Polarization-induced covalent interactions between H+ and surface O atoms promote clay aggregation

Eur. J. Soil Sci.

Liu Dian;Tian Rui;Feng Bo;Zhang Yekun;Liu Xinmin;Yu Zhaoxuan;Zhang Runhua;Li Hang

Accumulation of H+ can cause soil acidification, affect soil particle interactions, and alter soil processes. In this study, aggregation kinetics of montmorillonite colloids induced by monovalent ions of Li+ and H+ were determined by dynamic light scattering. The experimental results indicated that the critical coagulation concentration (CCC) value of Li+ was 4.5 times that of H+, indicating that H+ can strongly promote montmorillonite colloids aggregation. Joint analysis of the adsorption force type and energy of Li+ and H+ as well as the infrared spectroscopy of Li+ and H+ montmorillonite indicated that there was only electrostatic adsorption for Li+, while there was not only electrostatic adsorption but also a new type of covalent adsorption for H+: polarisation‐induced covalent adsorption. The total adsorption energy of H+ is thus much higher than that of Li+ on montmorillonite surfaces. Moreover, the polarisation‐induced covalent adsorption energy of H+ increased linearly with increasing electric field strength, which is consistent with the quantum mechanical analysis of the asymmetric orbital hybridisation of surface O atoms on montmorillonite. On this basis, the polarisation‐induced covalent adsorption energy of H+ was employed to predict the CCC value of H+ induced montmorillonite aggregation, and it was 7.40 mmol L−1. The high agreement with experimental results (7.26 mmol L−1) proved that the polarisation‐induced covalent interactions between H+ and surface O atoms promotes montmorillonite aggregation. This polarisation induced covalent effect between H+ and surface O atoms might further affect the formation and stability of soil aggregates and the pore status of soil structure, especially as soil acidification is currently becoming a global issue. The discovery from this study will improve our understanding of the effects of soil acidification on soil properties and processes.(#br)Highlights(#br)H+ greatly promoted clay aggregation. Polarization‐induced covalent between H+ and surface O presented at clay surface. Polarization‐induced covalent bonding energy increase with increasing electric field. Electrostatic and covalent bonding forces jointly determined clay aggregation.