Angstrom-Scale Water Layer Structure on van der Waals Materials Probed by 3D Atomic Force Microscopy: From Acidic to Alkaline Aqueous Solutions.

ABSTRACT: The structure of interfacial water governs the reactivity and surface properties of solid surfaces. Yet a molecular-scale understanding of how the concentration of H⁺ or OH^- species affects the interfacial hydration structure remains elusive. Here, we use three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM) to map with angstrom-scale resolution the interfacial liquid layer structure on mildly hydrophobic van der Waals (vdW) materials as a function of the pH. The liquid layer structure of MoS₂ and graphite surfaces revealed the presence of 2-3 hydrocarbon layers separated by ∼0.45 nm. The pH value neither prevented the presence of hydrocarbon layers nor facilitated the removal of hydrocarbon layers from graphite or MoS₂ surfaces. In contrast, the in

SUBMITTER: Tang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12937111 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature