NMR study of the adsorption-desorption kinetics of dissolved tetraalanine in MCM-41 mesoporous material

In this study we show how deuterium magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy can be used to investigate the adsorption-desorption kinetics of molecules in solution at surface-liquid interfaces. An aqueous solution of deuterium-labeled tetraalanine is inserted in the pores of MCM-41 mesoporous material, and its 2H MAS NMR spectrum is measured as a function of temperature and fraction of filling of the pores. Prior to this study, the different types of water in MCM-41 are characterized as a function of water loading of the pores. Analysis of 2H MAS sideband line shapes enabled the determination of the adsorption and desorption rates and the activation energies of desorption.