UC Berkeley

“God made the bulk; surfaces were invented by the devil.” - Wolfgang Pauli. Solid−liquid interfaces are ubiquitous and involved in numerous natural processes and practical applications, such as corrosion, mineralization, self-assembly, electrochemical energy conversion and storage, etc. Determining the composition, structure, and chemical state of interfaces, in particular the structure of liquids/soft materials near solids, is crucial to obtain a molecular/atomic understanding of the interfacial processes needed to further improve their applications. Currently, this is hampered by the shortage of appropriate characterization tools. In this dissertation a new methodology will be introduced, which is based on the combination of many surface-sensitive techniques and liquid cells capped with ultra-thin membranes. Using this platform, the structure, and properties of the electrical double layers, as well as the nanoscale structure of soft materials at interfaces have been explored. The nanoscale chemical information at solid-liquid interfaces reveals unprecedent details and offers new knowledge of many interfacial properties and processes. This platform opens the way for spectroscopic study of solid-liquid interfaces with less radiation damage with applications in biology, plastic processing, and inorganic materials for electrocatalysis, batteries, etc.