Investigating the Ubiquitous Presence of Nanometric Water Films on Surfaces at the Nanoscale

Albert Vedaguer Prats

Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Barcelona

When we speak of nanometric water films on surfaces we are speaking about a truly ubiquitous phenomenon in nature. All surfaces exposed to ambient conditions are covered by a thin film of water that affects or mediates surface chemistry, general physical-chemical processes on surfaces, and even solid-solid interactions. We have investigated this phenomenon for over a decade by exploiting dynamic atomic force microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.  I will discuss the different technical approaches that we have been using to study water on surfaces at the nanoscale and our finding on a wide range of materials and applications from graphene, to ferroelectric oxides, ionic crystals, etc. Finally I will describe our recent lines centered on the study of surfaces to promote ice nucleation.

• ?Investigating the Ubiquitous Presence of Nanometric Water Films on Surfaces?.  S. Santos et al. J. Phys. Chem. C 125 (29), 15759-15772 (2021).
• ?Water at surfaces and interfaces: From molecules to ice and bulk liquid?. T.K. Shimizu et al.  Prog. Surf. Sci. 93, 87-107 (2019).
• ?Imaging Water Thin Films Ambient Conditions Using Atomic Force Microscopy? S. Santos and A. Verdaguer  Materials 9, 182 (2016).

Host: A. Bittner