The structure of methanol in halloysite nanotubes

Understanding the structure of liquids in nanopores and at interfaces is extremely important in many natural and industrial processes. In this experiment, we will use the unique powers of neutron scattering to measure the structure of liquid methanol in a particular type of clay mineral, known as halloysite. Halloysite is remarkable in this context, because it occurs as nano-scale tubes, which are formed from rolled-up scrolls of the clay sheets (like a swiss-roll, where a single molecular layer of methanol is the jam, and the clay sheet is the sponge-cake). Our experiments will allow us to study methanol structure under this extreme confinement and to compare with that of water, which we have studied previously. We are particularly interested by the nature and extent of any hydrogen bonding that can occur in 2-dimensional liquid films, of which halloysite provides a unique example.

解析纳米孔内与界面处液体的微观结构，在诸多自然与工业过程中均具有极高的研究价值。本实验将借助中子散射（Neutron Scattering）的独特优势，测定一种名为埃洛石（Halloysite）的特定黏土矿物中液态甲醇的微观结构。埃洛石在此研究场景中极具价值，因其以纳米尺度管状结构存在，该结构由黏土片层卷曲而成（如同瑞士卷一般：单分子层甲醇充当内馅，黏土片层则作为蛋糕胚）。本实验将助力我们探究此种极端限域环境下甲醇的微观结构，并可与我们此前已开展研究的水的相关结构进行对比分析。我们尤为关注二维液态薄膜中可能存在的氢键的本质与作用范围，而埃洛石恰好为这类研究提供了独一无二的理想样本。