Molecular Hydration Tunes the Cation–π Interaction Strength in Aqueous Solution

Cation–π interactions are considered to be among the most important strong noncovalent in aqueous solutions and as regulators of various biological phenomena, including adhesion, signal transduction, liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS). Despite their significant roles, cation–π environments not systematically experimentally understood. Here, we directly examined between cationic aromatic moieties common systems using a surface forces apparatus (SFA) augmented by computational methods. Specifically, chose with different levels hydration observed how molecular these affects formation strengths bonds. To date, charge densities interacting primarily modulate interaction strength; however, it is computationally revealed that (or hydrophobic properties) more for controlling underwater interactions.