Assist. Prof. Dr. Matej Kanduč (IJS): Hydrophobic interaction: How tiny impurities shape water's behavior

Hydrophobicity, or the "fear of water," is a key force in nature and technology, playing a crucial role in processes ranging from self-assembly and protein folding to oil recovery and material design. However, despite being one of the fundamental forces in biophysics, we still do not fully understand how it works and why it can act over surprisingly long distances, sometimes even between hydrophilic ("water-loving") entities. I will present basic insights into the mechanisms that drive this interaction. One key factor appears to be the presence of trace amounts of nonpolar substances dissolved in water, which can also profoundly affect seemingly unrelated phenomena. For instance, these tiny impurities are responsible for why water cavitates (forms bubbles) or boils so easily. In this context, I will explain how plants transport water at extreme negative pressures, as low as -100 atm, and how they prevent water in their vessels from cavitating.