Water Mobility in the Interfacial Liquid Layer of Ice/Clay Nanocomposites

Author(s)

Hailong Li, Julian Mars, Wiebke Lohstroh, Michael Marek Koza, Hans‐Jürgen Butt, Markus Mezger

Abstract

At solid/ice interfaces, a premelting layer is formed at temperatures below the melting point of bulk water. However, the structural and dynamic properties within the premelting layer have been a topic of intense debate. Herein, we determined the translational diffusion coefficient D-t of water in ice/clay nanocomposites serving as model systems for permafrost by quasi-elastic neutron scattering. Below the bulk melting point, a rapid decrease of D-t is found for charged hydrophilic vermiculite, uncharged hydrophilic kaolin, and more hydrophobic talc, reaching plateau values below -4 degrees C. At this temperature, D-t in the premelting layer is reduced up to a factor of two compared to supercooled bulk water. Adjacent to charged vermiculite the lowest water mobility was observed, followed by kaolin and the more hydrophobic talc. Results are explained by the intermolecular water interactions with different clay surfaces and interfacial segregation of the low-density liquid water (LDL) component.

Organisation(s)

Dynamics of Condensed Systems

External organisation(s)

Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Technische Universität München, Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL)

Journal

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Volume

60

Pages

7697-7702

No. of pages

6

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202013125

Publication date

03-2021

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103015 Condensed matter, 103006 Chemical physics

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Chemistry, Catalysis

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/396c0163-d392-4cb0-8fcb-522c7cd3b641