Rotational dynamics of trehalose in aqueous solutions studied by depolarized light scattering

High resolution depolarized light scattering spectra, extended from 0.5 to 2x10(4) GHz by the combined used of a dispersive and an interferometric setup, give evidence of separated solute and solvent dynamics in diluted trehalose aqueous solutions. The slow relaxation process, located in the gigahertz frequency region, is analyzed as a function of temperature and concentration and assigned to the rotational diffusion of the sugar molecule. The results are discussed in comparison with the data obtained on glucose solutions and they are used to clarify the molecular origin of some among the several relaxation processes reported in literature for oligosaccharides solutions. The concentration dependence of relaxation time and of shear viscosity are also discussed, suggesting that the main effect of carbohydrate molecules on the structural relaxation of diluted aqueous solutions is the perturbation induced on the dynamics of the first hydration shell of each solute molecule.