The microscopic structure of adsorbed water on hydrophobic surfaces under ambient conditions |
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Authors: | Cao Peigen Xu Ke Varghese Joseph O Heath James R |
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Affiliation: | Kavli Nanoscience Institute and Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, MC 127-72, Pasadena, California 91125, United States. |
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Abstract: | The interaction of water vapor with hydrophobic surfaces is poorly understood. We utilize graphene templating to preserve and visualize the microscopic structures of adsorbed water on hydrophobic surfaces. Three well-defined surfaces [H-Si(111), graphite, and functionalized mica] were investigated, and water was found to adsorb as nanodroplets (~10-100 nm in size) on all three surfaces under ambient conditions. The adsorbed nanodroplets were closely associated with atomic-scale surface defects and step-edges and wetted all the hydrophobic substrates with contact angles<~10°, resulting in total water adsorption that was similar to what is found for hydrophilic surfaces. These results point to the significant differences between surface processes at the atomic/nanometer scales and in the macroscopic world. |
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