3 research outputs found
pH-Dependent Inversion of Hofmeister Trends in the Water Structure of the Electrical Double Layer
Specific ion effects
(SIEs) are known to influence the acid/base
behavior of silica and the interfacial structure of water, yet evidence
of the effect of pH on SIEs is lacking. Here broadband vibrational
sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy was used to study SIEs
on the water structure at the electrical double layer (EDL) of silica
as a function of pH and monovalent cation identity from pH 2–12
at 0.5 M salt concentration. SFG results indicate a direct Hofmeister
series of cation adsorption at pH 8 (Li<sup>+</sup> < Na<sup>+</sup> < K<sup>+</sup> < Cs<sup>+</sup>), with an inversion in this
series occurring at pH > 10. In addition, an inversion in SFG intensity
trends also occurred at pH < 6, which was attributed to contributions
from asymmetric cation hydration and EDL overcharging. The highly
pH-dependent SIEs for silica/water have implications for EDL models
that often assume pH-independent parameters
Water Structure in the Electrical Double Layer and the Contributions to the Total Interfacial Potential at Different Surface Charge Densities
The
electric double layer governs the processes of all charged
surfaces in aqueous solutions; however, elucidating the structure
of the water molecules is challenging for even the most advanced spectroscopic
techniques. Here, we present the individual Stern layer and diffuse
layer OH stretching spectra at the silica/water interface in the presence
of NaCl over a wide pH range using a combination of vibrational sum
frequency generation spectroscopy, heterodyned second harmonic generation,
and streaming potential measurements. We find that the Stern layer
water molecules and diffuse layer water molecules respond differently
to pH changes: unlike the diffuse layer, whose water molecules remain
net-oriented in one direction, water molecules in the Stern layer
flip their net orientation as the solution pH is reduced from basic
to acidic. We obtain an experimental estimate of the non-Gouy–Chapman
(Stern) potential contribution to the total potential drop across
the insulator/electrolyte interface and discuss it in the context
of dipolar, quadrupolar, and higher order potential contributions
that vary with the observed changes in the net orientation of water
in the Stern layer. Our findings show that a purely Gouy–Chapman
(Stern) view is insufficient to accurately describe the electrical
double layer of aqueous interfaces
Separating the pH-Dependent Behavior of Water in the Stern and Diffuse Layers with Varying Salt Concentration
Vibrational sum frequency
generation (SFG) spectroscopy was utilized
to distinguish different populations of water molecules within the
electric double layer (EDL) at the silica/water interface. By systematically
varying the electrolyte concentration, surface deprotonation, and
SFG polarization combinations, we provide evidence of two regions
of water molecules that have distinct pH-dependent behavior when the
Stern layer is present (with onset between 10 and 100 mM NaCl). For
example, water molecules near the surface in the Stern layer can be
probed by the pss polarization combination, while other polarization
combinations (ssp and ppp) predominantly probe water molecules further
from the surface in the diffuse part of the electrical double layer.
For the water molecules adjacent to the surface within the Stern layer,
upon increasing the pH from the point-of-zero charge of silica (pH
∼2) to higher values (pH ∼12), we observe an increase
in alignment consistent with a more negative surface with increasing
pH. In contrast, water molecules further from the surface appear to
exhibit a net flip in orientation upon increasing the pH over the
same range, which we attribute to the presence of the Stern layer
and possible overcharging of the EDL at lower pH. The opposing pH-dependent
behavior of water in these two regions sheds new light on our understanding
of the water structure within the EDL at high salt concentrations
when the Stern layer is present