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A broadband dielectric spectroscopy study was conducted on a partially crystallized 10 wt% poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) [PNIPAM] microgel aqueous suspension to investigate the dielectric relaxation of ice in microgel suspensions. The measurements covered a frequency range of 10 mHz to 10 MHz and at temperatures ranging from 123 K to 273 K. Two distinct relaxation processes were observed at specific frequencies below the melting temperature. One is associated with the combination of the local chain motion of PNIPAM and interfacial polarization in the uncrystallized phase, while another is associated with ice. To understand the temperature-dependent behaviour of the ice relaxation process, the relaxation time of ice was compared with those observed in other frozen polymer water mixtures, including gelatin, poly-vinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and bovine serum albumin (BSA). For concentrations ≥ 10 wt%, the temperature dependence of the relaxation time of ice was found to be independent. Therefore, the study primarily focused on the 10 wt% data for easier comprehension of the ice relaxation process. It was found that the microgel and globular protein BSA had no significant effect on ice crystallization, while gelatin slowed down the crystallization process, and PVP accelerated it. To discuss the mechanism of the dielectric relaxation of ice, the trap-controlled proton transport model developed by Khamzin et al. [Chem. Phys., 2021, 541, 111040.] was employed. The model was used to discuss the dynamic heterogeneity of ice observed in this investigation, distinguishing it from the spatial heterogeneity of ice commonly discussed.
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To investigate the dielectric relaxations of ice in low-concentration protein-water mixtures, broadband dielectric spectroscopy measurements were performed on partially crystallized bovine serum albumin (BSA)-water mixtures with BSA concentrations of 1-10 wt% at temperatures in the range of 123-298 K. The temperature dependence of the relaxation time of ice observed in all these mixtures changes twice at TC1 (â¼240 K) and TC2 (200-160 K) (TC1 > TC2), i.e., at which the apparent activation energy, Ea, changes. Below 200 K, the relaxation of ice separates as 3-4 relaxations with different TC2 and Ea values. The presence of the multiple ice relaxations is the same as that observed for the gelatin-water mixtures (T. Yasuda, K. Sasaki, R. Kita, N. Shinyashiki and S. Yagihara, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2017, 121, 2896), but the concentration dependences of TC1 and TC2 are different. The relaxation interpreted to be due to uncrystallized water in 20 wt% and 40 wt% BSA-water mixtures reported (N. Shinyashiki, W. Yamamoto, A. Yokoyama, T. Yoshinari, S. Yagihara, R. Kita, K. L. Ngai and S. Capaccioli, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2009, 113, 14448) was re-examined and concluded to be due to one of the multiple relaxations of ice.
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Soroalbumina Bovina , Água , Gelatina , Gelo , Soroalbumina Bovina/química , Temperatura , Água/químicaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The dynamic behavior of water molecules remains an important subject for understanding human skin. The change in the dynamics of water molecules from those in bulk water can be effectively observed by dielectric spectroscopy. To study water in the human skin in vivo, non-invasive and non-destructive measurements are essential. Since many unknowns remain from previous research, in this report we employ a two-layer dielectric model to evaluate the penetration depth of the electric field and use the results in measurements on human skin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used open-ended coaxial probes with different diameters to perform time-domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements for an acetone-Teflon double-layer model and for human skin from various parts of the body. RESULTS: The electric-field penetration depth obtained from model measurements increases with the increasing outer diameter of open-ended coaxial electrodes. For skin measurements, the relaxation strength corresponding to the water content shows a clear dependence on the epidermal thickness of the measured body parts. CONCLUSION: We determined the depth distribution of the water content of skin from results of dielectric measurements obtained using electrodes with various electric-field penetration depths. We found exponential decays with the thickness of the epidermis of each body part for several examinees. This study suggests an effective method for detailed evaluations of human skin.
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Espectroscopia Dielétrica/instrumentação , Espectroscopia Dielétrica/métodos , Pele/química , Adulto , Água Corporal/química , Eletrodos , Desenho de Equipamento , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Pele , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The dynamics of a hydrogen bonding network (HBN) relating to macroscopic properties of hydrogen bonding liquids were observed as a significant relaxation process by dielectric spectroscopy measurements. In the cases of water and water rich mixtures including biological systems, a GHz frequency relaxation process appearing at around 20 GHz with the relaxation time of 8.2 ps is generally observed at 25 °C. The GHz frequency process can be explained as a rate process of exchanges in hydrogen bond (HB) and the rate becomes higher with increasing HB density. In the present work, this study analyzed the GHz frequency process observed by suitable open-ended coaxial electrodes, and physical meanings of the fractal nature of water structures were clarified in various aqueous systems. Dynamic behaviors of HBN were characterized by a combination of the average relaxation time and the distribution of the relaxation time. This fractal analysis offered an available approach to both solution and dispersion systems with characterization of the aggregation or dispersion state of water molecules. In the case of polymer-water mixtures, the HBN and polymer networks penetrate each other, however, the HBN were segmented and isolated more by dispersed and aggregated particles in the case of dispersion systems. These HBN fragments were characterized by smaller values of the fractal dimension obtained from the fractal analysis. Some examples of actual usages suggest that the fractal analysis is now one of the most effective tools to understand the molecular mechanism of HBN in aqueous complex materials including biological systems.
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Eletrodos , Água/química , Espectroscopia DielétricaRESUMO
Cloud points of poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) in aqueous mixed solvents, with methanol as the cosolvent, are experimentally measured for polymer concentrations varied up to as high as the weight fraction 0.25. They are shown to form closed loops on the ternary phase plane in the temperature region between 5 and 30 °C, and hence co-nonsolvency is complete. Miscibility loops shrink by cooling, or equivalently, they exhibit lower critical solution temperature behavior. For a fixed polymer concentration, there is a composition of the mixed solvent at which the cloud-point temperature takes the lowest value. This minimum cloud-point temperature composition of the mixed solvent turned out to be almost independent of the polymer concentration, at least within the measured dilute region below the weight fraction 0.25. On the basis of the assumption that the phase separation is closely related to the preferential adsorption of the solvents by hydrogen bonding, we employ a model solution of Flory-Huggins type, augmented with direct and cooperative polymer-solvent hydrogen bonds, to construct the ternary phase diagrams. Theoretical calculation of the spinodal curves is performed, and the results are compared with the obtained experimental cloud-point data. The effect of molecular volume of the cosolvent is also studied within the same theoretical framework. Possibility for a upper critical solution temperature co-nonsolvency to appear for cosolvents with larger molecular volume is discussed.
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Temperature gradient-induced migration of biomolecules, known as thermophoresis or thermodiffusion, changes upon ligand binding. In recent years, this effect has been used to determine protein-ligand binding constants. The mechanism through which thermodiffusive properties change when complexes are formed, however, is not understood. An important contribution to thermodiffusive properties originates from the thermal response of hydrogen bonds. Because there is a considerable difference between the degree of solvation of the protein-ligand complex and its isolated components, ligand-binding is accompanied by a significant change in hydration. The aim of the present work is therefore to investigate the role played by hydrogen bonding on the change in thermodiffusive behavior upon ligand-binding. As a model system, we use cyclodextrins (CDs) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), where quite a significant change in hydration is expected and where no conformational changes occur when a CD/ASA complex is formed in aqueous solution. Thermophoresis was investigated in the temperature range of 10-50 °C by infrared thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering. Nuclear magnetic resonance measurements were performed at 25 °C to obtain information about the structure of the complexes. All CD/ASA complexes show a stronger affinity toward regions of lower temperature compared to the free CDs. We found that the temperature sensitivity of thermophoresis correlates with the 1-octanol/water partition coefficient. This observation not only establishes the relation between thermodiffusion and degree of hydrogen bonding but also opens the possibility to relate thermodiffusive properties of complexes to their partition coefficient, which cannot be determined otherwise. This concept is especially interesting for protein-ligand complexes where the protein undergoes a conformational change, different from the CD/ASA complexes, giving rise to additional changes in their hydrophilicity.
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Ciclodextrinas/química , Ligação de Hidrogênio , Interações Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas , Temperatura , Difusão TérmicaRESUMO
Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides which are interesting as drug delivery systems, because they can be used as containers for pharmaceutical substances. We studied the Ludwig-Soret effect of [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]- and methyl-[Formula: see text]-cyclodextrin in water and formamide by infrared thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering (IR-TDFRS). In water the Soret coefficient, S T, of [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-cyclodextrin increases with increasing temperature and shows a sign change from negative to positive around T = 35 ° C, while S T of methyl-[Formula: see text]-cyclodextrin is positive in the entire investigated temperature. In formamide S T-values of all cyclodextrins coincide and show a slight decrease with temperature. We discuss the obtained results and relate the S T-values to the different hydrogen bonding capabilities of the cyclodextrins and the used solvents. It turns out that the change of S T with temperature correlates with the partition coefficient, logP, which indicates that more hydrophilic substances show a more pronounced temperature sensitivity of S T. Additionally we obtained a surprising result measuring the refractive index contrast factor with temperature, [Formula: see text] of cyclodextrins in formamide, which might be explained by a complex formation between cyclodextrins and formamide.
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Ciclodextrinas/química , Difusão , Formamidas/química , Modelos Químicos , Temperatura , Água/química , Coloides/química , Simulação por Computador , Interações Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas , Oligossacarídeos/química , Solventes/química , Eletricidade EstáticaRESUMO
The thermal diffusion, also called the Ludwig-Soret effect, of aqueous solutions of ethylene glycol oligomers, crown ethers, and glycerol is investigated as a function of temperature by thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering. The Soret coefficient, ST, and the thermal diffusion coefficient, DT, show a linear temperature dependence for all studied compounds in the investigated temperature range. The magnitudes and the slopes of ST and DT vary with the chemical structure of the solute molecules. All studied molecules contain ether and/or hydroxyl groups, which can act as acceptor or donor to form hydrogen bonds, respectively. By introducing the number of donor and acceptor sites of each solute molecule, we can express their hydrogen bond capability. ST and DT can be described by an empirical equation depending on the difference of donor minus acceptor sites and the molecular weight of the solute molecule.
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The thermal diffusion of aqueous solutions of mono-, di-ethylene glycols, poly(ethylene glycol), methanol, and glycerol is investigated systematically as a function of concentration using the Thermal Diffusion Forced Rayleigh Scattering (TDFRS). For all investigated binary mixtures, the Soret coefficient, S(T), decays with increasing concentration of the non-aqueous component showing two regions. For aqueous solution of ethylene glycol, at a very low solute content the decay is steep, while it becomes less steep for higher solute concentration. All mixtures show a sign change of S(T) with concentration. The sign change concentration is discussed with respect to chemical structures of solute molecules and the partition coefficient, log p. It turns out that the number of hydroxyl groups plays an important role. For the investigated aqueous mixtures, we find empirical linear relations between the sign change concentration and the ratio of the number of hydroxyl groups to the number of carbon atoms as well as the partition coefficient, log p.
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The glass transition of partially crystallized gelatin-water mixtures was investigated for gelatin concentrations of 40 and 20 wt. % by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) in wide frequency (10 mHz-50 GHz) and temperature (113-298 K) ranges. Three dielectric relaxation processes were clearly observed. The origin of each relaxation process was the same as that observed for partially crystallized bovine serum albumin (BSA)-water mixtures [N. Shinyashiki et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 113, 14448 (2009)]. The relaxation process at the highest frequency is originated from uncrystallized water (UCW) in the hydration shell of gelatin. Its relaxation time is almost the same as that of water in uncrystallized system; water in various binary aqueous mixtures and confined water in nanoscale region. The relaxation process at the intermediate frequency is originated from ice, and its relaxation time and strength were similar to those for the relaxation of pure ice, particularly above 240 K. The glass transition temperature Tg, is defined by BDS measurement as the temperature at which dielectric relaxation time τ, is 100-1000 s. The relaxation process at the lowest frequency, Tg is approximately 200 K, is originated from the cooperative motion of water and gelatin. This relaxation is strong and has a similar relaxation strength to that of hydrated BSA. At Tg for the relaxation process involving the cooperative motion of gelatin and water, the temperature dependence of the relaxation process of UCW crosses over from Vogel-Fulcher behavior to Arrhenius behavior with decreasing temperature. A characteristic property of the gelatin-water mixture is a change in the temperature dependence of the relaxation time of the relaxation processes of hydrated gelatin at approximately 260 K.
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There are various types of gel materials used in a wide range of fields, and their gelation mechanisms are extremely diverse. Furthermore, in the case of hydrogels, there exist some difficulties in understanding complicated molecular mechanisms especially with water molecules interacting through hydrogen bonding as solvents. In the present work, the molecular mechanism of the structural formation of fibrous super-molecular gel by the low molecular weight gelator, N-oleyl lactobionamide/water mixture was elucidated using the broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) method. The dynamic behaviors observed for the solute and water molecules indicated hierarchical structure formation processes in various time scales. The relaxation curves obtained at various temperatures in the cooling and heating processes showed relaxation processes respectively reflecting the dynamic behaviors of water molecules in the 10 GHz frequency region, solute molecules interacting with water in MHz region, and ion-reflecting structures of the sample and electrode in kHz region. These relaxation processes, characterized by the relaxation parameters, showed remarkable changes around the sol-gel transition temperature, 37.8 °C, determined by the falling ball method and over the temperature range, around 53 °C. The latter change suggested a structure formation of rod micelles appearing as precursors before cross-linking into the three-dimensional network of the supramolecular gels. These results clearly demonstrate how effective relaxation parameter analysis is for understanding the gelation mechanism in detail.
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High-performance properties of interpenetration polymer network (IPN) hydrogels, based on physically crosslinked chitosan (CS) and chemically crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAM), were successfully developed. The IPN of CS/PNiPAM is proposed to overcome the limited mechanical properties of the single CS network. In this study, the viscoelastic behaviors of prepared materials in both solution and gel states were extensively examined, considering the UV exposure time and crosslinker concentration as key factors. The effect of these factors on gel formation, hydrogel structures, thermal stabilities of networks, and HeLa cell adhesion were studied sequentially. The sol-gel transition was effectively demonstrated through the scaling law, which agrees well with Winter and Chambon's theory. By subjecting the CS hydrogel to the process operation in an ethanol solution, its properties can be significantly enhanced with increased crosslinker concentration, including the shear modulus, crosslinking degree, gel strength, and thermal stability in its swollen state. The IPN samples exhibit a smooth and dense surface with irregular pores, allowing for much water absorption. The HeLa cells were adhered to and killed using the CS surface cationic charges and then released through hydrolysis by utilizing the hydrophilic/hydrophobic switchable property or thermo-reversible gelation of the PNiPAM network. The results demonstrated that IPN is a highly attractive candidate for anti-fouling materials.
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Living bodies comprise approximately 55-75% water to maintain homeostasis. However, little is known about the comprehensive differences in in vivo water molecule dynamics (water structure dynamics; WSD) between physiological and pathophysiological statuses. Here, we examined the WSD of ex vivo tumor tissues and organs from tumor-bearing mice with engrafted mouse malignant melanoma cells (B16-F10) in the right flanks to compare with those in healthy mice, using time domain reflectometry of dielectric spectroscopy at days 9, 11, and 14 after engrafting. The relaxation parameters of relaxation time (τ), relaxation time distribution parameter (ß), and relaxation strength (∆ε) were measured on tumor tissues and lung, liver, kidney, and skin tissues. Immediately afterward, the water contents (%) in the tumor and the other organs were calculated by measuring their weights before and after freeze-drying. Each parameter of the tumor was compared to that of pooled values of other organs in tumor-bearing (TO) and healthy mice (HO). The tumor water content temporarily increased compared to that of HO at day 11; the tumor volume was also prone to increase. In contrast, tumor tissues exhibited significantly higher values of ß close to 1 of ultrapure water and ∆ε compared to TO and HO at all times. Moreover, ß in the viscera of TO was prone to increase compared to that of HO with significantly higher levels at day 11. Conclusively, tumor-bearing mice exhibited systemically aberrant WSD, unlike healthy mice. Thus, dielectric spectroscopy in terms of WSD may provide novel pathophysiological perspectives in tumor-bearing living bodies.
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So far, it has been difficult to directly compare diverse characteristic gelation mechanisms over different length and time scales. This paper presents a universal water structure analysis of several gels with different structures and gelation mechanisms including polymer gels, supramolecular gels composed of surfactant micelles, and cement gels. The spatial distribution of water molecules was analyzed at molecular level from a diagram of the relaxation times and their distribution parameters (τ-ß diagrams) with our database of the 10 GHz process for a variety of aqueous systems. Polymer gels with volume phase transition showed a small decrease in the fractal dimension of the hydrogen bond network (HBN) with gelation. In supramolecular gels with rod micelle precursor with amphipathic molecules, both the elongation of the micelles and their cross-linking caused a reduction in the fractal dimension. Such a reduction was also found in cement gels. These results suggest that the HBN inevitably breaks at each length scale with relative increase in steric hindrance due to cross-linking, resulting in the fragmentation of collective structures of water molecules. The universal analysis using τ-ß diagrams presented here has broad applicability as a method to characterize diverse gel structures and evaluate gelation processes.
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We studied the thermal diffusion behavior for binary aqueous solutions of glucose, maltotriose, maltohexaose, pullulan, and dextran by means of thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering (TDFRS). The investigated saccharides with molar masses between 0.180 and 440 kg mol(-1) were studied in the temperature range between 15 and 55 °C. The thermal diffusion coefficient D(T) and the Soret coefficient S(T) of all solutions increase with increasing temperature. For maltohexaose and the polymers the thermal diffusion coefficient changes sign from negative to positive with increasing temperature, whereas glucose and maltotriose show only positive values in the entire investigated temperature range. While we were able to find a master curve to describe the temperature dependence of D(T), we were not able to find a similar expression for S(T). This comprehensive study allows for the first time the determination of the interaction parameters for the polymer and the solvent within the theoretical framework suggested by Würger [Phys. Rev. Lett., 2009, 102, 078302].
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We report the experimentally determined phase diagram for an aqueous solution of isotactic-rich poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAM) composed of the sol-gel transition curve and the cloud-point curve. The meso diad content of isotactic-rich PNiPAM is 64%, and it is soluble in water at low temperatures, but undergoes a sol-to-gel transition with increasing temperature in the investigated concentration range of 1.8 wt. %-6.0 wt. %. With a further increase in temperature, the system becomes turbid. The gel formation and clouding behavior are thermally reversible. This is the first observation of thermoreversible gelation under the cloud-point temperature for an aqueous solution of PNiPAM. On the basis of the determined phase diagram, we carried out light scattering experiments to characterize the sol-gel transition behavior as a function of temperature.
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We present experimental results of the temperature dependence of the Ludwig-Soret effect for pullulan solutions. The Soret coefficients of 5.0 g L(-1) pullulan in water and in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were determined in the experimental temperature range between 20.0 and 50.0 degrees C by means of thermal diffusion Forced Rayleigh scattering (TDFRS). The sign of the Soret coefficient of pullulan in water is negative at room temperature, which indicates that the pullulan molecules migrate to the warm side of the fluid. The Soret coefficient of pullulan increases steeply with increase of the solution temperature and shows a sign change from negative to positive at 41.7 degrees C. The positive sign of the Soret coefficient means the pullulan molecules move to the cold side. In contrast to the aqueous solution, the solution of pullulan in DMSO shows a very weak temperature dependence of the Soret coefficient and has always a positive sign. In addition to the TDFRS experiments, we also performed light scattering (LS) experiments for the pullulan solutions under homogeneous temperature condition in a temperature range between 20.0 and 55.0 degrees C. The thermodynamic properties of pullulan solutions obtained by LS show no pronounced correlation with the thermal diffusion behavior of pullulan. These results indicate the existence of a special role of interactions due to solvation on the temperature dependence of the thermal diffusion behavior of polysaccharide solutions.
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Glucanos/química , Temperatura , Água/química , Dimetil Sulfóxido/química , Luz , Espalhamento de Radiação , Soluções , TermodinâmicaRESUMO
A novel polymer host from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAM) was developed for a high safety solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) in a zinc ion battery. Effects of the PNiPAM loading level in the range of 0-40% by weight ( wt%) on the chemical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the CMC/PNiPAMx films (where x is the wt% of PNiPAM) were symmetrically investigated. The obtained CMC/PNiPAMx films showed a high compatibility between the polymers. The CMC/PNiPAM20 blend showed the greatest tensile strength and modulus at 37.9 MPa and 2.1 GPa, respectively. Moreover, the thermal degradation of CMC was retarded by the addition of PNiPAM. Scanning electron microscopy images of CMC/PNiPAM20 revealed a porous structure that likely supported Zn2+ movement in the SPEs containing zinc triflate, resulting in the high Zn2+ ion transference number (0.56) and ionic conductivity (1.68 × 10-4 S cm-1). Interestingly, the presence of PNiPAM in the CMC/PNiPAMx blends showed a greater stability during charge-discharge cyclic tests, indicating the ability of PNiPAM to suppress dendrite formation from causing a short circuit. The developed CMC/PNiPAM20 based SPE is a promising material for high ionic conductivity and stability in a Zn ion battery.
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In this study, we investigated the cooperative molecular dynamics of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), ice, and uncrystallized water (UCW) in partially crystallized PVP-water mixtures by means of broadband dielectric spectroscopy. Three relaxation processes, denoted I, II, and III, were observed at temperatures ranging from immediately below the crystallization temperature (Tc) to approximately 200 K. At temperatures of 173-193 K, processes I and II cannot be distinguished. Below 168 K, process II separates into two processes: process IV at higher frequencies and process V at lower frequencies. Process I contributes to process V. In partially crystallized mixtures, process I originates from UCW in an uncrystallized phase with PVP. Process II is attributed to ice in the mixture, with a relaxation time that is 2 orders of magnitude smaller than that of pure ice. The concentration dependence of the strength of process II and the relaxation time relative to that of ice in bovine serum albumin (BSA)-water and gelatin-water mixtures strongly support this conclusion. Observation of processes IV and V indicates the presence of multiple ice relaxation processes. Process III is attributed to the α process of PVP in the uncrystallized phase in 40 and 50 wt % PVP mixtures. For mixtures with 30 wt % PVP or less, process III is attributed not only to the α process of PVP but also to interfacial polarization.
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Dynamics of solvent molecules restricted in poly (acryl amide) gels immersed in solvent mixtures of acetoneâ», 1,4-dioxaneâ», and dimethyl sulfoxideâ»water were analyzed by the time domain reflectometry method of dielectric spectroscopy and the pulse field gradient method of nuclear magnetic resonance. Restrictions of dynamic behaviors of solvent molecules were evaluated from relaxation parameters such as the relaxation time, its distribution parameter, and the relaxation strength obtained by dielectric measurements, and similar behaviors with polymer concentration dependences for the solutions were obtained except for the high polymer concentration in collapsed gels. Scaling analyses for the relaxation time and diffusion coefficient respectively normalized by those for bulk solvent suggested that the scaling exponent determined from the scaling variable defined as a ratio of the size of solvent molecule to mesh size of polymer networks were three and unity, respectively, except for collapsed gels. The difference in these components reflects characteristic molecular interactions in the rotational and translational diffusions, and offered a physical picture of the restriction of solvent dynamics. A universal treatment of slow dynamics due to the restriction from polymer chains suggests a new methodology of characterization of water structures.