Abstract
The impact of surfaces on the contiguous water is thought to project no more than a few molecular layers from the surface. On the contrary, we have found that solutes are profoundly excluded from a several-hundred-micrometer-wide zone next to various hydrophilic surfaces, including gels. Such large “exclusion zones” appear to be quite general. Recent studies have shown that the underlying basis is a reorganization of interfacial water molecules into a liquid crystalline array, which then excludes solutes. The impact of this “fourth phase” of water appears to be broad, especially in biology.
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References
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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Italia, Milan
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Pollack, G.H. (2009). Water and Surfaces: a Linkage Unexpectedly Profound. In: Hydrogels. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1104-5_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1104-5_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Milano
Print ISBN: 978-88-470-1103-8
Online ISBN: 978-88-470-1104-5
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