Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Media Research Articles

Tandem "One-Shot" Measurement of Residual Chemical Shift Anisotropy and Residual Dipolar Coupling using Biphasic Supramolecular Peptide Liquid Crystals.

Both solitary and tandem applications of residual chemical shift anisotropy (RCSA) and residual dipolar coupling (RDC) show great potential for the structural and configurational determination of organic molecules. A critical component of both RDC and RCSA methodologies is the alignment medium, whose availability is limited, especially for RCSA measurement. Moreover, reported RDC and RCSA acquisitions mainly rely on two experiments conducted under two different conditions, which are relatively time-consuming and easily cause experimental errors. Herein, a biphasic supramolecular lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) system was developed through the self-assembly of C21H43-CONH-V4K3-CONH2, which could act as an alignment medium for not only RDC but also RCSA extraction in DMSO-d6. Notably, the RCSA extraction was easily achieved via one-shot measurement from a single one-dimensional 13C NMR experiment, with no need for special instruments, devices, and correction. Relying on the biphasic LLC medium, meanwhile, RDC data were simply extracted from a single F1-coupled HSQC experiment, different from the standard protocol that requires two spectral acquisitions corresponding to the isotropic and anisotropic conditions. Collectively, the biphasic LLC medium is applicable for tandem RCSA and RDC measurements in one single sample, advancing the stereochemical elucidation of molecules of interest.

Tandem "One-Shot" Measurement of Residual Chemical Shift Anisotropy and Residual Dipolar Coupling using Biphasic Supramolecular Peptide Liquid Crystals.

Both solitary and tandem applications of residual chemical shift anisotropy (RCSA) and residual dipolar coupling (RDC) show great potential for the structural and configurational determination of organic molecules. A critical component of both RDC and RCSA methodologies is the alignment medium, whose availability is limited, especially for RCSA measurement. Moreover, reported RDC and RCSA acquisitions mainly rely on two experiments conducted under two different conditions, which are relatively time-consuming and easily cause experimental errors. Herein, a biphasic supramolecular lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) system was developed through the self-assembly of C21H43-CONH-V4K3-CONH2, which could act as an alignment medium for not only RDC but also RCSA extraction in DMSO-d6. Notably, the RCSA extraction was easily achieved via one-shot measurement from a single one-dimensional 13C NMR experiment, with no need for special instruments, devices, and correction. Relying on the biphasic LLC medium, meanwhile, RDC data were simply extracted from a single F1-coupled HSQC experiment, different from the standard protocol that requires two spectral acquisitions corresponding to the isotropic and anisotropic conditions. Collectively, the biphasic LLC medium is applicable for tandem RCSA and RDC measurements in one single sample, advancing the stereochemical elucidation of molecules of interest.

A supramolecular and liquid crystalline water-based alignment medium based on azobenzene-substituted 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxamides.

A supramolecular, lyotropic liquid crystalline alignment medium based on an azobenzene-containing 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxamide (BTA) building block is described and investigated. As we demonstrate, this water-based system is suitable for the investigation of various water-soluble analytes and allows for a scaling of alignment strength through variation of temperature. Additionally, alignment is shown to reversibly collapse above a certain temperature, yielding an isotropic solution. This collapse allows for isotropic reference measurements, which are typically needed in addition to those in an anisotropic environment, to be performed using the same sample just by varying the temperature. The medium described thus provides easy access to anisotropic NMR observables and simplifies structure elucidation techniques based thereon.

"One-Shot" Measurement of Residual Chemical Shift Anisotropy Using Poly-γ-benzyl-l-glutamate as an Alignment Medium.

A method for the measurement of residual chemical shift anisotropy in one experiment using a biphasic isotropic/anisotropic lyotropic liquid crystalline medium based on poly-γ-benzyl-l-glutamate as the alignment medium is presented. This approach is demonstrated on the model compound strychnine and neotricone, a depsidone natural product with a questionable structural assignment based on comparison with the closely related excelsione and in-depth density functional theory calculations.

Diagrams of the Lamellar Liquid Crystal Phase in Systems Based on n-Alkyl-poly (ethylene) Glycols (C8E5 and C12E5) and n-Octanol Determined by 1H NMR Spectroscopy

The two lyotropic liquid crystalline media based on n-alkyl-poly (ethylene) glycols (C8E5 and C12E5) and n-octanol for partial alignment of organic molecules and measured residual constants of dipole-dipole interaction between magnetic nuclei were studied. The paper presents the results of NMR studies of lyotropic properties of considered liquid crystalline media, and the boundaries (diagrams) of the existence of ordered lamellar phases (component concentrations, solution temperature) were determined.

Structure elucidation of phenoxathiin-based thiacalix[4]arene conformations using NOE and RDC data

Phenoxathiin-based thiacalix[4]arene, obtained by the acid-catalysed rearrangement of the corresponding spirodienone derivative, was immobilized using the alkylation with chloroacetonitrile to yield three (out of four theoretically possible) stereoisomers. As the conformational outcome of the reaction could not be unambiguously assigned using standard NMR techniques, the method of Residual Dipolar Coupling constants (RDCs) was applied. The measuring of an anisotropic through-space dipole-dipole interactions in the lyotropic liquid crystalline alignment medium (PELG, poly-γ-ethyl-l-glutamate, and PBLG, poly-γ-benzyl-l-glutamate) enabled the assignment of the individual conformers. The usefulness of this approach was finally confirmed by the X-ray crystallography data.

Synthesis and Characterization of Highly Efficient Nickel Nanocatalysts and Their Use in Degradation of Organic Dyes

The present study describes the synthesis of highly active and ordered structures of nickel nanocatalysts by a facile, green, and economically viable approach. The study reveals efficient catalytic activity for the degradation of a number of toxic organic dyes, such as eosin-B (EB), rose bengal (RB), eriochrome black-T (ECBT), and methylene blue (MB). The stable ordered nickel nanostructure (Ni NSs) arrays were prepared via a modified hydrazine reduction route with unique and controlled morphologies in a lyotropic liquid crystalline medium using a nonionic surfactant (Triton X-100). Characterization and optimization studies for the fabricated Ni NSs involving their surface binding interactions, size, and morphologies were carried out using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Spatial Structure of the Decapeptide Val-Ile-Lys-Lys-Ser-Thr-Ala-Leu-Leu-Gly in Water and in a Complex with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Micelles

We have studied the spatial structure of the decapeptide Val-Ile-Lys-Lys-Ser-Thr-Ala-Leu-Leu-Gly in aqueous solution and in a complex with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and two-dimensional (2-D) NMR spectroscopy (total correlation spectroscopy and nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY)). The approach used to determine the decapeptide spatial structure was based on analysis of the 1H–13C residual dipolar couplings in the molecules partially aligned in lyotropic liquid crystalline media. Analysis of the interproton distances obtained from the 2-D NOESY NMR spectrum was used to reveal the spatial structure of the decapeptide in a complex with SDS micelles. Complex formation was confirmed by analysis of 1H chemical shifts in the NMR spectrum of the decapeptide and analysis of the signs and values of NOEs in a solution with SDS micelles.

Molecular Conformations in the Pentasaccharide LNF-1 Derived from NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The conformational dynamics of the human milk oligosaccharide lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNF-1), α-L-Fucp-(1 → 2)-β-D-Galp-(1 → 3)-β-D-GlcpNAc-(1 → 3)-β-D-Galp-(1 → 4)-D-Glcp, has been analyzed using NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations. Employing the Hadamard (13)C-excitation technique and the J-HMBC experiment, (1)H,(13)C trans-glycosidic J coupling constants were obtained, and from one- and two-dimensional (1)H,(1)H T-ROESY experiments, proton-proton cross-relaxation rates were determined in isotropic D(2)O solution. In the lyotropic liquid-crystalline medium consisting of ditetradecylphosphatidylcholine, dihexylphosphatidylcholine, N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide, and D(2)O, (1)H, (1)H and one-bond (1)H, (13)C residual dipolar couplings (RDCs), as well as relative sign information on homonuclear RDCs, were determined for the pentasaccharide. Molecular dynamics simulations with explicit water were carried out from which the internal isomerization relaxation time constant, τ(N), was calculated for transitions at the ψ torsion angle of the β-(1 → 3) linkage to the lactosyl group in LNF-1. Compared to the global reorientation time, τ(M), of ∼0.6 ns determined experimentally in D(2)O solution, the time constant for the isomerization relaxation process, τ(N(scaled)), is about one-third as large. The NMR parameters derived from the isotropic solution show very good agreement with those calculated from the MD simulations. The only notable difference occurs at the reducing end, which should be more flexible than observed by the molecular simulation, a conclusion in complete agreement with previous (13)C NMR relaxation data. A hydrogen-bond analysis of the MD simulation revealed that inter-residue hydrogen bonds on the order of ∼30% were present across the glycosidic linkages to sugar ring oxygens. This finding highlights that intramolecular hydrogen bonds might be important in preserving well-defined structures in otherwise flexible molecules. An analysis including generalized order parameters obtained from nuclear spin relaxation experiments was performed and successfully shown to limit the conformational space accessible to the molecule when the number of experimental data are too scarce for a complete conformational analysis.

Formation of a 1,8-Octanedithiol Self-Assembled Monolayer on Au(111) Prepared in a Lyotropic Liquid-Crystalline Medium

A characterization of the 1,8-octanedithiol (ODT) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed from a Triton X-100 lyotropic medium has been conducted by electrochemical techniques. It is found that an ODT layer of standing-up molecules is obtained at short modification time without removing oxygen from the medium. The electrochemical study shows that the ODT layer formed after 15 min of modification time has similar electron-transfer blocking properties to the layers formed from organic solvents at much longer modification times. On the basis of XPS data, it is demonstrated that the inability to bind gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is due to the presence of extra ODT molecules either interdigited or on top of the layer. Treatment consisting of an acid washing step following the formation of the ODT-Au(111) SAM produces a layer that is able to attach AuNPs as demonstrated by electrochemical techniques and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkoxycyanobiphenyl thiols on gold surface using a lyotropic liquid crystalline medium

We have studied the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkoxycyanobiphenyl thiols on gold prepared in a lyotropic liquid crystalline medium using electrochemical techniques. We have used thiols of different alkyl chain lengths viz., C 5, C 8 and C 10 which exhibit nematic liquid crystalline order in bulk. They are dispersed in a hexagonal lyotropic liquid crystalline phase, consisting of a non-ionic surfactant, Triton X-100 and water. This medium provides a highly hydrophobic environment to solubilize the thiols and later facilitate their delivery to the gold surface to form a monolayer. The electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to evaluate the barrier property and ionic permeability of these monolayers on gold surface. We have compared our results with that of the corresponding monolayers prepared using dichloromethane as a solvent. We find from our studies that the monolayers prepared using the hexagonal liquid crystalline phase show a better electrochemical blocking ability towards the redox reactions and exhibit very low ionic permeability. From the impedance studies, we have determined a surface coverage value of >99.9% for the monolayer on Au surface for all the thiol molecules studied in this work. We have also proposed a model for the likely processes involved in the formation of monolayer from the liquid crystalline medium. This is the first example in literature of self-assembled monolayer formation on Au by a compound exhibiting bulk nematic phase that is dispersed in a lyotropic liquid crystalline medium.

Self-Assembled Monolayers of Alkanethiols on Gold Prepared in a Hexagonal Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Phase of Triton X-100/Water System

In this paper, we have reported a new method of preparing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of decanethiol and hexadecanethiol on gold surface by using a lyotropic liquid crystalline phase as an adsorbing medium. The stability and blocking ability of these SAMs were characterized using grazing angle Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The lyotropic liquid crystalline medium possesses a hexagonal structure consisting of a nonionic surfactant Triton X-100, water, and the corresponding thiol, which provides a highly hydrophobic environment to solubilize the alkanethiols and later to facilitate their delivery to the gold surface. We find that the SAMs formed from the hexagonal liquid crystalline phase are highly compact and have excellent electrochemical blocking ability towards the redox probes compared to conventional SAMs prepared from commonly used organic solvents such as ethanol. From the impedance studies, we have determined the capacitance of the monolayer-coated electrodes and the surface coverage of the SAM, which has been found to be >99.98% on gold surface. We have also estimated the extent of ionic permeability through the film and measured the rate constants for the redox reactions on the SAM-modified electrodes. Our results show that the rate constants of [Fe(CN)6](3-/4-) and [Ru(NH3)6](2+/3+) redox couples are very much lower in the case of monolayers prepared in liquid crystalline phase compared to the SAM formed in 1 mM thiol in ethanol solution, suggesting a better blocking ability of the SAMs in the former case. From the grazing angle FTIR spectroscopic studies and capacitance measurements, we have ruled out any coadsorption of surfactant molecules on the Au surface. These results suggest that SAMs of very low defect density and extremely low ionic permeability can be obtained when a hexagonal lyotropic liquid crystalline phase is used as an adsorbing medium.

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous Pt–Ni (HI–Pt/Ni) alloy particles prepared from lyotropic liquid crystalline media

Mesoporous intermetallic Pt–Ni alloys with various compositions have been produced by the chemical reduction of two metal (nickel and platinum) salts dissolved in aqueous domains of a lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) phase. The mesoporous Pt–Ni alloys are small particles less than 100 nm in size and exhibit high specific surface areas higher than 40 m2 g−1. The ordering of the mesostructure decreases with increasing Ni content in the alloys. The high resolution scanning electron microscopic (HR-SEM) images show that the porous nanostructures are indeed formed over the entire area on the external surface of the particles. The lattice parameters of the alloys decrease with the increasing Ni content, implying the incorporation of Ni. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) data show that Ni atoms in the alloys are thought to be in the zerovalent metallic state (Ni0). The transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images prove that the lattice fringes assigned to a fcc structure are randomly oriented in the pore walls. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDS) mapping shows uniform distribution of Ni atoms in the porous matrix. These results indicate the formation of mesoporous intermetallic Pt–Ni alloys.

Determination of the spatial structure of glutathione by residual dipolar coupling analysis

The approach based on analysis of the residual 1H-13C dipolar couplings in molecules partially aligned in a lyotropic liquid crystalline medium was used in the NMR investigation of the reduced glutathione (Glu-Cys-Gly; GSH) structure in a lyotropic medium (cetylpyridinium chloride-n-hexanol). The spatial structure of GSH in solution was established on the basis of the experimental data for observed couplings only.

Conformational Analysis of a Tetrasaccharide Based on NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The conformational preference of the human milk oligosaccharide lacto-N-neotetraose, beta-d-Galp-(1 --> 4)-beta-d-GlcpNAc-(1 --> 3)-beta-d-Galp-(1 --> 4)-d-Glcp, has been analyzed using (1)H,(1)H T-ROESY and (1)H,(13)C trans-glycosidic J coupling experiments in isotropic solution and (1)H,(13)C residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) obtained in lyotropic liquid crystalline media. Molecular dynamics simulations of the tetrasaccharide with explicit water as the solvent revealed that two conformational states are significantly populated at the psi glycosidic torsion angle, defined by C(anomeric)-O-C-H, of the (1 --> 3)-linkage. Calculation of order parameters, related to the molecular shape, were based on the inertia tensor and fitting of experimental RDCs to different conformational states showed that psi(+) > 0 degrees is the major and psi(-) < 0 degrees is the minor conformation in solution, in complete agreement with a two-state analysis based on the T-ROESY data. Attention was also given to the effect of salt (200 mM NaCl) in the anisotropic medium, which was a ternary mixture of n-octyl-penta(ethylene glycol), n-octanol, and D(2)O.

Direct Physical Casting of the Mesostructure in Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Media by Electroless Deposition

Nickel particles with a highly ordered mesostructure are prepared by electroless deposition of Ni salts dissolved in aqueous domains of lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) media made of a nonionic surfactant (Brij 56) at a high concentration. The mesostructure inside the Ni particles after the electroless deposition has a macroscopic alignment of mesochannels derived from the LLC media which are composed of crystalline domains on a micrometer scale. It is proved that the arrangements of rod-like self-assemblies in the LLC indeed work as a scaffold to direct the grain growth of Ni. This is the first direct evidence of direct physical casting from LLC. (c) 2005 The Electrochemical Society.

Effect of photoinitiator segregation on polymerization kinetics in lyotropic liquid crystals

Through photopolymerization lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) phases may be templated onto organic polymers to yield highly complex nanostructures. In order to understand the unique polymerization behavior controlling structural development in LLC media, the polymerization kinetics in these systems have been studied using several commercially available photoinitiators. Although monomer segregation and diffusional restrictions largely govern the kinetics in these systems, the initiation may also be influenced by changing LLC order and composition. Nonpolar monomers, which partition to the oil soluble domains of the LLC phase typically display the fastest rate of polymerization in micellar aggregates. The rate decreases in phases with larger nonpolar domains due to decreasing localized double bond concentration. Polar monomers exhibit the opposite behavior. However, the segregation of photoinitiator may contribute to significantly different trends in polymerization behavior. Relatively mobile initiators, displaying favorable interaction with water, yield a trend in polymerization that is governed primarily by monomer and diffusional effects. When bulkier, hydrophobic initiators are used, the polymerization appears much less dependent on these effects. Rather than the decreasing rate usually observed at higher surfactant concentrations, polymerization of oil soluble monomers with the less mobile initiators shows the opposite trend of increasing rate at higher surfactant concentration. This behavior likely results from increasing initiator efficiency of the bulky, hydrophobic initiator in the surfactant rich environment.

The use of a lyotropic liquid-crystalline medium and residual dipolar coupling constants for determination of the spatial structure of thiacalix[4]arenes in solutions

The possibility of using an approach for the elucidation of the spatial structure of functionalized thiacalix[4]arenes based on the determination the residual dipolar coupling constants between the 1H and 13C nuclei separated by one chemical bond (1 D CH) in lyotropic liquid-crystalline media (poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate and CDCl3) is demonstrated for the first time. This approach was used to distinguish between the cone and 1,3-alternate conformations of 5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-25,26,27,28-tetrakis(2-oxopropyloxy)-2,8,14,20-tetrathiacalix[4]arene. The results were confirmed by the data from 2D NMR (1H—1H) NOESY experiments for these compounds in an isotropic solvent (CDCl3).

Fabrication of magnetic mesostructured nickel–cobalt alloys from lyotropic liquid crystalline media by electroless deposition

Mesostructured binary Ni–Co alloys with various compositions are prepared for the first time by the electroless deposition of metal salts (nickel and cobalt) dissolved in aqueous domains of the lyotropic liquid crystalline phases of a non-ionic surfactant (Brij 56) at high concentrations. Mesostructured alloys with various Ni/Co ratios are easily obtained by changing the composition of the baths, leading to the control of saturation magnetization. The composition of the alloys affects the ordering of the mesostructure; higher Co content lowers the ordering.

Spatial structure of triglycine determined by the residual dipolar coupling analysis

The possibility to determine the relatively small organic compound conformations by the approach on the basis of the analysis of the residual dipolar couplings1H−13C in the molecules partially aligned in lyotropic liquid crystalline media has been considered. This approach has been used in the nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of the triglycine structure in lyotropic medium (cetylpyridinium bromide/n-hexanol). The conformation of triglycine in solution has been established astrans-trans on the basis of the experimental data of observed couplings.