Strongly Anisotropic Dielectric Response of Confined Water

ORAL

Abstract

We carried out atomistic simulations of water within hydrophobic surfaces, which revealed remarkable modifications of the dynamics and dielectric relaxation of the liquid under confinement. We found that dipolar fluctuations are modified by the presence of surfaces up to strikingly large distances, i.e., tens of nanometers. Fluctuations are suppressed by approximately an order of magnitude in the z direction, perpendicular to the interface, and are enhanced in the x-y plane, giving rise to strong anisotropies in the components of the dielectric response. Our findings are consistent with recent terahertz and ultrafast infrared pump-probe spectroscopy experiments. Work supported by DOE-CMSN DE-SC0005180.

Authors

  • Cui Zhang

    Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis

  • Francois Gygi

    Department of Computer Science, University of California, Davis, University of California Davis

  • Giulia Galli

    Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Department of Chemistry, Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, University of California - Davis, Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics UC Davis, University of California, Davis, Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, UC Davis, Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics, UC Davis, University of California, Davis, CA