Interfacial interaction between technique

The same methods to introduce grain boundaries, i.e. bi-crystal substrates, step-edges and bi-epitaxial techniques, also apply to the other superconductors [14.52, 14.107-14.109], The details of the interfacial interactions between the substrates and the thin films need to be investigated in order to find the optimum conditions and geometries for each individual system. The chemical interactions must also be considered when integrating the superconductors into multilayer structures. Intermediate non-superconducting layers that are inert to the YBCO may react chemically with the other superconductors. It is also necessary to carefully consider the ex situ processes of the Tl- and Hg-based superconductors producing multilayer structures. 

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can offer a good depth of held, good resolution, and easy specimen preparation. It can be used for immiscible polymer blends, where the phases are sufficiently large and can be easily debonded. Information on surface topography, size, and distribution of the dispersed phase and interfacial interaction between phases can be elucidated with this technique. Elemental analysis on the blend components can also be obtained if the SEM equipment includes an energy dispersion X-ray spectrometer (EDX). 

Van Ooij, W. J., Leijenaar, S. R., and van den Burgh, B. (1982). Study of interfacial interactions between paint systems and various metals using surface analytical techniques. XVI FATIPEC Congr. 56 pp. 

The final properties of the nanocomposites are determined by interfacial interaction between the wood fibers, polymers, nanoparticles, and other additives. Research on preparation of WPCs by using techniques like gamma radiation, electron beam (EB), or radio frequency (RF) to polymerize the monomer(s) within the composite is nearly instantaneous. The inclusion of pigments into impregnation solutions like supercritical fluid, e.g., SC-CO2 as the medium of impregnation may be studied extensively to investigate diversified value-added uses for modified wood, particularly for flooring and other value-added applications. 

The sol-gel technique has attracted enormous interest over 3 decades in the area of material science because this method facilitates the preparation of novel materials that are based on metal-oxide clusters. This process begins with molecular precursor at ambient temperature and then forms a metal or metal-oxide framework by hydrolysis and condensation. The formation of interpenetrating networks between inorganic and organic moieties at a milder temperature improves compatibility and builds strong interfacial interactions between two phases. This process has been used successfully to prepare different nanocomposites (Mallakpour and Dinari, 2012). 

The techniques described herein demonstrate the breadth of invaluable information that can be derived by analyzing the morphology and electrochemical properties of enzymes, redox-active biomolecules, and other polymers on conductive materials. Many of these techniques offer rapid and relatively noninvasive methods to monitor bioelectrode constmction and assembly. By combining complementary analysis, we are able to characterize nearly any type of electrode surface, including biological and inert components, and understand the interfacial interactions between the two. The ability to conduct analysis in a liquid environment (such as an AFM fluid cell) provides information that can be correlated to electrocatalytic activity. In-depth analysis at the range of scale described herein will increasingly become a complementary and indispensable tool to elucidate and understand surface electrochemistry and bioelectrochemical interface chemistry. 

Natural fibre modification relies on chemical and physical techniques to improve the interfacial interactions between the polyethylene matrix and the natural phase. The principal chemical and physical routes explored in polyethylene lignocellulosic fibre composites can be summarized as follows ... 

A lot of work has also been carried out in Brazil when it comes to using this technique for the devulcanisation of EPDM [99]. Waste EPDM from the automotive sector was exposed to microwave radiation for between 2 and 5 min and the DR produced characterised by a DSC and TGA. The degree of devulcanisation was assessed using gel content measurements. Workers from the same Brazilian university [100] have also devulcanised EPDM rubber by microwaves and then blended it with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in the presence of a peroxide to improve the interfacial interaction between the two phases. The presence of the devulcanised EPDM in the LDPE matrix resulted in a reduction in the deformation and traction strength, but a significant increase in the elastic modulus values and impact strength. DSC data obtained on the mixture showed that the... 

The study of acid-base interaction is an important branch of interfacial science. These interactions are widely exploited in several practical applications such as adhesion and adsorption processes. Most of the current studies in this area are based on calorimetric studies or wetting measurements or peel test measurements. While these studies have been instrumental in the understanding of these interfacial interactions, to a certain extent the interpretation of the results of these studies has been largely empirical. The recent advances in the theory and experiments of contact mechanics could be potentially employed to better understand and measure the molecular level acid-base interactions. One of the following two experimental procedures could be utilized (1) Polymers with different levels of acidic and basic chemical constitution can be coated on to elastomeric caps, as described in Section 4.2.1, and the adhesion between these layers can be measured using the JKR technique and Eqs. 11 or 30 as appropriate. For example, poly(p-amino styrene) and poly(p-hydroxy carbonyl styrene) can be coated on to PDMS-ox, and be used as acidic and basic surfaces, respectively, to study the acid-base interactions. (2) Another approach is to graft acidic or basic macromers onto a weakly crosslinked polyisoprene or polybutadiene elastomeric networks, and use these elastomeric networks in the JKR studies as described in Section 4.2.1. 

Interfacial water molecules play important roles in many physical, chemical and biological processes. A molecular-level understanding of the structural arrangement of water molecules at electrode/electrolyte solution interfaces is one of the most important issues in electrochemistry. The presence of oriented water molecules, induced by interactions between water dipoles and electrode and by the strong electric field within the double layer has been proposed [39-41]. It has also been proposed that water molecules are present at electrode surfaces in the form of clusters [42, 43]. Despite the numerous studies on the structure of water at metal electrode surfaces using various techniques such as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy [44, 45], surface infrared spectroscopy [46, 47[, surface enhanced infrared spectroscopy [7, 8] and X-ray diffraction [48, 49[, the exact nature of the structure of water at an electrode/solution interface is still not fully understood. 

The surface properties of CNTs are paramount for their hybridization with other components. The formation of large bundles due to van der Waals interactions between hydrophobic CNT walls further limits the accessibility of individual tubes. Functionalization of CNTs can enhance their dispersion in aqueous solvent mixtures and provide a means for tailoring the interfacial interactions in hybrid and composite materials. Functionalization techniques can be divided in covalent and non-covalent routes, which will be described in greater detail in Chapter 3. 

In Ref 169, some peculiarities associated with adsorption of alkyne peroxides from DM F-water solutions onto the mercury electrode in the presence of tetraethylammonium cations have been described. Polarography and electrocapillary measurements were employed as the experimental techniques. It has been shown that interfacial activity of these peroxides was determined by the species generated as a result of associative interactions between peroxides and DMF and tetraethylammonium cations. 

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