Pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy of nanometer-sized oligomers and clusters of molecules

S. A. Dzuba

V.V. Voevodsky Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

Abstract: Pulsed dipolar spectroscopy (PDS) in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) allows studying magnetic dipole-dipole interactions between the spins of unpaired electrons located in the nanometer range of distances from each other. The methods of PDS include double electron-electron resonance (DEER), double quantum coherence (DQC), single frequency technique for refocusing dipolar couplings (SIFTER), relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME), and the simple twopulse electron spin echo method (2p ESE). Previously published reviews on the application of PDS methods have focused primarily on the study of doubly spin-labeled nanoscale molecules; the aim of this review is to discuss the potential of PDS for nanoscale oligomers and clusters of molecules containing more than two spin labels. The review attempts to comprehensively analyze the limitations of PDS methods that arise for these systems and possible ways to overcome them, and analyzes the experimental data already obtained.
The bibliography includes 136 references.

Keywords: spin labels, DEER/PELDOR, electron spin echo, lipid membranes, proteins, antimicrobial peptides, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

Received: 18.08.2025

DOI: 10.59761/RCR5198

 English version: Russian Chemical Reviews, 2025, 94:11, 1–21

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