The adsorption of small ions on the surface of inorganic
material
has been studied extensively through the lens of nuclear magnetic
resonance relaxation enhancements. In mixtures of a commercial titanium
dioxide (TiO2) powder with various aqueous electrolytes
based on ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) and alkali
(Li, Na, Rb, Cs) bromide, the adsorption of Li+, Na+, Rb+, Cs+, Br–, NH4
+, and NO3
– onto TiO2 was investigated with 14N, 15N, 7Li, 23Na, 87Rb, and 133Cs
and 81Br NMR π/2 single-pulse spectra and longitudinal
relaxation curves analysis (T
1). In the
TiO2/NH4NO3 slurry, the preferential
adsorption of NH4
+ ions on titania was reflected
in the broadening of their 14N peak and the increase of
the longitudinal relaxation rates of both 14NH4
+ and 15NH4
+, with a
more significant effect for 14N (undergoing surface-induced
quadrupolar relaxation, SIQR) than 15N (experiencing dipolar
relaxation). To probe alkali ion adsorption on TiO2, single
π/2 pulse NMR spectra were first recorded on slurries containing
a single alkali ion. Fractions of adsorbed ions and the corresponding
density per unit area were derived from the signal losses for 23Na+ and 87Rb+. The latter
approach was limited to 7Li+ and 133Cs+, for which no signal loss was recorded, although SIQR
was observed for all ions. To compare the alkali adsorption properties,
simultaneous exposures of TiO2 surfaces to pairs of cations
allowed SIQR to be measured and surface affinities to be ranked in
the following order Cs+ > Rb+ > Na+ > Li+, which is strongly correlated to the
water structure-breaking
properties of both TiO2 and ions.