Filling modification interface

Electrochemical pumps have also been successfully used to promote reactions catalytically. If oxygen is pumped through a zirconia cell into a reaction chamber which is, e.g., filled with hydrocarbons, not only the oxygen that is transferred, reacts. The anode itself can act catalytically. It seems that this so-called NEMCA effect ( Nonfaradaic Electrochemical Modification of Catalytic Activity 51) relies on a hindered surface reaction as a consequence of which the applied potential is translated into a concentration polarization, as reflected by the enrichment of a not fully oxidized oxygen species (e.g., O or O2") at the interface.51"53 For this species, redistribution equilibrium may be assumed that... 

Tillie et al. (1998) examined the effect of the fibre/matrix interface on the cure of glass-fibre-filled epoxy-resin systems. They found that the introduction of a lower-Tg interphase based on hydroxylated PDMS oligomers allowed an increase in toughness without a reduction in modulus or Tg. This was due to a modification of the stress field under load due to the elastomeric interphase. 

The polar nature of wood-based fillers also simplifies the chemical modification of the filler surface. Grafting is one of the most widely studied methods of improving adhesion at the fibre-matrix interface. By attaching a suitable polymer segment to wood fibres having a solubility parameter similar to that of the polymer matrix, the compatability between the polymer and fibre can be improved. Kokta and co-workers reported an improvement in the mechanical properties of PS filled with styrene-grafted hard wood fibres [54]. 

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