| AVS 54th International Symposium | |
| Surface Science | Monday Sessions |
| Session SS2-MoA |
| Session: | Electronic and Vibrational Structure |
| Presenter: | M.J. Krisch, University of California, Irvine |
| Authors: | M.J. Krisch, University of California, Irvine J.C. Hemminger, University of California, Irvine S. Baldelli, University of Houston |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
We find that electrolytes modify the liquid-vapor interface of a non-aqueous solution. A variety of recent studies have observed ion-dependent changes in the surface structure of aqueous electrolyte solutions. In this project, we examine the influence of the solvent by probing the surface structure of non-aqueous electrolyte solutions. Our experiments use surface-specific sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy to obtain information about the liquid-vapor interface. We examine a series of alkali halides in ethylene glycol in which the identity of the anion is varied systematically. The spectra show that the addition of salt modifies solution surfaces to a degree that follows the polarizability of the anion in solution, particularly as seen through changes in the OH bonding stretch. Results are compared to surface tension measurements of the same solutions.