Quasi-stabilized hydration layers on muscovite mica under a thin water film grown from humid air
Abstract The interfaces between solids and water films in air play fundamental roles in physicochemical phenomena, biological functions, and nano-fabrication. Though the properties of the interfaces have been considered to be irrelevant to the water film thickness, we found distinctive mechanical fe...
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Auteurs principaux: | , , , |
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Format: | article |
Langue: | EN |
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Nature Portfolio
2017
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Accès en ligne: | https://doaj.org/article/7b8a8a45d3a84c688f7560cd41ab2bf2 |
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Résumé: | Abstract The interfaces between solids and water films in air play fundamental roles in physicochemical phenomena, biological functions, and nano-fabrication. Though the properties of the interfaces have been considered to be irrelevant to the water film thickness, we found distinctive mechanical features of the interface between a cleaved muscovite mica surface and a thin water film grown in humid air, dissimilar to those in bulk water, using frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy. The thin water film grew with quasi-stabilized hydration networks of water molecules, tightly bound each other at the interface, to a thickness of ~2 nm at near-saturating humidity. Consequently, defective structures of the hydration networks persisted vertically through the hydration layers at the interface, and K+ ions on the cleaved surface remained without dissolution into the water film. The results provide atomistic insights into thin water films in regard to epitaxial-like growth from vapour and the motion of water molecules and ions therein. |
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