observed for many amphiphile monolayers, the tilt angle in 1-O-alkyl-rac-glycerol monolayers shows a jump-like transition from the L2 (NN tilt direction) to the Ov phase (NNN tilt direction) with the consequence of different slopes of 1/cos(t) vs. π in the two phases. This is the most striking difference to the behavior of the corresponding ester compound 1-stearoyl-rac-glycerol, having an oblique phase between the two orthorhombic phases L2 and Ov at low temperatures. The generic phase diagrams of the 1-O-alkyl-rac-glycerol and 1-acyl-rac-glycerol monolayers are essentially different. The influence of chirality on the monolayer structure is weak and becomes even weaker at high temperatures (rotator phases) and high lateral compression. The GIXD results of the enatiomeric pure compounds show the expected oblique lattice structure characterized by three Bragg peaks at almost all lateral pressures measured. The results of the GIXD studies are complemented by other monolayer characteristics such as π-A isotherms and mesoscopic domain topographies. The π-A isotherms of 1-O-alkyl-rac-glycerols are similar to those of the corresponding 1-acyl-rac-glycerols indicating that the change from the ester linkage to the ether linkage does not affect significantly the thermodynamic features. However, pronounced differences in the topological structure are observed. 1-O-hexadecyl-rac-glycerol monolayers form three-armed domains whereby each arm is subdivided into two segments with different molecular orientation. Also fascinating chiral discrimination effects are observable, demonstrated in the case of S-enantiomers by always clockwise curved spirals at the domain periphery. The 1 : 1 racemic mixtures exhibit both clockwise and counterclockwise curved spirals.

Lattice and thermodynamic characteristics of N-stearoyl-allo-threonine monolayers

The effect of the second chiral center of diastereomeric N-alkanoyl-allo-threonine on the main monolayer characteristics has been investigated. The characteristic features of the enantiomeric and racemic forms of N-stearoyl-allo-threonine monolayers are studied on a thermodynamic basis and molecular scale. The π-A curves of the enantiomeric and racemic allo-forms show similar features to those of N-stearoyl-threonine. The compression curves are always located above the corresponding decompression curves and the decompression curves can be used as equilibrium isotherms for both the enantiomeric and racemic N-stearoyl-allo-threonine. The absolute T₀-values (disappearance of the LE/LC-transition) are 4-5 K larger compared with the corresponding N-stearoyl-threonines, but the ΔT₀ between the enantiomeric (d) and the racemic (dl) forms is only slightly larger than that of N-stearoyl-threonine. The difference in the critical temperatures T_c, above which the monolayer cannot be compressed into the condensed state, between the enantiomeric and the racemic forms, is quite small (ΔT_c = 0.8 K) and is smaller compared to that of the corresponding threonines (ΔT_c = 1.8 K). This is consistent with the dominance of the van der Waals interactions between the alkyl chains reducing the influence of chirality on the thermodynamic parameters. GIXD studies of N-stearoyl-allo-threonine monolayers provide information about the lattice structure of condensed monolayer phases on the Angstrom scale and stipulate the homochiral or heterochiral preference in the condensed phases. Comparable to N-stearoyl-threonine, the enantiomers exhibit an oblique lattice structure, whereas the racemates form a NNN tilted orthorhombic structure demonstrating the dominance of heterochiral interactions in the racemates independent of the diasteomeric structure change of the polar head group. The A₀ values are characteristic for rotator phases. The smaller A₀ value obtained for the racemic monolayers indicates their tighter packing caused by heterochiral interactions. The program Hardpack was used to predict the geometric parameters of possible 2-dimensional packings. For comparison with the experimental GIXD data, the two-dimensional lattice parameters and characteristic features of the enantiomeric and racemic diastereomeric stearoyl-threonine monolayers were calculated and are in reasonable agreement with the experimental GIXD data.

Lattice structures and phase behavior of amphiphilic monoglycerol monolayers

Due to the Angstrom resolution, Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) represents the most important technique for probing the lateral ordering in condensed monolayers at the air/water interface and allows the construction of phase diagrams of amphiphilic monolayers on the basis of two-dimensional lattice structures and tilt directions of the molecules. The high potential of GIXD is demonstrated by the structural characterization of a variety of amphiphilic monoalkanoylglycerol monolayers in Å-scale. The GIXD results have impressively shown that in the racemic 1-monostearoylglycerol monolayer with the appearance of an oblique intermediate phase (Obl) between the nearest neighbor (NN)- and next-nearest neighbor (NNN)-tilted orthorhombic phases symmetry breaking occurs at low temperatures. The generic lateral pressure-temperature phase diagram of racemic monoacylglycerol monolayers constructed on the basis of reliable two-dimensional lattice structures indicates that the new and surprising presence of the oblique phase depends only on the temperature. The significant effect of the substituted polar groups, chemical structure variations at the position of the glycerol backbone and chirality on the lattice structure in Å-scale was highlighted in a systematic overview on the structure and phase behavior of amphiphilic monoglycerol monolayers. The conspicuous effect of the position of the glycerol backbone at which the polar group is substituted is demonstrated. The monolayers of 2-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol behave as that of 1-monomyristoyl-rac-glycerol having a two CH₂ groups shorter alkyl chain. Further main topics discussed are chiral discrimination and crossover between homo- and heterochiral discrimination supported by quantum chemical calculations.

Special features of monolayer characteristics of N-alkanoyl substituted threonine amphiphiles

The monolayers of N-alkanoyl substituted threonine amphiphiles, similar to those of other N-alkanoyl-substituted amino acid amphiphiles, point to substantial differences in the main characteristics compared to usual amphiphilic monolayers. π-A measurements of the enantiomeric and racemic forms of N-alkanoyl-substituted threonine monolayers with C16 and C18 chain lengths reveal that, independent of the alkyl chain length, all compression curves are located above the corresponding decompression curves. A theoretical model developed for the kinetics of two-dimensional condensation of Langmuir monolayers can describe this behavior concluding the attachment of monomers to large aggregates. The linear fit of the entropy changes versus temperature (ΔS = f(T)) at the LE/LC phase transition and extrapolation to zero ΔS specifies the critical temperature Tc, above which the monolayer cannot be compressed into the condensed state. The relatively small ΔTc difference between the enantiomeric and the racemic forms is consistent with the increased strength of van der Waals interactions between the longer alkyl chains reducing the influence of chirality on the thermodynamic parameters. The BAM experiments reveal clearly the absence of inner anisotropy as a specific feature of the domain topology of N-palmitoyl-threonine monolayers. Furthermore, the growth kinetics of the racemic N-palmitoyl-dl-threonine domains reveals a transition from homochiral discrimination and chiral separation within the domain to a state with heterochiral preference. GIXD studies show that at all pressures the enantiomers exhibit three Bragg peaks indicating an oblique lattice structure, whereas the racemates show only two Bragg peaks indicating a NNN tilted orthorhombic structure. Characteristic for the structure of all condensed monolayer phases is the large tilt angle of ∼49°, nearly independent of the lateral pressure. The transition from the oblique lattice structures, as detected for enantiomeric monolayers, to orthorhombic structures of racemic monolayers is clear evidence that the dominant heterochiral interaction in the racemic mixtures leads to the formation of a compound with congruent transition pressure having with ∼20.0 Å2 an essentially smaller alkyl chain cross-sectional area than the enantiomers with ∼20.7 Å2.

Predicting the conductance of strongly correlated molecules: the Kondo effect in perchlorotriphenylmethyl/Au junctions

Stable organic radicals integrated into molecular junctions represent a practical realization of the single-orbital Anderson impurity model. Motivated by recent experiments for perchlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM) molecules contacted to gold electrodes, we develop a method that combines density functional theory (DFT), quantum transport theory, numerical renormalization group (NRG) calculations and renormalized super-perturbation theory (rSPT) to compute both equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties of strongly correlated nanoscale systems at low temperatures effectively from first principles. We determine the possible atomic structures of the interfaces between the molecule and the electrodes, which allow us to estimate the Kondo temperature and the characteristic transport properties, which compare well with experiments. By using the non-equilibrium rSPT results we assess the range of validity of equilibrium DFT + NRG-based transmission calculations for the evaluation of the finite voltage conductance. The results demonstrate that our method can provide qualitative insights into the properties of molecular junctions when the molecule-metal contacts are amorphous or generally ill-defined, and that it can further give a fully quantitative description when the experimental contact structures are well characterized.

Mesoscopic characterization of amphiphilic monoglycerol monolayers

The introduction of the highly-sensitive imaging technique Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) has given rise to new knowledges about the mesoscopic topology and ordering of condensed phase domains formed in the two-phase coexistence region of Langmuir monolayers. Besides fatty acids, monoalkanoylglycerols are the most studied amphiphiles at the air-water interface. In this review, the mesoscopic characterization of amphiphilic monoglycerol monolayers is surveyed to demonstrate the striking effect of the position of the glycerol backbone at which the polar head group is substituted. Systematic mesoscopic studies of amphiphilic monoglycerol monolayers offer an outstanding possibility to highlight the dramatic effect of chemical structure variations at the position of the glycerol backbone and the substituted polar groups on the basis of the mesoscopic characterization. Small changes in the polarity by slight variation in the head group structure can dramatic affect shape and organization of the condensed phase domains. According to the importance of the 1-substituted monoglycerols, the effect of the chemical structure of the substituted polar group is highlighted with 4 selected examples. Further main topics discussed are chiral discrimination, kinetics of non-equilibrium structures, electrostatic interactions and a new geometric concept for explaining the topology of condensed phase domains.

Effect of the Alkanoyl Group Position at the Glycerol Backbone on the Monolayer Characteristics Demonstrated by 2-Monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol

The influence of the position of the aliphatic chain at the glycerol backbone has been basically unknown. Solely the results of 2-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol obtained at ≥13 °C indicated an essential influence of the position of the palmitoyl group at the glycerol backbone, substantiated by a disordered packing of the alkyl chains. Therefore, the present study extends the comprehensive characterization of 2-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol monolayers to the low-temperature range for highlighting the effect of the position of the aliphatic chain at the glycerol backbone of monoalkanoylglycerolester monolayers. Systematic studies of the thermodynamic behavior, the morphological features, and the 2D lattice structures of 2-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol monolayers at ≤10 °C allow useful conclusions. Large differences between the π-A isotherms of 1- and 2-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol monolayers and their thermodynamic analysis indicate that the change of the substitution from position 1 to position 2 of glycerol backbone is consistent with a shortening of the alkyl chain by roughly two CH₂ groups. Quantum chemical calculations of the molecular structure and packing calculations are in reasonable agreement with the thermodynamic results. Considerable diversity in the mesoscopic domain topography exists between the monoalkanoylglycerol esters with the aliphatic chain positioned at the end of the glycerol backbone (1-position) and those with the aliphatic chain in the middle of the glycerol backbone (2-position). The new faceted shape of the 2-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol domains, before they develop branched fractal-like structures at the edges, is the essential difference to the round or cardioid-like 1-monoalkanoylglycerol domains. In the low-temperature range, well-defined orthorhombic lattice structures exist at all surface pressures. Comparing all GIXD data from the three racemic compounds (1-monostearoyl-rac-glycerol, 1-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol, and 2-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol) shows that 2-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol behaves as 1-monomyristoyl-rac-glycerol, i.e., the shift from position 1 to position 2 of the glycerol backbone is equivalent to a shortening of the alkyl chain.

Effect of chirality on monoacylglycerol ester monolayer characteristics: 3-monostearoyl-sn-glycerol

The effect of chirality on the thermodynamic behavior, morphological features, and 2D lattice structures of 3-monostearoyl-sn-glycerol monolayers is studied.

Phase Characteristics of 1-Monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol Monolayers at the Air/Water Interface

1-Monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol is omnipresent in numerous biological and applied systems. Systematic GIXD measurements of 1-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol monolayers are carried out over a large pressure interval at 5, 10, and 15 °C to construct the phase diagram on the basis of reliable 2D lattice structures. These studies are complemented by other monolayer characteristics, such as π-A isotherms and mesoscopic domain topographies. A phase transition is found between the two orthorhombic structures with NN and NNN tilted alkyl chains at low temperatures (5 and 10 °C). It increases linearly with increasing temperature. With a further increase in temperature to 15 °C, only NN-tilted orthorhombic lattices are observed in the whole pressure region. The cross-sectional area, A0, is less affected by surface pressure and temperature and amounts to values of between 19.7 and 19.8 Å(2), as expected for a rotator phase at the lower limit. The tilt angle t with respect to the surface normal decreases with increasing pressure and is only slightly influenced by the temperature. The transition pressure to untilted alkyl chains, as determined by the extrapolation of 1/cos(t) to zero tilt angle, is >50 mN/m for all temperatures. The results of lattice distortion d versus sin 2(t) suggest for 10 and 15 °C the tilt of the aliphatic chains as the reason for the monolayer lattice distortion whereas at 5 °C the nonzero-tilt-angle intercept d0 could be an indication of the prevention of hexagonal packing. The generic π-T phase diagram of racemic monoacylglycerol monolayers is constructed on the basis of the phase diagrams of 1-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol and 1-monostearoyl-rac-glycerol, which shows that for 1-monopalmitoyl-rac-glycerol monolayers the oblique phase can occur only close to and below 0 °C. The possible phase behavior of other racemic monoacylglycerol monolayers with alkyl chain lengths of C14 and C20 is discussed on the basis of the generic phase diagram.

Quantum chemical clarification of the alkyl chain length threshold of nonionic surfactants for monolayer formation at the air/water interface

A theoretical basis is introduced for the experimental fact that for various surfactant classes the alkyl chain length threshold varies for the formation of condensed monolayers.

Quantum chemical analysis of thermodynamics of 2D cluster formation of alkanes at the water/vapor interface in the presence of aliphatic alcohols

Using the quantum chemical semi-empirical PM3 method it is shown that aliphatic alcohols favor the spontaneous clusterization of vaporous alkanes at the water surface due to the change of adsorption from the barrier to non-barrier mechanism. A theoretical model of the non-barrier mechanism for monolayer formation is developed. In the framework of this model alcohols (or any other surfactants) act as 'floats', which interact with alkane molecules of the vapor phase using their hydrophobic part, whereas the hydrophilic part is immersed into the water phase. This results in a significant increase of contact effectiveness of alkanes with the interface during the adsorption and film formation. The obtained results are in good agreement with the existing experimental data. To test the model the thermodynamic and structural parameters of formation and clusterization are calculated for vaporous alkanes C(n)H(2n+2) (n(CH3) = 6-16) at the water surface in the presence of aliphatic alcohols C(n)H(2n+1)OH (n(OH) = 8-16) at 298 K. It is shown that the values of clusterization enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs' energy per one monomer of the cluster depend on the chain lengths of corresponding alcohols and alkanes, the alcohol molar fraction in the monolayers formed, and the shift of the alkane molecules with respect to the alcohol molecules Δn. Two possible competitive structures of mixed 2D film alkane-alcohol are considered: 2D films 1 with single alcohol molecules enclosed by alkane molecules (the alcohols do not form domains) and 2D films 2 that contain alcohol domains enclosed by alkane molecules. The formation of the alkane films of the first type is nearly independent of the surfactant type present at the interface, but depends on their molar fraction in the monolayer formed and the chain length of the compounds participating in the clusterization, whereas for the formation of the films of the second type the interaction between the hydrophilic parts of the surfactant is essential and different for various types of amphiphilic compounds. The energetic preference of the film formation of both types depends significantly on the chain length of compounds. The surfactant concentration (in the range of X = 0-10%) exerts a slight influence on the process of film formation.

Correlation-Driven Topological Fermi Surface Transition in FeSe

The electronic structure and phase stability of paramagnetic FeSe is computed by using a combination of ab initio methods for calculating band structure and dynamical mean-field theory. Our results reveal a topological change (Lifshitz transition) of the Fermi surface upon a moderate expansion of the lattice. The Lifshitz transition is accompanied with a sharp increase of the local moments and results in an entire reconstruction of magnetic correlations from the in-plane magnetic wave vector, (π,π) to (π,0). We attribute this behavior to a correlation-induced shift of the van Hove singularity originating from the d(xy) and d(xz)/d(yz) bands at the M point across the Fermi level. We propose that superconductivity is strongly influenced, or even induced, by a van Hove singularity.

Phases and phase transition in insoluble and adsorbed monolayers of amide amphiphiles: Specific characteristics of the condensed phases

For understanding the role of amide containing amphiphiles in inherently complex biological processes, monolayers at the air-water interface are used as simple biomimetic model systems. The specific characteristics of the condensed phases and phase transition in insoluble and adsorbed monolayers of amide amphiphiles are surveyed to highlight the effect of the chemical structure of the amide amphiphiles on the interfacial interactions in model monolayers. The mesoscopic topography and/or two-dimensional lattice structures of selected amino acid amphiphiles, amphiphilic N-alkylaldonamide, amide amphiphiles with specific tailored headgroups, such as amide amphiphiles based on derivatized ethanolamine, e.g. acylethanolamines (NAEs) and N-,O-diacylethanolamines (DAEs) are presented. Special attention is devoted the dominance of N,O-diacylated ethanolamine in mixed amphiphilic acid amide monolayers. The evidence that a first order phase transition can occur in adsorption layers and that condensed phase domains of mesoscopic scale can be formed in adsorption layers was first obtained on the basis of the experimental characteristics of a tailored amide amphiphile. New thermodynamic and kinetic concepts for the theoretical description of the characteristics of amide amphiphile's monolayers were developed. In particular, the equation of state for Langmuir monolayers generalized for the case that one, two or more phase transitions occur, and the new theory for phase transition in adsorbed monolayers are experimentally confirmed at first by amide amphiphile monolayers. Despite the significant progress made towards the understanding the model systems, these model studies are still limited to transfer the gained knowledge to biological systems where the fundamental physical principles are operative in the same way. The study of biomimetic systems, as described in this review, is only a first step in this direction.

Orbital-selective metal-insulator transition and gap formation above TC in superconducting Rb(1-x)Fe(2-y)Se2

Understanding the origin of high-temperature superconductivity in copper- and iron-based materials is one of the outstanding tasks of current research in condensed matter physics. Even the normal metallic state of these materials exhibits unusual properties. Here we report on a hierarchy of temperatures T(c)<T(gap)<T(met) in superconducting Rb(1-x)Fe(2-y)Se(2) observed by THz spectroscopy (T(c)=critical temperature of the superconducting phase; T(gap)=temperature below which an excitation gap opens; T(met)=temperature below which a metallic optical response occurs). Above T(met)=90 K the material reveals semiconducting characteristics. Below T(met) a coherent metallic THz response emerges. This metal-to-insulator-type, orbital-selective transition is indicated by an isosbestic point in the temperature dependence of the optical conductivity and dielectric constant at THz frequencies. At T(gap)= 61 K, a gap opens in the THz regime and then the superconducting transition occurs at T(c)=32 K. This sequence of temperatures seems to reflect a corresponding hierarchy of the electronic correlations in different bands.

Electronic correlations determine the phase stability of iron up to the melting temperature

We present theoretical results on the high-temperature phase stability and phonon spectra of paramagnetic bcc iron which explicitly take into account many-body effects. Several peculiarities, including a pronounced softening of the [110] transverse (T1) mode and a dynamical instability of the bcc lattice in harmonic approximation are identified. We relate these features to the α-to-γ and γ-to-δ phase transformations in iron. The high-temperature bcc phase is found to be highly anharmonic and appears to be stabilized by the lattice entropy.

First-principles calculation of atomic forces and structural distortions in strongly correlated materials

We introduce a novel computational approach for the investigation of complex correlated electron materials which makes it possible to evaluate interatomic forces and, thereby, determine atomic displacements and structural transformations induced by electronic correlations. It combines ab initio band structure and dynamical mean-field theory and is implemented with the linear-response formalism regarding atomic displacements. We apply this new technique to explore structural transitions of prototypical correlated systems such as elemental hydrogen, SrVO3, and KCuF3.

The quantum-chemical approach to calculations of thermodynamic and structural parameters of formation of fatty acid monolayers with hexagonal packing at the air/water interface

The structural parameters of fatty acid (with formula CnH2n+1COOH, n = 7-16) monolayers at the air/water interface were modeled within quantum-chemical semiempirical program complex Mopac 2012 (PM3 method). On the basis of quantum-chemical calculations it was shown that molecules in the highly ordered monolayer can be oriented at the angle ∼16° (tilted monolayer), or at the angle ∼0° to the normal to the air/water interface (untilted monolayer). The structural parameters of both tilted and untilted monolayers correspond well to the experimental data. The parameters of the unit cell of the modelled tilted monolayer are: a = 8.0-8.2 Å and b = 4.2-4.5 Å (with the corresponding experimental data 8.4-8.7 Å and 4.9-5.0 Å). For the modelled untilted monolayer these parameters are: a = 7.7-8.0 Å; b = 4.6 Å (with the corresponding experimental data 8.4 Å and 4.8-4.9 Å). Enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs' energy of clusterization were calculated for both structures. The correlation dependencies of the calculated parameters on the number of pair intermolecular CHHC interactions in the clusters and the pair interactions between functional groups were obtained. It was shown that the spontaneous clusterization of the fatty carboxylic acids at the air/water interface under standard conditions is energetically preferable for molecules which have 13 or more carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and this result also agrees with the corresponding experimental parameters.

Force Measuring Methods for Determination of Surface Tension of Liquids: A Comparison

Three methods for the determination of the surface tension of liquids based on force measurements namely, the vertical plate method of Wilhelmy, the frame method of Lenard and the ring method of du Noüy are compared and studied in respect of a common principle of correction. It is shown that these three most important force-based methods allow the determination of the surface tension under static conditions. The force components of the corresponding liquid column below the measuring wire obtained for the straight part of the withdrawal curve up to the transition in its curved part provides exact surface tension values. The experimentally accessible value of the force component describes the physical background of the measured value correction contrary to the approximate equations obtained by mathematical way. Usually the determination of surface tension of liquids is based merely at the vertical plate method on exact equations thermodynamically derived whereas in the case of the frame and ring methods correction factors in approximate equations are used. At usual application of the force-based methods under the non-static condition of the withdrawal of a liquid column, the force maximum measured at withdrawal of the measuring object (plate, frame, or ring) is the basis for the determination of surface tension. In these cases, the measured surface tension values are compensated by correction equations for the frame and ring methods which are based on an correction factor and correction tables empirically obtained. The surface tension values obtained in this usual way agree with those obtained by using the force component of the corresponding liquid column below the measuring wire for the straight part of the withdrawal curve up to the transition in its curved part. Problems arising at the force measurements with increasing thickness of the measuring wires inside and outside the rings are discussed.

Superposition-additive approach in the description of thermodynamic parameters of formation and clusterization of substituted alkanes at the air/water interface

The superposition-additive approach developed previously was shown to be applicable for the calculations of the thermodynamic parameters of formation and atomization of conjugate systems, their dipole polarizability, molecular diamagnetic susceptibility, π-electronic ring currents, etc. In the present work, the applicability of this approach for the calculation of the thermodynamic parameters of formation and clusterization at the water/air interface of alkanes, fatty alcohols, thioalcohols, amines, nitriles, fatty acids (C(n)H(2n+1)X, X is the functional group) and cis-unsaturated carboxylic acids (C(n)H(2n-1)COOH) is studied. Using the proposed approach the thermodynamic quantities determined agree well with the available data, either calculated using the semiempirical (PM3) quantum chemical method, or obtained in experiments. In particular, for enthalpy and Gibbs' energy of the formation of substituted alkane monomers from the elementary substances, and their absolute entropy, the standard deviations of the values calculated according to the superposition-additive scheme with the mutual superimposition domain C(n-2)H(2n-4) (n is the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain) from the results of PM3 calculations for alkanes, alcohols, thioalcohols, amines, fatty acids, nitriles and cis-unsaturated carboxylic acids are respectively: 0.05, 0.004, 2.87, 0.02, 0.01, 0.77, and 0.01 kJ/mol for enthalpy; 2.32, 5.26, 4.49, 0.53, 1.22, 1.02, 5.30 J/(molK) for absolute entropy; 0.69, 1.56, 3.82, 0.15, 0.37, 0.69, 1.58 kJ/mol for Gibbs' energy, whereas the deviations from the experimental data are: 0.52, 5.75, 1.40, 1.00, 4.86 kJ/mol; 0.52, 0.63, 1.40, 6.11, 2.21 J/(molK); 2.52, 5.76, 1.58, 1.78, 4.86 kJ/mol, respectively (for nitriles and cis-unsaturated carboxylic acids experimental data are not available). The proposed approach provides also quite accurate estimates of enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs' energy of boiling and melting, critical temperatures and standard heat capacities for several classes of substituted alkanes. For the calculation of thermodynamic functions of clusterization of dimers, trimers and tetramers of fatty alcohols, thioalcohols, amines, carboxylic acids and cis-unsaturated carboxylic acids two superposition-additive schemes are proposed which ensure the correct superimposition of the molecular graphs, including intermolecular hydrogen-hydrogen interactions in the clusters. The calculations involve the thermodynamic parameters of clusterization obtained earlier by the PM3 method. It is shown that the proposed approach reproduces quite accurately the values calculated earlier and is applicable for the prediction of the thermodynamic parameters of the formation of surfactant monolayers.

Temperature effect on the monolayer formation of substituted alkanes at the air/water interface: a quantum chemical approach

An approach to calculation of the threshold temperature for spontaneous clusterization of substituted alkanes (amines, nitriles, alcohols, thioalcohols, saturated and unsaturated carboxylic acids, α-amino acids, carboxylic acid amides, and melamine derivatives) at the air/water interface with dependence on the alkyl chain length was developed. In the framework of this approach, four schemes for the description of the temperature dependencies of the thermodynamic parameters of clusterization of the concerned amphiphilic compounds were proposed. They use the data obtained previously in the framework of quantum chemical semiempirical PM3 method and differ from each other by the degree of their theoretical accuracy. It was shown that the threshold temperature for spontaneous clusterization of the regarded classes of substituted alkanes can be described using a fractionally linear function in dependence on the alkyl chain length. It was found that, in agreement with the presented experimental data, the effect of the alkyl chain elongation of the substituted alkanes by two methylene units correlates with the decrease of the subphase temperature (ΔT) by 10-20 K. The general shape of the obtained dependencies indicates that the difference in the ΔT values for the amphiphilic molecules decreases with increasing alkyl chain length. This implies that the contribution of the intermolecular CH···HC interactions between the alkyl chains of monolayer molecules should be a decisive factor.

Ionic strength and pH as control parameters for spontaneous surface oscillations

A system far from equilibrium, where the surfactant transfer from a small drop located in the aqueous bulk to the air-water interface results in spontaneous nonlinear oscillations of surface tension, is theoretically and experimentally considered. The oscillations in this system are the result of periodically arising and terminating Marangoni instability. The surfactant under consideration is octanoic acid, the dissociated form of which is much less surface-active than the protonated form. Numerical simulations show how the system behavior can be controlled by changes in pH and ionic strength of the aqueous phase. The results of numerical simulations are in good agreement with experimental data.

Superposition-additive approach: thermodynamic parameters of clusterization of monosubstituted alkanes at the air/water interface

The applicability of the superposition-additive approach for the calculation of the thermodynamic parameters of formation and atomization of conjugate systems, their dipole electric polarisabilities, molecular diamagnetic susceptibilities, π-electron circular currents, as well as for the estimation of the thermodynamic parameters of substituted alkanes, was demonstrated earlier. Now the applicability of the superposition-additive approach for the description of clusterization of fatty alcohols, thioalcohols, amines, carboxylic acids at the air/water interface is studied. Two superposition-additive schemes are used that ensure the maximum superimposition of the graphs of the considered molecular structures including the intermolecular CH-HC interactions within the clusters. The thermodynamic parameters of clusterization are calculated for dimers, trimers and tetramers. The calculations are based on the values of enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs' energy of clusterization calculated earlier using the semiempirical quantum chemical PM3 method. It is shown that the proposed approach is capable of the reproduction with sufficiently enough accuracy of the values calculated previously.

Concentration polarization effect at the deposition of charged Langmuir monolayers

The review summarizes the results of the recent studies of the electrokinetic relaxation process within the meniscus region during the deposition of charged Langmuir monolayers. Such electrokinetic relaxation is the consequence of the initial misbalance of partial ion fluxes within a small region near the contact line, where the diffuse parts of electric double layers, formed at the monolayer and the substrate surface, overlap. The concentration polarization within the solution near the three-phase contact line should lead to long-term relaxations of the meniscus after beginning and stopping the deposition process, to changes of the ionic composition within the deposited films, to change of the interaction of the monolayer with the substrate, and to dependence of the maximum deposition rate on the subphase composition.

Monolayer characteristics of a long-chain N,O-diacyl substituted ethanolamine at the air/water interface

The N- and/or O-acylation of amphiphilic ethanolamine attracts particular attention because of its interesting biological, pharmaceutical, and medicinal properties. Tetradecanoic acid-2-[(1-oxotetradecyl)amino]ethyl ester (TAOAE) as the selected N,O-diacyl derivative of ethanolamine has been synthesized in order to obtain first information about its main interfacial characteristics, such as the surface pressure-area (π-A) isotherms, the morphology of the condensed phase domains, the lattice structure of the condensed phase, and information about the existence of interfacial hydrogen bonds (-NH···O═C-). The π-A isotherms of TAOAE, similar to those of the most usual monolayers of amphiphiles, show a sharp break point (A(c)) indicating the first-order phase transition from the fluid (liquid-expanded (LE), gaseous (G)) to the condensed (liquid-condensed (LC)) phase. On the mesoscopic scale, the dendritic domains homogeneously reflecting suggest an orientation of the alkyl chains perpendicular to the aqueous surface. The grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) studies reveal hexagonal packing of the TAOAE molecules oriented perpendicular to the surface in an LS phase. The existence of a hydrogen-bonding network in the monolayer is supported by infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) experiments.

Quantum-chemical analysis of thermodynamics of two-dimensional cluster formation of racemic α-amino acids at the air/water interface

The quantum-chemical semiempiric PM3 method is used to calculate the thermodynamic parameters of clusterization for the racemic α-amino acids C(n)H(2n+1)CHNH(2)COOH with n=5-15 at 278 and 298 K. Possible relative orientations of the monomers in the heterochiral clusters are considered. It is shown that, for the racemic mixtures of α-amino acids, the formation of heterochiral 2D films is most energetically preferable with the alternating (rather than "checkered") packing of the enantiomers with opposite specific rotation. The two enantiomeric forms of α-amino acids in the heterochiral 2D clusters are tilted with respect to the normal to the q direction at angles of φ(1)=20° and φ(2) = 33°, whereas the single enantiomeric forms are oriented at an angle of δ=9° with respect to the normal to the p direction. It is shown that the heterochiral 2D film based on the α-amino acid structures oriented at the angle φ(2)=33° with respect to the normal to the q direction possesses a rectangular unit cell with the geometric parameters a = 4.62 Å and b = 10.70 Å and the tilt angle of the alkyl chain of the molecule with respect to the interface t(2)=35°, which is in good agreement with the X-ray structural data a=4.80 Å, b=9.67 Å, and t(2)=37°. The parameters of the lattice structure of monolayers formed by amphiphilic amino acids are shown to be determined by the "a" type of the intermolecular H-H interactions, whereas the tilt angle of the molecules with respect to the interface depends on the volume and the structure of the functional groups involved in the hydrophilic part of the molecule. Spontaneous clusterization of the racemic form of α-amino acids at the air/water interface at 278 K takes place if the alkyl chain length is equal or higher than 12-13 carbon atoms, whereas for 298 K this clusterization threshold corresponds to 14 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain. These values agree with the experimental data.

Electronic correlations at the α-γ structural phase transition in paramagnetic iron

We compute the equilibrium crystal structure and phase stability of iron at the α(bcc)-γ(fcc) phase transition as a function of temperature, by employing a combination of ab initio methods for calculating electronic band structures and dynamical mean-field theory. The magnetic correlation energy is found to be an essential driving force behind the α-γ structural phase transition in paramagnetic iron.

Ions redistribution and meniscus relaxation during Langmuir wetting process

Nonstationary kinetics of the ion redistribution within the meniscus region during deposition of a charged Langmuir monolayer after beginning or stopping of the substrate motion is analyzed on the basis of the results of numerical simulations. The time evolution of the ions concentration profiles forming at the contact line and propagating toward the bulk solution is considered. It is shown that the diffusion front propagates much slower within the region of overlapping diffuse layers than outside of this region. At the beginning of the deposition process a region characterized by quasi-stationary behavior of the ion concentration and electric potential distributions is formed in close vicinity to the contact line. A stationary deposition regime is established when the region of quasi-stationary distributions reaches the external boundary of the Nernst layer provided that the substrate motion is not very fast. For the substrate velocities higher than the critical one the concentration near the contact line can decrease to such small values which do not allow a stable deposition process. The developed mathematical model allows addressing to transient regimes of the monolayer deposition which are very important for understanding the mechanisms leading to meniscus instability.

Auto-oscillation of surface tension: effect of pH on fatty acid systems

Spontaneous nonlinear oscillations of surface tension produced by transfer of either octanoic or nonanoic acids from a droplet situated in the bulk water to the air/water interface are studied experimentally. It is shown that the oscillation amplitude decreases significantly with the increase of pH of aqueous phase. At pH > 6.5, detectable oscillations for the two fatty acids studied do not exist. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanism proposed recently for spontaneous oscillations produced by transfer of nonionic surfactants.

Characterisation of phase transition in adsorbed monolayers at the air/water interface

Recent work has provided experimental and theoretical evidence that a first order fluid/condensed (LE/LC) phase transition can occur in adsorbed monolayers of amphiphiles and surfactants which are dissolved in aqueous solution. Similar to Langmuir monolayers, also in the case of adsorbed monolayers, the existence of a G/LE phase transition, as assumed by several authors, is a matter of question. Representative studies, at first performed with a tailored amphiphile and later with numerous other amphiphiles, also with n-dodecanol, provide insight into the main characteristics of the adsorbed monolayer during the adsorption kinetics. The general conditions necessary for the formation of a two-phase coexistence in adsorbed monolayers can be optimally studied using dynamic surface pressure measurements, Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) and synchrotron X-ray diffraction at grazing incidence (GIXD). A characteristic break point in the time dependence of the adsorption kinetics curves indicates the phase transition which is largely affected by the concentration of the amphiphile in the aqueous solution and on the temperature. Formation and growth of condensed phase domains after the phase transition point are visualised by BAM. As demonstrated by a tailored amphiphile, various types of morphological textures of the condensed phase can occur in different temperature regions. Lattice structure and tilt angle of the alkyl chains in the condensed phase of the adsorbed monolayer are determined using GIXD. The main growth directions of the condensed phase textures are correlated with the two-dimensional lattice structure. The results, obtained for the characteristics of the condensed phase after a first order main transition, are supported by experimental bridging to the Langmuir monolayers. Phase transition of adsorbing trace impurities in model surfactants can strongly affect the characteristics of the main component. Dodecanol present as minor component in aqueous sodium dodecylsulfate solution dominate largely the fundamental features of the adsorbed monolayer of the mixed dodecanol/SDS solutions at adsorption equilibrium. A theoretical concept on the basis of the quasi-chemical model and assumption of the entropy non-ideality has been developed which can well describe the experimental results of the diffusion kinetics of surfactant adsorption from solutions. The model regards the phase behaviour of adsorbed monolayers on the basis of the experimental results explicitly supported by the first order fluid/condensed phase transition and theoretical models assuming bimodal distribution between large aggregates (domains) and monomers and/or very small aggregates. Another simple theoretical model for the description of the coadsorption of surfactant mixtures, based on the additivity of the contributions brought by the solution components into the surface pressure is shown to be in qualitative agreement with the experimental data of mixed dodecanol/SDS solutions. The theoretical results corroborate the fact that the formed condensed phase (large aggregates) in the mixed monolayer consists mainly of dodecanol.

Quantum-chemical description of the thermodynamic characteristics of clusterization of melamine-type amphiphiles at the air/water interface

The semiempiric PM3 method is used to calculate the thermodynamic parameters of the formation of monomers, dimers, trimers, and tetramers of the amphiphilic melamine-type series of 2,4-di(n-alkylamino)-6-amino-1,3,5-triazine (2C(n)H(2n+1)-melamine) with n = 9-16. The most stable conformations are determined, which then are used to construct the clusters. The peculiar feature of these structures is the existence of a bend at one of the alkyl chains. Thus, the formation of infinite films becomes possible because of their spatial arrangement. From the calculation of the relative amount of various conformers in the mixture, it follows that, if the alkyl chain length is lower than 11-12 carbon atoms, the mixture is composed mainly of the monomers that do not contain any intramolecular interactions, whereas for higher alkyl chain lengths the monomers that involve such interactions prevail in the mixture. For all clusters thus considered, the thermodynamic parameters (enthalpies, entropies, and Gibbs' energies) of clusterization are calculated. It is shown that the dependencies of these parameters on the alkyl chain length either exhibit stepwise shape or are represented by the combination of a linear and stepwise function. This depends on the different number of hydrogen-hydrogen interactions in the structures considered. Five types of clusters that are capable of the formation of infinite 2D films are considered in detail. For each of these types, the dependencies of the clusterization enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs' energy on the alkyl chain length in the constituting monomers are derived. Using these dependencies, it becomes possible to calculate these thermodynamic characteristics for clusters of any size, and also for infinite 2D films. It is shown that the spontaneous clusterization of 2C(n)H(2n+1)-melamine becomes possible if the alkyl chain length exceeds 9 carbon atoms.