NMR spectroscopy study of local correlations in water

Using nuclear magnetic resonance we study the dynamics of the hydrogen bond (HB) sub-domains in bulk and emulsified water across a wide temperature range that includes the supercooled regime. We measure the proton spin-lattice T1 and spin-spin T2 relaxation times to understand the hydrophilic interactions that determine the properties of water. We use (i) the Bloembergen, Purcell, and Pound approach that focuses on a single characteristic correlation time tau_c, and (ii) the Powles and Hubbard approach that measures the proton rotational time tau_theta. We find that when the temperature is low both relaxation times are strongly correlated when the HB lifetime is long, and that when the temperature is high a decrease in the HB lifetime destroys the water clusters and decouples the dynamic modes of the system.