Surface Chemistry Affects the Efficacy of the Hydration Force between Two ZnO(101̅0) Surfaces

The hydration force is an important component of the energy landscape for particle–particle aggregation. Here, we use molecular simulation to investigate the length scale and the oscillatory nature of the hydration force that manifests between two hydrophilic surfaces that undergo hydroxylation in water. We identify how this force is modified due to the details of chemistry at the interface of ZnO(101̅0) in aqueous solution. Importantly, our research demonstrates that the size-dependent nature of oriented attachment does not originate from the hydration force. Rather, we find that the hydration force has qualitatively different outcomes based on the details of the surface chemistry, occurring at structurally specific aqueous solid–liquid interfaces.