Title: Investigation of Molecular Diffusion at Block Copolymer Thin Films Using Maximum Entropy Method-Based Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy and Single Molecule Tracking

Abstract

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) has been widely used to investigate molecular diffusion behavior in various samples. The use of the maximum entropy method (MEM) for FCS data analysis provides a unique means to determine multiple distinct diffusion coefficients without a priori assumption of their number. Comparison of the MEM-based FCS method (MEM-FCS) with another method will reveal its utility and advantage as an analytical tool to investigate diffusion dynamics. Herein, we measured diffusion of fluorescent probes doped into nanostructured thin films using MEM-FCS, and validated the results with single molecule tracking (SMT) data. The efficacy of the MEM code employed was first demonstrated by analyzing simulated FCS data for systems incorporating one and two diffusion modes with broadly distributed diffusion coefficients. The MEM analysis accurately afforded the number of distinct diffusion modes and their mean diffusion coefficients. These results contrasted with those obtained by fitting the simulated data to conventional two-component and anomalous diffusion models, which yielded inaccurate estimates of the diffusion coefficients. Subsequently, the MEM analysis was applied to FCS data acquired from hydrophilic dye molecules incorporated into microphase-separated polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) thin films characterized under a water-saturated nitrogen atmosphere. The MEM analysis revealed distinct fast and slow diffusionmore » components attributable to molecules diffusing on the film surface and inside the film, respectively. SMT studies of the same materials yielded trajectories for mobile molecules that appear to follow the curved PEO microdomains. Diffusion coefficients obtained from the SMT data were consistent with those obtained for the slow diffusion component detected by MEM-FCS. Furthermore, these results highlight the utility of MEM-FCS and SMT for gaining complementary information on molecular diffusion processes in heterogeneous material systems.« less

Authors:

Xue, Lianjie  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Xue, Lianjie"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-0222-3905"

Jin, Shiqiang  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Jin, Shiqiang"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-2449-6499"

Nagasaka, Shinobu ^[1]; Higgins, Daniel A.  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Higgins, Daniel A."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-8011-2648"

Ito, Takashi  ^[1]

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Ito, Takashi"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-7443-3157"

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (United States)

Publication Date:

Sat Jun 11 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Research Org.:

Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division

OSTI Identifier:

1874680

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1895415

Grant/Contract Number:  

SC0002362

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Journal of Fluorescence

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 32; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 1053-0509

Publisher:

Springer

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; fluorescence correlation spectroscopy; maximum entropy method; single-molecule tracking; block copolymer; fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, maximum entropy method, single-molecule tracking, block copolymer