Heterodyne‐Detected Sum‐Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy Reveals Aqueous Molecular Structure at the Suspended Graphene/Water Interface

Using surface-specific HD-SFG vibrational spectroscopy, we examine water molecular structure at a freely suspended graphene/water interface, finding that the SFG response mainly arises from the topmost 1–2 water layers, with minimal contribution from the graphene itself. Graphene weakly interacts with the interfacial water by lowering the vibrational frequency of the dangling O−H group, with a very slight impact on the hydrogen-bonded O−H group.

Abstract

Graphene, a transparent two-dimensional conductive material, has brought extensive new perspectives and prospects to various aqueous technological systems, such as desalination membranes, chemical sensors, energy storage, and energy conversion devices. Yet, the molecular-level details of graphene in contact with aqueous electrolytes, such as water orientation and hydrogen bond structure, remain elusive or controversial. Here, we employ surface-specific heterodyne-detected sum-frequency generation (HD-SFG) vibrational spectroscopy to re-examine the water molecular structure at a freely suspended graphene/water interface. We compare the response from the air/graphene/water system to that from the air/water interface. Our results indicate that the spectrum recorded from the air/graphene/water system arises from the topmost 1–2 water layers in contact with the graphene, with the graphene itself not generating a significant SFG response. Compared to the air/water interface response, the presence of monolayer graphene weakly affects the interfacial water. Graphene weakly affects the dangling O−H group, lowering its frequency through its interaction with the graphene sheet, and has a very small effect on the hydrogen-bonded O−H group. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm our experimental observation. Our work provides molecular insight into the interfacial structure at a suspended graphene/water interface, relevant to various technological applications of graphene.

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