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Updated: Apr 22, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Potential of VSFG Microscopy in Studying Mesoscopically Heterogeneous Self-Assembled Structures
Published on: December 1, 2023
Reflection on the horizontal and vertical organization of water at oxide interfaces and their SFG vibrational
Álvaro Cimas1, Sana Bougueroua1, Yijing Yang1
1Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France. mgaigeot@univ-evry.fr.
Abstract:
The hydrophilic and hydrophobic wetting behaviors of SiO2 and Al2O3 surfaces at PZC conditions are examined at the molecular level using graph theory. Hydrophobic wettability is manifested by a remarkable, collectively organized horizontal 2D hydrogen-bonded network (2DN) of water, anchored to the oxide surface through a dense array of vertically oriented hydrogen-bonded motifs. In contrast, hydrophilic wettability is characterized solely by vertical hydrogen-bonded motifs, similar to those that anchor the 2DN at hydrophobic aqueous interfaces. Analysis of these vertical motifs - considering both their structural features and SFG spectroscopic signatures - provides a direct molecular-level connection between the microscopic organization of interfacial water and the macroscopic manifestations of hydrophilic and hydrophobic behavior.
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