Order Cs Research Articles

Alkali Metal Cations Induce Structural Evolution on Au(111) During Cathodic Polarization.

The activity of the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is substantially affected by alkali metal cations (AM+) in electrolytes, yet the underlying mechanism is still controversial. Here, we employed electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy and in situ observed Au(111) surface roughening in AM+ electrolytes during cathodic polarization. The roughened surface is highly active for catalyzing the CO2RR due to the formation of surface low-coordinated Au atoms. The critical potential for surface roughening follows the order Cs+ > Rb+ > K+ > Na+ > Li+, and the surface proportion of roughened area decreases in the order of Cs+ > Rb+ > K+ > Na+ > Li+. Electrochemical CO2RR measurements demonstrate that the catalytic activity strongly correlates with the surface roughness. Furthermore, we found that AM+ is critical for surface roughening to occur. The results unveil the unrecognized effect of AM+ on the surface structural evolution and elucidate that the AM+-induced formation of surface high-activity sites contributes to the enhanced CO2RR in large AM+ electrolytes.

Nanopore-Based Single-Molecule Investigation of Cation Effect on the i-Motif Structure.

The i-motif, a secondary structure of a four-helix formed by cytosine-rich DNA (i-DNA) through C-C+ base pairing, is prevalent in human telomeres and promoters. This structure creates steric hindrance, thereby inhibiting both gene expression and protein coding. The conformation of i-DNA is intricately linked to the intracellular ionic environment. Hence, investigating its conformation under various ion conditions holds significant importance. In this study, we explored the impact of cations on the i-motif structure at the single-molecule level using the α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanochannel. Our findings reveal that the ability of i-DNA to fold into the i-motif structure follows the order Cs+ > Na+ > K+ > Li+ for monovalent cations. Furthermore, we observed the interconversion of single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) and the i-motif structure at high and low concentrations of Mg2+ and Ba2+ electrolyte solutions. This study not only has the potential to extend the application of i-motif-based sensors in complex solution environments but also provides a new idea for the detection of metal ions.

Cesium extraction from an alkali-free solution using a 4-tert-butyl-2-(α-methylbenzyl) phenol–di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid synergistic system: A conceptual process flowsheet for separating cesium salt from salt-lake brine

Cesium is an important strategic resource, and solvent extraction is the most frequently used technology for its extraction from various minerals and brines. However, this common method faces operational and cost problems owing to large alkali consumption. A synergistic extraction system consisting of 4-tert-butyl-2-(α-methylbenzyl) phenol (t-BAMBP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) was designed and used to extract Cs+ from an alkali-free solution. The effects of variables such as: (i) pH, (ii) concentration of t-BAMBP and D2EHPA, (iii) temperature, (iv) Cs+ concentration, and (v) coexisting cations, on the Cs+ extraction performance of the synergistic system were investigated. The most suitable organic phase composition was 1.0 mol/L t-BAMBP and 0.1 mol/L D2EHPA in kerosene, and the synergistic coefficient was up to 57 at 25 °C and an organic/aqueous phase volume ratio of 1/1. The extraction sequence of cations using the t-BAMBP–D2EHPA synergistic system followed the descending order Cs+ > Rb+ > Ca2+ > K+ > Li+ > Mg2+ > Na+. The chemical formula of the extracted species was determined as [CsA(HA)(ROH)2] using the slope method. The Cs+ extraction process is an exothermic reaction with an enthalpy (ΔHo) of −55.3 kJ mol−1, confirmed by the thermodynamic study. After three-stage countercurrent extraction, the extraction efficiency of Cs+ was 92.6%, demonstrating excellent selectivity from coexisting cations. The t-BAMBP–D2EHPA synergistic system showed outstanding economic and environmental advantages and a good application prospect to develop a conceptual process flowsheet for extraction with this system and stripping with HCl to separate cesium salt from salt-lake brine.

Absorption peak decomposition of an inhomogeneous nanoparticle ensemble of hexagonal tungsten bronzes using the reduced Mie scattering integration method

Recent optical analyses of cesium-doped hexagonal tungsten bronze have accurately replicated the absorption peak and identified both plasmonic and polaronic absorptions in the near-infrared region, which have been exploited in various technological applications. However, the absorption peaks of tungsten oxides and bronzes have not generally been reproduced well, including those of the homologous potassium- and rubidium-doped hexagonal tungsten bronzes that lacked evidence of polaronic subpeaks. The present study reports a modified and simplified Mie scattering integration method which incorporates the ensemble inhomogeneity effect and allows precise peak decomposition and determination of the physical parameters of nanoparticles. The decomposed peaks were interpreted in terms of electronic structures, screening effect, and modified dielectric functions. The analysis revealed that the plasma frequencies, polaron energies, and the number of oxygen vacancies decrease in the dopant order Cs → Rb → K. The coexistence of plasmonic and polaronic excitations was confirmed for all the alkali-doped hexagonal tungsten bronzes.

Guest modulating the photoactivity of a titanium-oxide cage.

Two host-guest Ti-oxide clusters, Ti14(NH4)2 and Ti14Cs2, were synthesized and thoroughly characterized. They possess a rarely seen biloculate structure that encapsulates two NH4 + and Cs+ guests, respectively. Interestingly, alkali metal cations can exchange places with NH4 +. The ability of the host to capture the guest cations follows the order Cs+ > NH4 + > Rb+ > K+. The guests heavily influence the physiochemical properties and photocatalytic activities of the complexes. Ti14Cs2 exhibits a redshifted visible-light absorption edge, increased charge-separation properties, and enhanced interfacial charge-transfer ability compared to Ti14(NH4)2. It also demonstrates excellent performance in photocatalytic CO2/epoxide cycloaddition reactions regarding the reaction rate, scalability, sunlight usage, catalyst recyclability, and stability. This study presents a novel Ti-oxide-based cage cluster with exchangeable guests and provides insights for enhancing the solar harvesting applications of Ti-oxide cages.

Unveiling the Electrolyte Cations Dependent Kinetics on CoOOH-Catalyzed Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

The electrolyte cations-dependent kinetics have been widely observed in many fields of electrocatalysis, however, the exact mechanism of the influence on catalytic performance is still a controversial topic of considerable discussion. Herein, combined with operando X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), we verify that the electrolyte cations could intercalate into the layer of pristine CoOOH catalyst during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process, while the bigger cations lead to enlarged interlayer spacing and increased OER activity, following the order Cs+ >K+ >Na+ >Li+ . X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), in situ Raman, in situ Ultraviolet-visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy, in situ XAS spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and theoretical calculations reveal that the intercalation of electrolyte cations efficiently modify the oxidation states of Co by enlarging the Co-O bonds, which in turn enhance the d-band center of Co, optimize the adsorption strength of oxygen intermediates, facilitate the formation of OER active Co(IV) species, and reduce the energy barrier of the rate-determing step (RDS), thereby enhancing the OER activity. This work not only provides an informative picture to understand the complicated dependence of OER kinetics on electrolyte cations, but also sheds light on understanding the mechanism of other electrolyte cation-targeted electrocatalysis.

Unveiling the Electrolyte Cations Dependent Kinetics on CoOOH‐Catalyzed Oxygen Evolution Reaction

AbstractThe electrolyte cations‐dependent kinetics have been widely observed in many fields of electrocatalysis, however, the exact mechanism of the influence on catalytic performance is still a controversial topic of considerable discussion. Herein, combined with operando X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), we verify that the electrolyte cations could intercalate into the layer of pristine CoOOH catalyst during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process, while the bigger cations lead to enlarged interlayer spacing and increased OER activity, following the order Cs+>K+>Na+>Li+. X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), in situ Raman, in situ Ultraviolet‐visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy, in situ XAS spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and theoretical calculations reveal that the intercalation of electrolyte cations efficiently modify the oxidation states of Co by enlarging the Co−O bonds, which in turn enhance the d‐band center of Co, optimize the adsorption strength of oxygen intermediates, facilitate the formation of OER active Co(IV) species, and reduce the energy barrier of the rate‐determing step (RDS), thereby enhancing the OER activity. This work not only provides an informative picture to understand the complicated dependence of OER kinetics on electrolyte cations, but also sheds light on understanding the mechanism of other electrolyte cation‐targeted electrocatalysis.

Polyaniline coated sugar derived soft carbon sphere as electrode material in all-solid state symmetric supercapacitor with enhanced cyclic stability

Design and bulk synthesis of low cost electrode materials with high energy density and improved cyclic stability is extremely important. We have synthesized sugar derived soft carbon spheres by simple one step hydrothermal method. To increase the energy density, we coated the carbon spheres with polyaniline via vapour phase and colloidal chemical polymerization methods. By colloidal synthesis method, two composites CS-PANI-11 and CS-PANI-31 were prepared by using CS: aniline (w/w) ratios 1:1 and 3:1 respectively whereas the sample prepared by vapor phase polymerization is denoted as CS-PANI-VP. The performance of these four electrode materials depending on specific capacitance and specific energy is in the order CS< CS-PANI-VP< CS-PANI-31 < CS-PANI-11. The best performing material CS-PANI-11 showed specific capacitance, specific energy and specific power of 84.3 F g−1, 11.7 W h kg−1 and 500 W kg−1 respectively at current density 1 A g−1. Moreover the symmetric cell constructed by using CS-PANI-11 as electrode material gave areal capacitance, energy density and power density values 42 mF cm−2, 5.8 μW h cm−2 and 50 μW cm−2 respectively at current density 0.1 mA cm−2. This symmetric SC showed capacitance retention of 80.33 % after 5000 galvanostatic charge discharge cycles demonstrating excellent cyclic stability.

Gamma radiation-induced synthesis of organoclays based polyaniline and ilmenite clay minerals for cesium ions removal from aqueous solutions

In this study, new eco-friendly organoclays sorbents-based bentonite clay (bentonite/polyaniline OC1 and bentonite/polyaniline/ilmenite OC2) were prepared by gamma radiation. Characterization of the prepared materials was done using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The results show that polyaniline molecules and ilmenite penetrate the bentonite host material at montmorillonite sites. The synthesized sorbents were tested to remove cesium ions from the aqueous solutions. The parameters affecting the adsorption of cesium were also investigated, such as contact time, pH, the initial metal ion concentration, and the adsorbent dosage. The regeneration tests reflect the long-term stability of the prepared sorbent up to 5 cycles. The optimum conditions for adsorption of cesium ions using the mentioned sorbents were found at a contact time of 120 min and pH of 6–7 and 0.05 g dose weight. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cs+ reached about 24.7 mg/g and 34.4 mg/g for the prepared bentonite/polyaniline and bentonite/polyaniline/ilmenite at 25°C, respectively. The desorption experiment indicates that 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M HCl were chosen as the best eluents for loaded cesium on OC1 and OC2, with desorption rates of 45% and 15%, respectively. The thermodynamic investigation suggested the exothermic and spontaneous nature of the adsorption process. The removal efficiency of Cs+ from simulated aqueous mixture was found to fellow this order Cs+ > Co++ > Na+ > K+ ≫ Cr+6 this behavior reflects the selectivity of the synthesized adsorbents based bentonite towards Cs ions. Furthermore, this unique, cost-effective, and environmentally bentonite/polyaniline/ilmenite organoclay has good merits and can be utilized to separate pollutants for wastewater treatment applications.

Interfacial layers between ion and water detected by terahertz spectroscopy.

Dynamic fluctuations in the hydrogen-bond network of water occur from femto- to nanosecond timescales and provide insight into the structural/dynamical aspects of water at ion-water interfaces. Employing terahertz spectroscopy assisted with molecular dynamics simulations, we study aqueous chloride solutions of five monovalent cations, namely, Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs. We show that ions modify the behavior of the surrounding water molecules and form interfacial layers of water around them with physical properties distinct from those of bulk water. Small cations with high charge densities influence the kinetics of water well beyond the first solvation shell. At terahertz frequencies, we observe an emergence of fast relaxation processes of water with their magnitude following the ionic order Cs > Rb > K > Na > Li, revealing an enhanced population density of weakly coordinated water at the ion-water interface. The results shed light on the structure breaking tendency of monovalent cations and provide insight into the properties of ionic solutions at the molecular level.

A new paradigm for investigating temporal order memory shows higher order associations are present in recent but not in remote retrieval.

Memory of a sequence of distinct events requires encoding the temporal order as well as the intervals that separates these events. In this study, using order-place association task where the animal learns to associate the location of the food pellet to the order of entry into the event arena, we probe the nature of temporal order memory in mice. In our task, individual trials become distinct events, as the animal is trained to form a unique association between entry order and a correct location. The inter-trial intervals (> 30min) are chosen deliberately to minimize the inputs from working memory. We develop this paradigm initially using four order-place associates and later extend it to five paired associates. Our results show that animals not only acquire these explicit (entry order to place) associations but also higher order associations that can only be inferred implicitly (temporal relation between the events) from the temporal order of these events. As an indicator of such higher order learning during the probe trial, the mice exhibit predominantly prospective errors that decline proportionally with temporal distance. On the other hand, prior to acquiring the sequence, the retrospective errors are dominant. In addition, we also tested the nature of such acquisitions when temporal order CS is presented along with flavored pellet as a compound stimulus comprising of order and flavor both simultaneously being paired with location. Results from these experiments indicate that the animal learns both order-place and flavor-place associations. Comparing with pure order-place training, we find that the additional flavor stimulus in a compound training paradigm did not interfere with the ability of the animals to acquire the order-place associations. When tested remotely, pure order-place associations could be retrieved only after a reminder training. Further higher order associations representing the temporal relationship between the events is markedly absent in the remote time.

Unveiling the Cationic Promotion Effect of H2O2 Electrosynthesis Activity of O-Doped Carbons.

H2O2 electrosynthesis is an emerging clean chemical technology, whose efficiency critically depends on the activity and selectivity of electrocatalysts for two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e- ORR). Here, we demonstrate that 2e- ORR activity of oxygen-doped carbons, which have been one of the most promising catalysts for this reaction, can be substantially influenced by the types and concentrations of cations in electrolytes. Heat-treated carbon comprising active oxygen functional groups exhibits cation-dependent 2e- ORR activity trends in alkaline media, following the order Cs+ > K+ > Li+. Importantly, an electrolyte with a high cation concentration (0.1 M KOH + 0.5 M KCl) afforded the highest 2e- ORR mass activity (250 ± 30 A gcat-1 at 0.70 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) ever reported. We have established that the cation promotion effect correlates with cation-dependent electron-transfer kinetics, which regulates the rate-determining first electron transfer to O2.

Highly stable full Heusler order Cs(Na, K)[formula omitted]Bi with diverse topological phases controlled by strain engineering

We predict the highly stable new full-Heusler order compound Cs(Na, K)2Bi, that can take a diverse set of topological states by strain-engineering. Based on first-principles studies, our findings reveal that the hydrostatic lattice compression, uniaxial compression, and uniaxial tension can transition Cs(Na, K)2Bi to a trivial semiconductor, a normal insulator, a topological insulator, a Weyl semimetal, a Dirac semimetal, and a Nodal Line semimetal. These topological states, induced by various kinds of strain, exhibit a range of interesting optical and electronic transport properties. These results introduce Cs(Na, K)2Bi compounds as promising candidates to make novel topological devices whose properties can be controlled using strain-engineering.

Leaching Behavior of Cesium, Strontium, Cobalt, and Europium from Immobilized Cement Matrix

Numerous low-level and intermediate-level radioactive wastes are generated from the decommissioning processes of nuclear power plants; these wastes are immobilized to prevent the release of radionuclides under disposal conditions. In this study, we investigated the leaching behavior of Cs, Sr, Co, and Eu, which are common in immobilized decommissioning wastes. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was used as an immobilization agent. During the test, leaching of the nuclides occurred in the order of Cs, Sr, Co, and Eu and decreased over time. The results showed that 41.4% of the total Cs leached over 90 days, although the other elements leached in quantities less than 1.5%. CaCO3 was precipitated by the release of cementitious materials, indicating carbonation of the leachate. The leachability indexes in all cases exceeded the acceptable criteria (&gt;6). The results of the present study suggest that OPC can be effectively used as a binding material to immobilize nuclides (Cs, Sr, Co, and Eu) contained in decommissioning wastes.

Sorption of Co2+, Zn2+, Cd2+ and Cs+ ions by activated sludge of sewage treatment plant

Sludges are byproducts of sewage treatment process. Land application of sewage sludge is one of the final steps of waste water treatment, but solubilization of toxic metals restricts this method of sludge disposal. In our paper cobalt, zinc, cadmium and cesium sorption by suspension of non-treated activated sewage sludge (14 g/dm3, dry wt.) from waste water spiked with 60CoCl2, 65ZnCl2, 109CdCl2 or 137CsCl were determined in laboratory experiments at 20°C. Activated sludge supplied by the municipal sewage treatment plant in Zeleneč (Trnava region, Slovakia) showed high efficiency to sorb Co2+, Zn2+, Cd2+ and Cs+ ions from waste water pH 6-7. The process can be characterized by the concentration equilibrium (Csolid/Cliquid) typical for sorption processes. Efficiency of the sorption increased in the order Cs &lt; Co &lt; Zn &lt; Cd. Metal sorption process was not inhibited by pretreatment of the sludge with 0.2% formaldehyde or thermal inactivation at 60°C, what confirms that the process was not dependent on metabolic activity of the sludge. Cobalt, zinc, cadmium and cesium were easily removable from the&#x0D; sludge by washing with diluted HCl, EDTA or water solutions of the corresponding metal ions, but with low efficiency by deionized water.

A truly forward semi-Lagrangian WENO scheme for the Vlasov-Poisson system

A class of modular high order forward semi-Lagrangian (FSL) schemes with a number of advantages (outlined below) for linear advection equations is extended to have high resolution, in the sense that sharp gradients can be captured without loss of accuracy, by means of weighted essentially non-oscillatory derivative (DWENO) calculations based on finite differences. Principally, our approach (the convected scheme, CS) differs from conventional high order FSL schemes in the means by which it reaches higher order accuracy. The high order CS progressed in this work reserves use of a low order histogram representation of the solution and a mass-conservative volume-weighted projection operator which ordinarily produces a second order accurate solution. A higher order version is obtained by compensating for the amount by which the CS solution and the exact solution disagree at every order in a Taylor series sense. Instead of including these error terms algebraically, which changes the projection operator itself, the novel idea of the CS is to incorporate this information geometrically as a commensurate adjustment to the volume-weighted proportion assigned to each cell. We leverage DWENO approximations to compute these Taylor series error terms more sensitively, and show the corresponding WENO convected schemes (WENO-CS) achieve the desired dual high order and high resolution behavior. Fifth, seventh, and ninth order WENO-CS base solvers are presented for the 1D constant speed advection equation prototype, and are employed in a Strang splitting approach for the numerical solution of linear and nonlinear two-dimensional hyperbolic equations. Results are showcased for 2D linear transport and rigid body rotation, as well as for classic benchmark problems for the (1+1)-dimensional Vlasov–Poisson system including Landau damping, and the two-stream instability. The schemes enjoy the usual benefits of semi-Lagrangian schemes (e.g. no CFL time step restriction) while further claiming distinct advantages afforded to forward schemes including automatic mass conservation, compact support, and therefore straightforward parallelization.

Cationic interaction with phosphatidylcholine in a lipid cubic phase studied with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and small angle X-ray scattering

HypothesisElectrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) can be used to investigate cationic interaction with the choline headgroup in the ternary system of monoolein/dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/water (MO/DOPC/H2O). ExperimentsEIS was used to estimate the resistance and capacitance of a freestanding membrane of a lipid cubic phase (LCP). The membrane was formed in a small cylindrical aperture separating two compartments, containing one Pt electrode each. The impedance experiments were carried out in a two electrode setup with electrolyte solutions made of KCl, CsCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2 filling the compartments at two different ionic strength. Small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) was used to establish the structure and cell unit parameters of the LCP. FindingsThe interpretation of ionic interaction with phosphatidylcholine was based on estimated membrane resistances and capacitances from EIS measurements. The magnitude of cationic interaction with the lipid headgroup in the water channels is correlated to the membrane resistance that increases in the order Cs+ < K+ < Mg2+ < Ca2+ following the Hofmeister direct series and also reflecting the order of intrinsic binding constants. The membrane capacitance and SAXRD results are discussed as an effect of cationic interaction and it was possible to observe both swelling and condensing effects. The stability of the cubic phase throughout the experiments was confirmed by SAXRD.

Kinesiology Tape or Compression Sleeve Applied to the Thigh Does Not Improve Balance or Muscle Activation Before or Following Fatigue.

Cavanaugh, MT, Quigley, PJ, Hodgson, DD, Reid, JC, and Behm, DG. Kinesiology tape or compression sleeve applied to the thigh does not improve balance or muscle activation before or following fatigue. J Strength Cond Res 30(7): 1992-2000, 2016-Compression sleeves (CS) and kinesiology tape (KT) are purported to enhance proprioception, however, there is substantial conflict in the literature. Because the beneficial effects of CS and KT are more evident in the literature with recovery, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of CS and KT on balance under acute nonfatigued and postfatigued conditions. Using a within-subject, repeated-measures design, 12 university participants (5 females and 7 males) performed in a random order CS, KT, and Control conditions. Two trials of each test were conducted before the application of CS or KT (pretest 1), immediately after the application (pretest 2), with posttests at 1 and 10 minutes after 4 sets of unilateral Bulgarian squats to failure (1 minute rest between sets). Tests included a Y balance test (measures: distance reached by nondominant foot in anterior, posterior lateral, and posterior medial directions) and drop jump landing balance test from a 50-cm platform (measures: ground reaction force, electromyography, and center of pressure). The fatigue protocol induced 25.3% decrease in unilateral squat repetitions from set 1 to set 4. There were no significant condition main effects or interactions for any balance measure or EMG before or after fatigue. In conclusion, independent of fatigue, there was no significant effect of CS or KT on balance outcomes immediately and up to 10 minutes following the fatiguing intervention. Thus, nonfatigued or muscles weakened by fatigue did not benefit from CS and KT application.

Effect of structure and composition on the DC-conductivity in calcium phosphate glasses of the type x CaO ⋯(55 − x) M2O ⋯ 45 P2O5 (M = Na, K, Rb, Cs)

The ion transport properties of calcium phosphate glasses (CaXY, X=40,30,20; Y=Na,K,Rb,Cs) have been investigated by means of the bombardment induced ion transport (BIIT) technique. A systematic variation of the identity of the alkali ion as well as its molar content has been considered. The DC conductivity increases with increasing molar content of the alkali ion, the activation energy and the glass temperature decrease. For the Ca40Y glass the conductivity decreases in the order Na>K>Rb>Cs. For the Ca20Y glass the trend of conductivities follows the order Cs>Na>Rb>K. The effect of the identity of alkali ion is connected to its radius relative to that of the Ca2+.

Quantitative characterization of non-classic polarization of cations on clay aggregate stability.

Soil particle interactions are strongly influenced by the concentration, valence and ion species and the pH of the bulk solution, which will also affect aggregate stability and particle transport. In this study, we investigated clay aggregate stability in the presence of different alkali ions (Li+, Na+, K+, and Cs+) at concentrations from10−5 to 10−1 mol L−1. Strong specific ion effects on clay aggregate stability were observed, and showed the order Cs+>K+>Na+>Li+. We found that it was not the effects of ion size, hydration, and dispersion forces in the cation–surface interactions but strong non-classic polarization of adsorbed cations that resulted in these specific effects. In this study, the non-classic dipole moments of each cation species resulting from the non-classic polarization were estimated. By comparing non-classic dipole moments with classic values, the observed dipole moments of adsorbed cations were up to 104 times larger than the classic values for the same cation. The observed non-classic dipole moments sharply increased with decreasing electrolyte concentration. We conclude that strong non-classic polarization could significantly suppress the thickness of the diffuse layer, thereby weakening the electric field near the clay surface and resulting in improved clay aggregate stability. Even though we only demonstrated specific ion effects on aggregate stability with several alkali ions, our results indicate that these effects could be universally important in soil aggregate stability.