Slow molecular dynamics of water in a lyotropic complex fluid studied by deuterium conventional and spin-lattice relaxometry NMR.

A nuclear magnetic resonance study of protons and deuterons in the mesomorphic phases of the micellar lyotropic mixture potassium laurate/1-decanol/heavy water is reported. The slow dynamical behavior of water molecules has been investigated with deuterons spin-lattice relaxation dispersion in the Larmor frequency range 10(3)<nu(L)<4.2x10(7) Hz. In order to compare relative behaviors additional T1 dispersion of micellar protons has been measured in the same compound, temperature, and Larmor frequency range. From the experimental behaviors, we conclude that in the nematic phases the water slow reorientational dynamics is closely related to the slow reorientation of the micellar aggregates. In addition, conventional deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance at nu(L)=4.2x10(7) Hz spectra has been measured at different places in the phase diagram. The line shapes show a quadrupolar splitting in nematic phases, meanwhile in the isotropic phase the spectral structure collapses in a single line. This indicates that in the nematic phases the water reorientations are not enough to average the deuterons quadrupolar Hamiltonian. On the other hand, fast isotropic water reorientations reduce the quadrupolar interactions in the isotropic phase.