Mineral-water interfaces investigated at the molecular level

Mineral-water interfaces are omnipresent in nature and technology. They play a pivotal role in many fields, ranging from geochemistry, environmental science, and biomineralization to catalysis and electrochemistry. A comprehensive understanding of the reactivity of minerals requires knowledge of the atomic surface structure, which includes the hydration at the interface. In this respect, atomic force microscopy allows for gaining real-space, molecular-level information on the interfacial structure. In this presentation, silver iodide will be discussed as a prototypical example of an ice-nucleating material. Silver iodide is a polar material, calling for a surface stabilization mechanism. So far, however, the stabilization mechanism is unknown. Our atomically resolved atomic force microscopy images reveal no indication of a surface reconstruction at the atomic scale, indicating that another mechanism seems to be at play.