Surface microstructure engenders unusual hydrophobicity in phyllosilicates

Abstract

We present a mechanism of intriguing polar hydrophobicity of a series of naturally formed minerals: their surface cavities can effectively trap water molecules, and the water trapping remarkably disrupts the hydrogen bond interaction among interfacial water and leads to considerable hydrophobicity. Diminishing water trapping by decreasing surface roughness can considerably enhance wettability, which illustrates that a Wenzel model is no longer valid for polar materials with atomic-scale roughness.