For the first time, the passage of individual atoms through a liquid has been captured on film. Scientists have been able to witness platinum atoms ‘swimming’ around a surface at varying pressures by trapping them in a wafer of substances so thin that they are essentially two-dimensional.
The findings will provide light on how liquid in touch with a solid affects that solid’s activity, and hence may have applications in the creation of novel materials and substances. It is astonishing how little we know about the principles as to how atoms act on planes in touch with liquids, considering the extensive technological and scientific relevance of such interaction.
The interface among a solid and a fluid causes a change in the properties of both substances. The study of these dynamics is crucial to our comprehension of a vast array of procedures and applications, from the material movement throughout our own tissues to the flow of ions within battery packs.
The scientists rightly point out that seeing things at the subatomic level is quite challenging. To create a picture, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) employs a focused stream of electrons. The group’s study was made possible, in part, by the fact that a kind of TEM has been created that can function in both liquid and gaseous conditions.
The pictures showed some really interesting details. For instance, atoms travel more quickly through liquid than they do through air, and they prefer to settle at distinct locations on a solid’s exterior.
Double graphene liquid cell (Clark et al. 2022, The University of Manchester)
Outcomes also varied depending on whether the experiment was conducted inside or out of a vacuum chamber, indicating that atoms’ behavior may be affected by changes in pressure. Moreover, it is important to note that findings from tests conducted in vacuum chambers are not always representative of the activity in the actual world.
The scientists noted that although the material they researched is significant to green hydrogen generation, the methodologies they used and the conclusions they achieved have considerably wider ramifications.
