Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 266101 (2006) [4 pages]How Water Meets a Hydrophobic SurfaceReceived 12 July 2006; published 27 December 2006 Synchrotron x-ray reflectivity measurements of the interface between water and methyl-terminated octadecylsilane monolayers with stable contact angle >100° conclusively show a depletion layer, whether or not the water is degassed. The thickness is of order one water molecule: 2–4 Å with electron density <40% that of bulk water. Considerations of coherent and incoherent averaging of lateral inhomogeneities show that the data cannot be explained by “nanobubbles.” When the contact angle is lower, unstable in time, or when monolayers fail to be sufficiently smooth over the footprint of the x-ray beam, there is no recognizable depletion. © 2006 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.266101
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.266101
PACS:
68.08.−p, 82.70.Uv
See AlsoComment: Benjamin M. Ocko, Ali Dhinojwala, and Jean Daillant, Comment on “How Water Meets a Hydrophobic Surface”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 039601 (2008). Reply: Adelé Poynor, Liang Hong, Ian K. Robinson, Steve Granick, Paul A. Fenter, and Zhan Zhang, Poynor et al. Reply:, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 039602 (2008). |
|
About | Terms and Conditions | Subscriptions | Search | Help
Use of the American Physical Society websites and journals implies that the user has read and agrees to our Terms and Conditions and any applicable Subscription Agreement. Physical Review®, Physical Review Letters®, Reviews of Modern Physics®, and Physical Review Special Topics® are trademarks of the American Physical Society.