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Ion-exchange membranes, conventionally utilized in separation processes of electrolyte solutions, are electroactive polymers that display a unique coupling between electrochemistry and mechanics. Previous experimental studies have demonstrated the possibility of actuating cation-exchange membranes in salt solution through the application of a remote external electric field. The use of anion-exchange membranes as contactless actuators, however, has never been documented and little is known about the physics of their actuation. Here, it is reported for the first time the possibility of contactless actuating anion-exchange membranes in salt solutions; such an actuation is mediated by the selection of anions in the external salt solution and the membrane. Actuation is attributed to the physical phenomenon of solvation, the interaction between ions and solvent in solution. Contrary to previous studies with cation-exchange membranes, the results show that anion-exchange membranes consistently bend toward the anode. The integration of anion-exchange and cation-exchange membranes in composites promises innovative programmable contactless actuators, with applications in underwater robotics and biomedical engineering.

Die Assoziation kleiner Moleküle (Liganden) in hydrophobe Bindungstaschen spielt eine fundamentale Rolle in der Biomolekularerkennung und den Selbstassemblierungsprozessen der physikalischen Chemie wässriger Lösungen. Während der Einfluss des Wassers auf die freie Energie der Bindung (die Bindungsaffinität) im thermischen Gleichgewicht in den letzten Jahren auf immer stärkere Aufmerksamkeit stößt, ist die Rolle des Wassers in der Kinetik und der Bestimmung der Bindungsraten noch weitestgehend unverstanden. Welche nanoskaligen Effekte des Wassers beeinflussen die Dynamik des Liganden in der Nähe der Bindungstasche, und wie lassen sie sich durch die chemischen Eigenschaften der Tasche steuern? Neuste Forschungen haben mithilfe von molekularen Computersimulationen eines einfachen Modells gezeigt, dass Hydrationsfluktuationen in der hydrophoben Bindungstasche an die Dynamik des Liganden koppeln und damit seine Bindungsrate beeinflussen. Da die Wasserfluktuationen wiederum durch die Geometrie und Hydrophobizität der Bindungstasche beeinflusst werden, entsteht die Möglichkeit, kontrollierte Fluktuation zu kreieren, um die Bindungsraten des Liganden zu steuern. In dieser Arbeit wird diese Perspektive mithilfe eines theoretischen Multiskalenansatzes für prototypische Schlüssel-Schloss-Systeme aufgegriffen. Wir untersuchen den Einfluss der physikochemischen Eigenschaften der Bindungstasche auf die Diffusivität und die Bindungsraten des Liganden, und wie die Orientierung eines anisotropen Liganden an die Hydrationsfluktuationen der Tasche koppelt. Damit stellen wir fest, dass kleine Änderungen der Taschentiefe eine extreme Beschleunigung der Bindungsraten bewirken kann und, dass gleichzeitig die Bindung in konkave Taschen vorteilhaft für die Reorientierungsdynamik des Liganden ist. Die Resultate dieses Projekts sollen somit helfen, maßgeschneiderte Lösungen für funktionale „Host-Guest“-Systeme sowie pharmazeutische Moleküle in biomedizinischen Anwendungen zu entwickeln. / The association of small molecules (ligands) to hydrophobic binding pockets plays an integral role in biochemical molecular recognition and function, as well as in various self-assembly processes in the physical chemistry of aqueous solutions. While the investigation of water contributions to the binding free energy (affinity) in equilibrium has attracted a great deal of attention in the last decade, little is known about the role of water in determining the rates of binding and kinetic mechanisms. For instance, what are the nanoscale water effects on ligand diffusion close to the hydrophobic docking site, and how can they be steered by the chemical composition of the pocket? Recent studies used molecular simulations of a simple prototypical pocket-ligand model to show that hydration fluctuations within the binding pocket can couple to the ligand dynamics and influence its binding rates. Since the hydration fluctuations, in turn, can be modified by the pocket’s geometry and hydrophobicity, the possibility exists to create well-controlled solvent fluctuations to steer the ligand’s binding rates. In this work, we pick up this appealing notion employing a theoretical multi-scale approach of a generic key-lock system in aqueous solution. We explore the influence of the physicochemical properties of the pocket on local ligand diffusivities and binding rates and demonstrate how the orientation of a (non-spherical) ligand couples to a pocket’s hydration fluctuations. We find that minor modulation in pocket depth can drastically speed up the binding rate and that, concurrently, binding to molded binding sites is advantageous for the rotational dynamics of the ligand. The results and discussion of this work shall, therefore, imply generic design principles for tailored solutions of functional host-guest systems as well as optimized drugs in biomedical applications.

L’objectif de ce travail est d’étudier et de contribuer à améliorer la capacité des liquides ioniques pour l’absorption sélective de dioxyde de carbone. Pour cela nous avons envisagé la fluorination partielle des cations ou des anions constituant les liquides ioniques. Nous avons sélectionné des liquides ioniques partiellement fluorés à étudier, dont trois ont été synthétisés dans ce travail. Dans un premier temps, nous avons étudié l’impact de la structure des liquides ioniques purs sur leurs propriétés thermophysiques telles que la masse volumique, la viscosité et la stabilité thermique. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons étudié les propriétés thermodynamiques de mélanges des liquides ioniques avec des gaz ou des liquides. La miscibilité de l’eau a ainsi été étudiée en fonction de la température. Nous avons mesuré la solubilité de cinq gaz (dioxyde de carbone, protoxyde d’azote, éthane, azote, hydrogène) dans les liquides ioniques, pour des températures comprises entre 298 K et 343 K et des pressions proches de la pression atmosphérique. La simulation moléculaire a été utilisée afin d’identifier les sites préférentiels de solvatation de dioxyde de carbone et d’éthane, et de proposer des mécanismes moléculaires de solvatation de ces gaz. Les coefficients de diffusion du dioxyde de carbone et de l’éthane dans les liquides ioniques ont été calculés. Nous avons déterminé l'enthalpie de solution et la limite de solubilité du dioxyde de carbone en fonction de la pression à 313 K utilisant une technique calorimétrique à écoulement. / The research project of this thesis is devoted to the evaluation of the use ionic liquids for applications in carbon dioxide separation and capture. The objective of this work is to improve the ability of ionic liquids to selectively absorb carbon dioxide by partially fluorinating the alkyl chains on the cation and / or the anion. First, we selected the ionic liquids to study and we had to synthesize three ionic liquids.Then, the first part of our studies is focused on the impact of the structure of pure ionic liquids on their thermophysical properties. Density, viscosity and thermal stability were determined. The second part of our studies deals with the determination of the thermodynamic properties of solution of gaseous solutes and liquids in ionic liquids. The miscibility gap in mixtures of ionic liquids with water was studied as a function of temperature. We have determined experimentally the solubility of five gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, ethane, nitrogen and hydrogen) in Ionic liquids for temperatures between 298 K and 343 K and pressures close to atmospheric pressure. Molecular simulation tools were used in order to identify the preferential solvation sites of carbon dioxide and ethane in ionic liquids and we have proposed the molecular mechanisms of solvation. Moreover, the diffusion coefficient of carbon dioxide and ethane in some ionic liquids was investigated. Finally, we studied as a function of the pressure, at 313 K, the enthalpy of solution and the solubility limit of carbon dioxide in two ionic liquids, using a flow calorimetric technique.

A series of para-substituted acetophenones bearing a furanyl or a thiophenyl moiety show a large Stokes-shift, which is a function of various solvent properties. Photophysical properties such as emission lifetime of the compounds have been determined using time-correlated-single photon counting to secure the intrinsic fluorescence behaviour. The solvent dependent position of the UV/Vis emission band [small nu, Greek, tilde]max,em of the compounds has been measured in 26 various solvents. The influence of the solvent on [small nu, Greek, tilde]max,em is of very complex nature and mathematically analysed by multiple square linear solvation energy (LSE)-correlation analysis using Catalán's four-solvent parameter set. Solvent acidity has a strong influence on the bathochromic shift of 2,5-disubstituted furan derivatives compared to the non-5-substituted furan and thiophene derivatives, which show a contrary behaviour. Therefore, the 5-cyanofuranyl-substituted acetophenone derivative is useful as a probe for measuring environmental properties by fluorescence spectroscopy. / Dieser Beitrag ist aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

In dieser Arbeit wird die Solvatationsdynamik einer solvatochromen molekularen Sonde diskutiert, und zwar als Methode für den Erhalt von lokalen IR-THz-Spektren von komplexen Systemen. Durch Femtosekundenanregung wird die Ladungsverteilung der Sonde verändert, und als Folge davon wird ein elektrisches Feld induziert. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt wirkt die im Lösungsmittel gelöste Sonde als Lichtquelle mit THz-Frequenzen. Da durch die Anregung das Gleichgewicht des Systems gestört wird, reorganisieren sich die Lösungsmittelmoleküle, sodass ein neues Gleichgewicht im angeregten Zustand entsteht. Die Bewegung der Lösungsmittelmoleküle ist (in gemittelter Form) als Stokes-Verschiebung des Fluoreszenz-Bandes beobachtbar. Durch eine geeignete Transformation der zeitaufgelösten Stokes-Verschiebung erhält man ein lokales IR-THz-Spektrum. Das Sondenmolekül wirkt daher auch als ein Detektor. Der Vorteil eines solchen "molekularen Spektrometers" ist sein mikroskopischer Aufenthaltsort, der u.a. sehr wichtig wird, wenn Messungen in Wasser durchgeführt werden: In diesem Fall macht eine intensive Absorption durch das Lösungsmittel das Eindringen von externen THz Strahlen tief in die Probe unmöglich. / Solvation dynamics of a solvatochromic molecular probe is discussed as a method to yield local IR-THz spectra of complex systems. After femtosecond excitation, the charge distribution of the probe is altered and, as a consequence, an electric field is generated. At this stage the solute acts as a light source with THz frequencies. Since by excitation the equilibrium of the system is perturbed, solvent molecules reorganize such that a new equilibrium is created in the excited state. This motion of solvent molecules can be seen (in an averaged form) by recording the Stokes shift of the fluorescence band. By an appropriate transformation of the time-resolved Stokes shift, a local IR-THz spectrum is obtained. The probe molecule therefore also acts as a detector. The advantage of such a “molecular spectrometer” is its locality, which becomes important when measurements are made in water. In this case, intense absorption by the solvent makes impossible the penetration of external THz beams deep into the sample.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-20T12:40:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariana_N_Levandowski.pdf: 3613595 bytes, checksum: 6d13f04a1872ade8572c9eae481770c6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of the conformational equilibrium of phenylacetic acid and its derivatives, namely: o-fluorophenylacetic, ochlorophenylacetic, o-bromophenylacetic, o-nitrophenylacetic, hydroxyphenylacetic, m-fluorophenylacetic, p-fluorophenylacetic, p-nitrophenylacetic, p-hydroxyphenylacetic, p-mercaptophenylacetic and p-aminophenylacetic. Thetechniques used were computational calculations and nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy.The study made it possible to verify the conformational preference of each compound, determined by their energies and geometries, which were evaluated both for the isolated molecule, at distinct theory levels, and in different solvents, with the IEF-PCM solvation model. By using natural bond orbital calculations, it was possible to identify the main orbital interactions for each conformation. With the total deletion calculations, it was verified that there was a balance between the steric and hyperconjugative effects in the stabilization of the most stable structures. The majority conformers of halogenated compounds in ortho revealed the same spatial orientation between the carbonyl and the benzene ring, similar to that of the phenylacetic acid. In the derivatives, nitro and hydroxylated in ortho, there was the presence of an intramolecular hydrogen bond, but in none of these cases the interaction referred to one of the main conformers. The infrared experiments in solvents of different polarities, allowed the identification of more than one band, enabling the attribution of conformers present in the equilibrium as well as the observation of the same tendency as the one obtained theoretically. The coupling constant 1JCH was evaluated through nuclear magnetic resonance. No significant variation of this constant was observed, showing that the major contribution to the equilibrium is related to the majoritarian conformer, which prevails even with the change in the polarity of the medium, for each compound under evaluation. / Neste trabalho foi apresentado uma análise teórica e experimental do equilíbrio conformacional do ácido fenilacético e seus derivados, sendo eles: ofluorofenilacético, o-clorofenilacético, o-bromofenilacético, o-nitrofenilacético, ohidróxifenilacético, m-fluorofenilacético, p-fluorofenilacético, p-nitrofenilacético, phidróxifenilacético,p-mercaptofenilacético e p-aminofenilacético. As técnicas utilizadas foram os cálculos computacionais e as espectroscopias de ressonância magnética nuclear e infravermelho. Com este estudo foi possível verificar a preferência conformacional de cada composto, determinadas pelas suas energias e geometrias, as quais foram avaliadas tanto para a molécula isolada, em distintos níveis de teoria, quanto em diferentes solventes, com o modelo de solvatação IEFPCM. Através dos cálculos dos orbitais naturais de ligação foi possível identificar as principais interações orbitais para cada conformação. Com os cálculos de deleção total, verificou-se que houve um balanço entre os efeitos estérico e hiperconjugativo na estabilização das estruturas mais estáveis. Os confôrmeros majoritários dos compostos halogenados em orto mostraram a mesma orientação espacial entre a carbonila e o anel benzênico, semelhante ao ácido fenilacético. Nos derivados,nitrado e hidroxilado em orto, houve a presença de uma ligação de hidrogênio intramolecular, em nenhum dos casos esta interação era referente a um dos confôrmeros principais. Utilizando a técnica de infravermelho na região do fundamental da carbonila, em solventes de diferentes polaridades, permitiram identificar a presença de mais de uma banda, sendo possível a atribuição dos confôrmeros presentes no equilíbrio, bem como observar a mesma tendência obtida teoricamente. Com a espectroscopia de ressonância magnética nuclear foi avaliada a constante de acoplamento 1JCH. Não houve uma variação significativa desta constante, mostrando que a maior contribuição no equilíbrio está relacionada com o confôrmero majoritário, que prevalece mesmo com a mudança da polaridade do meio, de cada composto avaliado.

Cette thèse présente l'étude de la dynamique d'un atome ou d'une molécule en interaction avec un agrégat en vue d'étudier comment un petit système (l'atome, la molécule) échange de l'énergie électronique, cinétique et vibrationnelle avec un système possédant de très nombreux degrés de liberté (l'agrégat).Le premier système est l'étude, expérimentale et théorique, de la dynamique en temps réel d'un atome de baryum déposé sur agrégat d'argon (BaArn). L'atome de baryum est excité dans des niveaux de Rydberg, il en résulte une dynamique extrêmement riche entre le chromophore et l'agrégat. L'interprétation théorique a nécessité la conception d'une méthode de dynamique originale, permettant de traiter à la fois le grand nombre d'états excités mis en jeu, couplés à de nombreux degrés de libertés atomiques. La mise en commun des informations théoriques et expérimentales a permis d'établir l'ensemble du chemin réactionnel ayant lieu au cours de cette dynamique.Le deuxième système concerne l'étude par fluorescence de la photo-dissociation de Ca2 déposé sur agrégat d'hélium ou sur agrégat mixte hélium-argon (Ca2Hen ou Ca2ArmHen). Ces résultats sont comparés à ceux obtenu sur agrégat d'argon pur (Ca2Hen). Les différences entre ces trois types de solvant montrent que les interactions sont différentes suivant que le solvant est ``quantique'' (l'hélium) ou ``classique'' (l'argon). Plusieurs canaux réactionnels ont été mis en évidence selon que l'atome de calcium excité qui résulte de la photo-dissociation est libre ou reste solvaté par de l'hélium et/ou de l'argon. Les rapports de branchement entre ces différents canaux ont également été mesurés. / The dynamics of the interaction of an atom or a molecule with a large cluster has been studied in this manuscript in view of characterising the exchange of electronic vibrational and kinetic energy between a small system with another having a large number of degrees of freedom, the cluster.We have first studied experimentally and theoretically, the real time dynamicsof a barium atom deposited on argon clusters , (BaArn). The Ba atom was excited in high Rydberg states. A rich dynamics ensues between the chromophore an the cluster. For the theoretical interpretation a new method has been developed. It its designed to take into account the large number of electronically accessed states and their coupling with the numerous nuclear degrees of freedom of the atomic movements. The combination of the experimental and theoretical informations has allowed the characterisation of a reaction path for these dynamics. The second system studied is the photodissociation of the Ca2 molecule deposited on helium clusters pure or doped with argon (Ca2Hen or Ca2ArmHen), fluorescence emission. A comparison is also made with the Ca2Hen system. Important differences appear depending upon the nature of the solvating medium be it quantal (helium) or classical (argon). Several reaction channels have been characterised and measured for the formation of the resulting calcium atom in helium or argon solvating media.

<p>The ability to accurately predict binding free energies from computer simulations is an invaluable resource in understanding biochemical processes and drug action. Several methods based on microscopic molecular dynamics simulations exist, and in this thesis the validation, application, and development of the linear interaction energy (LIE) method is presented.</p><p>For a test case of several hydrophobic ligands binding to P450cam it is found that the LIE parameters do not change when simulations are performed with three different force fields. The nonpolar contribution to binding of these ligands is best reproduced with a constant offset and a previously determined scaling of the van der Waals interactions.</p><p>A new methodology for prediction of binding free energies of protein-protein complexes is investigated and found to give excellent agreement with experimental results. In order to reproduce the nonpolar contribution to binding, a different scaling of the van der Waals interactions is neccesary (compared to small ligand binding) and found to be, in part, due to an electrostatic preorganization effect not present when binding small ligands.</p><p>A new treatment of the electrostatic contribution to binding is also proposed. In this new scheme, the chemical makeup of the ligand determines the scaling of the electrostatic ligand interaction energies. These scaling factors are calibrated using the electrostatic contribution to hydration free energies and proposed to be applicable to ligand binding.</p><p>The issue of codon-anticodon recognition on the ribosome is adressed using LIE. The calculated binding free energies are in excellent agreement with experimental results, and further predict that the Leu2 anticodon stem loop is about 10 times more stable than the Ser stem loop in complex with a ribosome loaded with the Phe UUU codon. The simulations also support the previously suggested roles of A1492, A1493, and G530 in the codon-anticodon recognition process.</p>