Solvation shells strongly influence the interfacial chemistry of colloidal systems, from the activity of proteins to the colloidal stability and catalysis of nanoparticles. Despite their fundamental and practical importance, solvation shells have remained largely undetected by spectroscopy. Furthermore, their ability to assemble at complex but realistic interfaces with heterogeneous and rough surfaces remains an open question. Here, we apply vibrational sum frequency scattering spectroscopy (VSFSS), an interface-specific technique, to colloidal nanocrystals with porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as a case study. Due to the porous nature of the solvent-particle boundary, MOF particles challenge conventional models of colloidal and interfacial chemistry. Their multiweek colloidal stability in the absence of conventional surface ligands suggests that stability may arise in part from solvation forces. Spectra of colloidally stable Zn(2-methylimidazolate) (ZIF-8) in polar solvents indicate the presence of ordered solvation shells, solvent-metal binding, and spontaneous ordering of organic bridging linkers within the MOF. These findings help explain the unexpected colloidal stability of MOF colloids, while providing a roadmap for applying VSFSS to wide-ranging colloidal nanocrystals in general.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c03758 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Acid-Base Equilibrium of 5,5,6-Trihydroxy-6-Methyldihydropyrimidine-2,4(1,3)-Dione in the Gas Phase and in Water.
J Phys Chem A
January 2025
Ufa Institute of Chemistry, Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Physicochemical Methods of Analysis, 69 Prospekt Oktyabrya, Ufa 450054, Russian Federation.
The first-stage acid-base equilibrium of 5,5,6-trihydroxy-6-methyldihydropyrimidine-2,4(1,3)-dione was studied for the first time in aqueous solutions. Its constant (pK = 9.23 ± 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIon Networks in Water-based Li-ion Battery Electrolytes.
Acc Chem Res
January 2025
Center for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics, Institute for Basic Science, Seoul 02841, Korea.
ConspectusWater-in-salt electrolytes (WiSEs) are promising electrolytes for next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), offering critical advantages like nonflammability and improved safety. These electrolytes have extremely high salt concentrations and exhibit unique solvation structures and transport mechanisms dominated by the formation of ion networks and aggregates. These ion networks are central to the performance of WiSEs, govern the transport properties and stability of the electrolyte, deviating from conventional dilute aqueous or organic electrolytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrinciples of ion binding to RNA inferred from the analysis of a 1.55 Å resolution bacterial ribosome structure - Part I: Mg2.
Nucleic Acids Res
December 2024
Université de Strasbourg, Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du CNRS, 2 Allée Konrad Roentgen, 67084 Strasbourg, France.
The importance of Mg2+ ions for RNA structure and function cannot be overstated. Several attempts were made to establish a comprehensive Mg2+ binding site classification. However, such descriptions were hampered by poorly modelled ion binding sites as observed in a recent cryo-EM 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWater-in-bisalt electrolytes with mixed hydrophilic and hydrophobic anions for enhanced transport and stability for potassium-ion batteries.
RSC Adv
January 2025
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University Cleveland OH USA
Water-in-salt electrolytes provide an expanded electrochemical potential window, thus enabling a wide range of battery chemistries based on readily available salts and water. This study introduces a binary salt approach for achieving high K concentration with a tunable solvation sphere composed of acetate (Ac) and trifluoromethane sulfonate (OTf) anions, and water. Combining the hydrophilic low-cost potassium acetate with hydrophobic potassium trifluoromethane sulfonate salts, 36 molal liquid electrolyte, K(Ac)(OTf)·1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExploring the Dynamic Coordination Sphere of Lanthanide Aqua Ions: Insights from rSCAN-3c Composite-DFT Born-Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics Studies.
ACS Omega
December 2024
Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, México.
Article Synopsis
- BOMD simulations were conducted to explore the structure and dynamics of hydration shells around five trivalent lanthanide ions at room temperature, revealing complexities in accurately classifying their molecular geometry.
- A cluster microsolvation approach was used, involving interactions of Ln ions (La, Nd, Gd, Er, Lu) with up to 27 water molecules, validating the effectiveness of the rSCAN-3c method in predicting average Ln-O distances and coordination numbers.
- The study found that the first hydration shells displayed significant dynamism with varying coordination geometries, highlighting the efficiency of microsolvation models in replicating the solvation structures of these rare-earth ions and improving understanding of water dynamics around them.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!