Diffusion of water submonolayers on hydrophilic surfaces

In this letter, we investigate using molecular dynamics simulations the diffusion of water submonolayers on hydrophilic surfaces. In contrast to a strong hydrophilic Ag surface, on a weak hydrophilic Pb surface, the diffusion coefficient is remarkably enhanced at a critical surface coverage and a Lambda-shape anomaly with surface coverage is observed, i.e., the diffusion coefficient increases with the increase in surface coverage until a critical surface coverage, beyond which the diffusion coefficient decreases. We explain the anomalous diffusion of water on hydrophilic surfaces by a detailed understanding of molecular cavities and monolayer tail contributing to three-dimensional hydrogen bonding.