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Dipeptides are popular building blocks for supramolecular gels that do not persist in the environment and may find various applications. In this work, we show that a simple substitution on the aromatic side-chain of phenylalanine with either fluorine or iodine enables supramolecular diversity upon self-assembly at neutral pH, leading to hydrogels or crystals. Each building block is characterized by H-1- and C-13-NMR spectroscopy, LC-MS, circular dichroism, and molecular models. The supramolecular behaviour is monitored with a variety of techniques, including circular dichroism, oscillatory rheology, transmission electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, visible Raman spectroscopy, synchrotron-radiation single-crystal X-ray diffraction and UV Resonance Raman spectroscopy, allowing key differences to be pinpointed amongst the halogenated analogues.

DNA’s structure stability in hydrated deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is getting growing attention for emerging bio-applications. The employment of DESs as novel co-solvents in water media could favor eco-friendly and biodegradable materials for DNA storage and handling. Understanding the molecular interactions between nucleic acids and aqueous DES is crucial for developing new-generation solvents for biomolecules. In this work, we exploit the molecular sensitivity and selectivity of synchrotron radiation UV resonance raman (SR-UVRR) spectroscopy to explore the interplay between a choline chloride:urea (ChCl:U) DES and double-stranded DNA. Our study analyzes the impact of ChCl:U on the DNA’s thermal unfolding pathway by focusing on the guanine nucleobases whose Raman signal could be strongly enhanced through careful tuning of the excitation wavelength.

The aim of this work is to evaluate the potentiality of a multi-technique nondestructive approach for characterizing the state of conservation of precious bookbindings. In particular, the bookbinding of an ancient book dating back nineteenth century was inspected by infrared thermography, near-infrared reflectography and transmittography, digital speckle photography, holographic interferometry, and proton magnetic resonance relaxometry. Data were processed by different and innovative methodologies, among which, a calibration procedure of the camera for correlation analyses based on specklegrams. The results were compared, showing a promising synergy for the diagnostic purposes, on the basis of the relationship between structure, properties, and uses of the analyzed materials.

In this paper, chemical and structural studies of medieval wall paintings in Ocre (L’Aquila, Italy) are presented. During the latest restoration campaign, non-destructive (Near-Infrared Reflectography and Infrared Thermography) and micro-invasive (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, μ-Raman, Scanning Electron Microscopy with X-ray Microanalysis, X-Ray Diffraction, X-Ray Fluorescence, Optical Microscopy, Mass Spectrometry, Thermogravimetry) analyses were performed in order to determine the detachments of wall surfaces and the characterization of original and restoration materials. Data integration allowed to reconstruct the conservative history, the execution techniques and the conservation problems of the artefact, as well as to assess the effectiveness of restoration activities adopted. The combined use of physical and micro-chemical techniques proved to be effective for an in-depth study of materials stratification of paintings.