Low-Frequency Chain Dynamics in Decylammonium Chloride

Abstract

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation measurements were carried out to investigate the low-frequency hydrocarbon chain dynamics in decylammonium chloride (C₁₀H₂₁NH₃Cl), a model biomembrane undergoing an irreversible structural phase transition. It is demonstrated by systematic proton NMR study of spin-spin relaxation and rotating frame spin-lattice relaxation that a low-frequency chain dynamics is responsible for the critical dynamics associated only with the interdigitated-to-noninterdigitated chain configurational phase transition.