Real-Time Monitoring of Chemical and Materials Processes

4 Real-Time Monitoring of Chemical and Materials Processes 

Because acoustic wave devices are sensitive and respond rapidly, they are ideally suited for real-time monitoring of chemical and physical systems. As discussed in the introduction to this chapter, thin films represent a growing industrial and technological concern for a variety of applications. The use of acoustic devices to characterize the physical properties of these films has been dealt with in the previous sections. Here we describe how these devices can be used to monitor film formation or dissolution processes, or to observe and characterize film properties as a function of time (similar to the monitoring of diffusion in polymers described in Section 4.2.2). 

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Future advances in precursor purity and manufacturing technology, real-time monitoring of chemical reactions, MOCVD reactor chamber design, computer-controlled epitaxial growth systems, detailed chemical process models, and real-time process control will lead to improved process efficiencies, reduced hazardous waste, and enhanced device reproducibility, yield, and performance. The future of MOCVD is certainly bright. We are on the frontier of a great expansion of the abilities of MOCVD to provide materials for products that improve and expand the human experience on earth, under the oceans, and in space. 

In catalysis, HRTEM analyses are particularly important [24] for in situ observations in the stmcture of materials and allow monitoring of chemical processes at the atomic level. HRTEM fitted with chambers allows the in situ reaction and gives information of structural dynamics during the reaction in real time under the influence of temperature and reactive atmosphere. Eigure 12.9 shows an HRTEM analysis in situ during the reaction, revealing such modifications on Cu/ZnO catalyst under different gaseous atmospheres [25]. 

It is particularly important to study process phenomena under dynamic (rather than static) conditions. Most current analytical techniques are designed to determine the initial and final states of a material or process. Instmments must be designed for the analysis of materials processing in real time, so that the cmcial chemical reactions in materials synthesis and processing can be monitored as they occur. Recent advances in nuclear magnetic resonance and laser probes indicate valuable lines of development for new techniques and comparable instmmentation for the study of interfaces, complex hquids, microstmctures, and hierarchical assemblies of materials. Instmmentation needs for the study of microstmctured materials are discussed in Chapter 9. 

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