Direct Observation of the Dynamics of Self-Assembly of Individual Solvation Layers in Molecularly Confined Liquids

Confined liquids organize in solidlike layers at the liquid-substrate interface. Here we use force-clamp spectroscopy AFM to capture the equilibrium dynamics between the broken and reformed states of an individual solvation layer in real time. Kinetic measurements demonstrate that the rupture of each individual solvation layer in structured liquids is driven by the rupture of a single interaction for 1-undecanol and by two interactions in the case of the ionic liquid ethylammonium nitrate. Our results provide a first description of the energy landscape governing the molecular motions that drive the packing and self-assembly of each individual liquid layer.