Interface impurities

G. Elssner et al The influence of interface impurities on fracture energy of UHV diffusion bonded metal-ceramic bicrystals. Scripta Metall. Mater. 31, 1037-1042 (1994)... 

One of the most difficult problems for ab initio quantum chemistry is to determine the potential energy function for a chemical reaction on a metal surface. Why is this so First of all, the metal substrate is strongly delocalized. This means that the system cannot be modeled [1] by considering just a small or medium-sized cluster of metal atoms. On the other hand, the band structure techniques that would simplify calculations for a bare metal surface cannot be directly applied because the translational symmetry is broken by the presence of the reactants. As a result one has the difficulty of dealing with extended interactions without the benefit of simplifications due to symmetry. Many problems involving surfaces, interfaces, impurities, or defects in solid state materials fall under this broad rubric along with various solution phenomena as well. 

The reports were that water condensed from the vapor phase into 10-100-/im quartz or pyrex capillaries had physical properties distinctly different from those of bulk liquid water. Confirmations came from a variety of laboratories around the world (see the August 1971 issue of Journal of Colloid Interface Science), and it was proposed that a new phase of water had been found many called this water polywater rather than the original Deijaguin term, anomalous water. There were confirming theoretical calculations (see Refs. 121, 122) Eventually, however, it was determined that the micro-amoimts of water that could be isolated from small capillaries was always contaminated by salts and other impurities leached from the walls. The nonexistence of anomalous or poly water as a new, pure phase of water was acknowledged in 1974 by Deijaguin and co-workers [123]. There is a mass of fascinating anecdotal history omitted here for lack of space but told very well by Frank [124]. 

Water as an impurity accelerates the oxidation rate. Figure 4 compares growth curves for Si02 under dry and steam conditions. Halogens can also be introduced to the oxidation process, thereby reducing sodium ion contamination. This improves dielectric breakdown strength, and reduces interface trap density (15). 

The size of particles removed by such filters is less than the size of the passages. The mechanism of removal includes adsorption (qv) of the impurities at the interface between the media and the water either by specific chemical or van der Waals attractions or by electrostatic interaction when the medium particles have surface charges opposite to those on the impurities to be removed. 

The anticipated content of impurities in the refined metal may be calculated a priori by assuming thermodynamic equilibrium at both metal/gas interfaces, and using the relevant stabilities of tire gaseous iodides. Adequate thermodynamic data could provide the activities of the impurities widr that of zirconium close to unity, but tire calculation of tire impurity transport obviously requires a knowledge of activity coefficients in the original impure material, which are not sufficiently well known. 

In photoluminescence one measures physical and chemical properties of materials by using photons to induce excited electronic states in the material system and analyzing the optical emission as these states relax. Typically, light is directed onto the sample for excitation, and the emitted luminescence is collected by a lens and passed through an optical spectrometer onto a photodetector. The spectral distribution and time dependence of the emission are related to electronic transition probabilities within the sample, and can be used to provide qualitative and, sometimes, quantitative information about chemical composition, structure (bonding, disorder, interfaces, quantum wells), impurities, kinetic processes, and energy transfer. 

Quantum well interface roughness Carrier or doping density Electron temperature Rotational relaxation times Viscosity Relative quantity Molecular weight Polymer conformation Radiative efficiency Surface damage Excited state lifetime Impurity or defect concentration... 

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