Chemical bonding differences evidenced from J-coupling in solid state NMR experiments involving quadrupolar nuclei

Small scalar J-coupling between quadrupolar nuclei and spin 1/2 can be measured in inorganic solids using J-Resolved experiments and further used to acquire 2D J-HQMC heteronuclear correlation, giving detailed insight into the chemical bonding scheme.

Through-space contributions to two-dimensional double-quantum J correlation NMR spectra of magic-angle-spinning solids

A routinely used assumption when interpreting two-dimensional NMR spectra obtained with a commonly used double-quantum (DQ) magic-angle-spining (MAS) pulse sequence referred to as the refocused incredible natural abundance double-quantum transfer experiment (INADEQUATE) [A. Lesage, M. Bardet, and L. Emsley, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121, 10987 (1999)] has been that correlation peaks are only observed for pairs of nuclei with a through-bond connectivity. The validity of this assumption is addressed here by theory, experiment, and computer simulations. If the isotropic chemical shifts of the two nuclei are different and the MAS frequency is far from rotational resonance, the theoretical description demonstrates that DQ correlation peaks are indeed indicative of a J coupling. However, if the isotropic chemical shifts are the same, it is shown that DQ peaks can appear for pairs of nuclei even in the absence of a through-bond J coupling. These peaks appear in the specific case of a pair of nuclei with a nonzero through-space dipole-dipole coupling and chemical shift anisotropy tensors having different principal magnitudes or orientations, provided that the MAS frequency is comparable to or smaller than the chemical shift anisotropies. Experimental 31P spectra recorded on a sample of TiP2O7 and computer simulations show that the magnitude of these anomalous peaks increases with increasing B0 magnetic field and that they decrease with increasing MAS frequency. This behavior is explained theoretically.

Through-bond phosphorus-phosphorus connectivities in crystalline and disordered phosphates by solid-state NMR

2D 31P refocused INADEQUATE NMR experiments have been used to determine through-bond P-O-P connectivities in crystalline and disordered phosphates.

Topological, geometric, and chemical order in materials: insights from solid-state NMR

Unlike the long-range order of ideal crystalline structures, local order is an intrinsic characteristic of real materials and often serves as the key to the tuning of their properties and their final applications. Although researchers can easily assess local ordering using two-dimensional imaging techniques with resolution that approaches the atomic level, the diagnosis, description, and qualification of local order in three dimensions is much more challenging. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and its panel of continually developing instruments and methods enable the local, atom-selective characterization of structures and assemblies ranging from the atomic to the nanometer length scales. By making use of the indirect J-coupling that distinguishes chemical bonds, researchers can use solid-state NMR to characterize a variety of materials, ranging from crystalline compounds to amorphous or glassy materials. In crystalline compounds showing some disorder, we describe and distinguish the contributions of topology, geometry, and local chemistry in ways that are consistent with X-ray diffraction and computational approaches. We give examples of materials featuring either chemical disorder in a topological order or topological disorder with local chemical order. For glasses, we show that we can separate geometric and chemical contributions to the local order by identifying structural motifs with a viewpoint that extends from the atomic scale up to the nanoscale. As identified by solid state NMR, the local structure of amorphous materials or glasses consists of well-identified structural entities up to at least the nanometer scale. Instead of speaking of disorder, we propose a new description for these structures as a continuous assembly of locally defined structures, an idea that draws on the concept of locally favored structures (LFS) introduced by Tanaka and coworkers. This idea provides a comprehensive picture of amorphous structures based on fluctuations of chemical composition and structure over different length scales. We hope that these local or molecular insights will allow researchers to consider key questions related to nucleation and crystallization, as well as chemically (spinodal decomposition) or density-driven (polyamorphism) phase separation, which could lead to future applications in a variety of materials.

Cooperative mechanisms of oxygen vacancy stabilization and migration in the isolated tetrahedral anion Scheelite structure

Tetrahedral units can transport oxide anions via interstitial or vacancy defects owing to their great deformation and rotation flexibility. Compared with interstitial defects, vacancy-mediated oxide-ion conduction in tetrahedra-based structures is more difficult and occurs rarely. The isolated tetrahedral anion Scheelite structure has showed the advantage of conducting oxygen interstitials but oxygen vacancies can hardly be introduced into Scheelite to promote the oxide ion migration. Here we demonstrate that oxygen vacancies can be stabilized in the BiVO₄ Scheelite structure through Sr²⁺ for Bi³⁺ substitution, leading to corner-sharing V₂O₇ tetrahedral dimers, and migrate via a cooperative mechanism involving V₂O₇-dimer breaking and reforming assisted by synergic rotation and deformation of neighboring VO₄ tetrahedra. This finding reveals the ability of Scheelite structure to transport oxide ion through vacancies or interstitials, emphasizing the possibility to develop oxide-ion conductors with parallel vacancy and interstitial doping strategies within the same tetrahedra-based structure type.

Fast oxide ion conductors are the key materials for some technological devices. Here the authors report the creation and stabilization of oxygen vacancies in BiVO₄ Scheelite with isolated tetrahedral anion structures for improved ionic conducting performance and understanding of the conduction mechanism.

A space group assignment of ZrP2O7 obtained by 31P solid state NMR

2-D 31P dipolar recoupling magic angle spinning NMR has been used to determine the true symmetry of the low temperature structure of ZrP2O7 for the first time.

Investigation of alendronate-doped apatitic cements as a potential technology for the prevention of osteoporotic hip fractures: critical influence of the drug introduction mode on the in vitro cement properties

Combination of a bisphosphonate (BP) anti-osteoporotic drug, alendronate, with an apatitic calcium phosphate cement does not significantly affect the main properties of the biomaterial, in terms of injectability and setting time, provided that the BP is introduced chemisorbed onto calcium-deficient apatite, one of the components of the cement. In contrast to other modes of introducing the BP into the cement formulation, this mode allows to minimize alendronate release in the cement paste, thus limiting the setting retardant effect of the BP. An original approach based on high frequency impedance measurements is found to be a convenient method for in situ monitoring of the cement setting reaction. The release profile of the drug from a cement block under continuous flow conditions can be well described using a coupled chemistry/transport model, under simulated in vivo conditions. The results show that the released alendronate concentration is expected to be much lower than the cytotoxic concentration.

Evaluation of Ligands Effect on the Photophysical Properties of Copper Iodide Clusters

Luminescent materials based on copper complexes are currently receiving increasing attention because of their rich photophysical properties, opening a wide field of applications. The copper iodide clusters formulated [Cu₄I₄L₄] (L = ligand), are particularly relevant for the development of multifunctional materials based on their luminescence stimuli-responsive properties. In this context, controlling and modulating their photophysical properties is crucial and this can only be achieved by thorough understanding of the origin of the optical properties. We thus report here, the comparative study of a series of cubane copper iodide clusters coordinated by different phosphine ligands, with the goal of analyzing the effect of the ligands nature on the photoluminescence properties. The synthesis, structural, and photophysical characterizations along with theoretical investigations of copper iodide clusters with ligands presenting different electronic properties, are described. A method to simplify the analysis of the ³¹P solid-state NMR spectra is also reported. While clusters with electron-donating groups present classical luminescence properties, the cluster bearing strong electron-withdrawing substituents exhibits original behavior demonstrating a clear influence of the ligands properties. In particular, the electron-withdrawing character induces a decrease in energy of the unoccupied molecular orbitals, that consequently impacts the emission properties. The modification of the luminescence thermochromic properties of the clusters are supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study demonstrates that the control of the luminescence properties of these compounds can be achieved through modification of the coordinated ligands, nevertheless the role of the crystal packing should not be underestimated.

19F High Magnetic Field NMR Study of β-ZrF4 and CeF4: From Spectra Reconstruction to Correlation between Fluorine Sites and 19F Isotropic Chemical Shifts

High magnetic field and high spinning frequency one- and two-dimensional one-pulse MAS 19F NMR spectra of beta-ZrF4 and CeF4 were recorded and reconstructed allowing the accurate determination of the 19F chemical shift tensor parameters for the seven different crystallographic fluorine sites of each compound. The attributions of the NMR resonances are performed using the superposition model for 19F isotropic chemical shift calculation initially proposed by Bureau et al. (Bureau, B.; Silly, G.; Emery, J.; Buzaré, J.-Y. Chem. Phys. 1999, 249, 85-104). A satisfactory reliability is reached with a root-mean-square (rms) deviation between calculated and measured isotropic chemical shift values equal to 1.5 and 3.5 ppm for beta-ZrF4 and CeF4, respectively.

The response of pre-osteoblasts and osteoclasts to gallium containing mesoporous bioactive glasses

Mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) in the system SiO₂-CaO-P₂O₅-Ga₂O₃ have been synthesized by the evaporation induced self-assembly method and subsequent impregnation with Ga cations. Two different compositions have been prepared and the local environment of Ga(III) has been characterized using ²⁹Si, ⁷¹Ga and ³¹P NMR analysis, demonstrating that Ga(III) is efficiently incorporated as both, network former (GaO₄ units) and network modifier (GaO₆ units). In vitro bioactivity tests evidenced that Ga-containing MBGs retain their capability for nucleation and growth of an apatite-like layer in contact with a simulated body fluid with ion concentrations nearly equal to those of human blood plasma. Finally, in vitro cell culture tests evidenced that Ga incorporation results in a selective effect on osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Indeed, the presence of this element enhances the early differentiation towards osteoblast phenotype while disturbing osteoclastogenesis. Considering these results, Ga-doped MBGs might be proposed as bone substitutes, especially in osteoporosis scenarios.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFCANCE

Osteoporosis is the most prevalent bone disease affecting millions of patients every year. However, there is a lack of bone grafts specifically designed for the treatment of bone defects occurred because of osteoporotic fractures. The consequence is that osteoporotic bone defects are commonly treated with the same biomaterials intended for high quality bone tissue. In this work we have prepared mesoporous bioactive glasses doped with gallium, demonstrating osteoinductive capability by promoting the differentiation of pre-osteoblast toward osteoblasts and partial inhibition of osteoclastogenesis. Through a deep study of the local environment of gallium within the mesoporous matrix, this work shows that gallium release is not required to produce this effect on osteoblasts and osteoclasts. In this sense, the presence of this element at the surface of the mesoporous bioactive glasses would be enough to locally promote bone formation while reducing bone resorption.

Accurate heteronuclear J-coupling measurements in dilute spin systems using the multiple-quantum filtered J-resolved experiment

A new solid-state MAS NMR experiment is proposed to accurately measure heteronuclear (19)F-(207)Pb J-coupling constants, even though these couplings are not visible on high speed (19)F 1D MAS spectra; in particular, we demonstrate that the J-resolved experiment combined with scalar multiple-quantum filtering considerably improves the resolution of J-multiplet patterns for dilute spin systems.