DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Spectral Similarity Masks Structural Diversity at Hydrophobic Water Interfaces

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/w27h-sclq · OSTI ID:3366882
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];
  1. Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton
  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

The air-water and graphene-water interfaces represent quintessential examples of the liquid-gas and liquid-solid boundaries, respectively. While the sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectra of these interfaces show similarities, a consensus on their signals and interpretations has yet to be reached. Leveraging deep learning, we computed first-principles SFG spectra for both systems, addressing experimental discrepancies. Our findings reveal that similarities in SFG signals do not translate into comparable interfacial microscopic properties. Instead, graphene-water and air-water interfaces exhibit fundamental differences in SFG-active thicknesses, hydrogen-bonding networks, and surface dynamics. These distinctions underscore roughness suppression and electronic interactions present at the solid-liquid interface but absent at the gas-liquid interface.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
3366882
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 136
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English