Sphere-to-rod transitions of nonionic surfactant micelles in aqueous solution modeled by molecular dynamics simulations

Control of the size and agglomeration of micellar systems is important for pharmaceutical applications such as drug delivery. Although shape-related transitions in surfactant solutions are studied experimentally, their molecular mechanisms are still not well understood. In this study, we use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to describe micellar assemblies of pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C(12)E(5)) in aqueous solution at different concentrations. The obtained size and aggregation numbers of the aggregates formed are in very good agreement with the available experimental data. Importantly, increase of the concentration leads to a second critical micelle concentration where a transition to rod-like aggregates is observed. This transition is quantified in terms of shape anisotropy, together with a detailed structural analysis of the micelles as a function of aggregation number.     

Dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance studies of hydration and local water dynamics in micelle and vesicle assemblies

We present a unique analysis tool for the selective detection of local water inside soft molecular assemblies (hydrophobic cores, vesicular bilayers, and micellar structures) suspended in bulk water. Through the use of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), the (1)H NMR signal of water is amplified, as it interacts with stable radicals that possess approximately 658 times higher spin polarization. We utilized stable nitroxide radicals covalently attached along the hydrophobic tail of stearic acid molecules that incorporate themselves into surfactant-based micelle or vesicle structures. Here, we present a study of local water content and fluid viscosity inside oleate micelles and vesicles and Triton X-100 micelles to serve as model systems for soft molecular assemblies. This approach is unique because the amplification of the NMR signal is performed in bulk solution and under ambient conditions with site-specific spin labels that only detect the water that is directly interacting with the localized spin labels. Continuous wave (cw) electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis provides rotational dynamics of the spin-labeled molecular chain segments and local polarity parameters that can be related to hydration properties, whereas we show that DNP-enhanced (1)H NMR analysis of fluid samples directly provides translational water dynamics and permeability of the local environment probed by the spin label. Our technique therefore has the potential to become a powerful analysis tool, complementary to cw ESR, to study hydration characteristics of surfactant assemblies, lipid bilayers, or protein aggregates, where water dynamics is a key parameter of their structure and function. In this study, we find that there is significant penetration of water inside the oleate micelles with a higher average local water viscosity ( approximately 1.8 cP) than in bulk water, and Triton X-100 micelles and oleate vesicle bilayers mostly exclude water while allowing for considerable surfactant chain motion and measurable water permeation through the soft structure.     

Effect of concentration on surfactant micelle shapes —A molecular dynamics study

Many aspects of the behavior of surfactants have not been well understood due to the coupling of many different mechanisms. Computer simulation is, therefore, attractive in the sense that it can explore the effect of different mechanisms separately. In this paper, the shapes, structures and sizes of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) micelles under different concentrations in an oil/water mixture were studied via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using a simplified atomistic model which basically maintains the hydrophile and lipophile properties of the surfactant molecules. Above the critical micellar concentration (cmc), surfactant molecules aggregate spontaneously to form a wide variety of assemblies, from spherical to rodlike, wormlike and bilayer micelles. Changes in their ratios of the principle moments of inertia (g₁/g₃, g₂/g₃) indicated the transition of micelle shapes at different concentrations. The aggregation number of micelle is found to have a power-law dependence on surfactant concentration.     

Structure and dynamics of highly PEG-ylated sterically stabilized micelles in aqueous media

Molecular assemblies of highly PEG-ylated phospholipids are important in many biomedical applications. We have studied sterically stabilized micelles (SSMs) of self-assembled DSPE–PEG2000 in pure water and isotonic HEPES-buffered saline solution. The observed SSM sizes of 2–15 nm largely depend on the solvent and the lipid concentration used. The critical micelle concentration of DSPE–PEG2000 is 10 times higher in water than in buffer, and the viscosity of the dispersion dramatically increases with the lipid concentration. To explain the experimentally observed results, we performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of solvated SSMs. Our modeling revealed that the observed assemblies have very different aggregation numbers (N(agg) ≈ 90 in saline solution and N(agg) < 8 in water) because of very different screening of their charged PO4(–) groups. We also demonstrate that the micelle cores can inflate and their coronas can fluctuate strongly, thus allowing storage and delivery of molecules with different chemistries.     

Influence of Confined Water on the Photophysics of Dissolved Solutes in Reverse Micelles

The photophysical parameters of two probes with largely different hydrophobic character, namely, coumarin 1 and coumarin 343, are investigated in sodium bis‐(2‐ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/hexane/water reverse micelles at various water/AOT molar ratio w₀. Correlation of photophysical parameters such as fluorescence quantum yield, fluorescence lifetime, and emission maxima with w₀ indicate distinctly different trends below and above w₀≈7 for both probes. The variation of the average rotational correlation times obtained from fluorescence anisotropy decays for both probes in reverse micelles further corroborate the above observation. Similar studies were also performed in nonaqueous reverse micelles with acetonitrile as polar solvent. Similar to aqueous reverse micelles, breaks in the photophysical parameters with increasing acetonitrile/AOT molar ratios w′₀ were also observed in these cases, although at a much lower w′₀ value of 3. The present results indicate that around w₀≈7 for aqueous reverse micelles (and around w′₀≈3 for nonaqueous reverse micelles) a distinct change occurs in the probe microenvironment, which is rationalized on the basis of the relative populations of interfacial and core water. We propose that until the ionic head groups and counterions are fully solvated by polar solvents, that is, up to w₀≈7 (or w′₀≈3), the interfacial water population dominates. Above these molar ratios coalescence of excess water molecules with each other to form truncated H‐bonded water clusters leads to a sizable population of core water. This is further substantiated by changes in the IR absorption spectra for the O? D stretching mode of diluted D₂O in reverse micelles with varying w₀. Critical comparison of the present results with relevant literature reports provide clear support for the proposals made on water structure in reverse micelles. The role of relative size of the probe and the reverse micelles for differences in polar solvent to AOT ratios (w₀=7 and w′₀=3) in the observed breaks in the two types of reverse micelles is also discussed.     

Oxidation of thioanisole by peroxomolybdate in assemblies of cetylpyridinium chloride and methyltri-n-octylammonium chloride

Methyltri-n-octylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) is sparingly soluble in water but is readily soluble with a 2-fold excess of micellized cetylpyridinium chloride (CPyCl), and the mixtures show breaks in plots of surface tension or electrolytic conductance against concentration indicative of a critical micelle concentration slightly lower than that of CPyCl. Micellization markedly increases 35Cl and 14N NMR line widths of CPyCl, but addition of NaCl reduces the 35Cl line width and addition of Aliquat increases it. Mixing Aliquat and CPyCl has little effect on their 14N line widths. Ion pairing in alcohol mixtures also increases 35Cl line widths. In water these mixed assemblies behave similarly to micelles of CPyCl as regards effects on rates and equilibria of interconversion of tri- and tetraperoxomolybdate ions, and oxidation of thioanisole by the latter, although it is slightly slower than in micelles of CPyCl. Despite differences in the hydrophobic regions, and relationships between amphiphilic structures and morphologies of association colloids, assemblies of CPyCl and Aliquat behave very much like CPyCl micelles in their physical properties and effects upon reactivity. Geometrical optimization indicates that Aliquat can adopt conformations that allow intercalation with CPyCl micelles.     

Long-chain alkyl sulfonate micelle fission: a molecular dynamics study

In this study, we investigate micelle fission of long-chain alkyl sulfonate molecules using atomistic scale simulation. GROMACS software code with the united atom force field was applied. 0.5-μs parallel molecular dynamics simulation study was conducted for a surfactant/water system consisting of 192 sodium pentadecyl sulfonate and 40,553 water molecules. The large preassembled micelle was ruptured at Krafft above T?=?323-K temperature, and we track two ellipsoid-like micelles over the course of the production run. To estimate the micelle shape, we determined the principal moments of inertia and the eccentricity, which proved that the micelles have a pronounced prolate spheroid shape, which agrees well with our previous experimental data. The mechanism of micelle fission was explored in detail. The aggregation number, ionization degree, and other parameters obtained from simulation were consistent with existing experimental finding. The determined parameters in addition to simple visual inspection of trajectories revealed monomer-micelle exchange—with the estimated relaxation time τ ₁?=?10^??9s. We assume that the exchange process is conditioned by the unequal size of micelles leading to adjustment of aggregation number.     

Temperature‐Dependent Atomic Models of Detergent Micelles Refined against Small‐Angle X‐Ray Scattering Data

Surfactants have found a wide range of industrial and scientific applications. In particular, detergent micelles are used as lipid membrane mimics to solubilize membrane proteins for functional and structural characterization. However, an atomic‐level understanding of surfactants remains limited because many experiments provide only low‐resolution structural information on surfactant aggregates. In this work, small‐angle X‐ray scattering is combined with molecular dynamics simulations to derive fully atomic models of two maltoside micelles at temperatures between 10 °C and 70 °C. The micelles take the shape of general tri‐axial ellipsoids and decrease in size and aggregation number with increasing temperature. Density profiles of hydrophobic groups and water along the three principal axes reveal that the minor micelle axis closely mimics lipid membranes. The results suggest that coupling atomic simulations with low‐resolution data allows the structural characterization of surfactant aggregates.     

Confinement or the nature of the interface? Dynamics of nanoscopic water

The dynamics of water confined in two different types of reverse micelles are studied using ultrafast infrared pump-probe spectroscopy of the hydroxyl OD stretch of HOD in H2O. Reverse micelles of the surfactant Aerosol-OT (ionic head group) in isooctane and the surfactant Igepal CO 520 (nonionic head group) in 50/50 wt % cyclohexane/hexane are prepared to have the same diameter water nanopools. Measurements of the IR spectra and vibrational lifetimes show that the identity of the surfactant head groups affects the local environment experienced by the water molecules inside the reverse micelles. The orientational dynamics (time-dependent anisotropy), which is a measure of the hydrogen bond network rearrangement, are very similar for the confined water in the two types of reverse micelles. The results demonstrate that confinement by an interface to form a nanoscopic water pool is a primary factor governing the dynamics of nanoscopic water rather than the presence of charged groups at the interface.     

Water dynamics--the effects of ions and nanoconfinement

Hydrogen bond dynamics of water in highly concentrated NaBr salt solutions and reverse micelles are studied using ultrafast 2D-IR vibrational echo spectroscopy and polarization-selective IR pump-probe experiments performed on the OD hydroxyl stretch of dilute HOD in H(2)O. The vibrational echo experiments measure spectral diffusion, and the pump-probe experiments measure orientational relaxation. Both experimental observables are directly related to the structural dynamics of water's hydrogen bond network. The measurements performed on NaBr solutions as a function of concentration show that the hydrogen bond dynamics slow as the NaBr concentration increases. The most pronounced change is in the longest time scale dynamics which are related to the global rearrangement of the hydrogen bond structure. Complete hydrogen bond network randomization slows by a factor of approximately 3 in approximately 6 M NaBr solution compared to that in bulk water. The hydrogen bond dynamics of water in nanoscopically confined environments are studied by encapsulating water molecules in ionic head group (AOT) and nonionic head group (Igepal CO 520) reverse micelles. Water dynamics in the nanopools of AOT reverse micelles are studied as a function of size by observing orientational relaxation. Orientational relaxation dynamics deviate significantly from bulk water when the size of the reverse micelles is smaller than several nm and become nonexponential and slower as the size of the reverse micelles decreases. In the smallest reverse micelles, orientational relaxation (hydrogen bond structural randomization) is almost 20 times slower than that in bulk water. To determine if the changes in dynamics from bulk water are caused by the influence of the ionic head groups of AOT or the nanoconfinement, the water dynamics in 4 nm nanopools in AOT reverse micelles (ionic) and Igepal reverse micelles (nonionic) are compared. It is found that the water orientational relaxation in the 4 nm diameter nanopools of the two types of reverse micelles is almost identical, which indicates that confinement by an interface to form a nanoscopic water pool is a primary factor governing the dynamics of nanoscopic water rather than the presence of charged groups at the interface.     

Thermal or Mechanical Stimuli‐Induced Photoluminescence Color Change of a Molecular Assembly Composed of an Amphiphilic Anthracene Derivative in Water

Molecular assemblies that change photoluminescence color in response to thermal or mechanical stimulation without dissociation into the monomeric states in water are described herein. A dumbbell‐shaped amphiphilic compound forms micellar molecular assemblies in water and exhibits yellow photoluminescence derived from excimer formation of the luminescent core, which contains a 2,6‐diethynylanthracene moiety. Annealing of the aqueous solution induces a photoluminescence color change from yellow to green (λ_{em, max}=558→525 nm). The same photoluminescence color change is also achieved by rubbing the yellow‐photoluminescence‐emitting molecular assemblies adsorbed on glass substrates with cotton wool in water. The observed green photoluminescence is ascribed to micelles that are distinct from the yellow‐photoluminescence‐emitting micelles, on the basis of transmission electron microscopy observations, atomic force microscopy observations, and dynamic light scattering measurements. We examined the relationship between the structure of the molecular assemblies and the photophysical properties of the anthracene derivative in water before and after thermal or mechanical stimulation and concluded that thermal or mechanical stimuli‐induced slight changes of the molecular‐assembled structures in the micelles result in the change in the photoluminescence color from yellow to green in water.     

Fluorescence relaxation dynamics of acridine orange in nanosized micellar systems and DNA

In this paper, we report a detailed study of the fluorescence relaxation dynamics of a well-known fluorescent DNA intercalator, acridine orange (AO), in reverse micelles (RM), micelles, and DNA using picosecond resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Solvation studies of AO in AOT reverse micelles (RM) containing water indicate the locations of AO close to the interface and those in RM containing NaOH; there are two types of AO--one in the nonpolar oil phase and the other at the interface. The bound water at the reverse micellar interface is found to be much more rigid than that at the micellar interface of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies allow for the determination of the hydrodynamic radius and the overall tumbling motion of the macromolecules. Wobbling-in-cone data analysis of the temporal fluorescence anisotropy decay allows for determination of restriction on the motion of fluorophores attached to the macromolecules. This model further applied to AO-intercalated genomic DNA and synthetic oligonucleotides within their structural integrity (as confirmed through circular dichroism (CD) studies) shows that AO experiences less restriction in genomic salmon sperm DNA compared with that in synthetic oligonucleotides, and among the oligonucleotides, the ones with AT base pairs are much more rigid. This study would invoke further research on the dynamical nature of AO in restricted environments.     

Multidimensional infrared spectroscopy of water. I. Vibrational dynamics in two-dimensional IR line shapes

In this and the following paper, we describe the ultrafast structural fluctuations and rearrangements of the hydrogen bonding network of water using two-dimensional (2D) infrared spectroscopy. 2D IR spectra covering all the relevant time scales of molecular dynamics of the hydrogen bonding network of water were studied for the OH stretching absorption of HOD in D2O. Time-dependent evolution of the 2D IR line shape serves as a spectroscopic observable that tracks how different hydrogen bonding environments interconvert while changes in spectral intensity result from vibrational relaxation and molecular reorientation of the OH dipole. For waiting times up to the vibrational lifetime of 700 fs, changes in the 2D line shape reflect the spectral evolution of OH oscillators induced by hydrogen bond dynamics. These dynamics, characterized through a set of 2D line shape analysis metrics, show a rapid 60 fs decay, an underdamped oscillation on a 130 fs time scale induced by hydrogen bond stretching, and a long time decay constant of 1.4 ps. 2D surfaces for waiting times larger than 700 fs are dominated by the effects of vibrational relaxation and the thermalization of this excess energy by the solvent bath. Our modeling based on fluctuations with Gaussian statistics is able to reproduce the changes in dispersed pump-probe and 2D IR spectra induced by these relaxation processes, but misses the asymmetry resulting from frequency-dependent spectral diffusion. The dynamical origin of this asymmetry is discussed in the companion paper.     

Scrambled Self‐Assembly of Bacteriochlorophylls c and e in Aqueous Triton X‐100 Micelles

Bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) e was coassembled with BChl c in Triton X‐100 micelles in aqueous solutions. The Q_y absorption bands of the coaggregates were positioned between those of aggregates consisting solely of BChl c or e. The electronic absorption spectra of the coaggregates could not be reproduced by linear combinations of the spectra of the aggregates consisting solely of each pigment, but they were in line with the simulated spectra for the self‐aggregates in which both BChls were randomly distributed. These suggest that BChls c and e are not spatially separated; they are homogenously distributed over the self‐aggregates to give electronic spectra that are different from those of the aggregate consisting solely of each pigment. Deaggregation of the scrambled self‐aggregates by excess Triton X‐100 did not produce any spectral components assigned to an aggregate consisting solely of either BChl c or e. Acid‐induced decomposition of the scrambled aggregates showed different kinetics from those of the aggregates consisting solely of each pigment. These also support the homogeneous distribution of BChls c and e in the scrambled self‐aggregates. These results will be useful to investigate the major light‐harvesting antenna systems of green photosynthetic bacteria that contain two kinds of chlorosomal BChls.     

Micellization through complexation of oppositely charged diblock copolymers: Effects of composition,polymer architecture,salt of different valency,and thermoresponsive block

The structural and electrical characteristics of polyelectrolyte complex micelles (PCMs) formed by mixing of oppositely charged double hydrophilic copolymers are studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations. In mixtures of linear diblock copolymers we found that the preferential aggregation number N_p of PCMs is a universal function of the ratio γ_± of the total positive to total negative charges of the mixture. The addition of divalent salts ions induces a secondary micellization. In mixtures of copolymers bearing a common neutral thermoresponsive block, micelles with contracted corona consisting of thermoresponsive blocks and complex polyelectrolyte core are formed at low salt concentration and temperature far away the biphasic regime. At high salt concentration and temperature in the biphasic regime, reversed micelles are obtained. In equimolar mixtures of linear copolymers with miktoarm stars we found that N_p of PCMs decreases as the number of charged branches of miktoarm copolymer increases. The shape of micelles progressively changes from spherical to worm-like with the increase of number of branches of miktoarm copolymers. Our findings are in full agreement with existing experimental and theoretical predictions and provides new and additional insights.     

Surfactant-induced aggregation patterns of thiazole orange: a photophysical study

The aggregation behavior of the DNA marker dye thiazole orange (TO), has been investigated in two types of surfactant assemblies, namely, premicelles/micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and pre reverse micelles/reverse micelles of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT). In the case of an SDS/water system, absorption spectral changes of TO signify the formation of H-aggregates and H-dimers of the dye at premicellar concentrations, which subsequently convert to the monomeric form beyond the critical micellar concentration (cmc). Interestingly, the observed changes in the absorption and emission characteristics due to the surfactant-induced formation of H-aggregates/dimers of TO are found to be useful to estimate the surfactant concentration parameters for premicellar aggregation of SDS. In the case of an AOT/n-heptane system, similarly, H-aggregates/dimers are observed at low AOT concentrations, below the cmc. However, in this case, the H-dimers persist even beyond the cmc. This is attributed to the strong tendency of TO for self-aggregation and its favorable electrostatic interactions with the AOT head groups. With increasing water content in the AOT reverse micelles, the hydration of the dye leads to the conversion of H-dimers to the monomeric form. The steady-state fluorescence results are nicely corroborated with those from time-resolved fluorescence studies and demonstrate the interesting behavior of the surfactant-induced aggregation of TO dye.     

Probing the interaction of the potassium channel modulating KCNE1 in lipid bilayers via solid‐state NMR spectroscopy

KCNE1 is known to modulate the voltage‐gated potassium channel α subunit KCNQ1 to generate slowly activating potassium currents. This potassium channel is essential for the cardiac action potential that mediates a heartbeat as well as the potassium ion homeostasis in the inner ear. Therefore, it is important to know the structure and dynamics of KCNE1 to better understand its modulatory role. Previously, the Sanders group solved the three‐dimensional structure of KCNE1 in LMPG micelles, which yielded a better understanding of this KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel activity. However, research in the Lorigan group showed different structural properties of KCNE1 when incorporated into POPC/POPG lipid bilayers as opposed to LMPG micelles. It is hence necessary to study the structure of KCNE1 in a more native‐like environment such as multi‐lamellar vesicles. In this study, the dynamics of lipid bilayers upon incorporation of the membrane protein KCNE1 were investigated using ³¹P solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Specifically, the protein/lipid interaction was studied at varying molar ratios of protein to lipid content. The static ³¹P NMR and T₁ relaxation time were investigated. The ³¹P NMR powder spectra indicated significant perturbations of KCNE1 on the phospholipid headgroups of multi‐lamellar vesicles as shown from the changes in the ³¹P spectral line shape and the chemical shift anisotropy line width. ³¹P T₁ relaxation times were shown to be reversely proportional to the molar ratios of KCNE1 incorporated. The ³¹P NMR data clearly indicate that KCNE1 interacts with the membrane. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and bundle-like assemblies of LaPO4 nanofibers in reverse micelles system

LaPO₄ nanofibers were synthesized and their bundle-like assemblies were investigated in reverse micelles system. Techniques of XRD, XPS, TEM, SEM and UV–vis absorption spectra were used to characterize the morphology, structure and composition of the nanofibers and the bundle-like products. The experimental results show that the obtained LaPO₄ nanofibers are large aspect-ratio and narrow distribution of diameter and their assembly process can be regulated through the control of different experimental parameters. The possible mechanism of bundle-like assemblies was also proposed.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the interfacial and structural properties of dimethyldodecylamine-N-oxide micelles

A series of large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to study the structural and interfacial properties of nonionic dimethyldodecylamine-N-oxide (DDAO) micelles with an aggregation number of 104 in pure water, which was determined using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). From these simulations, the micelles were found to be generally ellipsoidal in shape with axial ratios of ～1.3-1.4, which agrees well with that found from small-angle neutron scattering measurements. The resulting micelles have an area per DDAO molecule of 94.8 ?(2) and an average number of hydration water molecules per DDAO molecule of ～8. The effect of the encapsulation of ethyl butyrate (CH(3)(CH(2))(2)COOCH(2)CH(3), C(4)) and ethyl caprylate (CH(3)(CH(2))(6)COOCH(2)CH(3), C(8)) on the structural and interfacial properties of the nonionic DDAO aggregates was also examined. In the presence of the C(4) oil molecules, the aggregates were found to be less ellipsoidal and more spherical than the pure DDAO micelles, while the aggregates in the presence of the C(8) oil molecules were almost perfect spheres. In addition, the C(4) oil molecules move into the core of the aggregates, while the C(8) oil molecules stay in the headgroup region of the aggregates. Finally, the structural properties of two micelles formed from different starting states (a "preassembled" sphere and individual DDAO molecules distributing in water) were found to be nearly identical.