Chemistry at wet solid surfaces
The surface chemical behaviour of solids immersed in solutions is poorly understood
in spite of its widespread significance in natural and industrial systems. A molecule at the boundary (adsorbed) between a solid and a liquid has distinct
properties which often determine the course of chemical reactions at the interface. Establishing the nature and reactivity of these adsorbed molecules is important
from a fundamental perspective and for the many applications in technology.
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We make frequent use of internal reflection infrared spectroscopy to probe
the nature of molecules adsorbed on thin films of small solid particles immersed
in aqueous solutions. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy gives a molecular fingerprint
which reveals the way a molecule is changed by the interfacial environment. We have developed sensitive IR spectroscopic methods for determining the
strength and pH dependence of molecular adsorption, the pH dependence of
surface charge of solids, the influence of light on interfacial reactions,
and the nature of adhesion of biological species. These methods are applicable
to a wide range of wet interfacial systems.
General articles
- A.J. McQuillan (2002). From adsorption to bioadhesion. What does in
situ infrared spectroscopy reveal? Chemistry in
New Zealand, 66(4),
34–37.
- A.J. McQuillan (2001). Probing solid/solution interfacial chemistry
with ATR-IR spectroscopy. Advanced Materials, 13,
1034–1038.
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