Time-resolved heterodyne-detected electronic sum frequency generation (TR-HD-ESFG) spectroscopy: A new approach to explore interfacial dynamics.

Aqueous interfaces containing organic/inorganic molecules are important in various biological, industrial, and atmospheric processes. So far, the study on the dynamics of interfacial molecules has been carried out with time-resolved vibrational sum-frequency generation (TR-VSFG) and time-resolved electronic sum-frequency generation (TR-ESFG) techniques. Although the ESFG probe is powerful for investigating interfacial photochemical dynamics of solute molecules by monitoring the electronic transition of transients or photoproducts at the interface, heterodyne detection is highly desirable for obtaining straightforward information, particularly in time-resolved measurements.

Unified picture of vibrational relaxation of OH stretch at the air/water interface.

The elucidation of the energy dissipation process is crucial for understanding various phenomena occurring in nature. Yet, the vibrational relaxation and its timescale at the water interface, where the hydrogen-bonding network is truncated, are not well understood and are still under debate. In the present study, we focus on the OH stretch of interfacial water at the air/water interface and investigate its vibrational relaxation by femtosecond time-resolved, heterodyne-detected vibrational sum-frequency generation (TR-HD-VSFG) spectroscopy.

Ultrafast vibrational control of organohalide perovskite optoelectronic devices using vibrationally promoted electronic resonance.

Vibrational control (VC) of photochemistry through the optical stimulation of structural dynamics is a nascent concept only recently demonstrated for model molecules in solution. Extending VC to state-of-the-art materials may lead to new applications and improved performance for optoelectronic devices. Metal halide perovskites are promising targets for VC due to their mechanical softness and the rich array of vibrational motions of both their inorganic and organic sublattices.

Adsorption of SARS-CoV-2 Spike (N501Y) RBD to Human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 at a Lipid/Water Interface.

The receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike proteins plays a crucial role in the process of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) attachment to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The N501Y mutation and later mutations introduced extra positive charges on the spike RBD and resulted in higher transmissibility, likely due to stronger binding with the highly negatively charged ACE2. Consequently, many studies have been devoted to understanding the molecular mechanism of spike protein binding with the ACE2 receptor.

Elucidation of the pH-Dependent Electric Double Layer Structure at the Silica/Water Interface Using Heterodyne-Detected Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.

The silica/water interface is one of the most abundant charged interfaces in natural environments, and the elucidation of the water structure at the silica/water interface is essential. In the present study, we measured the interface-selective vibrational (χ) spectra in the OH stretch region of the silica/water interface in a wide pH range of pH 2.0-12.

Ultrafast vibrational dynamics of the free OD at the air/water interface: Negligible isotopic dilution effect but large isotope substitution effect.

Vibrational relaxation dynamics of the OH stretch of water at the air/water interface has been a subject of intensive research, facilitated by recent developments in ultrafast interface-selective nonlinear spectroscopy. However, a reliable determination of the vibrational relaxation dynamics in the OD stretch region at the air/DO interface has not been yet achieved. Here, we report a study of the vibrational relaxation of the free OD carried out by time-resolved heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy.

DNA-Induced Reorganization of Water at Model Membrane Interfaces Investigated by Heterodyne-Detected Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.

Lipid-DNA complexes are important nonviral vectors to be used in gene therapy, which is one of the promising strategies for the cure of many diseases. Although interfacial water is expected to play a significant role in lipid-DNA complexation, a molecular-level understanding about the role of interfacial water in the DNA-lipid complexation is still sparse. In this study, the structure and orientation of water at cationic and zwitterionic lipid monolayer/water interfaces in the presence of DNA are studied by the use of interface-selective heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (HD-VSFG) spectroscopy.

The photochemical reaction of phenol becomes ultrafast at the air-water interface.

Reactions at the interface between water and other phases play important roles in nature and in various chemical systems. Although some experimental and theoretical studies suggest that chemical reactions at water interfaces can be different from those in bulk water-for example, 'on-water catalysis' and the activation of photochemically inert fatty acids at the air-water interface upon photoexcitation-directly investigating these differences and generating molecular-level understanding has proved difficult. Here, we report on the direct probing of a photochemical reaction occurring at the air-water interface, using ultrafast phase-sensitive interface-selective nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy.

Resolving the Controversy over Dipole versus Quadrupole Mechanism of Bend Vibration of Water in Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectra.

Recently, there has been controversy over whether the HOH bend signal of water in the vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectrum arises from the conventional dipole mechanism or the quadrupole mechanism. Here, we show that the Im χ (the imaginary part of the second-order nonlinear susceptibility) spectra of the HOH bend mode of water at oppositely charged monolayer/water interfaces all exhibit positive bands, irrespective of the difference in the sign of the charge at the interface. Furthermore, it is found that the peak frequency of the HOH bend band substantially changes depending on the chemical structure of the charged headgroup located at the interface.

Reorientation-induced relaxation of free OH at the air/water interface revealed by ultrafast heterodyne-detected nonlinear spectroscopy.

The uniqueness of water originates from its three-dimensional hydrogen-bond network, but this hydrogen-bond network is suddenly truncated at the interface and non-hydrogen-bonded OH (free OH) appears. Although this free OH is the most characteristic feature of interfacial water, the molecular-level understanding of its dynamic property is still limited due to the technical difficulty. We study ultrafast vibrational relaxation dynamics of the free OH at the air/water interface using time-resolved heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (TR-HD-VSFG) spectroscopy.

Structure of water and polymer at the buried polymer/water interface unveiled using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation.

The structure of the prototypical acrylic polymer (poly(methyl methacrylate): PMMA)/water interface is elucidated at the molecular level using heterodyne-detected sum-frequency generation. Two distinct OH groups of interfacial water are found at the interface: one forms hydrogen bonds with the carbonyl group and the other weakly interacts with the ester methyl group of the polymer surface.

Hidden Isolated OH at the Charged Hydrophobic Interface Revealed by Two-Dimensional Heterodyne-Detected VSFG Spectroscopy.

Water around hydrophobic groups mediates hydrophobic interactions that play key roles in many chemical and biological processes. Thus, the molecular-level elucidation of the properties of water in the vicinity of hydrophobic groups is important. We report on the structure and dynamics of water at two oppositely charged hydrophobic ion/water interfaces, that is, the tetraphenylborate-ion (TPB )/water and tetraphenylarsonium-ion (TPA )/water interfaces, which are clarified by two-dimensional heterodyne-detected vibrational sum-frequency generation (2D HD-VSFG) spectroscopy.

In situ observation of the potential-dependent structure of an electrolyte/electrode interface by heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation.

Elucidating the structure of electrolyte/electrode interfaces is of essential importance not only for understanding of the fundamental process of electrochemistry but also for developing next-generation rechargeable batteries. In this study, we applied HD-VSFG spectroscopy to study a prototypical non-aqueous electrochemical interface of a platinum electrode in 0.1 M LiCFSO acetonitrile (CHCN) solution, and measured Im χ spectra by changing the applied potential in the range of -0.

Effect of hydrogen-bond on ultrafast spectral diffusion dynamics of water at charged monolayer interfaces.

Ultrafast hydrogen-bond fluctuation dynamics of water at charged monolayer interfaces were studied by the use of steady-state and 2D heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (HD-VSFG) spectroscopy. Specifically, the effect of hydrogen-bond ability of the interface on the dynamics was investigated by comparing two monolayer interfaces that provide different hydrogen bond abilities: hydrogen bonding octadecylammonium (ODA) monolayer (pH = 2) and non-hydrogen bonding 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-trimethyl-ammonium propane (DPTAP) monolayer. The steady-state HD-VSFG spectra and their ionic strength dependence revealed that water molecules at both of ODA and DPTAP interfaces are H-down oriented, pointing their H away from the interface, and that the contributions of the electrical double layer in the interfacial spectra of these interfaces are comparable to each other.

Molecular mechanism of charge inversion revealed by polar orientation of interfacial water molecules: A heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation study.

"Charge inversion" is a phenomenon in which multivalent counterions overcompensate for interfacial charges and invert the sign of the net charge near a surface. This phenomenon is believed to be relevant to biologically important processes such as DNA condensation, and hence it has attracted much attention. We investigated the polar orientation of interfacial water molecules at two different negatively charged interfaces in the absence and presence of La using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy, which can directly determine the up/down orientation of interfacial molecules.

The Topmost Water Structure at a Charged Silica/Aqueous Interface Revealed by Heterodyne-Detected Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.

Despite recent significant advances in interface-selective nonlinear spectroscopy, the topmost water structure at a charged silica surface is still not clearly understood. This is because, for charged interfaces, not only interfacial molecules at the topmost layer but also a large number of molecules in the electric double layer are probed even with second-order nonlinear spectroscopy. In the present study, we studied water structure at the negatively charged silica/aqueous interface at pH 12 using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy, and demonstrated that the spectral component of the topmost water can be extracted by examining the ionic strength dependence of the Imχ spectrum.

Structure at the air/water interface in the presence of phenol: a study using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation and molecular dynamics simulation.

Many kinds of organic compounds pollute the aquatic environment, and they change the properties of the water surface due to their high surface affinity. Chemical reactions at the water surface are key in environmental chemistry because, for instance, reactions occurring at the surface of aqueous aerosols play essential roles in the atmosphere. Therefore, it is very important to elucidate how organic compounds affect the properties of water surfaces.

Cooperative Hydrogen-Bond Dynamics at a Zwitterionic Lipid/Water Interface Revealed by 2D HD-VSFG Spectroscopy.

Molecular-level elucidation of hydration at biological membrane interfaces is of great importance for understanding biological processes. We studied ultrafast hydrogen-bond dynamics at a zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine/water interface by two-dimensional heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (2D HD-VSFG) spectroscopy. The obtained 2D spectra confirm that the anionic phosphate and cationic choline sites are individually hydrated at the interface.

Change of the isoelectric point of hemoglobin at the air/water interface probed by the orientational flip-flop of water molecules.

Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of protein adsorption is of essential importance for further development of biotechnology. Here, we use interface-selective nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy to investigate protein charge at the air/water interface by probing the orientation of interfacial water molecules. We measured the Im χ spectra of hemoglobin, myoglobin, serum albumin and lysozyme at the air/water interface in the CH and OH stretching regions using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (HD-VSFG) spectroscopy, and we deduced the isoelectric point of the protein by monitoring the orientational flip-flop of water molecules at the interface.

Ultrafast Dynamics at Water Interfaces Studied by Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.

We present an overview of studies on the ultrafast dynamics of water at aqueous interfaces carried out by time-resolved vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopies. This research field has been growing rapidly, stimulated by technical developments achieved recently. In this review, first, the principles and instrumentations are described for conventional VSFG, heterodyne-detected VSFG, and various IR-pump/VSFG-probe techniques, namely, time-resolved conventional VSFG, time-resolved heterodyne-detected VSFG, and their extension to two-dimensional spectroscopy.

Femtosecond Hydrogen Bond Dynamics of Bulk-like and Bound Water at Positively and Negatively Charged Lipid Interfaces Revealed by 2D HD-VSFG Spectroscopy.

Interfacial water in the vicinity of lipids plays an important role in many biological processes, such as drug delivery, ion transportation, and lipid fusion. Hence, molecular-level elucidation of the properties of water at lipid interfaces is of the utmost importance. We report the two-dimensional heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (2D HD-VSFG) study of the OH stretch of HOD at charged lipid interfaces, which shows that the hydrogen bond dynamics of interfacial water differ drastically, depending on the lipids.

Bend Vibration of Surface Water Investigated by Heterodyne-Detected Sum Frequency Generation and Theoretical Study: Dominant Role of Quadrupole.

Heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy was applied to the water surface for measuring the imaginary part of second-order nonlinear susceptibility (Im χ((2))) spectrum in the bend frequency region for the first time. The observed Im χ((2)) spectrum shows an overall positive band around 1650 cm(-1), contradicting former theoretical predictions. We further found that the Im χ((2)) spectrum of NaI aqueous solution exhibits an even larger positive band, which is apparently contrary to the flip-flop orientation of surface water.

Partially Hydrated Electrons at the Air/Water Interface Observed by UV-Excited Time-Resolved Heterodyne-Detected Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.

Hydrated electrons are the most fundamental anion species, consisting only of electrons and surrounding water molecules. Although hydrated electrons have been extensively studied in the bulk aqueous solutions, even their existence is still controversial at the water surface. Here, we report the observation and characterization of hydrated electrons at the air/water interface using new time-resolved interface-selective nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy.

Efficient Spectral Diffusion at the Air/Water Interface Revealed by Femtosecond Time-Resolved Heterodyne-Detected Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.

Femtosecond vibrational dynamics at the air/water interface is investigated by time-resolved heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (TR-HD-VSFG) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The low- and high-frequency sides of the hydrogen-bonded (HB) OH stretch band at the interface are selectively excited with special attention to the bandwidth and energy of the pump pulses. Narrow bleach is observed immediately after excitation of the high-frequency side of the HB OH band at ∼3500 cm(-1), compared to the broad bleach observed with excitation of the low-frequency side at ∼3300 cm(-1).