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Updated: Aug 7, 2025

High-Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy to Study Picosecond-Nanosecond Dynamics of Proteins and Hydration Water
Published on: April 28, 2022
Vibrational signature of hydrated protons confined in MXene interlayers
Mailis Lounasvuori1, Yangyunli Sun2, Tyler S Mathis3
1Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
The hydration structure of protons has been studied for decades in bulk water and protonated clusters due to its importance but has remained elusive in planar confined environments. Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides known as MXenes show extreme capacitance in protic electrolytes, which has attracted attention in the energy storage field. We report here that discrete vibrational modes related to protons intercalated in the 2D slits between Ti3C2Tx MXene layers can be detected using operando infrared spectroscopy. The origin of these modes, not observed for protons in bulk water, is attributed to protons with reduced coordination number in confinement based on Density Functional Theory calculations. This study therefore demonstrates a useful tool for the characterization of chemical species under 2D confinement.
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