The impact of chemical properties of the solid–liquid–adsorbate interfaces on the entropy–enthalpy compensation involved in adsorption

Abstract

Despite extensive studies on the thermodynamic mechanism governing molecular adsorption at the solid–water interface, a comprehensive understanding of the crucial role of interface properties in mediating the entropy–enthalpy compensation during adsorption is lacking, particularly at a quantitative level. Herein, we employed two types of surface models (hydroxyapatite and graphene) along with a series of amino acids to successfully elucidate how distinct interfacial features dictate the delicate balance between entropy and enthalpy variations. The adsorption of all amino acids on the hydroxyapatite surface is an enthalpy-dominated process, where the water-induced enthalpic component of the free energy and the surface–adsorbate electrostatic interaction term alternatively act as the driving force for adsorption in different regions of the surface. Although favorable interactions are observed between amino acids and the graphene surface, the entropy–enthalpy compensation exhibits dependence on the molecular size of the adsorbates. For small amino acids, favorable enthalpy changes predominantly determine their adsorption behavior; however, larger amino acids tend to bind more tightly with the graphene surface, which is thermodynamically dominated by the entropy variations despite the structural characteristics of amino acids. This study reveals specific entropy–enthalpy mechanisms underlying amino acid adsorption at the solid–liquid interface, providing guidance for surface design and synthesis of new biomolecules.