Glass research needs

Allendorf M.D. Research needs for coatings on glass. Summary of the US Department of Energy roadmapping workshop. Thin Solid Films 2001 392 15163 Ameida R.M. Sol-gel planar waveguides for integrated optics. J. Non-Cryst. Sol. 1999 259 176-181... 

Adsorption phenomena from solutions onto sohd surfaces have been one of the important subjects in colloid and surface chemistry. Sophisticated application of adsorption has been demonstrated recently in the formation of self-assembhng monolayers and multilayers on various substrates [4,7], However, only a limited number of researchers have been devoted to the study of adsorption in binary hquid systems. The adsorption isotherm and colloidal stabihty measmement have been the main tools for these studies. The molecular level of characterization is needed to elucidate the phenomenon. We have employed the combination of smface forces measmement and Fomier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) to study the preferential (selective) adsorption of alcohol (methanol, ethanol, and propanol) onto glass surfaces from their binary mixtures with cyclohexane. Om studies have demonstrated the cluster formation of alcohol adsorbed on the surfaces and the long-range attraction associated with such adsorption. We may call these clusters macroclusters, because the thickness of the adsorbed alcohol layer is about 15 mn, which is quite large compared to the size of the alcohol. The following describes the results for the ethanol-cycohexane mixtures [10],... 

The reactor, a commercially supplied quartz photochemical reaction vessel, was fitted to meet the needs of this research (Figure 1). This included use of a Teflon-coated magnetic stirring bar in the reactor, a fiitted glass sparger, a nitrogen line used to cool the UV lany, and an injection port. Deionized water was distilled prior to use. 

The requirements of a scientist differ from those of a professional glass-worker. The starting point of a new research is new ideas, and when these require subsequent experimental investigation the apparatus used need be only good enough to give results which are... 

Concocting an ingenious experiment to test this hypothesis, the researchers attached a thin tether to the back of a fly with superglue. Then they used a gauge to measure the force needed to lift the fly off the glass. Next they made the fly walk a plank covered with filter paper soaked in hexane, a solvent that dissolves fatty materials. Once more they placed the fly on a glass... 

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