New method enhances understanding of solvation shells

Researchers from the Fritz Haber Institute, Sorbonne University, and Uppsala University have developed a new method to study solvation shells, layers of solvent molecules surrounding dissolved ions. Their study, published in *Nature Communications*, utilizes resonant intermolecular Coulombic decay to measure electron binding energies in these shells, revealing insights into ion pair formation. This advancement aids various scientific fields, including chemistry and materials science.