The density deficit of water at hydrophobic interfaces, frequently called the hydrophobic gap, has been the subject of numerous experimental and theoretical studies. Recent experiments give values for the interfacial depletion that consistently correspond to less than a monolayer of water. However, its origin and the relation to the chemistry and molecular geometry of a particular hydrophobic coating or with macroscopic parameters such as the contact angle are still unclear. To elucidate how the underlying mechanisms affect the extent of the interfacial depletion we carried out a high-energy X-ray reflectivity study of water adjacent to a hydrocarbon and perfluorinated hydrophobic surface with a spatial resolution on the molecular scale.References:M. Mezger et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 132, 6735-6741 (2010).M. Mezger et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 18401-18404 (2006).

X-ray reflectivity studies on the hydrophobic water gap

247th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.