The role of lattice parameter in water adsorption and wetting of a solid surface

Massey, A, McBride, F ORCID: 0000-0003-2985-3173, Darling, GR ORCID: 0000-0001-9329-9993, Nakamura, M and Hodgson, A ORCID: 0000-0001-8677-7467 (2014) The role of lattice parameter in water adsorption and wetting of a solid surface Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 16 (43). pp. 24018-24025. ISSN 1463-9076, 1463-9084

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Abstract

Ice formation is a complex cooperative process that is almost invariably catalysed by the presence of an interface on which ice crystals nucleate. As yet there is no clear picture of what factors make a surface particularly good at nucleating ice, but the importance of having a template with a suitable lattice parameter has often been proposed. Here we report the contrasting wetting behaviour of a series of pseudomorphic surfaces, designed to form an ordered template that matches the arrangement of water in a bulk ice Ih(0001) bilayer. The close-packed M(111) surfaces (M = Pt, Pd, Rh, Cu and Ni) form a Sn substitutional alloy surface, with Sn atoms occupying sites that match the symmetry of an ice bilayer. The lattice constant of the alloy changes from 4% smaller to 7% greater than the lateral spacing of ice across the series. We show that only the PtSn surface, with a lattice parameter some 7% greater than that of a bulk ice layer, forms a stable water layer, all the other surfaces being non-wetting and instead forming multilayer ice clusters. This observation is consistent with the idea that the repeat spacing of the surface should ideally match the O-O spacing in ice, rather than the bulk ice lattice parameter, in order to form a continuous commensurate water monolayer. We discuss the role of the lattice parameter in stabilising the first layer of water and the factors that lead to formation of a simple commensurate structure rather than an incommensurate or large unit cell water network. We argue that lattice match is not a good criteria for a material to give low energy nucleation sites for bulk ice, and that considerations such as binding energy and mobility of the surface layer are more relevant. © the Partner Organisations 2014.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	51 Physical Sciences, 5104 Condensed Matter Physics
Subjects:	?? QC ?? ?? QD ??
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2015 14:32
Last Modified:	01 Mar 2026 11:48
DOI:	10.1039/c4cp03164d
Publisher's Statement :	This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2016262
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