PNNL

Abstract

Reaction rates of environmental processes occurring at hydrated mineral surfaces are primarily controlled by the electrostatic potential that develops at the interface. This potential depends on the structure of exposed crystal faces, as well as the pH and the type of ions and their interactions with these faces. Despite its importance, experimental methods for determining fundamental electrostatic properties of specific crystal faces such as the point of zero charge are few. Here we show that this information may be obtained from simple, cyclic potentiometric titration using a well characterized single-crystal electrode exposing the face of interest. The method exploits the presence of a hysteresis loop in the titration measurements that allows extraction of key electrostatic descriptors using the Maxwell construction. The approach is demonstrated for hematite (? Fe2O3) (001), and a thermodynamic proof is provided for the resulting estimate of its point of zero charge. Insight gained from this method will aid in predicting the fate of migrating contaminants, mineral growth/dissolution processes, mineral-microbiological interactions, and in testing surface complexation theories.