arXiv · 2504.05593
Spectral Similarity Masks Structural Diversity at Hydrophobic Water Interfaces
Abstract
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 exhibit certain similarities, a consensus on their signals and interpretations has yet to be reached. Leveraging deep learning, we accessed fully first-principles SFG spectra for both systems, addressing recent experimental discrepancies. Despite both interfaces exhibiting microscopically hydrophobic characteristics, 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 dynamic diffusion behavior. These distinctions underscore the stronger confinements imposed by the solid-liquid interface compared with the weaker constraints of the gas-liquid interface.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Yong Wang, Yifan Li, Linhan Du, Chunyi Zhang, Lorenzo Agosta, Marcos Calegari Andrade, Annabella Selloni, Roberto Car. 2025-04-08. Spectral Similarity Masks Structural Diversity at Hydrophobic Water Interfaces. https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.05593
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.