Probing two-dimensional ices with scanning probe microscopy

ORAL

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) water/ices are responsible for a broad spectrum of phenomena in materials science, chemistry, and biology. Particularly, the edges of 2D ice play key roles in the ice growth, melting and catalytic reaction, but atomic-scale structural characterization still remains a big challenge due to the fragileness and high reactivity of the ice edges. Here we report atomic-scale imaging of the edge structures of a 2D bilayer ice grown on Au(111) surface with weakly perturbative non-contact atomic force microscopy (1, 2). We found a new type of edge, aligning along the armchairdirection but reconstructed with 5756-member rings, coexisting with the zigzag edge commonly observed in two-dimensional hexagonal crystals. We were further able to deduce different growth behaviors for the zigzag and armchair edges from the frozen metastable structures at the two edges. In addition, we explore the impact of alkali metal ions on the structure of 2D ice. By changing the concentration of alkali metal ions, various new ice phases can be obtained. Those results reveal new understanding of the stability and growth of 2D ices.

*This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program under Grant No. 2017YFA0205003, the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 11634001.

Presenters

  • Ye Tian

    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University

Authors

  • Ye Tian

    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University

  • Runze Ma

    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University

  • Duanyun Cao

    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University

  • Chongqin Zhu

    • Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
    • Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, N

  • Jinbo Peng

    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University

  • Jing Guo

    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University

  • Ji Chen

    • School of Physics, Peking University
    • School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China

  • Xin-Zheng Li

    • Peking Univ
    • School of Physics, Peking University
    • School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China

  • Joseph S Francisco

    • Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
    • Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA

  • Xiao Cheng Zeng

    • Department of Physics, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
    • Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, N

  • Limei Xu

    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University

  • Enge Wang

    • School of Physics, Peking Universiry
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China, CAS Center for Excellence in Topological Quantum Computation

  • Ying Jiang

    • Peking Univ
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University
    • International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University
    • Physics, Peking University