Relation between packing density and thermal transitions of alkyl chains on layered silicate and metal surfaces

Self-assembled layers of alkyl chains grafted onto the surfaces of layered silicates, metal, and oxidic nanoparticles are utilized to control interactions with external media by tuning the packing density of the chains on the surface, head group functionality, and chain length. Characterization through experiment and simulation shows that the orientation of the alkyl layers and reversible phase transitions on heating are a function of the cross-sectional area of the alkyl chains in relation to the available surface area per alkyl chain. On even surfaces, a packing density less than 0.2 leads to nearly parallel orientation of the alkyl chains on the surface, a high degree of conformational disorder, and no reversible melting transitions. A packing density between 0.2 and 0.75 leads to intermediate inclination angles, semicrystalline order, and reversible melting transitions on heating. A packing density above 0.75 results in nearly vertical alignment of the surfactants on the surface, a high degree of crystalline character, and absence of reversible melting transitions. Curved surfaces can be understood by the same principle, taking into account a local radius of curvature and a distance-dependent packing density on the surface. In good approximation, this simple model is independent from the length of the alkyl chains (a minimum length of C10 is required to form sufficiently distinctive patterns), the chemical nature of the surface, and of the surfactant head group. These structural details primarily determine the functionality of alkyl modified surfaces and the temperature of thermal transitions.     

Fourier Transform Infrared Study on the Melting Phase Transition of Octadecanoic Acid

Fourier transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to study the melting phase transition of anhydrous octadecanoic acid. The phase transition occurs at 69℃(Tc). In solid phase, the alkyl chains take the all-trans zigzag conformation and the C(?)-C(?)= 0 group adopts trans configuration in the dimers. In liquid state, the alkyl chains convert to gauche conformation and the C(?)C(?)= 0 to cis configuration.     

四氯合锌酸二(正十一烷基铵)晶体相变的Raman光谱

用Raman光谱研究了[n-C~11H~23NH~3]~2ZnCl~4(简记为C~nZn)配合物的固-固相变。结果表明, 配合物产生的固-固相变主要与烷烃链的堆积结构和分子构象变化有关, 在T~cl=25℃的相变是由于烷烃链的侧向堆积和分子构象的有序到部分无序变化。在中间相, 分子链局部产生旁式构象。在T~c2=87℃的相变主要来源于烷烃链从部分构象有序到完全无序的变化, 高温相形成了构象完全无序相, 相应于烷烃链的"熔化"。     

Temperature-dependent behavior of a symmetric long-chain bolaamphiphile with phosphocholine headgroups in water: from hydrogel to nanoparticles

The temperature-dependent self-assembly of the single-chain bolaamphiphile dotriacontan-1,1'-diyl-bis[2-(trimethylammonio)ethyl phosphate] (PC-C32-PC) was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray scattering, rheological measurements, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). At room temperature this compound, in which two phosphocholine headgroups are connected by a C(32) alkyl chain, proved to be capable of gelling water very efficiently by forming a dense network of nanofibers (Kohler et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 245). A specific feature of this self-assembly process is that it is not driven by hydrogen bonds but solely by hydrophobic interactions of the long alkyl chains. The nanofibers have a thickness of roughly the molecular length and show a helical superstructure. A model for the molecular structure of the fibrils which considers the extreme constitution of the bolaamphiphile is proposed. Upon heating the suspensions three different phase transitions can be detected. Above 49 degrees C, the temperature of the main transition where the alkyl chains become "fluid", a clear low-viscosity solution is obtained due to a breakdown of the fibrils into smaller aggregates. Through mechanical stress the gel structure can be destroyed as well, indicating a low stability of these fibers. The gel formation is reversible, but as a drastic rearrangement of the molecules takes place, metastable states occur.     

Synthesis, characterization and phase transitions of the inorganic-organic layered perovskite-type hybrids [(C(n)H(2n+1)NH3)2PbI4], n = 7, 8, 9 and 10

Four inorganic-organic hybrid materials that consist of 2-D layers of corner-sharing lead(II) iodide octahedra separated by alkylammonium chains have been crystallized and characterized via single-crystal XRD (SCXRD). The four hybrids, represented by the general formula [(C(n)H(2n+1)NH(3))(2)PbI(4)] and abbreviated C(n)PbI, exhibit multiple reversible phase transitions for a narrow temperature range. The transition temperatures were determined with differential scanning calorimetry experiments. The number of transitions and the transition temperatures are dependant on the chain length; for n = 7 and 10, there are three transitions, and for n = 8 and 9, there are two transitions. Regardless of the number of transitions, all four compounds have identical lowest temperature phases, which have inorganic layers that are eclipsed, non-planar conformations of the alkyl ammonium chains and yellow-coloured crystals. The next highest temperature phase for three of the compounds (C(10)PbI goes through an intermediate phase first), has staggered inorganic layers, all-trans planar conformations of the chains and orange coloured crystals. The highest temperature phase for n = 8 and 10 has red-coloured crystals and shows a disordering of the alkylammonium chains over two positions and staggered inorganic layers. The high temperature phase of C(7)PbI retains its orange colour and has only increased thermal motion of its alkylammonium chain. The structure of the high temperature phase of C(9)PbI was not determined. The SCXRD structures of the various phases give clues to the structural changes that the compounds undergo at the phase transitions, which will now enable future studies of their optical and electronic properties to be better understood.     

Infrared dichroism measurements on the alkyl chain packing of an ionic detergent intercalated between silicate layers

 Microcrystals of the metal silicate hydrate ilerite orient macroscopically on the surface of a ATR-crystals and thus, are accessible for infrared linear dichroism measurements. We present first results which indicate that the alkyl chain packing and the orientation of the polar group of dodecyltrimethylammoniumbromide (DTAB) intercalated between silicate layers can be determined in terms of infrared order parameters. The properties of DTAB can be modulated by the relative humidity of the surrounding atmosphere and by temperature. Upon heating DTAB undergoes a phase transition from a paraffin-like solid to a fluid phase. The former is characterized by the orthorhombic perpendicular packing of the frozen alkyl chains with tilted long axes. The interactions between the ionic groups of the surfactant and that of the host matrix stabilize the lamellar arrangement of DTAB in the crystalline and in the fluid phases. Received: 14 January 1998 Accepted: 27 July 1998     

Plasma: The Fourth State of Matter

The plasma state is frequently referred to as the fourth state of matter in the sequence: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. The statement implies that plasma is another phase. Each state is achieved by adding heat to the previous state. The first three states are the three common phases achieved via phase transitions. The statement that plasmas are the fourth state of matter is examined considering phase transitions. It is shown that the transition from gas to plasma is not a phase transition similar to the other phase transitions at which transitions the differential of the Gibbs free energy equals zero. Therefore, strictly speaking, plasmas are better not called the fourth state of matter.     

Lamellar architecture and crystalline transformation in supramolecular complexes of highly-branched polyethyleneimine-octadecanoic acid

Supramolecular complexes of PEI(OA)x show a lamellar structure, and reversible crystal phase transition of the side alkyl chains in the complex can be observed by temperature-variable FT-IR spectroscopy.     

梳状高分子烷基侧链构象和堆积结构的红外光谱研究

以正十九烷和两种接枝烷基链的梳状高分子N-十八烷基聚乙烯亚胺(PEI18C)、N-十八烷基聚对苯甲酰胺(PBA18C)为研究对象,利用红外光谱对处于受限和自由状态的烷基链的构象和堆积结构随温度的变化进行了对比研究.结果表明,处于受限和自由状态的烷基链的构象排列和堆积结构及其转变行为不同,且受限于柔性PEI主链和刚性PBA主链的烷基链也不相同.从主链刚性的角度,探讨了影响烷基侧链构象和堆积结构的原因.     

倒浮萍聚合物ES-3LB膜掠角反射-吸收红外光谱的研究

用傅里叶变换红外掠角反射-吸收光谱技术对ES-3LB膜的取向和相变行为进行了详细的研究.结果表明,在金表面上制备的ES-3LB膜中烷基链基本垂直于基面.相转变行为的研究表明,ES-3LB膜有3个相变点,分别在65,105和140℃.第一个相变过程表现为LB膜从一种有序状态到另一种有序状态的转变;第二个相变过程表现为LB膜中烷基链的有序-无序转变;第三个相变过程是LB膜的层状结构坍塌转变为各向同性熔融体的过程.     

Thermodynamics of phase transitions in langmuir monolayers observed by vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy

Vibrational sum-frequency spectroscopy (VSFS) was used to study gauche defects in octadecylamine (ODA) monolayers at the air/water interface. The VSFS spectra provide unique insights into phase transitions that occur as a result of changes in the structure of the monolayer's hydrophobic region. These changes can be attributed to the increased presence of gauche conformers in the ODA alkyl chains during the monolayer's transition from the solid to liquid phase. Temperature-dependent spectra from monolayers at several different pressures were used to assign the phase transition temperature based on the observed changes in microscopic structure. Through application of a two-dimensional form of the Clapeyron equation, the first in situ measurements of the entropy and enthalpy changes associated with gauche conformers in a monolayer were made.     

Lamellar-non-lamellar phase transitions in synthetic glycoglycerolipids studied by time-resolved X-ray diffraction

The phase sequences of eight fully hydrated synthetic, stereochemically pure glycoglycerolipids with saturated alkyl chains 12-18 carbon atoms long and a glucose, galactose or mannose head group are followed in real time during heating and cooling scans using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. One of them, 1,2-di-O-hexadecyl-3-O-β-D-glucosyl-sn-glycerol, has been characterized by X-ray diffraction for the first time. A summary of the lamellar-non-lamellar transition sequences and reversibility for all eight glycoglycerolipids studied is provided. It includes also observations of intermediate phases, previously not detected. Lattice parameters of the various phases have been determined as functions of chain length in monoglucosides. While the repeat periods of the lamellar phases increase linearly with chain length, an anomalously high lattice spacing of the inverted hexagonal phase is observed at a chain length of 14 carbon atoms. This maximum coincides with the disappearance of the cubic phases from the phase sequence upon chain elongation from 12 to 14 carbon atoms. It thus appears that the expanded H_II phase in 14-Glc retains structural characteristics of the anticipated cubic phases. Upon heating to high temperatures, its high lattice spacing gradually approaches that of the 'normal' hexagonal phase. A direct transition from lamellar subgel to inverted hexagonal phase has been observed to proceed without intermediate structures, but with an extended phase coexistence region, in 1,2-di-O-tetradecyl-3-O-β-D-galactosyl-sn-glycerol and 1,2-di-O-octadecyl-3-O-β-D-galactosyl-sn-glycerol. This transition is not reversible on cooling when lamellar phases skipped in the heating scan intervene. By contrast, the direct lamellar gel-inverted hexagonal phase transitions are fully reversible with minor or absent temperature hysteresis.     

First order melting transitions of highly ordered dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine gel phase membranes in molecular dynamics simulations with atomistic detail

Molecular dynamics simulations with atomistic detail of the gel phase and melting transitions of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine bilayers in water reveal the dependency of many thermodynamic and structural parameters on the initial system ordering. We quantitatively compare different methods to create a gel phase system and we observe that a very high ordering of the gel phase starting system is necessary to observe behavior which reproduces experimental data. We performed heating scans with speeds down to 0.5 K/ns and could observe sharp first order phase transitions. Also, we investigated the transition enthalpy as the natural intrinsic parameter of first order phase transitions, and obtained a quantitative match with experimental values. Furthermore, we performed systematic investigations of the statistical distribution and heating rate dependency of the microscopic phase transition temperature.     

Hydrostatic pressure effect on the phase transitions of a closed-loop type block copolymer by using 2D FTIR correlation spectroscopy

The effect of hydrostatic pressure (P) on the phase transitions of polystyrene-block-poly(n-pentyl methacrylate) copolymer [PS-b-PnPMA] was investigated with FTIR spectroscopy at various temperatures. The experiments were performed by using a specially designed pressure cell optimized for low-pressure regime (<100 bar) with a higher resolution ( approximately 1 bar). The size of the closed loop consisting of both the lower disorder-to-order transition (LDOT) and the upper order-to-disorder transition (UODT) measured by FTIR spectroscopy becomes smaller with increasing P, consistent with results obtained from birefringence measurement. At lower temperatures with increasing P, the PS main chains are found to move before the PnPMA main chains. This is because the mobility of the PnPMA main chains is restricted due to the cluster formation of the alkyl side chain. At higher temperatures, the PnPMA block chains are more mobile than the PS block chains due to their larger specific volumes. The results indicate that the LDOT is mainly affected by a favorable directional interaction between PS and PnPMA blocks due to the cluster formation of the alkyl side chain, whereas the UODT depends on the combinatorial entropy.     

Density, DSC, X-ray and NMR measurements through the gel and lamellar phase transitions of 1-myristoyl-2-stearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (MSPC) and 1-stearoyl-2-myristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (SMPC): observation of slow relaxation processes and mechanisms of phase transitions

Dialkyl lecithin dispersions in water exhibit two phase transitions upon cooling from the lamellar phase (L(α)). At the main transition (T(M)) the L(α) phase changes to a ripple (gel) phase (P(β')) which then transforms to a second gel phase (L(β')) at the "pretransition" (T(P)). We have made accurate density measurements through the various phases for two lecithins having unequal chains: 1-myristoyl-2-stearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (MSPC) and 1-stearoyl-2-myristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (SMPC). The measurements were carried out over five heat/cool cycles from 5 to 55 °C, followed by cooling back to 5 °C. The samples were then held at 50 °C for 24 hours, followed by a further three cool/heat cycles. For SMPC we observe an increase in density of the gel phases over the first 5 cycles, followed by much smaller changes after incubation at 50 °C. The lamellar phase also shows an increase in density, albeit much smaller. This parallels the behaviour of 1,2-di-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and 1,2-di-myristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) reported earlier (Jones et al., Liquid Crystals 32, 1465 (2005)). For MSPC we observe a decrease in density within the gel phases while T(P) almost disappears after the first cycle. The lamellar phase shows little evidence of any change with each cycle. Within the lamellar phases there is a marked reduction in density on approaching T(M), which is attributed to the formation of transitory gel phase domains. Additional measurements by DSC and X-ray diffraction show that the changes in densities are not accompanied by large changes in transition enthalpies or phase structures. NMR data indicate that the pretransitional event within the L(α) phase is accompanied by ordering of the alkyl chains. The results indicate that the exact nature of the lipid alkyl chains could play a key role in the formation of gel phase patches within membrane bilayers. Their detailed chemical structures merit more attention than by simply assuming a uniform "bending energy" to describe the behaviour.     

Crystallization of carboxylic acid salts in poly(ethylene oxide) oligomers at higher temperatures

Many alkali metal carboxylates when dissolved in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) oligomers, are phaseseparated by heating. These were revealed to be the crystals of the initially dissolved corresponding salts from the X-ray diffraction patterns. Some acetate salts achieve the lower limit of the lattice energy for phase separation of ordinary inorganic salts by heating in PEO oligomers. These carboxylate salts were therefore expected to show crystallization behavior in PEO oligomers by heating. The effects of cation size, alkyl chain length and molecular weight of PEO on the solubility are summarized. Negative temperature dependence of solubility of these acetate salts is seen in the PEO oligomers only when the salts have long alkyl chains. The salts containing larger cations needed a longer chain length of PEOs for crystallization by heating. These salts with longer alkyl chains showed positive temperautred dependence in lower molecular weight polyethers, but negative temperature dependence in solubility in PEO with molecular weights higher than 400. In PEO₄₀₀, all the carboxylates with longer alkyl chains were phase separated by heating.     

Thermotropic phase behaviour of sodium oleate as studied by FT-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction

The thermotropic behaviour of sodium oleate (NaOl) has been studied in the temperature range 10–125°C by using Fourier transform-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The temperature dependence of conformationally sensitive bands in the CH₂ stretching (2800–2900 cm⁻¹), C–C stretching (1050–1150 cm⁻¹) and CH₃ rocking region (830–900 cm⁻¹) has been used to characterize the order/disorder behaviour of alkyl chains. It is found that in phase I, NaOl exhibits the crystalline ordered lamellar structure with a repeat period of 4.51 nm. The first broad peak in the DSC trace is due to superposition of two transitions (phase I to phase II and phase II to phase III), therefore, it is not possible to determine the lamellar structure of phase II. This broad transition from phase I to phase III is associated with the melting of methyl-sided chains and increase in gauche conformers in carboxylate-sided chains. Finally, NaOl undergoes a transition from crystalline to a liquid crystalline phase IV, which is associated with the melting of the carboxylate-sided chain.     

Imidazolium camphorsulfonamides: chiral catanionic liquid crystals with tunable thermal properties

We report the synthesis of novel chiral catanionic liquid crystals bearing camphorsulfonamide substructures. The phase behaviour of these long-chain substituted imidazolium sulphates and sulfonates was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). We observed that the phase behaviour clearly depends on the substitution of both cation and anion. The chiral camphorsulfonamide substructures have an unfavourable influence on the formation of liquid crystalline (LC-) phases. Contrary to N,N'-di-alkyl-imidazolium salts, the formation of LC phases was only observed when both cation and anion are substituted with long alkyl chains (C(12) or C(16)). Furthermore, the phase transition temperatures depend on the chain length of the alkyl groups, as higher phase transition temperatures were observed for compounds bearing longer alkyl chains. However, no macroscopic evidence for the formation of chiral mesophases was obtained.     

In situ studies of phase transitions in thin discotic films

The crystalline to liquid crystalline (Cr-LC) phase transition in thin films of zone-cast hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene sixfold substituted with dodecyl side chains (HBC-C12H25) has been studied in detail using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GID), electron diffraction (ED), and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), When heating the material, a first minor transition is observed around 42 degrees C. This change is attributed to alterations of the crystalline alkyl chain packing, which only slightly changes the electronic properties of the material. At higher temperatures of about 90 degrees C, but still significantly below the previously reported transition temperature in bulk, the Cr-LC transition is observed. An accompanying large increase in optical anisotropy is compatible with the X-ray data, showing a transition from the as-cast herringbone-like crystalline state to a highly ordered discotic hexagonal columnar LC phase. The structural transition has the macroscopic effect of increasing the film thickness. The high structural order of the as-cast low-temperature phase is only partly recovered after cooling, and the phase transition exhibits a large hysteresis. From the ellipsometry data, the dielectric tensor of HBC-C12H25 was refined to unprecedented detail.     

Possibility of isostructural condensed states of matter in the D phase of ANBC and the cubic mesophase of BABH: heat capacity of 4'-n-octadecyloxy-3'-nitrobiphenyl-4-carboxlic acid, ANBC(18)

Heat capacity measurements have been made on ANBC(18) at temperatures from 8 to 490 K by adiabatic calorimetry. All known phases were detected. The temperatures, enthalpies and entropies of transition were determined for the phase transitions observed. On the basis of the entropy of transition to the SmC phase from the D or cubic phases, it is pointed out that the D phase of ANBC and the cubic phase of BABH might be identical in nature. It is shown that the arrangement of 'molecular' cores has a higher degree of order in the isotropic (D and cubic) phases than in the SmC phase, whereas the terminal alkoxy chains are more disordered in the isotropic phases than in the SmC phase. The degrees of disorder in the D and cubic phases relative to the SmC phase are very similar in terms of the entropy of transition per methylene group. The inverted phase sequence in ANBC (SmC D on heating) and BABH (cubic SmC) can be accounted for in terms of the competing roles in the entropy between the molecular core and the chains.