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Bao Y, Nishiwaki Y, Kawano T, Utsunomiya T, Sugimura H, Ichii T. Molecular-Resolution Imaging of Ionic Liquid/Alkali Halide Interfaces with Varied Surface Charge Densities via Atomic Force Microscopy. ACS NANO 2024; 18:25302-25315. [PMID: 39185607 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c08838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
When in contact with charged solid surfaces, ionic liquids (ILs) are known to form solvation structures consisting of alternating cation and anion layers. This phenomenon is considered to originate from the adsorption layer of counterions overcompensating the surface charge, so-called overscreening. However, the response of these layers to surfaces with near-zero or extremely high surface charge density (σ) remains inadequately understood. Here, we probe the solvation structure of ILs on alkali halide surfaces with varied surface orientations: nearly zero-charged RbI(100) and highly charged RbI(111), by employing frequency modulation atomic force microscopy with atomic resolution. Two commonly used ILs are examined in this study: 1-methyl-1-propylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C3mpyr][NTf2]) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C2mim][NTf2]). On RbI(100) surfaces with near zero σ, we observe alternating cation and anion layers, diverging from the previously proposed monolayer model for IL/alkali halide(100) interfaces. These results support the argument that overscreening occurs under low σ, even approaching zero, and reconcile conflicting experimental conclusions about low σ systems. On RbI(111) surfaces with high σ, we identify solvation structures consisting of two consecutive counterion layers. This structure aligns with the theoretically predicted crowding; a phenomenon rarely observed in commonly used ILs due to typically unreachable σ in electrochemical IL/electrode systems. Our findings indicate that alkali halide(111) surfaces are potentially valuable for exploring the crowding phenomenon in ILs, addressing the current scarcity of experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Bao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yuto Nishiwaki
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Touma Kawano
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Toru Utsunomiya
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Sugimura
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Takashi Ichii
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
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John S, Kühnle A. Hydration Structure at the Calcite-Water (10.4) Interface in the Presence of Rubidium Chloride. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:11691-11698. [PMID: 36120896 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Solid-liquid interfaces are of significant importance in a multitude of geochemical and technological fields. More specifically, the solvation structure plays a decisive role in the properties of the interfaces. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to resolve the interfacial hydration structure in the presence and absence of ions. Despite many studies investigating the calcite-water interface, the impact of ions on the hydration structure at this interface has rarely been studied. Here, we investigate the calcite-water interface at various concentrations (ranging from 0 to 5 M) of rubidium chloride (RbCl) using three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (3D AFM). We present molecularly resolved images of the hydration structure at the interface. Interestingly, the characteristic pattern of the hydration structure appears similar regardless of the RbCl concentration. The presence of the ions is detected in an indirect manner by more frequent contrast changes and slice displacements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon John
- Physical Chemistry I, Faculty of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Angelika Kühnle
- Physical Chemistry I, Faculty of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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Teduka Y, Sasahara A, Onishi H. Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Crystalline Sucrose in Alcohols. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:2569-2574. [PMID: 32095681 PMCID: PMC7033667 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b02660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Imaging nanometer- or molecule-scale topography has been achieved by dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) when a solid object of interest is damaged by vacuum exposure or electron irradiation. Imaging in a liquid offers a means to remove contaminations from the surface scanned using the microscope tip when the object is soluble to the surrounding liquid, typically water. In the present study, we attempted to take topographic images of crystalline sucrose. A problem arose due to the high solubility of this compound to water. Cantilever oscillation could not be excited in the saturated, viscous aqueous solution. By using n-hexanol instead of water, the solubility in the solvent and thus viscosity of the solution were reduced sufficiently to excite cantilever oscillation. Single-height steps and sucrose molecules were recognized in the images and thereby recorded on the (001)-oriented facets of sucrose crystals. Furthermore, two-dimensional distribution of liquid-induced force pushing or pulling the tip was mapped on planes perpendicular to the hexanol-sucrose interface. Observed uneven force distributions indicated liquid hexanol structured on the corrugated surface of sucrose. The viscosity tuning demonstrated here, which is not limited to hexanol instead of water, extends the range of liquid-solid interfaces to be probed by dynamic AFM.
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Miyata K, Fukuma T. Quantitative comparison of wideband low-latency phase-locked loop circuit designs for high-speed frequency modulation atomic force microscopy. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2018; 9:1844-1855. [PMID: 30013878 PMCID: PMC6037018 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.9.176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit is the central component of frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM). However, its response speed is often insufficient, and limits the FM-AFM imaging speed. To overcome this issue, we propose a PLL design that enables high-speed FM-AFM. We discuss the main problems with the conventional PLL design and their possible solutions. In the conventional design, a low-pass filter with relatively high latency is used in the phase feedback loop, leading to a slow response of the PLL. In the proposed design, a phase detector with a low-latency high-pass filter is located outside the phase feedback loop, while a subtraction-based phase comparator with negligible latency is located inside the loop. This design minimizes the latency within the phase feedback loop and significantly improves the PLL response speed. In addition, we implemented PLLs with the conventional and proposed designs in the same field programmable gate array chip and quantitatively compared their performances. The results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed PLL is superior to that of the conventional PLL: 165 kHz bandwidth and 3.2 μs latency in water. Using this setup, we performed FM-AFM imaging of calcite dissolution in water at 0.5 s/frame with true atomic resolution. The high-speed and high-resolution imaging capabilities of the proposed design will enable a wide range of studies to be conducted on various atomic-scale dynamic phenomena at solid-liquid interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Miyata
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
- Division of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Takeshi Fukuma
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
- Division of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
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Zhang Y, Li Y, Song Z, Lin R, Chen Y, Qian J. A High-Q AFM Sensor Using a Balanced Trolling Quartz Tuning Fork in the Liquid. SENSORS 2018; 18:s18051628. [PMID: 29783740 PMCID: PMC5982565 DOI: 10.3390/s18051628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
A quartz tuning fork (QTF) has been widely used as a force sensor of the frequency modulation atomic force microscope due to its ultrahigh stiffness, high quality factor and self-sensing nature. However, due to the bulky structure and exposed surface electrode arrangement, its application is limited, especially in liquid imaging of in situ biological samples, ionic liquids, electrochemical reaction, etc. Although the complication can be resolved by coating insulating materials on the QTF surface and then immersing the whole QTF into the liquid, it would result in a sharp drop of the quality factor, which will reduce the sensitivity of the QTF. To solve the problem, a novel method, called the balanced trolling quartz tuning fork (BT-QTF), is introduced here. In this method, two same probes are glued on both prongs of the QTF separately while only one probe immersed in the liquid. With the method, the hydrodynamic interaction can be reduced, thus the BT-QTF can retain a high quality factor and constant resonance frequency. The stable small vibration of the BT-QTF can be achieved in the liquid. Initially, a theoretical model is presented to analyze the sensing performance of the BT-QTF in the liquid. Then, the sensing performance analysis experiments of the BT-QTF have been performed. At last, the proposed method is applied to atomic force microscope imaging different samples in the liquid, which proves its feasibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingxu Zhang
- School of Instrumentation Science and Opto-electronics Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Measurement-Manipulation and Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Yingzi Li
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Measurement-Manipulation and Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
- School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Zihang Song
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Measurement-Manipulation and Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
- School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Rui Lin
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Measurement-Manipulation and Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
- School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Yifu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Measurement-Manipulation and Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
- School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Jianqiang Qian
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Measurement-Manipulation and Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
- School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
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Minato T, Araki Y, Umeda K, Yamanaka T, Okazaki KI, Onishi H, Abe T, Ogumi Z. Interface structure between tetraglyme and graphite. J Chem Phys 2017; 147:124701. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4996226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Taketoshi Minato
- Office of Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510,
Japan
| | - Yuki Araki
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Kobe University, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
- Department of Electronic Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510,
Japan
| | - Kenichi Umeda
- Department of Advanced Material Science, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561,
Japan
| | - Toshiro Yamanaka
- Office of Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510,
Japan
| | - Ken-ichi Okazaki
- Office of Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011,
Japan
| | - Hiroshi Onishi
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Kobe University, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Takeshi Abe
- Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510,
Japan
| | - Zempachi Ogumi
- Office of Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011,
Japan
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Arai T, Sato K, Iida A, Tomitori M. Quasi-stabilized hydration layers on muscovite mica under a thin water film grown from humid air. Sci Rep 2017. [PMID: 28642502 PMCID: PMC5481378 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04376-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The interfaces between solids and water films in air play fundamental roles in physicochemical phenomena, biological functions, and nano-fabrication. Though the properties of the interfaces have been considered to be irrelevant to the water film thickness, we found distinctive mechanical features of the interface between a cleaved muscovite mica surface and a thin water film grown in humid air, dissimilar to those in bulk water, using frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy. The thin water film grew with quasi-stabilized hydration networks of water molecules, tightly bound each other at the interface, to a thickness of ~2 nm at near-saturating humidity. Consequently, defective structures of the hydration networks persisted vertically through the hydration layers at the interface, and K+ ions on the cleaved surface remained without dissolution into the water film. The results provide atomistic insights into thin water films in regard to epitaxial-like growth from vapour and the motion of water molecules and ions therein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toyoko Arai
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan.
| | - Kohei Sato
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Asuka Iida
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Masahiko Tomitori
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
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Martin-Jimenez D, Chacon E, Tarazona P, Garcia R. Atomically resolved three-dimensional structures of electrolyte aqueous solutions near a solid surface. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12164. [PMID: 27416784 PMCID: PMC4947176 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Interfacial liquid layers play a central role in a variety of phenomena ranging from friction to molecular recognition. Liquids near a solid surface form an interfacial layer where the molecular structure is different from that of the bulk. Here we report atomic resolution three-dimensional images of electrolyte solutions near a mica surface that demonstrate the existence of three types of interfacial structures. At low concentrations (0.01-1 M), cations are adsorbed onto the mica. The cation layer is topped by a few hydration layers. At higher concentrations, the interfacial layer extends several nanometres into the liquid. It involves the alternation of cation and anion planes. Fluid Density Functional calculations show that water molecules are a critical factor for stabilizing the structure of the interfacial layer. The interfacial layer stabilizes a crystal-like structure compatible with liquid-like ion and solvent mobilities. At saturation, some ions precipitate and small crystals are formed on the mica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Martin-Jimenez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Chacon
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Tarazona
- Department Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada, IFIMAC Condensed Matter Physics Center, UAM, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Garcia
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Beyer H, Wagner T, Stemmer A. Length-extension resonator as a force sensor for high-resolution frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy in air. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2016; 7:432-438. [PMID: 27335735 PMCID: PMC4901554 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.7.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2015] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy has turned into a well-established method to obtain atomic resolution on flat surfaces, but is often limited to ultra-high vacuum conditions and cryogenic temperatures. Measurements under ambient conditions are influenced by variations of the dew point and thin water layers present on practically every surface, complicating stable imaging with high resolution. We demonstrate high-resolution imaging in air using a length-extension resonator operating at small amplitudes. An additional slow feedback compensates for changes in the free resonance frequency, allowing stable imaging over a long period of time with changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Beyer
- Nanotechnology Group, ETH Zürich, Säumerstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland
| | - Tino Wagner
- Nanotechnology Group, ETH Zürich, Säumerstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Stemmer
- Nanotechnology Group, ETH Zürich, Säumerstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland
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