Molecular rotation in 3 dimensions at an air/water interface using femtosecond time resolved sum frequency generation.

This paper presents the first study of the rotations of rigid molecules in 3 dimensions at the air/water interface, using the femtosecond time resolved sum frequency generation (SFG) technique. For the purpose of this research, the aromatic dye molecule C153 was chosen as an example of a molecule having two functional groups that are SFG active, one being the hydrophilic -C=O group and the other the hydrophobic -CF3 group. From polarized SFG measurements, the orientations of the two chromophores with respect to the surface normal were obtained. On combining these results with the known relative orientation of the two chromophores in the molecule yields the absolute orientation of C153 at the air/water interface. It was found that the -CF3 axis projected towards the bulk air at an angle of 59° with respect to the interface normal and the -C=O group projected towards the bulk water at an angle of 144°. In order to observe the rotational motions of C153 at the air/water interface, the approach was used to perturb the ground electronic state equilibrium orientational distribution using a polarized resonant pump pulse, which preferentially excites ground state molecules that have their electronic S0 → S1 transition moment aligned closely to the electric field of the incident pump pulse. As a consequence of the photoselection perturbation, the orientational distribution of the remaining ground state molecules was not the equilibrium distribution. Similarly, the orientational distribution of the excited state molecules that were created by the polarized pump pulse was not in their final equilibrium orientational distribution. The rotational motions of the interfacial molecules towards equilibrium were obtained from time dependent measurements of the intensities of the SFG signal generated by the simultaneous incidence at the air/water interface of a visible probe pulse plus an IR probe pulse. In this way, the recovery times to achieve the orientational equilibrium of the two chromophores including the orientation of the normal of the C153 plane with respect to the interface were obtained. The photo-selection process shifts the average orientation angle of the hydrophilic -C=O group by an increase of 4° ± 0.6° with a rotational recovery time constant of 130 ± 20 ps, which is the time to return to an orientational equilibrium distribution. The hydrophobic -CF3 group undergoes a shift that increases its angle by 8° ± 1.5° with a rotational recovery time constant of 210 ± 38 ps. We find that the orientational change of the molecular normal is 4° ± 0.5° and has a rotational recovery time constant of 125 ± 26 ps. The interface-specific time-dependent polarized measurements allowed us to monitor the orientational motions of molecules at interfaces, both in 3 dimensions and in real time.

Electroless Deposition of Nickel on Photografted Polymeric Microscale Patterns.

This report demonstrates the electroless deposition of Ni onto micropatterns of poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) photografted to phthalimide-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). PAA is spin-coated onto phthalimide SAMs and covered with a photomask. UV irradiation selectively binds PAA to exposed regions of the surface, allowing PAA on unexposed regions to be rinsed off. A Pd catalyst is then selectively adsorbed to regions of the surface where PAA is bound. The adsorbed catalyst selectively initiates Ni plating upon immersion of the substrate into a Ni(SO4 ) bath.

Label-free probe of HIV-1 TAT peptide binding to mimetic membranes.

The transacting activator of transduction (TAT) protein plays a key role in the progression of AIDS. Studies have shown that a +8 charged sequence of amino acids in the protein, called the TAT peptide, enables the TAT protein to penetrate cell membranes. To probe mechanisms of binding and translocation of the TAT peptide into the cell, investigators have used phospholipid liposomes as cell membrane mimics. We have used the method of surface potential sensitive second harmonic generation (SHG), which is a label-free and interface-selective method, to study the binding of TAT to anionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-1'-rac-glycerol (POPG) and neutral 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) liposomes. It is the SHG sensitivity to the electrostatic field generated by a charged interface that enabled us to obtain the interfacial electrostatic potential. SHG together with the Poisson-Boltzmann equation yielded the dependence of the surface potential on the density of adsorbed TAT. We obtained the dissociation constants Kd for TAT binding to POPC and POPG liposomes and the maximum number of TATs that can bind to a given liposome surface. For POPC Kd was found to be 7.5 ± 2 µM, and for POPG Kd was 29.0 ± 4.0 µM. As TAT was added to the liposome solution the POPC surface potential changed from 0 mV to +37 mV, and for POPG it changed from -57 mV to -37 mV. A numerical calculation of Kd, which included all terms obtained from application of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation to the TAT liposome SHG data, was shown to be in good agreement with an approximated solution.

Probing the relative orientation of molecules bound to DNA through controlled interference using second-harmonic generation.

A method is described in which the interference of radiated second-harmonic electric fields generated by a pair of oriented molecules intercalated into double-stranded DNA is controlled and measured. The results show that the relative molecular orientation of the two molecules significantly changes the magnitude of the observed second-harmonic generation intensity, which is described by a simple model that accounts for the interferences of the radiated fields. The technique presented shows promise for future experiments investigating structural changes induced by the formation of a DNA-biomolecule complex.

Quantum rotation of ortho and para-water encapsulated in a fullerene cage.

Inelastic neutron scattering, far-infrared spectroscopy, and cryogenic nuclear magnetic resonance are used to investigate the quantized rotation and ortho-para conversion of single water molecules trapped inside closed fullerene cages. The existence of metastable ortho-water molecules is demonstrated, and the interconversion of ortho-and para-water spin isomers is tracked in real time. Our investigation reveals that the ground state of encapsulated ortho water has a lifted degeneracy, associated with symmetry-breaking of the water environment.

Photochemical studies of a fluorescent chlorophyll catabolite--source of bright blue fluorescence in plant tissue and efficient sensitizer of singlet oxygen.

Fluorescent chlorophyll catabolites (FCCs) are fleeting intermediates of chlorophyll breakdown, which is seen as an enzyme controlled detoxification process of the chlorophylls in plants. However, some plants accumulate large amounts of persistent FCCs, such as in senescent leaves and in peels of yellow bananas. The photophysical properties of such a persistent FCC (Me-sFCC) were investigated in detail. FCCs absorb in the near UV spectral region and show blue fluorescence (max at 437 nm). The Me-sFCC fluorescence had a quantum yield of 0.21 (lifetime 1.6 ns). Photoexcited Me-sFCC intersystem crosses into the triplet state (quantum yield 0.6) and generates efficiently singlet oxygen (quantum yield 0.59). The efficient generation of singlet oxygen makes fluorescent chlorophyll catabolites phototoxic, but might also be useful as a (stress) signal and for defense of the plant tissue against infection by pathogens.

Symmetry-breaking in the endofullerene H2O@C660 revealed in the quantum dynamics of ortho and para-water: a neutron scattering investigation.

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) has been employed to investigate the quantum dynamics of water molecules permanently entrapped inside the cages of C60 fullerene molecules. This study of the supramolecular complex, H2O@C60, provides the unique opportunity to study isolated water molecules in a highly symmetric environment. Free from strong interactions, the water molecule has a high degree of rotational freedom enabling its nuclear spin isomers, ortho-H2O and para-H2O to be separately identified and studied. The INS technique mediates transitions between the ortho and para spin isomers and using three INS spectrometers, the rotational levels of H2O have been investigated, correlating well with the known levels in gaseous water. The slow process of nuclear spin conversion between ortho-H2O and para-H2O is revealed in the time dependence of the INS peak intensities over periods of many hours. Of particular interest to this study is the observed splitting of the ground state of ortho-H2O, raising the three-fold degeneracy into two states with degeneracy 2 and 1 respectively. This is attributed to a symmetry-breaking interaction of the water environment.

Nuclear magnetic resonance of hydrogen molecules trapped inside C70 fullerene cages.

We present a solid-state NMR study of H2 molecules confined inside the cavity of C70 fullerene cages over a wide range of temperatures (300 K to 4 K). The proton NMR spectra are consistent with a model in which the dipole-dipole coupling between the ortho-H2 protons is averaged over the rotational/translational states of the confined quantum rotor, with an additional chemical shift anisotropy δ(H)(CSA)=10.1 ppm induced by the carbon cage. The magnitude of the chemical shift anisotropy is consistent with DFT estimates of the chemical shielding tensor field within the cage. The experimental NMR data indicate that the ground state of endohedral ortho-H2 in C70 is doubly degenerate and polarized transverse to the principal axis of the cage. The NMR spectra indicate significant magnetic alignment of the C70 long axes along the magnetic field, at temperatures below ~10 K.

Thioxanthone hydroquinone-O,O'-diacetic acid: photoinitiator or photostabilizer?

A photoinitiator for free-radical polymerization based on a thioxanthone chromophore containing two acetic acid functions was synthesized and characterized. Photophysical studies such as fluorescence, phosphorescence, and laser flash photolysis in addition to photopolymerization of acrylates were performed to elucidate the radical generation mechanism involving intramolecular electron transfer from the triplet state followed by decarboxylation. We found that the position of the acetic acid substituent is critical for the photoreactivity. In most solvents and acrylic monomers, if the acetic acid functionality is at the 1-position, the singlet excited states are deactivated rapidly before electron transfer can occur, resulting in negligible photoreactivity. The excited-state deactivation probably involves intramolecular H-bonding deactivation. The intramolecular H-bonding is disrupted by solvents that support intermolecular H-bonding, such as DMF and DMSO, leading to efficient intramolecular photoreaction.

Study of a two-stage photobase generator for photolithography in microelectronics.

The investigation of the photochemistry of a two-stage photobase generator (PBG) is described. Absorption of a photon by a latent PBG (1) (first step) produces a PBG (2). Irradiation of 2 in the presence of water produces a base (second step). This two-photon sequence (1 + hν → 2 + hν → base) is an important component in the design of photoresists for pitch division technology, a method that doubles the resolution of projection photolithography for the production of microelectronic chips. In the present system, the excitation of 1 results in a Norrish type II intramolecular hydrogen abstraction to generate a 1,4-biradiacal that undergoes cleavage to form 2 and acetophenone (Φ âˆ¼ 0.04). In the second step, excitation of 2 causes cleavage of the oxime ester (Φ = 0.56) followed by base generation after reaction with water.

Design and synthesis of a photoaromatization-based two-stage photobase generator for pitch division lithography.

The synthesis of a two-stage photobase generator (PBG) based on photoinduced aromatization is described. This material was designed for use in resolution-enhanced photolithography. Computer modeling predicts that a delay in the onset of base generation can lead to improved image quality. This delay can be realized by a PBG that must undergo two sequential photoreactions for each molecule of base generated. Toward that end, latent PBGs were designed that are oxime esters of aliphatic acids, which undergo Norrish type II reactions to yield oxime esters of aromatic acids that are efficient PBGs.

Time-resolved EPR study of singlet oxygen in the gas phase.

X-band EPR spectra of singlet O2((1)Δg) and triplet O2((3)Σg(-)) were observed in the gas phase under low molecular-oxygen pressures PO2 = 0.175-0.625 Torr, T = 293-323 K. O2((1)Δg) was produced by quenching of photogenerated triplet sensitizers naphthalene C8H10, perdeuterated naphthalene, and perfluoronaphthalene in the gas phase. The EPR spectrum of O2((1)Δg) was also observed under microwave discharge. Integrated intensities and line widths of individual components of the EPR spectrum of O2((3)Σg(-)) were used as internal standards for estimating the concentration of O2 species and PO2 in the EPR cavity. Time-resolved (TR) EPR experiments of C8H10 were the main focus of this Article. Pulsed irradiation of C8H10 in the presence of O2((3)Σg(-)) allowed us to determine the kinetics of formation and decay for each of the four components of the O2((1)Δg) EPR signal, which lasted for only a few seconds. We found that the kinetics of EPR-component decay fit nicely to a biexponential kinetics law. The TR EPR 2D spectrum of the third component of the O2((1)Δg) EPR spectrum was examined in experiments using C8H10. This spectrum vividly presents the time evolution of an EPR component. The largest EPR signal and the longest lifetime of O2((1)Δg), τ = 0.4 s, were observed at medium pressure PO2 = 0.4 Torr, T = 293 K. The mechanism of O2((1)Δg) decay in the presence of photosensitizers is discussed. EPR spectra of O2((1)Δg) evidence that the spin-rotational states of O2((1)Δg) are populated according to Boltzmann distribution in the studied time range of 10-100 ms. We believe that this is the first report dealing with the dependence of O2((1)Δg) EPR line width on PO2 and T.

Inelastic neutron scattering spectrum of H2@C60 and its temperature dependence decoded using rigorous quantum calculations and a new selection rule.

In the supramolecular complex H2@C60, the lightest of molecules, H2, is encapsulated inside the most highly symmetric molecule C60. The elegance and apparent simplicity of H2@C60 conceal highly intricate quantum dynamics of the coupled translational and rotational motions of the guest molecule in a nearly spherical nanoscale cavity, which embodies some of the most fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics. Here we present the first rigorous and highly accurate quantum calculations of the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectra of this prototypical endohedral fullerene complex and their temperature dependence. The calculations enable complete assignment of the recently reported experimental INS spectra of H2@C60 measured at several temperatures. We also derive a new and unexpected selection rule for the INS spectroscopy of H2 in a near-spherical confinement, which explains why the INS transitions between certain translation-rotation eigenstates of H2 in C60 have zero intensity and do not appear in the spectra.

Controlled doping in thin-film transistors of large contorted aromatic compounds.

Bigger and better: The new thin-film organic material octabenzcircumbiphenyl (OBCB; see scheme) forms an active layer in a field effect transistor, which can be switched simultaneously with two different inputs, that is, electrical bias and protonation.

Effect of orientation of the peptide-bridge dipole moment on the properties of fullerene-peptide-radical systems.

We synthesized two series of compounds in which a nitroxide radical and a fullerene C(60) moiety were kept separated by a 3(10)-helical peptide bridge containing two intramolecular C═O···H-N hydrogen bonds. The direction of the resulting molecular dipole moment could be reversed by switching the position of fullerene and nitroxide with respect to the peptide nitrogen and carbon termini. The resulting fullerene-peptide-radical systems were compared to the behaviors of otherwise identical peptides but lacking either C(60) or the free radical moiety. Electrochemical analysis and chemical nitroxide reduction experiments show that the dipole moment of the helix significantly affects the redox properties of both electroactive groups. Besides providing evidence of a folded helical conformation for the peptide bridge, IR and NMR results highlight a strong effect of peptide orientation on the spectral patterns, pointing to a specific interaction of one of the helical orientations with the C(60) moiety. Time-resolved EPR spectra show not only that for both systems triplet quenching by nitroxide induces spin polarization of the radical spin sublevels, but also that the coupling interaction can be either weak or strong depending on the orientation of the peptide dipole. As opposed to the concept of dyads, the molecules investigated are thus better described as fullerene-peptide-radical systems to stress the active role of the bridge as an important ingredient capable of tuning the system's physicochemical properties.

"Brush-first" method for the parallel synthesis of photocleavable, nitroxide-labeled poly(ethylene glycol) star polymers.

We describe the parallel, one-pot synthesis of core-photocleavable, poly(norbornene)-co-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) brush-arm star polymers (BASPs) via a route that combines the "graft-through" and "arm-first" methodologies for brush polymer and star polymer synthesis, respectively. In this method, ring-opening metathesis polymerization of a norbornene-PEG macromonomer generates small living brush initiators. Transfer of various amounts of this brush initiator to vials containing a photocleavable bis-norbornene cross-linker yielded a series of water-soluble BASPs with low polydispersities and molecular weights that increased geometrically as a function of the amount of bis-norbornene added. The BASP cores were cleaved upon exposure to UV light; the extent of photo-disassembly depended on the amount of cross-linker. EPR spectroscopy of nitroxide-labeled BASPs was used to probe differences between the BASP core and surface environments. We expect that BASPs will find applications as easy-to-synthesize, stimuli-responsive core-shell nanostructures.

ENDOR evidence of electron-H2 interaction in a fulleride embedding H2.

An endofulleropyrrolidine, with H2 as a guest, has been reduced to a paramagnetic endofulleride radical anion. The magnetic interaction between the electron delocalized on the fullerene cage and the guest H2 has been probed by pulsed ENDOR. The experimental hyperfine couplings between the electron and the H2 guest were measured, and their values agree very well with DFT calculations. This agreement provides clear evidence of magnetic communication between the electron density of the fullerene host cage and H2 guest. The ortho-H2/para-H2 interconversion is revealed by temperature-dependent ENDOR measurements at low temperature. The conversion of the paramagnetic ortho-H2 to the diamagnetic para-H2 causes the ENDOR signal to decrease as the temperature is lowered due to the spin catalysis by the paramagnetic fullerene cage of the radical anion fulleride.

Using light to covalently immobilize and pattern nanoparticles onto surfaces.

There is considerable current interest in developing methods to integrate nanoparticles into optical, electronic, and biological systems due to their unique size-dependent properties and controllable shape. We report herein a versatile new approach for covalent immobilization of nanoparticles onto substrates modified with photoactive, phthalimide-functional, self-assembled monolayers. Upon illumination with UV radiation, the phthalimide group abstracts a hydrogen atom from a neighboring organic molecule, leading to radical-based photografting reactions. The approach is potentially "universal" since virtually any polymeric or organic-inorganic hybrid nanoparticle can be covalently immobilized in this fashion. Because grafting is confined to illuminated regions that undergo photoexcitation, masking provides a simple and direct method for nanoparticle patterning. To illustrate the technique, nanoparticles formed from diblock copolymers of poly(styrene-b-polyethylene oxide) and laden with Hostasol Red dye are photografted and patterned onto glass and silicon substrates modified with photoactive phthalimide-silane self-assembled monolayers. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are applied to characterize the grafted nanoparticle films while confocal fluorescence microscopy is used to image patterned nanoparticle deposition.

Kinetic solvent effects on hydrogen abstraction from phenol by the cumyloxyl radical. Toward an understanding of the role of protic solvents.

A time-resolved kinetic study of the hydrogen atom abstraction reactions from phenol by the cumyloxyl radical (CumO(•)) was carried out in different solvents. The hydrogen atom abstraction rate constant (k(H)) was observed to decrease by almost 3 orders of magnitude on going from isooctane to MeOH. In TFE, MeCN/H(2)O 2:1, and MeOH, the measured k(H) values were lower than expected on the basis of the Snelgrove-Ingold (SI) equation that correlates log k(H) to the solvent hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) ability parameter ß(2)(H). As these solvents also act as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs), we explored the notion that a more thorough description of solvent effects could be provided by including a solvent HBD ability term, α(2)(H), into the SI equation via ß(2)(H)(1 + α(2)(H)). The inclusion of such a term greatly improves the fitting for TFE, MeCN/H(2)O 2:1, and MeOH but at the expense of that for tertiary alkanols. This finding suggests that, for the reaction of CumO(•) with phenol, the HBA and HBD abilities of both the solvent and the substrate could be responsible for the observed KSEs. but this requires that primary and tertiary alkanols exhibit different solvation behaviors. Possible explanations for this different behavior are explored.

CdSe/ZnS core shell quantum dot-based FRET binary oligonucleotide probes for detection of nucleic acids.

We report the design, synthesis, and characterization of a binary oligonucleotideprobe for selective DNA or RNA detection. The probe is based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from quantum dot (CdSe/ZnS core shell) DNA conjugates to organic dye (cyanine-5) DNA conjugates. Selective hybridization of the donor/acceptor DNA conjugates to target DNA enhances FRET and a change in fluorescence signature was observed.