@article{TitovSharmaLomadzeetal.2021,
  author    = {Titov, Evgenii and Sharma, Anjali and Lomadze, Nino and Saalfrank, Peter and Santer, Svetlana and Bekir, Marek},
  title     = {Photoisomerization of an azobenzene-containing surfactant within a micelle},
  series = {ChemPhotoChem},
  volume    = {5},
  journal   = {ChemPhotoChem},
  number    = {10},
  publisher = {Wiley-VCH},
  address   = {Weinheim},
  issn      = {2367-0932},
  doi       = {10.1002/cptc.202100103},
  pages     = {926 -- 932},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Photosensitive azobenzene-containing surfactants have attracted great attention in past years because they offer a means to control soft-matter transformations with light. At concentrations higher than the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the surfactant molecules aggregate and form micelles, which leads to a slowdown of the photoinduced trans -> cis azobenzene isomerization. Here, we combine nonadiabatic dynamics simulations for the surfactant molecules embedded in the micelles with absorption spectroscopy measurements of micellar solutions to uncover the reasons responsible for the reaction slowdown. Our simulations reveal a decrease of isomerization quantum yields for molecules inside the micelles. We also observe a reduction of extinction coefficients upon micellization. These findings explain the deceleration of the trans -> cis switching in micelles of the azobenzene-containing surfactants.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KasyanenkoLysyakovaRamazanovetal.2015,
  author    = {Kasyanenko, Nina and Lysyakova, Liudmila and Ramazanov, Ruslan and Nesterenko, Alexey and Yaroshevich, Igor and Titov, Evgenii and Alexeev, G. and Lezov, Andrey and Unksov, I.},
  title     = {Conformational and Phase Transitions in DNA-Photosensitive Surfactant Solutions: Experiment and Modeling},
  series = {Biopolymers},
  volume    = {103},
  journal   = {Biopolymers},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {0006-3525},
  doi       = {10.1002/bip.22575},
  pages     = {109 -- 122},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {DNA binding to trans- and cis-isomers of azobenzene containing cationic surfactant in 5 mM NaCl solution was investigated by the methods of dynamic light scattering (DLS), low-gradient viscometry (LGV), atomic force microscopy (AFM), circular dichroism (CD), gel electrophoresis (GE), flow birefringence (FB), UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Light-responsive conformational transitions of DNA in complex with photosensitive surfactant, changes in DNA optical anisotropy and persistent length, phase transition of DNA into nanoparticles induced by high surfactant concentration, as well as transformation of surfactant conformation under its binding to macromolecule were studied. Computer simulations of micelles formation for cis- and trans-isomers of azobenzene containing surfactant, as well as DNA-surfactant interaction, were carried out. Phase diagram for DNA-surfactant solutions was designed. The possibility to reverse the DNA packaging induced by surfactant binding with the dilution and light irradiation was shown. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 103: 109-122, 2015.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{TitovLysyakovaLomadzeetal.2015,
  author    = {Titov, Evgenii and Lysyakova, Liudmila and Lomadze, Nino and Kabashin, Andrei V. and Saalfrank, Peter and Santer, Svetlana},
  title     = {Thermal Cis-to-Trans Isomerization of Azobenzene-Containing Molecules Enhanced by Gold Nanoparticles: An Experimental and Theoretical Study},
  series = {The journal of physical chemistry : C, Nanomaterials and interfaces},
  volume    = {119},
  journal   = {The journal of physical chemistry : C, Nanomaterials and interfaces},
  number    = {30},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {1932-7447},
  doi       = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b02473},
  pages     = {17369 -- 17377},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {We report on the experimental and theoretical investigation of a considerable increase in the rate for thermal cis -> trans isomerization of azobenzene-containing molecules in the presence of gold nanopartides. Experimentally, by means of UV vis spectroscopy, we studied a series of azobenzene-containing surfactants and 4-nitroazobenzene. We found that in the presence of gold,nanoparticles the thermal lifetime of the cis isomer of the azobenzenecontaining molecules was decreased by up to 3 orders of magnitude in comparison to the lifetime in solution without nanoparticles. The electron transfer between azobenzene-containing molecules and a surface of gold nanopartides is a possible reason to promote the thermal cis trans switching. To investigate the effect of electron attachment to, and withdrawal from, the azobenzene-containing molecules on the isomerization rate, we performed density functional theory calculations of activation energy barriers of the reaction together with Eyring's transition state theory calculations of the rates for azobenzene derivatives with donor and acceptor groups in para position of one of the phenyl rings, as well as for one of the azobenzene-containing surfactants. We found that activation barriers are greatly lowered for azobenzene-containing molecules, both upon electron attachment and withdrawal, which leads, in turn, to a dramatic increase in the thermal isomerization rate.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ZakrevskyyTitovLomadzeetal.2014,
  author    = {Zakrevskyy, Yuriy and Titov, Evgenii and Lomadze, Nino and Santer, Svetlana},
  title     = {Phase diagrams of DNA-photosensitive surfactant complexes: Effect of ionic strength and surfactant structure},
  series = {The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr},
  volume    = {141},
  journal   = {The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr},
  number    = {16},
  publisher = {American Institute of Physics},
  address   = {Melville},
  issn      = {0021-9606},
  doi       = {10.1063/1.4899281},
  pages     = {8},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Realization of all-optically controlled and efficient DNA compaction is the major motivation in the study of interactions between DNA and photosensitive surfactants. In this article, using recently published approach of phase diagram construction [Y. Zakrevskyy, P. Cywinski, M. Cywinska, J. Paasche, N. Lomadze, O. Reich, H.-G. Lohmannsroben, and S. Santer, J. Chem. Phys. 140, 044907 (2014)], a strategy for substantial reduction of compaction agent concentration and simultaneous maintaining the light-induced decompaction efficiency is proposed. The role of ionic strength (NaCl concentration), as a very important environmental parameter, and surfactant structure (spacer length) on the changes of positions of phase transitions is investigated. Increase of ionic strength leads to increase of the surfactant concentration needed to compact DNA molecule. However, elongation of the spacer results to substantial reduction of this concentration. DNA compaction by surfactants with longer tails starts to take place in diluted solutions at charge ratios Z < 1 and is driven by azobenzene-aggregation compaction mechanism, which is responsible for efficient decompaction. Comparison of phase diagrams for different DNA-photosensitive surfactant systems allowed explanation and proposal of a strategy to overcome previously reported limitations of the light-induced decompaction for complexes with increasing surfactant hydrophobicity. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.},
  language  = {en}
}