Vibrational spectroscopy of geochemical interfaces

Abstract

Mineral/aqueous interfaces are ubiquitous in geochemistry and are employed for applications spanning catalysis to CO₂ sequestration. Small changes in interface morphology have been shown to induce large changes in ion mobility, surface charge, and solvent orientation, which affect the function of these geochemical interfaces. While our ability to probe buried interfaces has been advanced by surface specific and sensitive vibrational spectroscopies, the overlapping response of surface groups and water has made complete structural interpretations of these systems difficult. We believe that by highlighting recent experimental and computational works further progress can be made.

This review follows the evolution and current understanding of solvent and surface structure near SiO₂, Al₂O_3, CaF₂, and TiO₂/aqueous interfaces generated by modern spectroscopic and computational techniques. By comparing information gathered from a range of vibrational spectroscopies and simulations progress can be made in the following fields including and not limited to; geochemistry, industrial/petroleum chemistry, interface science, vibrational spectroscopy, computational chemistry, and materials science.