We investigate the molecular dynamics within the crystallites of poly(εcaprolactone), PCL, crystallized from the melt by means of high-field 13 C and low-field 1 H NMR spectroscopy, addressing the question of whether it can be classified as a "crystal-fixed" polymer without chain motion through the crystallites. We address fast, slow, and intermediateregime (microseconds to milliseconds time scale) motions by means of high-resolution of 13 C DIPSHIFT and CODEX MAS experiments as well as low-resolution static 1 H FID and MSE measurements over a range of temperatures. The DIPSHIFT data provide information on motionally averaged 13 C− 1 H dipole−dipole couplings and indicate the presence of fast (≤1 μs) methylene group librational motions within the crystalline phase, where the amplitudes increase with increasing distance from the rather rigid ester groups. The CODEX experiments, addressing slow (≥ms) local rotations of the chemical-shift anisotropy tensors, suggest the absence of slow intracrystallite chain dynamics. 1 H second-moment and MSE signal loss data of the crystalline fraction, along with the DIPSHIFT and CODEX data, indicate that intermediate-regime chain motions do not take place in PCL crystallites.

The popular 1D MAS exchange experiment CODEX suffers limitations due to signal loss during the finite recoupling periods, during which the magnetization evolves in the transverse plane. Here, we address the origins and possible improvements of this problem, aimed at (i) an optimization of the signal-to-noise ratio in the experiments, as well as harnessing intermediate-motion induced signal loss for obtaining approximate information on (ii) correlation times and (iii) potential distributions, where the latter are often found in polymeric systems. First, we show that the intensity of the signal is sensitive to the radiofrequency (rf) parameters of the carbon recoupling and proton decoupling, and care must be taken to gain optimal signal intensity. Optimum conditions are found for recoupling pulses being as short as possible for large chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) values, and approaching a ratio of 3 between the nutation frequencies for protonated carbons, calling for an individual adjustment in each case. Second, we demonstrate that the effect of intermediate motions can be studied semi-quantitatively by combining CODEX data with its constant-time modification CONTRA, which allows for a tuning of the signal loss due to intermediate motions. Third, for the case of samples featuring a distribution of correlation times, we propose a procedure to obtain an estimate of the proportion of molecular segments in the sample for which the CODEX data are representative, i.e., which share of segments moves truly in the slow-motion regime. The procedure involves the combination of CODEX data with a cross-polarisation (CP) reference experiment for an estimate of the full sample magnetization; it is demonstrated on the example of semi-crystalline poly(ethylene oxide).

(15)N and (13)C NMR experiments were applied to conduct a comparative study of a cold shock protein (Csp) in two states-lyophilized powder and a protein embedded in a glassy trehalose matrix. Both samples were studied at various levels of rehydration. The experiments used (measuring relaxation rates R(1) and R(1ρ), motionally averaged dipolar couplings and solid state exchange method detecting reorientation of the chemical shift anisotropy tensor) allow obtaining abundant information on the protein structural features and internal motions in a range of correlation times from nanoseconds to seconds. The main results are: (a) the trehalose coating makes the protein structure more native in comparison with the dehydrated lyophilized powder, however, trehalose still cannot remove all non-native hydrogen bonds which are present in a dehydrated protein; (b) trehalose has an appreciable effect on the internal dynamics: the motion of the backbone N-H groups in the nanosecond and microsecond time scales becomes slower while the motional amplitude remains constant; (c) upon adding water to the Csp-trehalose mixture, water molecules accumulate around proteins forming a layer between the protein surface and the trehalose matrix. The protein dynamics become faster, however, not as fast as in the fully hydrated state; (d) the hydration response of dynamics of the NH and CH(CH(2)) groups in a protein is qualitatively different: upon increasing protein hydration, the correlation times of the N-H motions become shorter and the amplitude remains stable, and for CH(CH(2)) groups the motional amplitude increases and the correlation times do not change. This can be explained by a different ability of the NH and CH(CH(2)) groups to form hydrogen bonds.

To gain new insights into the interaction of proteins and disaccharides, we investigated the hydrodynamic radii, RhProt, of lysozyme molecules in solution and in a ternary protein-sugar-water system by PFG-NMR. Our approach is based on the assumption that the anhydrobiotic properties of disaccharides like trehalose are based on aggregation of sugar molecules to the proteins, i.e., accumulation of sugar molecules close to the protein, and that this process can be investigated by the experimentally detectable RhProt value of the protein. The R values are calculated from the experimentally determined diffusion coefficients and the application of a viscosity correction using the inert molecule dioxane as an internal viscosity reference. The experiments were performed as a function of sugar concentration, the overall particle concentration and the pH value. We investigated the disaccharides trehalose and sucrose, mainly for the reason that trehalose has well know cryptobiotic properties while sucrose, which is similar in size and structure, lacks these properties. The results show the formation of a protective sugar shell around the proteins over a wider range of concentrations and pH values in the case of trehalose.

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