Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
10:28
Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
Terahertz insights into liquid water physics from an experimental perspective
Zheng Yu1, Jingyin Xu2, Rong Liu1
1School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, 410082 Changsha, China. Xiaoqingyu@hnu.edu.cn.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|May 14, 2026
Summary
Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy reveals low-frequency molecular motions in liquids, offering new insights into solvation dynamics and hydrogen bonding. This technique advances understanding of liquid systems across chemistry, biology, and physics.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Spectroscopy
- Liquid Dynamics
Background:
- Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy probes low-frequency molecular motions, crucial for understanding liquid behavior.
- Conventional methods struggle to resolve key phenomena like hydrogen-bond networks and solvation dynamics.
- Traditional THz and far-infrared spectroscopy identify solvent and ion pair fingerprints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review fundamental principles and recent advances in linear and nonlinear THz spectroscopy for liquid systems.
- To cover THz spectroscopy applications in interactions involving water, ions, biomolecules, electrons, plasmons, and photons.
- To summarize experimental considerations and data analysis for extracting information from THz spectroscopy.
Main Methods:
- Linear and nonlinear time-resolved THz spectroscopy.
- Far-infrared spectroscopy.
- Time-domain spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Recent advances in nonlinear THz spectroscopy enable tracking of solvated electron dynamics and interfacial energy transfer.
- THz spectroscopy provides detailed investigation of hydrogen-bond networks and collective solvent dynamics.
- Experimental and data analysis considerations are summarized for effective information extraction.
Conclusions:
- THz spectroscopy offers unique access to low-frequency molecular motions in liquids.
- This technique is poised to advance the understanding and control of liquid systems.
- THz spectroscopy has broad interdisciplinary appeal in chemistry, biology, and physics.
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