New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Quantum model reveals surface structure of water

Date:
April 20, 2015
Source:
National Physical Laboratory
Summary:
Physicists have used a new quantum model to reveal the molecular structure of water's liquid surface.
Share:
FULL STORY

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK's National Measurement Institute in collaboration with IBM and the University of Edinburgh, has used a new quantum model to reveal the molecular structure of water's liquid surface.

The liquid-vapour interface of water is one of the most common of all heterogeneous (or non-uniform) environments. Understanding its molecular structure will provide insight into complex biochemical interactions underpinning many biological processes. But experimental measurements of the molecular structure of water's surface are challenging, and currently competing models predict various different arrangements.

NPL has been working with IBM and the University of Edinburgh to make materials simulation more predictive and intuitive, by developing a new class of materials model based on quantum mechanical effects.

The model is based on a single charged particle, the quantum Drude oscillator (QDO), which mimics the way the electrons of a real water molecule fluctuate and respond to their environment. This simplified representation retains interactions not normally accessible in classical models and accurately captures the properties of liquid water.

In new research, published in a featured article in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, the team used the QDO model to determine the molecular structure of water's liquid surface. The results provide new insight into the hydrogen-bonding topology at the interface, which is responsible for the unusually high surface tension of water.

This is the first time the QDO model of water has been applied to the liquid-vapour interface. The results enabled the researchers to identify the intrinsic asymmetry of hydrogen bonds as the mechanism responsible for the surface's molecular orientation. The model was also capable of predicting the temperature dependence of the surface tension with remarkable accuracy -- to within 1 % of experimental values.

Coupled with earlier work on bulk water, this result demonstrates the exceptional transferability of the QDO approach and offers a promising new platform for molecular exploration of condensed matter.


Story Source:

Materials provided by National Physical Laboratory. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Flaviu S. Cipcigan, Vlad P. Sokhan, Andrew P. Jones, Jason Crain, Glenn J. Martyna. Hydrogen bonding and molecular orientation at the liquid–vapour interface of water. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015; 17 (14): 8660 DOI: 10.1039/C4CP05506C

Cite This Page:

National Physical Laboratory. "Quantum model reveals surface structure of water." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 April 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150420120320.htm>.
National Physical Laboratory. (2015, April 20). Quantum model reveals surface structure of water. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150420120320.htm
National Physical Laboratory. "Quantum model reveals surface structure of water." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150420120320.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES