The aluminum ordering in aluminosilicates: a dipolar 27Al NMR spectroscopy study

The spatial ordering of aluminum atoms in CsAl(SiO3)2 and 3Al2O3.2SiO2 was probed by 27Al dipolar solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The 27Al response to a Hahn spin-echo pulse sequence in a series of aluminum-containing model crystalline compounds demonstrates that quantitative 27Al homonuclear dipolar second moments can be obtained to within +/-20% of the theoretical values, if evaluation of the spin-echo response curve is limited to short evolution periods (2t1 < or = 0.10 ms). Additionally, selective excitation of the central transition m = 1/2 --> -1/2 is necessary in order to ensure quantitative results. Restriction of spin exchange affecting the dephasing of the magnetization may decelerate the spin-echo decay at longer evolution periods. Considering these restraints, the method was used to probe the spatial distribution of aluminum atoms among the tetrahedral sites in two aluminosilicate materials. Experimental 27Al spin-echo response data for the aluminosilicates CsAl(SiO3)2 (synthetic pollucite) and 3Al2O3.2SiO2 (mullite) are compared with theoretical data based on (I) various degrees of aluminum-oxygen-aluminum bond formation among tetrahedrally coordinated aluminum atoms (Al(T(d) )-O-Al(T(d) )) and (II) the maximum avoidance of Al(T(d) )-O-Al(T(d) ) bonding. Analysis of the second moment values and resulting echo decay responses suggests that partial suppression of spin exchange among aluminum atoms in crystallographically distinct sites may contribute to the 27Al spin echo decay in 3Al2O3.2SiO2, thus complicating quantitative analysis of the data. Silicon-29 and aluminum-27 magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra of 3Al2O3.2SiO2 are consistent with those previously reported. The experimental 27Al spin-echo response behavior of CsAl(SiO3)2 differs from the theoretical response behavior based on the maximum avoidance of Al-O-Al bonding between tetrahedral aluminum sites in CsAl(SiO3)2. A single unresolved resonance is observed in both the silicon-29 and aluminum-27 MAS spectra of CsAl(SiO3)2.     

Tunnelling-induced dipolar polarization at high temperatures

Tunnelling-induced dipolar polarization at room temperature is demonstrated experimentally for the first time. The experiment is a manifest high-temperature analogue of the Haupt effect, observed previously only at low temperatures.     

Stability conditions of an electrified miscible viscous fluid sheet

The Kelvin-Helmholtz problem of viscous fluids under the influence of a normal periodic electric field in the absence of surface charges is studied. The system is composed of a streaming dielectric fluid sheet of finite thickness embedded between two different streaming finite dielectric fluids. The interfaces permit mass and heat transfer. Because of the complexity of the considered system, a mathematical simplification is adopted. The weak viscous effects are taken into account so that their contributions are incorporated into the boundary conditions. Therefore, the equations of motion are solved in the absence of viscous effects. The boundary value problem leads to two simultaneous Mathieu equations of damped terms having complex coefficients. The symmetric and antisymmetric deformations reduced the coupled Mathieu equations to a single Mathieu equation. The classical stability criterion is found to be substantially modified due to the effect of mass and heat transfer. The analytical results are numerically confirmed. It is found that the sheet thickness and mass and heat transfer parameters have a dual influence on the stability criteria. It is also found that the field frequency has a stabilizing influence especially at small values of the wave number. In contrast to the case of a pure inviscid fluid, it is found that the uniform normal electric field plays a dual role in the stability criteria. This role depends on the choice of the numerical values of the physical parameters of the system under consideration.     

Potential dependent organization of water at the electrified metal-liquid interface

In situ infrared visible sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG) is used to examine the structure of water at the Ag-water interface in NaF and KF electrolyte solutions. Water is observed in environments associated with both the electrode surface and the diffuse double layer. Peaks are observed that are correlated with low-order water, water interacting with electrolyte ions, specifically adsorbed water to the electrode surface, and hydronium. Spectra obtained from a thiol-modified Ag surface enabled discrimination between surface-bound water and that in the double layer. The water organization is dependent on applied potential, with the observed intensities for specifically adsorbed and ion solvating water diminishing near the pzc.     

Polarization relaxation in an ionic liquid confined between electrified walls

The response of a room temperature molten salt to an external electric field when it is confined to a nanoslit is studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The fluid is confined between two parallel and oppositely charged walls, emulating two electrified solid-liquid interfaces. Attention is focused on structural, electrostatic, and dynamical properties, which are compared with those of the nonpolarized fluid. It is found that the relaxation of the electrostatic potential, after switching the electric field off, occurs in two stages. A first, subpicosecond process accounts for 80% of the decay and is followed by a second subdiffusive process with a time constant of 8 ps. Diffusion is not involved in the relaxation, which is mostly driven by small anion translations. The relaxation of the polarization in the confined system is discussed in terms of the spectrum of charge density fluctuations in the bulk.     

Magnetodielectric effects at magnetic ordering transitions

The dielectric constant in many insulating magnets exhibits pronounced changes at magnetic ordering temperatures or with the application of external magnetic fields. As the dielectric response is sensitive to materials properties at non-zero wavevectors, dielectric spectroscopy provides additional insight into spin structures in these insulators beyond what can be determined using bulk magnetization measurements alone. We present illustrative examples of intrinsic magnetodielectric coupling in non-polar ferro- and antiferromagnets, SeCuO₃ and TeCuO₃ respectively, and of magnetodielectric coupling in a polar system, specifically Ni₃V₂O₈. We also show an example of how spurious magnetocapacitive effects can significantly modify the magnetodielectric response of a system. We include with some general comments on how the magnetodielectrics may be useful for device applications and how the coupling may be enhanced by modifying the materials.     

Nonlinear electrical dipolar switching at single molecular scale

At the single molecular scale (less than 2 Å × 2 Å × 9.8 Å), the nonlinear electrical dipolar switching behavior from crystalline two-monolayer polyvinylidene fluoride films was measured using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The atomic structure of the polymer chain was clearly imaged by the STM. The nonlinear switching behavior at the single molecular scale appears as the hysteresis in the tunneling current–voltage relationship with switching onset voltage of 0.19 V/monomer. The nonlinear dipolar switching behavior at the single molecular scale has many potential applications including single molecular scale switching devices and re-writable non-volatile memories.     

Resonance and localization effects at a dipolar organic semiconductor interface

The image state manifold of the dipolar organic semiconductor vanadyl naphthalocyanine (VONc) on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite is investigated by angle-resolved two-photon photoemission (AR-TPPE) spectroscopy in the 0-1 monolayer regimes. Interfacial charge-transfer from the image potential state of clean graphite populates a near-resonant VONc anion level, identifiable by the graphite image potential state by its distinct momentum dispersion obtained from AR-TPPE. This affinity level is subject to depolarization by the neighboring molecules, resulting in stabilization of this state with coverage. Near a coverage of one monolayer, a hybrid image potential/anion state is also formed, showing progressive localization with coverage. Intensities for all these features develop rather differently with molecular coverage, pointing towards the different types of charge-transfer interactions at play at this interface.     

Protein adsorption at the electrified air-water interface: implications on foam stability

The surface chemistry of ions, water molecules, and proteins as well as their ability to form stable networks in foams can influence and control macroscopic properties such as taste and texture of dairy products considerably. Despite the significant relevance of protein adsorption at liquid interfaces, a molecular level understanding on the arrangement of proteins at interfaces and their interactions has been elusive. Therefore, we have addressed the adsorption of the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) at the air-water interface with vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) and ellipsometry. SFG provides specific information on the composition and average orientation of molecules at interfaces, while complementary information on the thickness of the adsorbed layer can be obtained with ellipsometry. Adsorption of charged BSA proteins at the water surface leads to an electrified interface, pH dependent charging, and electric field-induced polar ordering of interfacial H(2)O and BSA. Varying the bulk pH of protein solutions changes the intensities of the protein related vibrational bands substantially, while dramatic changes in vibrational bands of interfacial H(2)O are simultaneously observed. These observations have allowed us to determine the isoelectric point of BSA directly at the electrolyte-air interface for the first time. BSA covered air-water interfaces with a pH near the isoelectric point form an amorphous network of possibly agglomerated BSA proteins. Finally, we provide a direct correlation of the molecular structure of BSA interfaces with foam stability and new information on the link between microscopic properties of BSA at water surfaces and macroscopic properties such as the stability of protein foams.     

Adsorption and phase transition of alkanol and fluoroalkanol at electrified mercury/aqueous solution interface

The adsorption behavior and the phase transition of alkanol and fluoroalkanol at the electrified mercury/aqueous solution interface were investigated by the interfacial tension measurements and the thermodynamic analysis. In the alkanol system, it is found that the phase transitions in low interfacial densities occur: the ones from the zero adsorption to the gaseous or the expanded state and the gaseous to the expanded state at the electrified interface depending on the electrostatic nature as well as the concentration in the bulk phase. These phase transitions were verified by the thermodynamic equations derived by the assumption of coexistence of two phases at the electrified interface. Furthermore the distribution of ionic species in the interfacial region is discussed on the basis of dependence of the interfacial charge density of solution phase on an applied potential. Fluoroalkanol, on the other hand, was practically not adsorbed at the electrified interface within this experimental condition. The zero adsorption of fluoroalkanol molecules suggests the driving force of the adsorption may be the interaction hydrophobic group of alcohol molecule and mercury.     

Molecular modeling of adsorption and ordering at solid interfaces

Interfaces between liquids and solid surfaces are of considerable scientific as well as technological interest, in particular in the context of the adsorption and organization of molecular films. In recent years the direct observation of the molecular structure and often even the dynamics of ordered monolayers at such hidden interfaces has been made possible by the rapid development in scanning probe microscopy. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of understanding with respect to the formation and organization of such films and their interaction with the experimental apparatus. Here computer modeling plays an increasing role as both the complexity of the interfaces and the available computer power increase. This article addresses the application of phenomenological molecular modeling to physisorption at solid surfaces with a special emphasis on the liquid-solid interface. The paper presents an overview over different modeling approaches and illustrates their application in a series of examples ranging from the simulation of adsorption isotherms of small molecules to the prediction of the structure of physisorbed layers for larger molecules.     

Electrostriction of supported lipid films at presence of cationic surfactants,surfactant-DNA and DNA-Mg(2+) complexes

The method of electrostriction has been applied to study the physical properties of supported lipid membranes (sBLM) during membrane formation at application of negative potential. Application of negative potential -350 mV to the sBLM during its formation resulted in more compact membrane structure as revealed by higher elastic modulus in comparison with sBLM formed without application of this potential. We also studied interaction with sBLM cationic surfactant hexadecylamine (HDA), HDA-DNA and DNA-Mg(2+) complexes. Interaction of HDA with sBLM resulted in decrease of membrane capacitance and two-directional effect on elasticity modulus (increase or decrease), which can be caused by different aggregation state of surfactant at the surface of sBLM. In contrast with effect of HDA, the complexes of HDA-DNA resulted, in most cases, increase of elasticity modulus and increase of membrane capacitance, which can be caused by incorporation of these complexes into the hydrophobic interior of the membrane. Certain part of these complexes can, however, be adsorbed on the sBLM surface. DNA itself does not cause substantial changes of physical properties of sBLM; however, addition of bivalent cations Mg(2+) to the electrolyte-contained DNA caused substantial increase of elasticity modulus and surface potential. These changes are, however, much slower than that observed for HDA-DNA complexes, which can be caused by slow competitive exchange between Na(+) and Mg(2+) ions.     

Lewis Acid catalyzed dipolar cycloadditions of an activated imidate

An evaluation of simple Lewis acids revealed that N-malonylimidates undergo catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition reactions with aldehydes, imines, and activated olefins to form oxazolines, imidazolines, and pyrrolines, respectively. Reactions proceed optimally at ambient temperature with the addition of 5 mol % of MgCl(2) in CH(3)CN. Experiments aimed at elucidation of the reactive intermediate undergoing cycloaddition suggest that the Lewis acid promotes a 1,2-prototropic shift to give a metal-coordinated azomethine ylide, rather than ionization and proton transfer to give a nitrile ylide.     

Molecular ordering of ethanol at the calcite surface

To produce biominerals, such as shells, bones, and teeth, living beings create organic compounds that control the growth of the solid phase. Investigating the atomic scale behavior of individual functional groups at the mineral-fluid interface provides fundamental information that is useful for constructing accurate predictive models for natural systems. Previous investigations of the activity of coccolith-associated polysaccharides (CAP) on calcite, using atomic force microscopy (AFM) [Henriksen, K., Young, J. R., Bown, P. R., and Stipp, S. L. S. Palentology 2004, 43 (Part 3), 725-743] and molecular dynamics (MD) modeling [Yang, M., Stipp, S. L. S., and Harding, J. H. Cryst. Growth Des. 2008, 8 (11), 4066-4074], have suggested that OH functional groups control polysaccharide attachment. The purpose of this work was to characterize, using X-ray reflectivity (XR) combined with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the structuring on calcite of a layer of the simplest carbon chain molecule that contains an OH group, ethanol (CH(3)-CH(2)-OH). We found evidence that EtOH forms a highly ordered structure at the calcite surface, where the first layer molecules bond with calcite. The ethanol molecules stand up perpendicularly at the interface or nearly so. As a consequence, the fatty, CH(3) ends form a new surface, about 6 ? from the termination of the bulk calcite, and beyond that, there is a thin gap where ethanol density is low. Following is a more disordered layer that is two to three ethanol molecules thick, about 14 ?, where density more resembles that of bulk liquid ethanol. The good agreement between theory and experiment gives confidence that a theoretical approach can offer information about behavior in more complex systems.     

Water ordering at membrane interfaces controls fusion dynamics

Membrane interfaces are critical to many cellular functions, yet the vast array of molecular components involved make the fundamental physics of interaction difficult to define. Water has been shown to play an important role in the dynamics of small biological systems, for example when trapped in hydrophobic regions, but the molecular details of water have generally been thought dispensable when considering large membrane interfaces. Nevertheless, spectroscopic data indicate that water has distinct, ordered behavior near membrane surfaces. While coarse-grained simulations have achieved success recently in aiding understanding the dynamics of membrane assemblies, it is natural to ask, does the missing chemical nature of water play an important role? We have therefore performed atomic-resolution simulations of vesicle fusion to understand the role of chemical detail, particularly the molecular structure of water, in membrane fusion and at membrane interfaces more generally. These membrane interfaces present a form of hydrophilic confinement, yielding surprising, non-bulk-like water behavior.     

Image states at the interface with a dipolar organic semiconductor

Image states of the dipolar organic semiconductor vanadyl naphthalocyanine on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite are investigated in the submonolayer to few monolayer regime. The presence of a significant molecular dipole in the organized thin films leads to a strong modification of the image states with coverage. In the 0-1 ML regime, we observe successive stabilization of the image state with increasing coverage. Above 1 ML, a new image state develops, corresponding to the screened interaction at the organic semiconductor/substrate interface. We show that the evolution of the observed image states can be understood on the basis of resonance-enhanced anion formation in the presence of strong electric fields. These data represent a step toward understanding the influence of electrostatic fields on electronic structure at organic semiconductor interfaces.     

Effect of wall slip on the viscoelastic particle ordering in a microfluidic channel

The formation of a line of equally spaced particles at the centerline of a microchannel, referred as “particle ordering,” is desired in several microfluidic applications. Recent experiments and simulations highlighted the capability of viscoelastic fluids to form a row of particles characterized by a preferential spacing. When dealing with non-Newtonian fluids in microfluidics, the adherence condition of the liquid at the channel wall may be violated and the liquid can slip over the surface, possibly affecting the ordering efficiency. In this work, we investigate the effect of wall slip on the ordering of particles suspended in a viscoelastic liquid by numerical simulations. The dynamics of a triplet of particles in an infinite cylindrical channel is first addressed by solving the fluid and particle governing equations. The relative velocities computed for the three-particle system are used to predict the dynamics of a train of particles flowing in a long microchannel. The distributions of the interparticle spacing evaluated at different slip coefficients, linear particle concentrations, and distances from the channel inlet show that wall slip slows down the self-assembly mechanism. For strong slipping surfaces, no significant change of the initial microstructure is observed at low particle concentrations, whereas strings of particles in contact form at higher concentrations. The detrimental effect of wall slip on viscoelastic ordering suggests care when designing microdevices, especially in case of hydrophobic surfaces that may enhance the slipping phenomenon.     

Roughness and ordering at the interface of oxidized polystyrene and water

For the first time, atomistically detailed molecular dynamics calculations revealed molecular ordering of the water-oxidized atactic polystyrene (aPS) interface. Both ordering of the water molecules and the phenyl rings occur. In addition, the natural roughness of the surface has been simulated and compared to experimental values. The composition of the simulated aPS films is based on spin-coated aPS films that have been oxidized and characterized experimentally. The aPS surfaces are oxidized with ultraviolet-ozone radiation and have been characterized by XPS, AFM, and water contact angle measurements. XPS measurements show that the oxygen content in the sample increases rapidly with exposure and reaches saturation near 24 at. % of oxygen. The molecular dynamics simulations show smoothening of an hydrophobic aPS surface upon transition from vacuum to water. The smoothening decreases with increasing hydrophilicity. The calculations reveal ordering of oxidized phenyl rings for aPS surfaces in water. The order increases with increasing hydrophilicity. Additionally, we investigated the water structure near the aPS-water interface as a function of the surface hydrophilicity. With increasing hydrophilicity, the density of water at the aPS-water interface increases. The water density profile is steeper in the presence of hydrophobic aPS. The water shows an ordered layer near both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces; the position of this layer shifts toward the interface with increasing hydrophilicity.     

Correlation between dipolar TSDC and AC dielectric spectroscopy at the PVDF glass transition

The α_a-mode (associated to the dynamic glass transition) in PVDF-α has been studied by Thermally Stimulated Depolarization Currents (TSDC) and Dielectric Spectroscopy (DS) techniques. The distribution of relaxation parameters, reorientation energies, characteristic temperature, and preexponential factors of the Vogel–Tammann–Fulcher relaxation times have been precisely determined by using the Simulated Annealing Direct Signal Analysis applied to a partially discharged TSDC α_a peak. This distribution has been used to predict the variation of the dielectric loss, ε″(ω, T), in the temperature and frequency range where the DS measurements were made on the same material. The simulated ε′(T, ω) for various ω, are compared to the experimental values. The width of the peak is always too low, due to the restricted distribution used for the generation of the curves. A relaxation map including the TSDC results is used to determine the relaxation time variation. In the limited frequency range where the AC DS experiments are performed (10² ≤ f ≤ 10⁵ Hz) a master curve is drawn and the exponents of the frequency dependence are found at low and high frequency; also, a fitting to the Havriliak–Negami distribution is successfully performed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 2483–2493, 1997     

Electrostriction, ion solvation, and solvent release on ion pairing

The theoretical mean molar electrostriction volume of electrolytic solvents, DeltaVel(solvent), was calculated from their properties: the relative pressure derivatives of the density (the compressibility) and permittivity and their second pressure derivatives. The molar electrostriction caused by ions at infinite dilution was taken as the differences of their standard partial molar volumes in the solution and their intrinsic volumes: DeltaVel(ion) = Vinfinity(ion) - Vin(ion). The ratio ninfinity = DeltaVel(ion)/DeltaVel(solvent) then represents the solvation number of the ion in the solvent at infinite dilution. Similarly, from the molar volume change on ion pair formation, DeltaVip, the ratio Deltanip = DeltaVip/DeltaVel(solvent) represents the number of solvent molecules released thereby. These values were tabulated for those solvents, ions, and ion pairs for which the relevant information could be found, the extension to nonaqueous solvents not having been attempted previously.