Hong-tao Bian

Reconsideration of second-harmonic generation from isotropic liquid interface: Broken Kleinman symmetry of neat air/water interface from dipolar contribution

It has been generally accepted that there are significant quadrupolar and bulk contributions to the second-harmonic generation (SHG) reflected from the neat air/water interface, as well as common liquid interfaces. Because there has been no general methodology to determine the quadrupolar and bulk contributions to the SHG signal from a liquid interface, this conclusion was reached based on the following two experimental phenomena: the breaking of the macroscopic Kleinman symmetry and the significant temperature dependence of the SHG signal from the neat air/water interface. However, because the sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) measurement of the neat air/water interface observed no apparent temperature dependence, the temperature dependence in the SHG measurement has been reexamined and proven to be an experimental artifact. Here we present a complete microscopic analysis of the susceptibility tensors of the air/water interface, and show that dipolar contribution alone can be used to address the issue of the breaking of the macroscopic Kleinman symmetry at the neat air/water interface. Using this analysis, the orientation of the water molecules at the interface can be obtained, and it is consistent with the measurement from SFG-VS. Therefore, the key rationales to conclude significantly quadrupolar and bulk contributions to the SHG signal of the neat air/water interface can no longer be considered as valid as before. This new understanding of the air/water interface can shed light on our understanding of the nonlinear optical responses from other molecular interfaces as well.

Specific Na+ and K+ cation effects on the interfacial water molecules at the air/aqueous salt solution interfaces probed with nonresonant second harmonic generation.

Here we report on the polarization dependent nonresonant second harmonic generation (SHG) measurement of the interfacial water molecules at the aqueous solution of the following salts: NaF, NaCl, NaBr, KF, KCl, and KBr. Through quantitative polarization analysis of the SHG data, the orientational parameter D (D = /) value and the relative surface density of the interfacial water molecules at these aqueous solution surfaces were determined. From these results, we found that addition of each of the six salts caused an increase in the thickness of the interfacial water layer at the surfaces to a certain extent. Noticeably, both the cations and the anions contributed to the changes, and the abilities to increase the thickness of the interfacial water layer were in the following order: KBr > NaBr > KCl > NaCl approximately NaF > KF. Since these changes cannot be factorized into individual anion and cation contributions, there are possible ion pairing or association effects, especially for the NaF case. We also found that the orientational parameter D values of the interfacial water molecules changed to opposite directions for the aqueous solutions of the three sodium salts versus the aqueous solutions of the three potassium salts. These findings clearly indicated unexpected specific Na(+) and K(+) cation effects at the aqueous solution surface. These effects were not anticipated from the recent molecular dynamics simulation results, which concluded that the Na(+) and K(+) cations can be treated as small nonpolarizable hard ions and they are repelled from the aqueous interfaces. These results suggest that the electrolyte aqueous solution surfaces are more complex than the currently prevalent theoretical and experimental understandings.

Spectroscopic evidence for the specific Na+ and K+ interactions with the hydrogen-bonded water molecules at the electrolyte aqueous solution surfaces

Sum frequency generation vibrational spectra of the water molecules at the NaF and KF aqueous solution surfaces showed significantly different spectral features and different concentration dependence. This result is the first direct observation of the cation effects of the simple alkali cations, which have been believed to be depleted from the aqueous surface, on the hydrogen bonding structure of the water molecules at the electrolyte solution surfaces. These observations may provide important clues to understand the fundamental phenomenon of ions at the air/water interface.