Watching Molecules Orient in the Stern Layer

ORAL

Abstract

The orientation of molecules near a surface is interesting not only from a fundamental viewpoint, but also for controlling chemical reactivity and surface engineering properties. Using a surface potential, we control the orientation of a zwitterionic benzene derivative, and follow this orientation with broadband IR/narrowband visible sum frequency spectroscopy. Another interesting system we study via SFG is the interface formed when water meets a methyl-terminated hydrophobic surface. For this system, SFG results are compared to our group's measurements using ellipsometry and neutron reflectivity techniques.

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Authors

  • Jeff Turner

    • Departments of Chemistry and of Materials Science, University of Illinois
    • Departments of Chemistry, of Physics, of Materials Science and Engineering, and Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois

  • Zachary Schultz

  • Adele Poynor

  • Shan Jiang

  • Sung Chul Bae

  • Andrew Gewirth

  • Steve Granick