Issue 4, 2022

Probing the hydration friction of ionic interfaces at the atomic scale

Abstract

Despite the extensive studies conducted in exploring friction in the aqueous environment, the mechanism of hydration friction remains not well understood. Herein, we directly probed hydration friction on mica-electrolyte interfaces with different hydrated alkali cations through a combination of three-dimensional atomic force microscopy and friction force microscopy. The atomic scale imaging of the hydration layers at the mica surface in different electrolyte solutions clearly revealed a correlation between the alkali cations and the structure of the hydration layers. Our detailed analysis showed that the hydration force was much higher at high ionic concentrations than that at low concentrations. The hydration friction coefficient was found to follow the trend K+< Na+< Li+< Cs+, which contrasts with the Hofmeister series, indicating that the hydration friction depends not only on the hydration strength of the alkali cations but also on the arrangement of the alkali cations at the interface. The results of this study provide deep insights into the origins of hydration friction, with potential implications for the development of new boundary lubrication in aqueous media.

Graphical abstract: Probing the hydration friction of ionic interfaces at the atomic scale

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
28 okt 2021
Accepted
04 feb 2022
First published
10 feb 2022

Nanoscale Horiz., 2022,7, 368-375

Probing the hydration friction of ionic interfaces at the atomic scale

Z. Li, Q. Liu, D. Zhang, Y. Wang, Y. Zhang, Q. Li and M. Dong, Nanoscale Horiz., 2022, 7, 368 DOI: 10.1039/D1NH00564B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements