Surface structures and properties of polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends and copolymers

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has been applied to study the molecular surface structures of polystyrene (PS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends and the copolymer between PS and PMMA (PS-co-PMMA) in air, supplemented by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle goniometer. Both the blend and the copolymer have equal weight amounts of the two components. SFG results show that both components, PS and PMMA, can segregate to the surface of the blend and the copolymer before annealing, although PMMA has a slightly higher surface tension. Upon annealing both SFG results and contact angle measurements indicate that the PS segregates to the surface of the PS/PMMA blend more but no change occurs on the PS-co-PMMA surface. AFM images show that the copolymer surface is flat but the 1:1 PS/PMMA blend has a rougher surface with island like domains present. The annealing effect on the blend surface morphology has also been investigated. We collected amide SFG signals from interfacial fibrinogen molecules at the copolymer or blend/protein solution interfaces as a function of time. Different time-dependent SFG signal changes have been observed, showing that different surfaces of the blend and the copolymer mediate fibrinogen adsorption behavior differently.     

Structural information of mussel adhesive protein Mefp-3 acquired at various polymer/Mefp-3 solution interfaces

Mytilus edulis foot protein Mefp-3 serves as a primer in the formation of adhesive plaques that attach the mussel to solid surfaces in its immediate environment. The adsorption behavior of this protein on various materials of different hydrophobicity was studied using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. By collecting SFG signals from side chains of these amino acids and from secondary structures of the protein, we have determined that this protein adopts different conformations at different interfaces, depending on hydrophobicity of the contact medium and specific chemical group interactions. We have also demonstrated that SFG has the potential to track the interfacial conformations of a single amino acid in a protein.     

Conformational changes of fibrinogen after adsorption

The adsorption behavior of fibrinogen to two biomedical polyurethanes and a perfluorinated polymer has been investigated. Changes in the secondary structure of adsorbed fibrinogen were monitored using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG). SFG measurements were performed in the amide I range as well as in the C-H/N-H stretching range. Amide I signals from SFG demonstrate that fibrinogen has post-adsorption conformational changes that are dependent upon the polymer surface properties. For example, strong attenuation of the amide I and N-H stretching signals with increasing residence time was observed for fibrinogen adsorbed to poly(ether urethane) but not for the other two polymers. This change is not readily observed by ATR-FTIR. Differences in the observed spectral changes for fibrinogen adsorbed to each polymer are explained by different initial binding mechanisms and post-adsorption conformational changes.     

Role of interfacial water on protein adsorption at cross-linked polyethylene oxide interfaces

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy was used to study the structure of water at cross-linked PEO film interfaces in the presence of human serum albumin (HSA) protein. Although PEO is charge neutral, the PEO film/water interface exhibited an SFG signal of water similar to that of a highly charged water/silica interface, signifying the presence of ordered water. Ordered water molecules were observed not only at the water/PEO interface, but also within the PEO film. It indicates that the PEO and water form an ordered hydrogen-bonded network extending from the bulk PEO film into liquid water, which can provide an energy barrier for protein adsorption. Upon exposure to the protein solution, the SFG spectra of water at the water/PEO interface remained nearly unperturbed. For comparison, the SFG spectra of water/silica and water/polystyrene interfaces were also studied with and without HSA in the solution. The SFG spectra of the interfacial water were correlated with the amount of protein adsorbed on the surfaces using fluorescence microscopy, which showed that the amount of protein adsorbed on the PEO film was about 10 times less than that on a polystyrene film and 3 times less than that on silica.     

Probing alpha-helical and beta-sheet structures of peptides at solid/liquid interfaces with SFG

We demonstrated that sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy can distinguish different secondary structures of proteins or peptides adsorbed at solid/liquid interfaces. The SFG spectrum for tachyplesin I at the polystyrene (PS)/solution interface has a fingerprint peak corresponding to the B1/B3 mode of the antiparallel beta-sheet. This peak disappeared upon the addition of dithiothreitol, which can disrupt the beta-sheet structure. The SFG spectrum indicative of the MSI594 alpha-helical structure was observed at the PS/MSI594 solution interface. This research validates SFG as a powerful technique for revealing detailed secondary structures of interfacial proteins and peptides.     

Adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate at the hydrophobic solid/aqueous solution interface in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol): dependence upon polymer molecular weight

The polar orientation and degree of conformational order of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) adsorbed at the hydrophobic octadecanethiol/aqueous solution interface in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been investigated as a function of the surfactant concentration and the molecular weight of the polymer. Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy was employed to obtain spectra of interfacial surfactant; weak SFG signals from interfacial polymer were also detected for polymer molecular weights of 900 and above. The phase of the SFG spectra indicated that both the surfactant and polymer had a net orientation of their CH2 and/or CH3 groups toward the hydrophobic surface. Spectra of SDS in the presence of mixed polymer/surfactant solutions showed increasing conformational order as the surfactant concentration was raised. At the lowest surfactant concentrations, the spectra of SDS were weaker in the presence of the polymer than in its absence. All PEG molecular weights investigated, with the exception of PEG 400, gave rise to significant inhibition of ordered surfactant adsorption below the critical micelle concentration. The greatest inhibitory effect was noted for PEG 900. Probing interfacial PEG specifically through the use of perdeuterated SDS revealed that the polymer spectral intensity decreased monotonically as the surfactant concentration was increased for all polymer molecular weights where a PEG spectrum was apparent. These findings are interpreted in terms of the displacement of preadsorbed polymer as the surfactant concentration increases. This result is compatible with observations of adsorption from SDS/PEG solutions at solid/solution and solution/air interfaces made using other techniques.     

Demonstrating the feasibility of monitoring the molecular-level structures of moving polymer/silane interfaces during silane diffusion using SFG

In this paper, the feasibility of monitoring molecular structures at a moving polymer/liquid interface by sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has been demonstrated. N-(2-Aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AATM, NH2(CH2)2NH(CH2)3Si(OCH3)3) has been brought into contact with a deuterated poly(methyl methacrylate) (d-PMMA) film, and the interfacial silane structure has been monitored using SFG. Upon initial contact, the SFG spectra can be detected, but as time progresses, the spectral intensity changes and finally disappears. Additional experiments indicate that these silane molecules can diffuse into the polymer film and the detected SFG signals are actually from the moving polymer/silane interface. Our results show that the molecular order of the polymer/silane interface exists during the entire diffusion process and is lost when the silane molecules traverse through the thickness of the d-PMMA film. The loss of the SFG signal is due to the formation of a new disordered substrate/silane interface, which contributes no detectable SFG signal. The kinetics of the diffusion of the silane into the polymer have been deduced from the time-dependent SFG signals detected from the AATM molecules as they diffuse through polymer films of different thickness.     

Molecular interactions of proteins and peptides at interfaces studied by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

Interfacial peptides and proteins are critical in many biological processes and thus are of interest to various research fields. To study these processes, surface sensitive techniques are required to completely describe different interfacial interactions intrinsic to many complicated processes. Sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy has been developed into a powerful tool to investigate these interactions and mechanisms of a variety of interfacial peptides and proteins. It has been shown that SFG has intrinsic surface sensitivity and the ability to acquire conformation, orientation, and ordering information about these systems. This paper reviews recent studies on peptide/protein-substrate interactions, peptide/protein-membrane interactions, and protein complexes at interfaces and demonstrates the ability of SFG on unveiling the molecular pictures of complicated interfacial biological processes.     

Chiral sum frequency generation spectroscopy for characterizing protein secondary structures at interfaces

In situ and real-time characterization of protein secondary structures at interfaces is important in biological and bioengineering sciences, yet remains technically challenging. In this study, we used chiral sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy to establish a set of vibrational optical markers for characterizing protein secondary structures at interfaces. We discovered that the N-H stretches along the peptide backbones of α-helices can be detected in chiral SFG spectra. We further observed that the chiral vibrational signatures of the N-H stretch together with the peptide amide I are unique to α-helix, β-sheet, and random coil at interfaces. Using these chiral vibrational signatures, we studied the aggregation of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), which is implicated in type II diabetes. We observed in situ and in real time the misfolding of hIAPP from random coils to α-helices and then β-sheets upon interaction with a lipid-water interface. Our findings show that chiral SFG spectroscopy is a powerful tool to follow changes in protein conformations at interfaces and identify interfacial protein secondary structures that elude conventional techniques.     

Molecular responses of proteins at different interfacial environments detected by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has been applied to investigate molecular responses of bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecules adsorbed at different interfacial environments. Molecular level and in situ SFG studies demonstrate that albumin molecules have different adsorption behaviors when contact with fused silica, polystyrene, and poly(methyl methacrylate). Adsorbed albumin molecules exhibit different structural changes when exposed to different chemical environments, including air, water, and hydrophobic solvents. This paper provides direct molecular insight into protein responses to different interfacial environments.     

Real-Time Observation of Protein Transport across Membranes by Femtosecond Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy?

Characterization of conformation kinetics of proteins at the interfaces is crucial for understanding the biomolecular functions and the mechanisms of interfacial biological action. But it requires to capture the dynamic structures of proteins at the interfaces with sufficient structural and temporal resolutions. Here, we demonstrate that a femtosecond sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) system developed by our group provides a powerful tool for monitoring the real-time peptide transport across the membranes with time resolution of less than one second. By probing the real-time SFG signals in the amide Ⅰ and amide A bands as WALP23 interacts with DMPG lipid bilayer, it is found that WALP23 is initially absorbed at the gel-phase DMPG bilayer with a random coil structure. The absorption of WALP23 on the surface leads to the surface charge reversal and thus changes the orientation of membrane-bound water. As the DMPG bilayer changes from gel phase into fluid phase, WALP23 inserts into the fluid-phase bilayer with its N-terminal end moving across the membrane, which causes the membrane dehydration and the transition of WALP23 conformation from random coil to mixed helix/loop structure and then to pure α-helical structure. The established system is ready to be employed in characterizing other interfacial fast processes, which will be certainly helpful for providing a clear physical picture of the interfacial phenomena.     

An approach to compatible multiple nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy measurements using a commercial sum frequency generation system

In this paper, we designed a compatible multiple nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy system that can be used for recording infrared-visible sum frequency generation vibrational spectra (SFG) and infrared-infrared-visible three-pump-field four-wave-mixing (IIV-TPF-FWM) spectra using a commercial EKSPLA SFG system. This is the first time IIV-TPF-FWM signals were obtained using picosecond laser pulses. We have applied this compatible system to study the surface and vibrational structures of riboflavin molecules (also known as vitamin B2). The SFG spectra of eight polarization combinations have non-vanishing signals. The signals with incoming s-polarized IR are relatively weaker than the signals with incoming p-polarized IR. Under the double resonant conditions, the SFG signals of the conjugated tricyclic ring are greatly enhanced. For the IIV-TPF-FWM spectra with incoming p-polarized IR, only the sspp and pppp polarization combinations have non-vanishing signals. The IIV-TPF-FWM spectra show a very strong peak at 1585 cm(-1) that is mainly dominated by the N(5)-C(4a) stretch. The method developed in this study will be helpful for researchers, either using a home-built or commercial (EKSPLA) SFG system, to obtain independent and complementary measurements for SFG spectroscopy and more detailed structural information of interfacial molecules.     

Effect of dehydration on the interfacial water structure at a charged polymer surface: negligible χ(3) contribution to sum frequency generation signal

Interfacial water structure at charged surfaces plays a key role in many physical, chemical, biological, environmental, and industrial processes. Understanding the release of interfacial water from the charged solid surfaces during dehydration process may provide insights into the mechanism of protein folding and the nature of weak molecular interactions. In this work, sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS), supplemented by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements, has been applied to study the interfacial water structure at polyelectrolyte covered surfaces. Poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) chains are grafted on solid surfaces to investigate the change of interfacial water structure with varying surface charge density induced by tuning the solution pH. At pH ≤ 7.1, SFG-VS intensity is linear to the loss of mass of interfacial water caused by the dehydration of PDMAEMA chains, and no reorientation of the strongly bonded water molecules is observed in the light of χ(ppp)/χ(ssp) ratio. χ((3)) contribution to SFG signal is deduced based on the combination of SFG and QCM results. It is the first direct experimental evidence to reveal that the χ((3)) has a negligible contribution to SFG signal of the interfacial water at a charged polymer surface.     

Multiple orientation of melittin inside a single lipid bilayer determined by combined vibrational spectroscopic studies

Despite the availability of several mature structure determination techniques for bulk proteins, determination of structural and orientational information of interfacial proteins, e.g., in cell membranes or on biomaterial surfaces, remains a difficult problem. We combine sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) to investigate the orientation of alpha-helical peptides reconstituted in substrate supported lipid bilayers. Melittin was chosen as a model for alpha-helical peptides, and its orientation when interacting with a supported 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DPPG) bilayer has been examined. Through polarization analysis using amide I signals obtained from both SFG and ATR-FTIR measurements, the orientation distribution of melittin inside a DPPG bilayer was deduced using several trial distribution functions. Melittin was modeled as either an ideal helix or a helix with a bent structure. It was found that a simple distribution function such as a delta-distribution or a Gaussian distribution was not adequate to describe the melittin orientation distribution inside a DPPG bilayer. Instead, two populations of melittin, corresponding to two melittin-bilayer association states, could be used to interpret the experimentally observed result. The method employed in this study demonstrates the feasibility of acquiring a more accurate orientation distribution of peptides/proteins in situ using a combination of vibrational spectroscopic techniques without exogenous labeling.     

Role of refractive index in sum frequency generation intensity of salt solution interfaces

Sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG) has been widely used to study the interfacial chemistry of aqueous salt solutions of biological or environmental importance. Most of the SFG data analysis used the same bulk refractive index for different salt concentrations despite of the variations of the refractive indices. Here we systematically investigate the influence of the refractive index on the SFG intensities at various experimental conditions. It is discovered that the SFG intensities are the most sensitive to the refractive index at solid/liquid interfaces nearby the total internal reflection geometries. At air/liquid interfaces, the effect of the refractive indices is also nonegligible. Consequently some important SFG results, such as the response of water structures to the ionic strength at the SiO₂/aqueous interfaces, are necessary to be reevaluated. These conclusions on the effect of the small variations of the refractive index are generally useful for the common practice of SFG data analysis.     

The effect of surface coverage on conformation changes of bovine serum albumin molecules at the air-solution interface detected by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

The air-BSA solution interface has been investigated by various techniques for years. From these studies we know that BSA molecules segregate at the BSA solution-air interface, and the surface coverage increases with the increase of the bulk solution concentration. However, questions still remain as to whether the protein changes conformation, orientation, or a combination of the two upon adsorption. In this paper, by using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy we found that the conformation of interfacial BSA molecules changes dramatically at the solution-air interface, compared to that of the native BSA in solution. The hydrophobic methyl groups of BSA molecules at this interface tend to align along the surface normal. The degree of such conformational changes of surface BSA molecules depend on the surface coverage, indicating that the protein-protein interaction plays a very important role in determining the conformation of interfacial protein molecules. At very low surface concentration, the adsorbed BSA molecules unfold substantially. Our results can provide a molecular interpretation of results obtained from other studies such as protein layer thickness and surface tension measurements of protein solution.     

Diffusion of one or more components of a silane adhesion-promoting mixture into poly(methyl methacrylate)

The surface-sensitive technique of sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has been applied to study the buried interfaces between different polymers including deuterated polystyrene (d-PS) and deuterated poly(methyl methacrylate) (d-PMMA) and a two-component silane adhesion-promoting mixture (SAPM) composed of (3-glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (gamma-GPS) and a methylvinylsiloxanol (MVS). Because of the dissolution of d-PS, no SFG CH stretching signals could be collected from the d-PS/gamma-GPS interface, and SFG signals collected from the d-PS/SAPM interface gradually disappeared over time. SFG results also showed that gamma-GPS can diffuse through the d-PMMA film. The diffusion of gamma-GPS through the d-PMMA film was confirmed by SFG studies on the interface between gamma-GPS and a d-PMMA/PS two-polymer layer system. Initially the SFG signal from the PS layer was detected. However, after gamma-GPS diffused through the d-PMMA film, the PS film was dissolved by the silane, and thus the SFG signal from PS was lost. Similar experiments have been carried out at the interface between the SAPM and the d-PMMA/PS two-polymer layer system and it was found that the diffusion time of the gamma-GPS in the SAPM through the d-PMMA film was significantly longer. These results were much different to those from previous SFG studies on the analogous PET interfaces and appear consistent with differences in solubility parameters calculated for these systems.     

Probing of lipase activity at air/water interface by sum-frequency generation spectroscopy

The infrared-visible sum-frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy was used to probe enzymatic activity of Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TLL) at air/water interface. A monolayer of amphiphilic O-palmitoyl-2,3-dicyanohydroquinone (PDCHQ), containing target ester group and two CN groups serving as vibrational markers, was utilized as an enzyme substrate. SFG data revealed the detailed molecular scale structure and properties of the PDCHQ layer at the interface. In particular, we demonstrate that hydrophilic headgroup of PDCHQ is mainly in the form of an oxyanion, and the enzyme-induced cleavage of the ester bond could be spectroscopically monitored by the disappearance of the intense C tripple bond N resonance at 2224 cm(-1). The enzymatic nature of the ester bond cleavage was confirmed by the control experiments with deactivated S146A mutant variant of TLL. By comparing action of wild type (WT) TLL and its inactive S146A mutant, it was shown that two effects take place at the interface: disordering of the lipid monolayer due to the adsorption of enzyme and enzymatic cleavage of the ester bond. The concentration of enzyme as low as 10 nM could be easily sensed by the SFG spectroscopy. We present spectroscopic evidence that upon hydrolysis one of the products, 2,3-dicyanohydroquinone, leaves the surface, while the other, palmitic acid, remains at air/water interface in predominantly undissociated form with the mono-hydrogen-bonded carbonyl group. Strong amide I (1662 cm(-1)) and amide A (3320 cm(-1)) SFG signals from TLL suggest that enzyme molecules position themselves at air/water interface in an orderly fashion. Presented work demonstrates the potential of SFG spectroscopy for in situ real-time monitoring of enzymatic processes at air/water interface.     

Deduction of structural information of interfacial proteins by combined vibrational spectroscopic methods

We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that the combination of vibrational spectroscopic techniques on samples can be used to deduce more detailed structural information of interfacial proteins and peptides. Such an approach can be used to elucidate structures of proteins or peptides at interfaces, such as at the solid/liquid interface or in cell membranes. We also discuss that the controlled perturbations may provide more measured parameters for structural studies on such proteins and peptides. In this paper, we will demonstrate that optical spectroscopic techniques such as polarized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, and higher order nonlinear vibrational spectroscopies can be used to deduce different and complementary structural information of molecules at interfaces (e.g., orientation information of certain functional groups and secondary structures of interfacial proteins). Also, we believe that controlled perturbations on samples, such as variation of sample temperature, application of electrical fields, and alternation of substrate roughness, can provide more detailed information regarding the interfacial structures of proteins and peptides. The development of nonlinear vibrational spectroscopies, such as SFG and four-wave mixing vibrational spectroscopy, to examine interfacial protein and peptide structures, and introduction of external perturbations on samples should be able to substantially advance our knowledge in understanding structures and thus functions of proteins and peptides at interfaces.     

Interfacial orientation and secondary structure change in tachyplesin I: molecular dynamics and sum frequency generation spectroscopy studies

Recent advances in the collection and interpretation of surface-sensitive vibrational spectroscopic measurements have made it possible to study the orientation of peptides and proteins in situ in a biologically relevant environment. However, interpretation of sum frequency generation (SFG) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) vibrational spectroscopy is hindered by the fact that orientation cannot be inferred without some prior knowledge of the protein structure. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations were used to study the interfacial orientation and structural deformation of the short β-sheet peptide tachyplesin I at the polystyrene/water interface. By combining these results with ATR-FTIR and SFG measurements, reasonable agreement was found with the simulation results, suggesting that tachyplesin I lies parallel to the surface, although the simulation results imply a broader distribution of peptide twist angles than could be characterized using available experimental measurements. The interfacial structure was found to be deformable even when disulfide bonds were preserved, and these local deviations from a purely extended β-sheet conformation may be of importance to future developments in the interpretation of SFG and ATR-FTIR spectra.