Rotational and vibrational relaxation of small molecules in porous silica gels

Probing electrolyte–silica interactions through simulations of the infrared spectroscopy of nanoscale pores

The structural and dynamical properties of nanoconfined solutions can differ dramatically from those of the corresponding bulk systems. Understanding the changes induced by confinement is central to controlling the behavior of synthetic nanostructured materials and predicting the characteristics of biological and geochemical systems. A key outstanding issue is how the molecular-level behavior of nanoconfined electrolyte solutions is reflected in different experimental, particularly spectroscopic, measurements. This is addressed here through molecular dynamics simulations of the OH stretching infrared (IR) spectroscopy of NaCl, NaBr, and NaI solutions in isotopically dilute HOD/D2O confined in hydroxylated amorphous silica slit pores of width 1–6 nm and pH [Formula: see text]. In addition, the water reorientation dynamics and spectral diffusion, accessible by pump–probe anisotropy and two-dimensional IR measurements, are investigated. The aim is to elucidate the effect of salt identity, confinement, and salt concentration on the vibrational spectra. It is found that the IR spectra of the electrolyte solutions are only modestly blue-shifted upon confinement in amorphous silica slit pores, with both the size of the shift and linewidth increasing with the halide size, but these effects are suppressed as the salt concentration is increased. This indicates the limitations of linear IR spectroscopy as a probe of confined water. However, the OH reorientational and spectral diffusion dynamics are significantly slowed by confinement even at the lowest concentrations. The retardation of the dynamics eases with increasing salt concentration and pore width, but it exhibits a more complex behavior as a function of halide.

Molecular-level mechanisms of vibrational frequency shifts in a polar liquid

A molecular-level analysis of the origins of the vibrational frequency shifts of the CN stretching mode in neat liquid acetonitrile is presented. The frequency shifts and infrared spectrum are calculated using a perturbation theory approach within a molecular dynamics simulation and are in good agreement with measured values reported in the literature. The resulting instantaneous frequency of each nitrile group is decomposed into the contributions from each molecule in the liquid and by interaction type. This provides a detailed picture of the mechanisms of frequency shifts, including the number of surrounding molecules that contribute to the shift, the relationship between their position and relative contribution, and the roles of electrostatic and van der Waals interactions. These results provide insight into what information is contained in infrared (IR) and Raman spectra about the environment of the probed vibrational mode.

Dynamics of Liquids in Confined Geometries

An overview of several NMR studies of liquids in confined geometries is presented. First, the NMR relaxation rates, 1/T1, 1/T1ρ , and 1/T2 were measured for several molecular liquids confined to porous silica glasses with pore radii in the range from 12 Å to 100 Å as a function of temperature, pore size, and frequency. The experimental relaxation data were interpreted in terms of bulk, surface, and topological contributions using the following expression:

where 1/Tib and 1/Tis are the bulk and the surface layer relaxation rates, ε is the thickness of the surface layer, R is the pore radius, and Ai(ω) represents the pure topological effect.

Second, the pressure effects on the dynamics of the confined liquid of acetonitrile-d3 were also investigated. Third, the natural abundance of 13C spin lattice relaxation rates for CS2 confined to porous silica glasses provided information about confinement effects on the angular momentum behavior of this simple liquid.

Substituent-dominated structure evolution during sol-gel synthesis: a comparative study of sol-gel processing of 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane

The sol-gel processes of 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS) have been followed by fluorescence spectroscopy with pyranine as a photophysical probe. The experimental results showed that this probe is sensitive to the structural evolution and microenvironment polarity. The specific comparison of the structural evolution in two substituted organotrialkoxysilanes, namely, MAPTMS and GPTMS, illustrates the ability of the substituents to interact with the microenvironment via electrostatic interactions. Interestingly, these interactions determine the kinds of intermediate supramolecular structures that form during the sol-gel process and hence control the structure of the ensuing sol-gel end product. In particular, the amphiphile-like character of the MAPTMS intermediates contrasts with the biamphiphilic character of their GPTMS counterparts, driving distinctly different transient and local molecular organizations, which in turn modulate the hydrolysis and condensation reactions during the sol-gel process.

Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations of acetonitrile filling of silica pores of varying hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity

Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations have been used to determine the equilibrium density of acetonitrile in model amorphous silica pores with varying radius and surface chemistry. Pores of diameter approximately 2-4 nm were considered with different ratios of surface -OH moieties to -OC(CH(3))(3) groups. The calculations found that the acetonitrile density in the interior of all the pores is essentially identical with that of the bulk liquid. On the other hand, a slightly elevated liquid density is observed near the pore surface for pores with only -OH surface moieties. Replacement of surface -OH groups with -OC(CH(3))(3) units lengthens the liquid/pore interfacial region as acetonitrile molecules can insert themselves between the -OC(CH(3))(3) units. The results indicate that the major effect of changing the surface functionality comes from the differences in excluded volume rather than hydrogen-bonding effects. Finally, the choice of the acetonitrile potential can qualitatively change the results.

Umbrella sampling of solute vibrational line shifts in mixed quantum-classical molecular dynamics simulations

An umbrella sampling approach for vibrational frequency line shifts is presented. The technique allows for efficient sampling of the solvent configurations corresponding to frequency shifts of a solute in mixed quantum-classical simulations. The approach is generally applicable and can also be used within traditional perturbation theory calculations of frequency shifts. It is particularly useful in the extraction of detailed mechanistic information about the solute-solvent interactions giving rise to the frequency shifts. The method is illustrated by application to the simple I2 in a liquid Xe system, and the advantages are discussed.

Mixed Quantum-Classical Molecular Dynamics Analysis of the Molecular-Level Mechanisms of Vibrational Frequency Shifts

A detailed analysis of the origins of vibrational frequency shifts of diatomic molecules (I2 and ICl) in a rare gas (Xe) liquid is presented. Specifically, vibrationally adiabatic mixed quantum-classical molecular dynamics simulations are used to obtain the instantaneous frequency shifts and correlate the shifts to solvent configurations. With this approach, important mechanistic questions are addressed, including the following: How many solvent atoms determine the frequency shift? What solvent atom configurations lead to blue shifts, and which lead to red shifts? What is the effect of solute asymmetry? The mechanistic analysis can be generally applied and should be useful in understanding what information is provided by infrared and Raman spectra about the environment of the probed vibrational mode.

Testing a two-state model of nanoconfined liquids: conformational equilibrium of ethylene glycol in amorphous silica pores

Molecular dynamics simulations of the conformational equilibrium of ethylene glycol in roughly cylindrical nanoscale amorphous silica pores are presented and analyzed in the context of a two-state model of confined liquids. This model assumes that an observable property of a confined liquid can be decomposed into a weighted average arising from two subensembles with distinct physical attributes: molecules at the surface and molecules in the interior of the pore. It is further assumed that the molecules in the interior exhibit behavior that is indistinguishable from that of the bulk liquid. However, the present simulation results are not consistent with this two-state model. Neither the assumption of two distinct subensembles nor the assumption that the interior molecules possess bulk-like behavior is supported.

Dynamics of proteins encapsulated in silica sol-gel glasses studied with IR vibrational echo spectroscopy

Spectrally resolved infrared stimulated vibrational echo spectroscopy is used to measure the fast dynamics of heme-bound CO in carbonmonoxy-myoglobin (MbCO) and -hemoglobin (HbCO) embedded in silica sol-gel glasses. On the time scale of approximately 100 fs to several picoseconds, the vibrational dephasing of the heme-bound CO is measurably slower for both MbCO and HbCO relative to that of aqueous protein solutions. The fast structural dynamics of MbCO, as sensed by the heme-bound CO, are influenced more by the sol-gel environment than those of HbCO. Longer time scale structural dynamics (tens of picoseconds), as measured by the extent of spectral diffusion, are the same for both proteins encapsulated in sol-gel glasses compared to that in aqueous solutions. A comparison of the sol-gel experimental results to viscosity-dependent vibrational echo data taken on various mixtures of water and fructose shows that the sol-gel-encapsulated MbCO exhibits dynamics that are the equivalent of the protein in a solution that is nearly 20 times more viscous than bulk water. In contrast, the HbCO dephasing in the sol-gel reflects only a 2-fold increase in viscosity. Attempts to alter the encapsulating pore size by varying the molar ratio of silane precursor to water (R value) used to prepare the sol-gel glasses were found to have no effect on the fast or steady-state spectroscopic results. The vibrational echo data are discussed in the context of solvent confinement and protein-pore wall interactions to provide insights into the influence of a confined environment on the fast structural dynamics experienced by a biomolecule.

Fluorescence Study of the Sol−Gel Process in Hybrid Precursors: Evidence of Concentration Fluctuations at the Local Scale

Hybrid sol-gel materials have been prepared by hydrolytic polycondensation of an alkoxysilane. The sol-gel process of methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS) has been followed by fluorescence spectroscopy with 2-naphthol as a probe. The experimental results showed that this photoprobe was dramatically sensitive to the microenvironment polarity. Spectroscopic studies revealed fluctuations of the maximum emission intensity and wavelength as a function of time. These fluctuations were attributed to the amphiphilic behavior of the hydrolyzed precursor. The maximum emission wavelength of the probe corresponding to its protonated form was higher than in pure water. All the results suggest that the presence of water molecules, tightly bonded to the polar head of the silanols, increased locally the sol polarity and induced a red-shifted emission. Fluorescence spectroscopy emphasized the reversibility of monomeric silanol aggregates and the changes in hydroxy group number of the silica network during the sol maturation. The behavior of this system upon shaking confirmed this statement.

Controlling diffusion in sol-gel derived monoliths

Redox probes were trapped within a silica monolith prepared in part with organoalkoxysilanes containing a quaternary ammonium functional group. The diffusion coefficients of the entrapped molecules were measured as the gels were slowly dried using chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry with ultramicroelectrodes. Gel-entrapped cobalt(II) tris(bipyridine) (Co(bpy)(3)(2+)) diffuses at rates similar to that measured in the sols by incorporating a small amount of the positively charged functional group in the matrix. In comparison, the diffusion coefficient of gel-entrapped ferricyanide (Fe(CN)(6)(3-)) drops an order of magnitude relative to its value in the sol soon after gelation. These results demonstrate the ease at which diffusion in hydrated gels can be easily controlled by simply changing the charge on the walls of the silica host.

Orientational dynamics of liquids confined in nanoporous sol-gel glasses studied by optical kerr effect spectroscopy

When a liquid is restricted to volumes on a molecular distance scale, its orientational and translational dynamics are perturbed strongly by the confinement. Nanoporous sol-gel glasses are an excellent model system for studying the effects of confinement on the behavior of liquids, and in this Account we review experiments in which ultrafast optical Kerr effect spectroscopy has been used to study the orientational dynamics of liquids confined in these media. We contrast the effects of confinement on the orientational dynamics of weakly wetting, strongly wetting, and networked liquids, and we discuss the influence of factors such as pore size, molecular shape, and surface chemistry.

Electrochemiluminescence of ruthenium (II) tris(bipyridine) encapsulated in sol-gel glasses

The electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of Ru(bpy)3 2+ and tripropylamine, tributylamine, triethylamine, trimethylamine, or sodium oxalate encapsulated within sol-gel-derived silica monoliths have been investigated using an immobilized ultramicroelectrode assembly. The major purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the reductant on the magnitude and stability of the ECL in this solid host matrix. For gel-entrapped Ru(bpy)3 2-/tertiary amines, the shape and intensity of the ECL-potential curves were highly dependent on scan rate. At 10 mV/s, the ECL intensity was ca. 6-fold higher relative to that observed at 500 mV/s. When the ECL acquired at low scan rates was normalized by that obtained in solution under similar conditions, a value of 0.03-0.06 was obtained. In direct contrast, the ECL of the Ru(bpy)3 2+-oxalate system showed little dependence on scan rate, and the ECL was ca. 65-75% of that measured in solution. These differences can be attributed to differences in rotational and translational mobility between the reductants (amines vs oxalate) trapped in this porous solid host For both systems, the ECL was found to be stable upon continuous oxidation or upon drying the gels in a high-humidity environment for over 10 days.

Infrared E-type band profiles of acetonitrile in condensed media: orientational diffusion and free rotation

Infrared spectra of liquid acetonitrile (CH3CN) and its solutions in CCl4, CS2, chloroform, dichloromethane, benzene-d6, acetone-d6 and dimethyl sulfoxide-d6 have been studied. E-type bands under investigation (v5 = 3009, v6 = 1448 and v7 = 1041 cm(-1)) were reproduced by the sum of two Cauchy-Gauss components, the narrower (n) and the broader (b) ones. The different temperature behaviour of the components has been found: the integrated intensities of the narrower components, In, decrease with the temperature, while the intensities of the broader ones, Ib, increase. The narrower components of the bands were explained within the framework of the orientational diffusion mechanism. The broader components of v6 and v7 were attributed to the unresolved gas-like vibration-rotational absorption of the molecules. The enthalpy difference between the molecules absorbing via these two different mechanisms was determined from the dependence of ln(In/Ib) upon T(-1) :deltaH0 = 1.26+/-0.15 kcal mol(-1). The broader component of v5 is assumed to be mainly due to interactions of C-H stretching vibrations with single particle and collective motions of molecular dipoles. The narrower components' widths were used for evaluating the spinning diffusion constant of CH3CN. The absorption in C-H stretching region was found to be strongly affected by solvent. These effects were explained within the framework of hydrogen bond formation between the CH3-group of acetonitrile and H-bond acceptor groups of the solvent molecules.