Adsorption of sodium ions and hydrated sodium ions on a hydrophobic graphite surface via cation-\pi interactions

Using density functional theory computation, we show that sodium ions and hydrated sodium ions can be strongly adsorbed onto a hydrophobic graphite surface via cation-\pi interactions. The key to this cation-π interaction is the coupling of the delocalized \pi states of graphite and the empty orbitals of sodium ions. This finding implies that the property of the graphite surface is extremely dependent on the existence of the ions on the surface, suggesting that the hydrophobic property of the graphite surface may be affected by the existence of the sodium ions.