Accurate and absolute diffusion measurements of Rhodamine 6G in low-concentration aqueous solutions by the PGSE-WATERGATE sequence

A pulsed field gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sequence with solvent suppression (PGSE-WATERGATE) was applied to accurately measure the diffusion coefficients of Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) in low-concentration aqueous solutions. Three samples with Rh6G concentrations of CRh6G = 1, 4.5, and 25 μM were investigated. The precise determination of the diffusion coefficients in this low-concentration range was made possible by using a cryogenically cooled NMR probe and by the effective solvent suppression of the PGSE-WATERGATE sequence. The present results bridge the gap between diffusion data measured by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy in the single molecule limit and diffusivities obtained by pulsed field gradient NMR (PFG-NMR) without solvent suppression at higher concentrations. To further extend the concentration range, the diffusion coefficient of Rh6G was also measured on a sample with CRh6G = 410 μM by PFG-NMR. The overall concentration dependence of the Rh6G diffusion at 25 °C is discussed in terms of dimerization of the Rh6G molecules. The concentration-dependent monomer/dimer proportion is deduced from the diffusion data.