Heterodyne-Detected Sum-Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy Reveals Aqueous Molecular Structure at the Suspended Graphene/Water Interface.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
; 63(20): e202319503, 2024 May 13.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38478726
ABSTRACT
Graphene, a transparent two-dimensional conductive material, has brought extensive new perspectives and prospects to various aqueous technological systems, such as desalination membranes, chemical sensors, energy storage, and energy conversion devices. Yet, the molecular-level details of graphene in contact with aqueous electrolytes, such as water orientation and hydrogen bond structure, remain elusive or controversial. Here, we employ surface-specific heterodyne-detected sum-frequency generation (HD-SFG) vibrational spectroscopy to re-examine the water molecular structure at a freely suspended graphene/water interface. We compare the response from the air/graphene/water system to that from the air/water interface. Our results indicate that the χ y y z 2 ${{\chi }_{yyz}^{\left(2\right)}}$ spectrum recorded from the air/graphene/water system arises from the topmost 1-2â
water layers in contact with the graphene, with the graphene itself not generating a significant SFG response. Compared to the air/water interface response, the presence of monolayer graphene weakly affects the interfacial water. Graphene weakly affects the dangling O-H group, lowering its frequency through its interaction with the graphene sheet, and has a very small effect on the hydrogen-bonded O-H group. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm our experimental observation. Our work provides molecular insight into the interfacial structure at a suspended graphene/water interface, relevant to various technological applications of graphene.
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1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Alemania