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.