Electron Scattering and Electron Angular Anisotropy in Water and Aqueous Solution

2023 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K15229
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: THUERMER STEPHAN 京都大学, 理学研究科, 准教授 (40722161)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: electron spectroscopy / electron scattering / liquid water / photoelectron anisotropy / aqueous solution

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

The project is about electron scattering mechanisms in liquid water and aqueous solutions and its impact on photoelectron angular distributions using photoelectron spectroscopy in international collaboration. Electron scattering is crucial for understanding energy deposition, radical formation, and biological damage by slow and fast electrons, and for interpreting of spectra from aqueous solutions.
The last year had several applications of the newly found understanding of electron scattering. Various surface-active solutes were studied, ranging from atmospherically-relevant organic molecular ions to prototypical species, which change their surface propensity as a function of pH value (i.e., the protonation state of the molecule). The former showed than the presence of multiple surface-active species can have a cooperative effect, strongly enhancing their surface propensity. This has large implications for the availability of species in atmospheric reactions. For the latter, we could show that the photoelectron signal and angular distribution are sensitively dependent on the surface propensity, which can be used as a precise depth scale into the solution. These studies are prepared for publication.
A newly developed method enabled us to study the work function (surface potential) and changes of the electronic structure of an aqueous solution as a function of solute concentration for the first time. This lays the foundation for extracting electrochemically relevant parameters, such as the electrochemical potential from aqueous solution, directly via photoelectron spectroscopy.

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Fritz Haber Institute/Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin/DESY Hamburg(ドイツ)
  • Country Name: GERMANY
  • Counterpart Institution: Fritz Haber Institute/Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin/DESY Hamburg
• [Int'l Joint Research] J. Heyrovsky Institute of Phys. Chem./University of Chemistry and Technology(チェコ)
  • Country Name: CZECH
  • Counterpart Institution: J. Heyrovsky Institute of Phys. Chem./University of Chemistry and Technology
• [Int'l Joint Research] Uppsala University(スウェーデン)
  • Country Name: SWEDEN
  • Counterpart Institution: Uppsala University
• [Journal Article] Radiationless Decay Spectrum of O 1s Double Core Holes in Liquid Water (2024)
  • Author(s): Trinter Florian, Inhester Ludger, Puettner Ralph, Malerz Sebastian, Thuermer Stephan, Marchenko Tatiana, Piancastelli Maria-Novella, Simon Marc, Winter Bernd, Hergenhahn Uwe
  • Journal Title: The Journal of Chemical Physics Volume: - Pages: -
  • DOI: 10.1063/5.0205994
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Photoelectron spectroscopy from a liquid flatjet (2023)
  • Author(s): Stemer Dominik、Buttersack Tillmann、Haak Henrik、Malerz Sebastian、Schewe Hanns Christian、Trinter Florian、Mudryk Karen、Pugini Michele、Credidio Bruno、Seidel Robert、Hergenhahn Uwe、Meijer Gerard、Thuermer Stephan、Winter Bernd
  • Journal Title: The Journal of Chemical Physics Volume: 158 Pages: 234202
  • DOI: 10.1063/5.0155182
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] How to measure work functions from aqueous solutions (2023)
  • Author(s): Pugini Michele、Credidio Bruno、Walter Irina、Malerz Sebastian、Trinter Florian、Stemer Dominik、Hergenhahn Uwe、Meijer Gerard、Wilkinson Iain、Winter Bernd、Thuermer Stephan
  • Journal Title: Chemical Science Volume: 14 Pages: 9574～9588
  • DOI: 10.1039/D3SC01740K
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] How to measure work functions from aqueous solutions (2023)
  • Author(s): Stephan Thuermer
  • Organizer: 第17回分子科学討論会
• [Presentation] Photoelectron spectroscopy of Liquids: Accessing Electronic Energetics and Surface Properties (2023)
  • Author(s): Stephan Thuermer
  • Organizer: UVSOR-III+MAX IV International Workshop
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Shake-up and shake-off satellites as probe of ultrafast charge delocalization in liquid water (2023)
  • Author(s): Florian Trinter, Bernd Winter, Stephan Thuermer
  • Organizer: XXXIII International Conference on Photonic, Electronic and Atomic Collisions
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Photoelectron Circular Dichroism from Aqueous-Phase Biomolecules (2023)
  • Author(s): M. Pugini, K. Mudryk, D. Stemer, L. Tomanik, S. Malerz, F. Trinter, T. Buttersack, U. Hergenhahn, I. Wilkinson, S. Thuermer, P. Slavicek, G. Meijer, B. Winter
  • Organizer: DESY Photon Science Users' Meeting 2023
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Expanding Liquid-Jet Photoelectron Spectroscopy to Liquid Flatjets (2023)
  • Author(s): Stemer Dominik、Buttersack Tillmann、Haak Henrik、Malerz Sebastian、Schewe Hanns Christian、Trinter Florian、Mudryk Karen、Pugini Michele、Credidio Bruno、Seidel Robert、Hergenhahn Uwe、Meijer Gerard、Thuermer Stephan、Winter Bernd
  • Organizer: BESSY user meeting 2023
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Remarks] Google Scholar User Profile
  • URL: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=05yx0h0AAAAJ
• [Remarks] Kyoto University Activity Dtabase
  • URL: https://kdb.iimc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/profile/ja.7b8f7b2e37181b16.html