Specific Ion Effects and Solvation at Metastable Biomimetic Interfaces*

Interfaces host a range of phenomena found in a diverse range of fields spanning chemical separations, soft matter electronics and biological function. While it is known that these interfaces are important, there is a surprising lack of insight into how ionic and interfacial constituents self-assemble into emergent structures capable of these functions. Here we show, using surface specific vibrational spectroscopy, how specific ion effects and associated changes to interfacial hydrogen bonding networks can play a key role in the formation of metastable assemblies responsible for memcapacitive behaviors and long-term potentiation in biomimetic membranes.