X-ray Method Images Ions at Interface

A team led by Northwestern University researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have taken the guesswork out of interfacial structure determination. The researchers are the first to show that three-dimensional images of ion site distributions at the mineral-water interface can be directly visualized using a technique called X-ray standing wave (XSW) imaging. Their findings, published in the journal Surface Science Letters, demonstrate a new capability for revealing complex reactions at mineral-water interfaces that previously could be understood only through more indirect approaches.