Water-induced correlation between single ions imaged at the solid-liquid interface

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Access rights

openAccess

URL

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2014

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

1-8

Series

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, Volume 5

Abstract

When immersed into water, most solids develop a surface charge, which is neutralized by an accumulation of dissolved counterions at the interface. Although the density distribution of counterions perpendicular to the interface obeys well-established theories, little is known about counterions’ lateral organization at the surface of the solid. Here we show, by using atomic force microscopy and computer simulations, that single hydrated metal ions can spontaneously form ordered structures at the surface of homogeneous solids in aqueous solutions. The structures are laterally stabilized only by water molecules with no need for specific interactions between the surface and the ions. The mechanism, studied here for several systems, is controlled by the hydration landscape of both the surface and the adsorbed ions. The existence of discrete ion domains could play an important role in interfacial phenomena such as charge transfer, crystal growth, nanoscale self-assembly and colloidal stability.

Description

Keywords

atomic force microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, solid-liquid interfaces

Other note

Citation

Ricci, M, Spijker, P & Voitchovsky, K 2014, ' Water-induced correlation between single ions imaged at the solid-liquid interface ', Nature Communications, vol. 5, 4400, pp. 1-8 . https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5400