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Interface-Induced Ordering of Gas Molecules Confined in a Small Space

The thermodynamic properties of gases have been understood primarily through phase diagrams of bulk gases. However, observations of gases confined in a nanometer space have posed a challenge to the principles of classical thermodynamics. Here, we investigated interfacial structures comprising either...

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Autores principales: Lu, Yi-Hsien, Yang, Chih-Wen, Fang, Chung-Kai, Ko, Hsien-Chen, Hwang, Ing-Shouh
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Nature Publishing Group 2014
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4244620/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25424443
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep07189
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author Lu, Yi-Hsien
Yang, Chih-Wen
Fang, Chung-Kai
Ko, Hsien-Chen
Hwang, Ing-Shouh
author_facet Lu, Yi-Hsien
Yang, Chih-Wen
Fang, Chung-Kai
Ko, Hsien-Chen
Hwang, Ing-Shouh
author_sort Lu, Yi-Hsien
collection PubMed
description The thermodynamic properties of gases have been understood primarily through phase diagrams of bulk gases. However, observations of gases confined in a nanometer space have posed a challenge to the principles of classical thermodynamics. Here, we investigated interfacial structures comprising either O(2) or N(2) between water and a hydrophobic solid surface by using advanced atomic force microscopy techniques. Ordered epitaxial layers and cap-shaped nanostructures were observed. In addition, pancake-shaped disordered layers that had grown on top of the epitaxial base layers were observed in oxygen-supersaturated water. We propose that hydrophobic solid surfaces provide low-chemical-potential sites at which gas molecules dissolved in water can be adsorbed. The structures are further stabilized by interfacial water. Here we show that gas molecules can agglomerate into a condensed form when confined in a sufficiently small space under ambient conditions. The crystalline solid surface may even induce a solid-gas state when the gas-substrate interaction is significantly stronger than the gas-gas interaction. The ordering and thermodynamic properties of the confined gases are determined primarily according to interfacial interactions.
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spelling pubmed-42446202014-12-05 Interface-Induced Ordering of Gas Molecules Confined in a Small Space Lu, Yi-Hsien Yang, Chih-Wen Fang, Chung-Kai Ko, Hsien-Chen Hwang, Ing-Shouh Sci Rep Article The thermodynamic properties of gases have been understood primarily through phase diagrams of bulk gases. However, observations of gases confined in a nanometer space have posed a challenge to the principles of classical thermodynamics. Here, we investigated interfacial structures comprising either O(2) or N(2) between water and a hydrophobic solid surface by using advanced atomic force microscopy techniques. Ordered epitaxial layers and cap-shaped nanostructures were observed. In addition, pancake-shaped disordered layers that had grown on top of the epitaxial base layers were observed in oxygen-supersaturated water. We propose that hydrophobic solid surfaces provide low-chemical-potential sites at which gas molecules dissolved in water can be adsorbed. The structures are further stabilized by interfacial water. Here we show that gas molecules can agglomerate into a condensed form when confined in a sufficiently small space under ambient conditions. The crystalline solid surface may even induce a solid-gas state when the gas-substrate interaction is significantly stronger than the gas-gas interaction. The ordering and thermodynamic properties of the confined gases are determined primarily according to interfacial interactions. Nature Publishing Group 2014-11-26 /pmc/articles/PMC4244620/ /pubmed/25424443 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep07189 Text en Copyright © 2014, Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder in order to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
spellingShingle Article
Lu, Yi-Hsien
Yang, Chih-Wen
Fang, Chung-Kai
Ko, Hsien-Chen
Hwang, Ing-Shouh
Interface-Induced Ordering of Gas Molecules Confined in a Small Space
title Interface-Induced Ordering of Gas Molecules Confined in a Small Space
title_full Interface-Induced Ordering of Gas Molecules Confined in a Small Space
title_fullStr Interface-Induced Ordering of Gas Molecules Confined in a Small Space
title_full_unstemmed Interface-Induced Ordering of Gas Molecules Confined in a Small Space
title_short Interface-Induced Ordering of Gas Molecules Confined in a Small Space
title_sort interface-induced ordering of gas molecules confined in a small space
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4244620/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25424443
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep07189
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