Important Roles of Water Clusters Confined in a Nanospace as Revealed by a Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction Study.

States of water molecules confined in a nanospace designed by montmorillonite (negatively charged silicate layer) and charge compensating benzylammonium were investigated. Caffeine was used as a probe because of its compatibility for the fine structure of the interlayer water. Powder synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SXRD) and adsorption isotherms of the water vapor revealed a metastable structure of bimolecular water layers (2WLs) in the interlayer space. Water molecules readily penetrated to expand the interlayer space to 0.56 nm. The interlayer space did not increase further even in the presence of excess water. According to the isosteric heat of water, the expansion was limited because of moderate hydration as forming 2WLs. Caffeine molecules replaced a part of the water molecules in the 2WLs to expand the interlayer space to 0.65 nm. Time-resolved SXRD with an accumulation time of 500 ms revealed that the interlayer expansion reached a steady state within a few minutes. The caffeine intercalation proceeded, involving a change in the molecular orientation that increased the contact area of the caffeine molecules. The interlayer expansion was limited in all the solvents examined (mixtures of water with methanol, ethanol, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran), while the packing density of the incorporated caffeine was maximized in the absence of an organic solvent. The water molecules confined in the interlayer space acted as an actuator to accommodate a large quantity of amphiphilic molecules by adapting the nanostructure, which was achieved by releasing the confined water molecules.