Microenvironment in the corona region of triblock copolymer micelles: temperature dependent solvation and rotational relaxation dynamics of coumarin dyes

Dynamic Stokes' shift and fluorescence anisotropy measurements using coumarin-153 (C153) and coumarin-151 (C151) as the fluorescence probes have been carried out in aqueous poly(ethylene oxide)20-poly(propylene oxide)70-poly(ethylene oxide)20 (P123) and poly(ethylene oxide)100-poly(propylene oxide)70-poly(ethylene oxide)100 (F127) block copolymer micelles with an aim to understand the water structures and dynamics in the micellar corona region. It has been established that the probes reside in the micellar corona region. It is indicated that the corona regions of P123 and F127 micelles are relatively less hydrated than the Palisade layers of neutral micelles like Triton-X-100 and Brij-35. From the appraisal of total Stokes' shift values for the probes in the two block copolymer micelles, it is inferred that the F127 micelle is more hydrated than the P123 micelle. It is observed that the dynamic Stokes' shift values for both of the probes remain more or less similar at all the temperatures studied in the P123 micelle. For C153 in F127, however, the observed Stokes' shift is seen to decrease quite sharply with temperature, though it remains quite similar for C151. Moreover, the fraction of the unobserved initial dynamic Stokes' shift is appreciably higher for both the probes in the F127 micelle compared to that in P123. Over the studied temperature range of 293-313 K, the spectral shift correlation function is described adequately by a bi-exponential function. Rotational relaxation times for C153 in both the micelles show a kind of transition at around 303 K. These results have been rationalized assuming collapse of the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blocks and formation of water clusters in the corona region due to dehydration of poly(ethylene oxide) blocks with an increase in temperature. A dissimilar probe location has been inferred for the differences in the results with C153 and C151 probes in F127. Comparison of the microviscosity and the hydration of the block copolymer micelles has also been made with those of the other commonly used neutral micelles, for a better understanding of the results in the block copolymer micelles.     

Effect of ionic surfactants on the hydration behavior of triblock copolymer micelles: a solvation dynamics study of coumarin 153

Dynamic fluorescence Stokes shift measurements of coumarin 153 (C153) have been carried out to study the influence of ionic surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS and hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride, CTAC) on the hydration behavior of aqueous poly(ethylene oxide)(20)-poly(propylene oxide)(70)-poly(ethylene oxide)20 (P123) block copolymer micelles. Increase in SDS or CTAC concentration at a fixed P123 concentration induces the steady-state emission spectra of C153 to shift gradually toward lower energy. This is attributed to an increase in polarity (due to enhanced hydration) experienced by the probe as a consequence of incorporation of ionic head groups in the Corona region. The observed dynamic fluorescence Stokes shift value decreases more in mixed micellar systems than in pure copolymer micelles and the trends are quite similar in the presence of SDS and CTAC. The spectral shift correlation functions were observed to be nonexponential in nature. Critical analysis of the spectral shift correlation function indicates a fast solvation component (<0.2 ns) in P123 micelles, which was absent in the presence of ionic surfactants. Due to increased hydration in the presence of ionic surfactants, the initial fast solvation event was elusive in mixed copolymer-surfactant systems, reflecting the absence of faster solvation component and reduced observed Stokes shift in mixed systems. It has been argued that in the low surfactant concentration region, increase in hydration with the incorporation of ionic head groups in the Corona region is mainly due to increase in mechanically trapped water content. However, at higher surfactant concentrations, bound water content dominates and leads to slower solvation dynamics. The present results also indicate that though CTAC alters the Corona hydration more efficiently than SDS, the overall influence of ionic surfactants on the Corona hydration is grossly similar irrespective of the cationic or anionic nature of the surfactants. Interaction of SDS and CTAC with poly(ethylene oxide)(100)-poly(propylene oxide)(70)-poly(ethylene oxide)(100) (F127) block copolymer micelles has also been studied to comprehend the effect of copolymer composition. The overall trends in dynamic fluorescence Stokes shift and solvation times are similar in both the copolymer micelles.     

Nature of the water molecules in the palisade layer of a triton X-100 micelle in the presence of added salts: A solvation dynamics study

The effect of added electrolytes on the nature of water molecules in the palisade layer of a Triton X-100 (TX-100) micelle has been investigated using solvation dynamics studies of C153 dye in the presence of different concentrations of NaCl, KCl, and CsCl salts. In all of the cases, the solvation dynamics is found to be biexponential in nature. It is seen that in the presence of added salts the solvation dynamics becomes slower. As previously reported (Charlton et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2000, 104, 8327; Molina-Bolivar et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2002, 106, 870), the presence of salt increases micellar hydration (and also size) for TX-100, mainly due to enhancement in the mechanically trapped water content in the palisade layer. Under normal circumstances, increased micellar hydration was expected to cause faster solvation dynamics (Kumbhakar et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 19246), though in the present work, a reverse trend is in fact observed with the added salts. In accordance with solvation dynamics results, fluorescence anisotropy studies also indicate an increase in microviscosity for the palisade layer of the TX-100 micelle with the added salts. The present results have been rationalized assuming that the ions reside in the palisade layer, and due to the hydration of the ions, especially the cations, the water molecules in the palisade layer undergo a kind of clustering, causing the microviscosity to in fact increase rather than decrease as expected due to increased micellar hydration. A partial collapse of the surfactant chains due to their dehydration as caused by the hydration of the ions in the palisade layer may also add to the increase in microviscosity and the consequent retardation in relaxation dynamics in the presence of salts.     

Effect of lithium chloride on the palisade layer of the Triton-X-100 micelle: two sites for lithium ions as revealed by solvation and rotational dynamics studies

Dynamic Stokes' shift measurements using coumarin 153 as the fluorescence probe have been carried out to explore the effect of added electrolyte, lithium chloride (LiCl), on solvation dynamics in the Triton-X-100 (TX-100) micelle and thus to understand the changes in micellar Palisade layer, especially the entrapped water structures in the Palisade layer. At all concentrations of LiCl, the spectral shift correlation function shows biexponential decay. At lower LiCl concentrations, the longer solvation time is seen to decrease, although the shorter solvation time is not affected much. At higher LiCl concentrations, both longer and shorter solvation times increase with electrolyte concentration. The present observations have been rationalized assuming two possible modes of interaction of the Li+ ions in the micellar palisade layer. For LiCl concentrations below about 1.5 M, the Li+ ions appear to bind preferably to the ether groups of surfactant molecules, and the increased micellar hydration with the added salt effectively makes the solvation dynamics faster. At higher LiCl concentrations, available ether binding sites for the Li+ ions seem to get occupied effectively and the excess Li+ ions start remaining in the Palisade layer as strongly hydrated free ions. Because of strong hydration of the Li+ ions, the mobility of the entrapped water molecules in the micellar Palisade layer decreases significantly, causing the solvation dynamics to slow at higher LiCl concentrations. The fluorescence anisotropy results in the present systems are also in support of the above inferences drawn from solvation dynamics results. The present results with LiCl salt are found to be substantially different than those obtained in our earlier study (Kumbhakar et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2005, 109, 14168) with salts such as NaCl, KCl, and CsCl. These differences are attributed mainly to the binding of the Li+ ions with the surfactant ether groups, which seems to be unlikely for the other alkali cations.     

Microviscosity in multiple regions of complex aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)

Aqueous poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO109-PPO41-PEO109) copolymers are nonionic surfactants that self-organize to form aggregate structures with increasing temperature or concentration. We have studied two concentrations over a range of temperatures so that the copolymers are in one of three microphases: unimers, micelles, or hydrogels formed from body centered cubic aggregates of micelles. Three different coumarin dyes were chosen based on their hydrophobicity so that different aggregate regions could be probed independently-water insoluble coumarin 153 (C153), hydrophobic coumarin 102 (C102), and the hydrophilic sodium carboxylate form of coumarin 343 (C343-). Fluorescence anisotropy experiments provide detailed information on the local microviscosity. C153 experiences a fourfold increase in reorientation time and hence microviscosity with increasing temperature through the microphase transition from unimers to micelles. C102 also shows an increase in microviscosity with temperature but smaller in magnitude and with the microphase transition shifted to higher temperature relative to C153. C343- shows only a slight sensitivity to the microphase transition. For any of the three coumarin probes, fluorescence anisotropies do not show any correlation with the microphase transition to form cubic hydrogels.     

Comparison of microenvironments of aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles in the presence of inorganic and organic salts: a time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy approach

Microenvironments of aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles was examined in the presence of additives such as sodium chloride and p-toluidine hydrochloride (PTHC) by monitoring the fluorescence anisotropy decays of two hydrophobic probes, 2,5-dimethyl-1,4-dioxo-3,6-diphenylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole (DMDPP) and coumarin 6 (C6). It has been well-established that SDS micelles undergo a sphere-to-rod transition and that their mean hydrodynamic radius increases from 19 to 100 A upon the addition of 0.0-0.7 M NaCl at 298 K. A similar size and shape transition is induced by PTHC at concentrations that are 20 times lower compared to that of NaCl. This study was undertaken to find out how the microviscosity of the micelles is influenced under these circumstances. It was noticed that the microviscosity of the SDS/NaCl system increased by approximately 45%, whereas there was a less than 10% variation in the microviscosity of the SDS/PTHC system. The large increase in the microviscosity of the former system with salt concentration has been rationalized on the basis of the high concentration of sodium ions in the headgroup region of the micelles and their ability to strongly coordinate with the water present in this region, which decreases the mobility of the probe molecules.     

Solvation dynamics in triton-X-100 and triton-X-165 micelles: effect of micellar size and hydration

Dynamic Stokes' shift measurements using coumarin 153 as the fluorescence probe have been carried out to study solvation dynamics in two nonionic micelles, viz., triton-X-100 (TX-100) and triton-X-165 (TX-165). In both the micelles, the solvent relaxation dynamics is biexponential in nature. While the fast solvation time tau(s1) is seen to be almost similar for both the micelles, the slow solvation time tau(s2) is found to be appreciably smaller in TX-165 than in TX-100 micelle. Dynamic light scattering measurements indicate that the TX-165 micelles are substantially smaller in size than that of TX-100. Assuming similar core size for both the micelles, as expected from the similar chemical structures of the nonpolar ends for both the surfactants, the Palisade layer is also indicated to be substantially thinner for TX-165 micelles than that of TX-100. The aggregation number of TX-165 micelles is also found to be substantially smaller than that of TX-100 micelles. Fluorescence spectral studies of C153 dye in the two micelles indicate that the Palisade layer of TX-165 micelles is more polar than that of TX-100 micelles. Fluorescence anisotropy measurements indicate that the microviscosity in the Palisade layer of TX-165 micelles is also lower than that of TX-100 micelles. Based on these results it is inferred that the structure of the Palisade layer of TX-165 micelles is quite loose and have higher degree hydration in comparison to that of TX-100 micelles. Due to these structural differences in the Palisade layers of TX-165 and TX-100 micelles the solvation dynamics is faster in the former micelles than in the latter. It has been further inferred that in the present systems the collective response of the water molecules at somewhat away from the probes is responsible for the faster component of the solvation time, which does not reflect much of the structural changes of the micellar Palisade layer. On the contrary, the slower solvation time component, which is mainly due to the single particle response arising from water molecules adjacent to the probe in the micellar Palisade layer, is largely affected by the structural changes in the micellar Palisade layer.     

Improved micellar hydration and gelation characteristics of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer solutions in the presence of LiCl

LiCl-induced changes in the micellar hydration and gelation characteristics of aqueous solutions of the two triblock copolymers F127 (EO(100)PO(70)EO(100)) and P123 (EO(20)PO(70)EO(20)) (where EO represents the ethylene oxide block and PO represents the propylene oxide block) have been studied by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and viscometry. The effect of LiCl was found to be significantly different from those observed for other alkali metal chloride salts such as NaCl and KCl. This can be explained on the basis of the complexation of hydrated Li(+) ions with the PEO chains in the micellar corona region. The interaction between the chains and the ions is more significant in the case F127 because of its larger PEO block size, and therefore, micelles of this copolymer show an enhanced degree of hydration in the presence of LiCl. The presence of the hydrated Li(+) ions in the micellar corona increases the amount of mechanically trapped water there and compensates more than the water molecules lost through the dehydration of the PEO chains in the presence of the Cl(-) ions. The enhancement in micellar hydration leads to a decrease in the minimum concentration required for the F127 solution to form a room-temperature cubic gel phase from 18% to 14%. Moreover, for both copolymers, the temperature range of stability of the cubic gel phase also increases with increasing LiCl concentration, presumably because of the ability of the Li(+) ions to reduce micellar dehydration with increasing temperature. Viscosity studies on a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) homopolymer with a size equivalent to that of the PEO block in F127 (4000 g/mol) also suggest that the dehydrating effect of the Cl(-) ion on the PEG chain is compensated by its interaction with the hydrated Li(+) ions.     

Effects of block size of pluronic polymers on the water structure in the corona region and its effect on the electron transfer reactions

Effects of constituent block size of triblock copolymers on the nature of the water molecules in the corona region of their micelles have been investigated using time-resolved fluorescence measurements. The physical nature of the water molecules in the micellar corona region of the block copolymer, Pluronic F88 ([ethylene oxide (EO)]103-[propylene oxide (PO)]39-EO103), has been studied using a solubilized coumarin dye. Solvent reorientation time and rotational correlation time have been measured and compared with another block copolymer, Pluronic P123 (EO20-PO70-EO20), which has a different composition of the constituent PO and EO blocks. It is noted that due to the presence of larger number of EO blocks in F88 as compared with P123, the corona region of the former micelle is more hydrated than that of the latter. The solvent reorientation time and rotational correlation time are found to be relatively shorter for F88 as compared with P123. This indicates that the water molecules in the corona of the F88 micelle are more labile than those of P123, which is also supported from the estimated number of water molecules associated with each EO unit, measured from the size of each type of micelle and its aggregation number. To understand the effect of block size on the chemical reactions in these microheterogeneous media, electron transfer reactions have been carried out between different coumarin acceptors and N, N-dimethylaniline donor. The electron transfer results obtained in F88 micelles have been compared with those obtained in P123, and the results are rationalized on the basis of the relative hydration of the two triblock copolymer micelles.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in a protein-surfactant complex: probing the interaction of SDS with BSA

Photoinduced fluorescence quenching electron transfer from N,N-dimethyl aniline to different 7-amino coumarin dyes has been investigated in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles and in bovine serum albumin (BSA)-SDS protein-surfactant complexes using steady state and picosecond time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The electron transfer rate has been found to be slower in BSA-SDS protein-surfactant complexes compared to that in SDS micelles. This observation has been explained with the help of the "necklace-and-bead" structure formed by the protein-surfactant complex due to coiling of protein molecules around the micelles. In the correlation of free energy change to the fluorescence quenching electron transfer rate, we have observed that coumarin 151 deviates from the normal Marcus region, showing retardation in the electron transfer rate at higher negative free energy region. We endeavored to establish that the retardation in the fluorescence quenching electron transfer rate for coumarin 151 at higher free energy region is a result of slower rotational relaxation and slower translational diffusion of coumarin 151 (C-151) compared to its analogues coumarin 152 and coumarin 481 in micelles and in protein-surfactant complexes. The slower rotational relaxation and translational diffusion of C-151 are supposed to be arising from the different location of coumarin 151 compared to coumarin 152 and coumarin 481.     

Interaction of ionic liquid with water in ternary microemulsions (Triton X-100/water/1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) probed by solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin 153 and coumarin 151

The interaction of ionic liquid with water in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6])/Triton X-100 (TX-100)/H2O ternary microemulsions, i.e., "[bmim][PF6]-in-water" microregions of the microemulsions, has been studied by the dynamics of solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin 153 (C-153) and coumarin 151 (C-151). The variation of the time constants of solvent relaxation of C-153 is very small with an increase in the [bmim][PF6]/TX-100 ratio (R). The rotational relaxation time of C-153 also remains unchanged in all micremulsions of different R values. The invariance of solvation and rotational relaxation times of C-153 indicates that the position of C-153 remains unaltered with an increase in R and probably the probe is located at the interfacial region of [bmim][PF6] and TX-100 in the microemulsions. On the other hand, in the case of C-151, with an increase in R the fast component of the solvation time gradually increases and the slow component gradually decreases, although the change in solvation time is small in comparison to that of microemulsions containing common polar solvents such as water, methanol, acetonitrile, etc. The rotational relaxation time of C-151 increases with an increase in R. This indicates that with an increase in the [bmim][PF6] content the number of C-151 molecules in the core of the microemulsions gradually increases. In general, the solvent relaxation time is retarded in this room temperature ionic liquid/water-containing microemulsion compared to that of a neat solvent, although retardation is very small compared to that of the solvent relaxation time of the conventional solvent in the core of the microemulsions.     

Temperature effect on the fluorescence anisotropy decay dynamics of Coumarin-153 dye in Triton-X-100 and Brij-35 micellar solutions

The fluorescence anisotropy decay dynamics of the fluorescent probe Coumarin-153 (C153) have been investigated in two neutral micelles, Triton-X-100 (TX-100) and Brij-35 (BJ-35), at different temperatures and analyzed on the basis of the well-known two-step model. Because steady-state fluorescence spectra of the above probe do not show any noticeable changes with respect to temperature, for either of the studied micelles, suggests a similar polarity in the microenvironment around the probe at all the temperatures studied. The anisotropy results indicated that, for both the micelles, the fluidity inside the Palisade layer increases with temperature. However, the temperature effect on the anisotropy decay is relatively more pronounced in TX-100 than in BJ-35. It is inferred that the temperature effect on the anisotropy decay in the BJ-35 micelle is mainly due to the thermal effect on the microviscosity in the micellar phase. In the case of TX-100, the results indicate that, along with the above thermal effect, an additional effect is observed due to the increased size and hydration of the micelle with temperature, with the result being that the fluorescence anisotropy decay in TX-100 is more sensitive to temperature than in BJ-35. In the TX-100 micelle, our studies show that with an increase in temperature, even though the micellar size increases substantially, the distance of the probe from the micellar core does not increase that significantly. Thus, with increasing temperature, the probe undergoes a relative migration toward the micellar core to avoid the increased hydration in the micellar Palisade layer.     

Effect of electrostatic interaction on the location of molecular probe in polymer-surfactant supramolecular assembly: a solvent relaxation study

Effect of electrostatic interaction on the location of a solubilized molecular probe with ionic character in a supramolecular assembly composed of a triblock copolymer, P123 ((ethylene oxide) 20-(propylene oxide) 70-(ethylene oxide) 20) and a cosurfactant cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) in aqueous medium has been studied using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. Coumarin-343 dye in its anionic form has been used as the molecular probe. In the absence of the surfactant, CTAC, the probe C343 prefers to reside at the surface region of the P123 micelle, showing a relatively less dynamic Stokes' shift, as a large part of the Stokes' shift is missed in the present measurements due to faster solvent relaxation at micellar surface region. As the concentration of CTAC is increased in the solution, the percentage of the total dynamic Stokes' shift observed from time-resolved measurements gradually increases until it reaches a saturation value. Observed results have been rationalized on the basis of the mixed micellar structure of the supramolecular assembly, where the hydrocarbon chain of the CTAC surfactant dissolves into the nonpolar poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) core of the P123 micelle and the positively charged headgroup of CTAC resides at the interfacial region between the central PPO core and the surrounding hydrated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) shell or the corona region. The electrostatic attraction between the anionic probe molecule and the positively charged surface of the PPO core developed by the presence of CTAC results in a gradual shift of the probe in the deeper region of the micellar corona region with an increase in the CTAC concentration, as clearly manifested from the solvation dynamics results.     

Micropolarity and microviscosity of Pluronics L62 and L64 core–shell aggregates in water at various concentrations and additives examined by absorption and fluorescence probes

The microstructure of aggregates formed in aqueous solutions of the triblock copolymers poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–poly(propylene oxide)–PEO, Pluronics L62 and L64, and the effect of additives (n-butanol, n-hexanol, and o-xylene) on the local polarity and viscosity were investigated using several absorption and fluorescence probes with different hydrophilic/hydrophobic trade-offs. The absorption probe was 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl and the fluorescence probes pyrene (P), 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS), 1,10-bis(1-pyrene) decane (PD), and N-[5-(dimethylamino)naphthalene-1-sulfonyl]hexadecylamine (Dansyl). The specific absorption and fluorescence parameters, sensitive to changes in micropolarity and microviscosity, were related to the hydration calibration curves carried out in homogeneous tetraethylene glycol/water mixtures. Thus, the effective local hydration of the molecular probe solubilized in the guest aggregate was quantified, and at the same time, the probe location is established with respect of the corona and core aggregate. The ANS and PD probes evidence differences in microviscosity and track the effect of the block copolymer structure and additive concentration on microviscosity.     

Theory for the determination of activity coefficients of strong electrolytes with regard to concentration dependence of hydration numbers

A new theory of electrolyte solutions is discussed which, as opposed to the Debye–Huckel method valid for relatively small concentrations only, enables one to describe the thermodynamic properties of electrolyte solutions over a wide range of state parameters. The novelty of the proposed theory is that it takes into account the dependence of hydration numbers upon concentration, the fact that failed to attract much attention before. The applicability of the theory to the calculation of activity coefficients of some electrolytes (LiCl, NaCl, KCl, RbCl, and CsCl) is demonstrated. A method is proposed for the determination of the thermodynamic parameters of solvation of separate ions.     

Rotational diffusion of organic solutes in surfactant-block copolymer micelles: role of electrostatic interactions and micellar hydration

Rotational diffusion of a cationic solute rhodamine 110 and a neutral solute 2,5-dimethyl-1,4-dioxo-3,6-diphenylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole, DMDPP has been examined in the surfactant-block copolymer system of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and poly(ethylene oxide)20-poly(propylene oxide)70-poly(ethylene oxide)20 (P123). In this study, the mole ratio of SDS to P123 was varied from 0 to 5 in steps of one unit, to investigate the role of electrostatic interactions and micellar hydration on solute rotation. It has been noticed that there is a significant enhancement in the average reorientation time of rhodamine 110, when [SDS]/[P123] increased from 0 to 1. This has been rationalized on the basis of migration of rhodamine 110 from the interfacial region of P123 micelles to the palisade layer (corona region) due to the electrostatic interaction with negatively charged head groups of SDS, whose tails are embedded in the polypropylene oxide core. Further increase in the mole ratio of SDS to P123 has resulted in only a marginal decrease in the average reorientation time of rhodamine 110, which is probably due to the solute molecule experiencing a microenvironment similar to the interfacial region of SDS micelles. In contrast, a gradual decrease has been observed in the average reorientation time of DMDPP with [SDS]/[P123], which is due to the increase in hydration levels in the palisade layer (corona region) of the micelle. These explanations are consistent with the structure of the SDS-P123 micellar system that has been deduced from neutron scattering and viscosity measurements recently.     

Solvation dynamics in ionic liquid swollen p123 triblock copolymer micelle: a femtosecond excitation wavelength dependence study

Femtosecond solvation dynamics of coumarin 480 (C480) in a mixed micelle is reported. The mixed micelle consists of a triblock copolymer (PEO)20-(PPO) 70-(PEO)20 (Pluronic P123) and an ionic liquid (IL), 1-pentyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([pmim][BF4]). At a low concentration (0.3 M), the sparingly water soluble IL ([pmim][BF4]) penetrates the hydrophobic PPO core of the P123 micelles. Thus emission maximum of C480 in the core (accessed at lambdaex=375 nm) in 0.3 M IL is red-shifted by 8 nm from that in its absence and the red edge excitation shift (REES) is large (19+/-1 nm). At a high concentration (0.9 M), the ionic liquid [pmim][BF4] invades both the core and corona region and the mixed micelle exhibits very small REES (3+/-1 nm). Anisotropy decay and solvation dynamics in different regions of the mixed micelle are studied by variation of excitation wavelength (lambda ex). In P123 micelle, the average rotational time () is 2800 ps in the core (at lambdaex=375 nm) and 1350 ps in the corona region (at lambdaex=435 nm). In 0.3 M [pmim][BF4], tau rot at the core of the mixed micelle decreases to 1950 ps while that in the corona remains unaffected. In 0.9 M IL, both the core and corona (lambda ex=375 and 435 nm) exhibit similar and short approximately 600 ps. In 0.3 M IL, solvation dynamics in the core region (lambdaex=375 nm) of P123 micelle is about 2 times faster than in its absence. In 0.3 M IL, solvation dynamics in the corona region (lambdaex=435 nm) is approximately 100 times faster than that in the core. In 0.9 M IL, the solvation dynamics in the core and in the corona is, respectively, approximately 9 times and 4 times faster than that in 0.3 M IL.     

Solvation dynamics in protein environments: comparison of fluorescence upconversion measurements of coumarin 153 in monomeric hemeproteins with molecular dynamics simulations

The complexes of the fluorescence probe coumarin 153 with apomyoglobin and apoleghemoglobin are used as model systems to study solvation dynamics in proteins. Time-resolved Stokes shift experiments are compared with molecular dynamics simulations, and very good agreement is obtained. The solvation of the coumarin probe is very rapid with approximately 60% occurring within 300 fs and is attributed to interactions with water (or possibly to the protein itself). Differences in the solvation relaxation (or correlation) function C(t) for the two proteins are attributed to differences in their hemepockets.     

The nonmonotonic concentration dependence of the mean activity coefficient of electrolytes is a result of a balance between solvation and ion-ion correlations

We propose a simple model to explain the nonmonotonic concentration dependence of the mean activity coefficient of simple electrolytes without using any adjustable parameters. The primitive model of electrolytes is used to describe the interaction between ions computed by the adaptive grand canonical Monte Carlo method. For the dielectric constant of the electrolyte, we use experimental concentration dependent values. This is included through a solvation term in our treatment to describe the interaction between ions and water that changes as the dielectric constant changes with concentration. This term is computed by a Born-treatment fitted to experimental hydration energies. Our results for LiCl, NaCl, KCl, CsCl, NaBr, NaI, MgCl(2), CaCl(2), SrCl(2), and BaCl(2) demonstrate that the principal reason of the nonmonotonic behavior of the activity coefficient is a balance between the solvation and ion-ion correlation terms. This conclusion differs from previous studies that assumed that it is the balance of hard sphere repulsion and electrostatic attraction that produces the nonmonotonic behavior. Our results indicate that the earlier assumption that solvation can be taken into account by a larger, "solvated" ionic radius should be reconsidered. To explain second order effects (such as dependence on ionic size), we conclude that explicit water models are needed.     

Wormlike micelle formation and flow alignment of a pluronic block copolymer in aqueous solution

The self-assembly into wormlike micelles of a poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer Pluronic P84 in aqueous salt solution (2 M NaCl) has been studied by rheology, small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS), and light scattering. Measurements of the flow curves by controlled stress rheometry indicated phase separation under flow. SAXS on solutions subjected to capillary flow showed alignment of micelles at intermediate shear rates, although loss of alignment was observed for high shear rates. For dilute solutions, SAXS and static light scattering data on unaligned samples could be superposed over three decades in scattering vector, providing unique information on the wormlike micelle structure over several length scales. SANS data provided information on even shorter length scales, in particular, concerning "blob" scattering from the micelle corona. The data could be modeled based on a system of semiflexible self-avoiding cylinders with a circular cross-section, as described by the wormlike chain model with excluded volume interactions. The micelle structure was compared at two temperatures close to the cloud point (47 degrees C). The micellar radius was found not to vary with temperature in this region, although the contour length increased with increasing temperature, whereas the Kuhn length decreased. These variations result in an increase of the low-concentration radius of gyration with increasing temperature. This was consistent with dynamic light scattering results, and, applying theoretical results from the literature, this is in agreement with an increase in endcap energy due to changes in hydration of the poly(ethylene oxide) blocks as the temperature is increased.