Interface region

The classic nucleation theory is an excellent qualitative foundation for the understanding of nucleation. It is not, however, appropriate to treat small clusters as bulk materials and to ignore the sometimes significant and diffuse interface region. This was pointed out some years ago by Cahn and Hilliard [16] and is reflected in their model for interfacial tension (see Section III-2B). 

After the skimmer, the ions must be prepared for mass analysis, and electronic lenses in front of the analyzer are used to adjust ion velocities and flight paths. The skimmer can be considered to be the end of the interface region stretching from the end of the plasma flame. Some sort of light stop must be used to prevent emitted light from the plasma reaching the ion collector in the mass analyzer (Figure 14.2). 

The interface region in a composite is important in determining the ultimate properties of the composite. At the interface a discontinuity occurs in one or more material parameters such as elastic moduli, thermodynamic parameters such as chemical potential, and the coefficient of thermal expansion. The importance of the interface region in composites stems from two main reasons the interface occupies a large area in composites, and in general, the reinforcement and the matrix form a system that is not in thermodynamic equiUbhum. 

In concentrated electrolytes the electric current appHed to a stack is limited by economic considerations, the higher the current I the greater the power consumption W in accordance with the equation W = P where is the electrical resistance of the stack. In relatively dilute electrolytes the electric current that can be appHed is limited by the abflity of ions to diffuse to the membranes. This is illustrated in Eigure 4 for the case of an AX membrane. When a direct current is passed, a fraction (t 0.85-0.95) is carried by anions passing out of the membrane—solution interface region and... 

The most common application of dynamic SIMS is depth profiling elemental dopants and contaminants in materials at trace levels in areas as small as 10 pm in diameter. SIMS provides little or no chemical or molecular information because of the violent sputtering process. SIMS provides a measurement of the elemental impurity as a function of depth with detection limits in the ppm—ppt range. Quantification requires the use of standards and is complicated by changes in the chemistry of the sample in surface and interface regions (matrix efiects). Therefore, SIMS is almost never used to quantitadvely analyze materials for which standards have not been carefiilly prepared. The depth resoludon of SIMS is typically between 20 A and 300 A, and depends upon the analytical conditions and the sample type. SIMS is also used to measure bulk impurities (no depth resoludon) in a variety of materials with detection limits in the ppb-ppt range. 

Yet another strength of SNMS is the ability to measure elemental concentrations accurately at interfaces, as illustrated in Figure 8, which shows the results of the measurement of N and O in a Ti thin film on Si. A substantial oxide film has formed on the exposed Ti surface. The interior of the Ti film is free of N and O, but significant amounts of both are observed at the Ti/Si interface. SNMS is as sensitive to O as to N, and both the O and N contents are quantitatively measured in all regions of the structure, including the interface regions. Quantitation at the interface transition between two matrix types is difficult for SIMS due to the matrix dependence of ion yields. 

Two vacuum systems are used to provide both the high vacuum needed for the mass spectrometer and the differential pumping required for the interface region. Rotary pumps are used for the interface region. The high vacuum is obtained using diffusion pumps, cryogenic pumps, or turbo pumps. 

Unlike linear optical effects such as absorption, reflection, and scattering, second order non-linear optical effects are inherently specific for surfaces and interfaces. These effects, namely second harmonic generation (SHG) and sum frequency generation (SFG), are dipole-forbidden in the bulk of centrosymmetric media. In the investigation of isotropic phases such as liquids, gases, and amorphous solids, in particular, signals arise exclusively from the surface or interface region, where the symmetry is disrupted. Non-linear optics are applicable in-situ without the need for a vacuum, and the time response is rapid. 

The interface region from the electrode to the Helmholz plane (the locus of the centres of the ions in contact with the electrode) across which the potential varies linearly. 

Because the interface region is thin, the flux across a thin film will be at steady state. Therefore, the transfer rate to the gas-liquid interface is equal to its transfer rate through the liquid-side film. Thus,... 

One of the key issues of mechanical behavior of multicomponent materials such as TPV is the stmcture and properties of the interface regions. The phase image in Figure 20.1 Id shows a part of TPV sample with few mbber domains surrounded by iPP matrix. An extended rectangle area outlined with a white dotted box includes several interfaces between mbber domains and the plastic matrix. Examination of the interfaces is a challenging task and one possible approach is AFM-based... 

In some species, onion (2), tomato, and sugar beet (13), the interface regions between cells, ie the middle lamella and the cell corners, are rich in relatively unesterified pectins which may function in cell-cell adhesion and play an important structural role in tissue integrity. Cell corners, in particular, may act as joists in the scaffolding function of the wall, bearing much of the mechanical load of the tissue (Jeronomidis, pers. comm.). In Zinnia leaves, although all of the cell-walls contain methyl-esterified pectin. 

Since natural Au consists solely of Au, the interface-selective enrichment technique cannot be applied in Au studies. The absorber thickness for Au is required to be large and therefore multilayered samples of Au layers/3r/ metal layers have to be prepared. The spectra for Au/Fe with varying Au-layer thickness are shown in Fig. 7.83 [437]. The results were interpreted as follows large magnetic hyperfine fields at Au sites exist only within two monolayers at the interface region, which are supposed to be induced by direct coupling with anti-ferromagnetically oriented Fe 3d atoms. 

Faiz et al. (1996) have applied micro-PIXE analysis to study solute distributions in a single crystal sample of YiBa2Cu307 5 high temperature superconductor (YBCO) of dimensions 1.3 mm x 1.5 mm x 75 pm. It contained a small secondary crystal overgrowth of dimensions 340 x 340 x 100 pm3. The interface region between the smaller crystal and the base crystal was covered with a material which appeared to be residual flux. The instrument employed a 2.5 MeV focused proton beam of about 4 pm resolution, which could scan an area of 500 x 500 pm2 on the sample surface. The microbeam current was kept low (typically about 30 pA) to avoid any damage to the sample. 

An average compositional spectrum as well as two-dimensional element distribution maps were acquired simultaneously from each scanned area. Line spectra could also be obtained by allowing the microbeam to scan along a line across the crystal face. The authors examined the base crystal, the smaller crystal as well as the interface region. 

The scanning line was chosen to cross the interface region twice, and the concentration differences of the elements in the three regions were confirmed by Faiz et al. by PIXE measurements on fixed spots in these areas. 

Figure 4.24. Elemental distribution maps from an area of 500 x 500 pm2 covering the smaller crystal, the interface region and part of the base crystal of YBCO. (Reproduced by permission of Faiz et al. 1966.)... 

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