Azide ion is an excellent vibrational probe for studying ion-ion and ion-dipole interactions in solutions because its frequency is sensitively dependent on its local environments. When azide ion forms contact ion pairs with cations in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), free azide ion and contact ion pairs are spectrally well distinguished in FTIR spectra. Here, we investigated vibrational population relaxation, P(t), and orientational relaxation dynamics, r(t), of free azide ion and contact ion pairs (LiN3, NaN3, NH4N3, MgN3(+), and CaN3(+)) in DMSO by IR pump-probe spectroscopy. For metal azide ion pairs, the metal ion slowed down the vibrational relaxation of azide ion by acting like a thermal insulator. Biexponential behavior of r(t) was analyzed in the wobbling-in-a-cone model. The long time component of r(t) of free azide ion was found to be viscosity-dependent. The wobbling motion of azide ion within the frame of metal azide ion pairs was weakly dependent on the countercation. When the overall orientational relaxation of metal azide ion pairs was analyzed by the extended Debye-Stokes-Einstein equation, it was well described under stick or superstick boundary conditions due to a strong interaction between the metal ion and DMSO molecules. Our experimental results provide important insight in understanding the rotational dynamics of small ionic species in polar solvents when the size of the ionic species is smaller than or comparable to that of the solvent molecule.

Polymer processing techniques involving solvent vapor swelling are typically challenging to control and thus reproduce. Moreover, traditional descriptions of solvent swollen films lack microscopic detail. We describe the design and use of an apparatus that facilitates macroscopic and microscopic characterization of samples undergoing solvent vapor swelling in a controlled environment. The experimental design incorporates three critical characteristics: (1) a mass-flow controlled solvent vapor delivery system allows for precise control of the amount of solvent vapor delivered to the sample, (2) a sample prepared on a quartz crystal microbalance allows for real-time assessment of the extent of sample swelling, (3) a second sample prepared and assessed in parallel on a coverslip allows real-time fluorescence microscopy during swelling. We demonstrate that this apparatus allows for single-particle tracking, which in turn facilitates in situ monitoring of local environments within the solvent-swollen film.

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Cation-specific ion pairing dynamics between M (M = Ag or Cu) and SCN in N,N-dimethylthioformamide (DMTF) are studied by probing the nitrile (CN) stretching vibration. The SCN ion, which is an ambidentate ligand, readily associates with cations to form two different types of contact ion pairs (CIPs) (i.e., M-SCN or M-NCS) and its CN stretching frequency is significantly blue-shifted so that free SCN and CIPs can be well-distinguished in the FTIR spectra. Interestingly, Ag ions prefer the formation of Ag-SCN in DMTF (Ag + SCN ⇋ Ag-SCN) but Cu ions form Cu-NCS (Cu + SCN ⇋ Cu-NCS). We have studied the effect of ion-ligand binding on the ion pairing equilibria and dynamics in great detail by using FTIR, IR pump-probe (IR PP), and two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy combined with quantum chemical calculations. First, our quantum chemical calculations corroborate that Ag-SCN and Cu-NCS of the two possible CIP configurations (M-SCN or M-NCS) are energetically stable and favored in DMTF. Second, the thermodynamic properties (ΔH and ΔS) of ion pairing equilibria are determined by temperature-dependent FTIR experiments. Finally, IR PP and 2DIR experiments are used to measure the association and dissociation rate constants. The ion pairing dynamics between Cu and SCN are found to occur on much faster timescales than those between Ag and SCN. Our current results provide important insights into understanding the effect of ion-ligand binding on the ion pairing equilibria and dynamics in polar solvents.