Nanowerk  June 23, 2023 Liquids induce electronic polarization and drive electric currents as they flow; electronic excitations, in turn, participate in hydrodynamic friction. Yet, the underlying solid–liquid interactions have been lacking a direct experimental probe. An international team of researchers (Germany, UK, Spain) heated graphene electron quasi-instantaneously by a visible excitation pulse and monitored the time evolution of the electronic temperature with a terahertz pulse. They observed that water accelerated the cooling of the graphene electrons, whereas other polar liquids leave the cooling dynamics largely unaffected. A quantum theory of solid–liquid heat transfer accounts for the water-specific cooling enhancement through […]