When scientists looked at light patterns near Nafion surfaces, they found the patterns were actually caused by light reflecting off the surface, not by any special water structure.
Scientific Claim
Optical birefringence measurements near Nafion surfaces are likely confounded by reflection artifacts rather than evidence of water structure changes, as demonstrated by controlled experiments showing similar effects with air-dried Nafion and zinc surfaces.
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The study presents direct experimental evidence showing that birefringence near Nafion surfaces can be replicated with non-aqueous surfaces, indicating the effect is due to optical artifacts. The language accurately reflects the experimental findings.
Source Excerpt
“Attempts to replicate this result was performed by some of the authors using a polarized light microscope setup. It was found that there are confounding factors which cause the appearance of birefringence near the surface of Nafion. Both air-dried Nafion and zinc still exhibited a high degree of birefringence near the surface due to light reflected obliquely from the surface.”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting Evidence (1)
The study describes controlled experiments showing that birefringence near Nafion surfaces can be replicated with air-dried Nafion and zinc, indicating the effect is due to optical artifacts rather than water structure changes.