ABSTRACT
Thin films of metal phthalocyanines (MPc) are known to exhibit excellent physical properties but poorly controlled morphologies. Therefore, the present work seeks to understand the film growth mechanism of a model compound for potentially usable MPc, specifically, copper tetra(3-nitro-5-tert-butyl)phthalocyanine (CuPc*). The Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) technique was applied to prepare a series of CuPc* films under different processing conditions. The film growth was examined by Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) on the water surface and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) from the solid films. Neutron reflectometry (NR) measurements of the water uptake into the films and computer simulation of hydrated CuPc* were performed to substantiate an idea of colloidal MPc-water aggregates as nanoscale precursors of smooth solid films. This idea appears fruitful in terms of materials chemistry.
ABSTRACT
The physicochemical behavior of fullerene C60 in hydrocarbon solvents is examined by isothermal titration calorimetry, photocalorimetry, and UV spectroscopy. The obtained data are summarized to substantiate the idea of the binary fullerene/solvent cluster as a colloidal nanoentity that moderates noncovalent interactions of the C60 molecule in solution. This idea serves to aid understanding of the complex physicochemical behavior of tert-butyl-substituted phthalocyanine in C60 -saturated o-xylene under illumination with low-energy photons. The proposed experimental approach, which focuses on concentrated solutions and is applicable to multicomponent systems, is discussed as a potential tool of materials science.
ABSTRACT
The thermodynamics of ion solvation in non-aqueous solvents remains of great significance for understanding cellular transport and ion homeostasis for the design of novel ion-selective materials and applications in molecular pharmacology. Molecular simulations play pivotal roles in connecting experimental measurements to the microscopic structures of liquids. One of the most useful and versatile mimetic systems for understanding biological ion transport is N-methyl-acetamide (NMA). A plethora of theoretical studies for ion solvation in NMA have appeared recently, but further progress is limited by two factors. One is an apparent lack of experimental data on solubility and thermodynamics of solvation for a broad panel of 1 : 1 salts over an appropriate temperature and concentration range. The second concern is more substantial and has to do with the limitations hardwired in the additive (fixed charge) approximations used for most of the existing force-fields. In this submission, we report on the experimental evaluation of LiCl solvation in NMA over a broad range of concentrations and temperatures and compare the results with those of MD simulations with several additive and one polarizable force-field (Drude). By comparing our simulations and experimental results to density functional theory computations, we discuss the limiting factors in existing potential functions. To evaluate the possible implications of explicit and implicit polarizability treatments on ion permeation across biological channels, we performed potential of mean force (PMF) computations for Li(+) transport through a model narrow ion channel with additive and polarizable force-fields.
