Surface phase structure

The knowledge of the surface-phase structure may be particularly important for the friction process. The latest data indicate that aggregates with structure different from the one observed in the bulk phase may form in the surface phase. The fact that such aggregates may form at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration... 

Phase transitions in overlayers or surfaces. The structure of surface layers may undergo a transition with temperature or coverage. Observation of changes in the diffraction pattern gives a qualitative analysis of a phase transition. Measurement of the intensity and the shape of the profile gives a quantitative analysis of phase boundaries and the influence of finite sizes on the transition. ... 

Surface SHG [4.307] produces frequency-doubled radiation from a single pulsed laser beam. Intensity, polarization dependence, and rotational anisotropy of the SHG provide information about the surface concentration and orientation of adsorbed molecules and on the symmetry of surface structures. SHG has been successfully used for analysis of adsorption kinetics and ordering effects at surfaces and interfaces, reconstruction of solid surfaces and other surface phase transitions, and potential-induced phenomena at electrode surfaces. For example, orientation measurements were used to probe the intermolecular structure at air-methanol, air-water, and alkane-water interfaces and within mono- and multilayer molecular films. Time-resolved investigations have revealed the orientational dynamics at liquid-liquid, liquid-solid, liquid-air, and air-solid interfaces [4.307]. 

Very recently, considerable effort has been devoted to the simulation of the oscillatory behavior which has been observed experimentally in various surface reactions. So far, the most studied reaction is the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide, where it is well known that oscillations are coupled to reversible reconstructions of the surface via structure-sensitive sticking coefficients of the reactants. A careful evaluation of the simulation results is necessary in order to ensure that oscillations remain in the thermodynamic limit. The roles of surface diffusion of the reactants versus direct adsorption from the gas phase, at the onset of selforganization and synchronized behavior, is a topic which merits further investigation. 

FIGURE 27.9 (a) Voltammetry curve for the UPD of TI on Au(l 11) in 0.1 M HCIO4 containing ImMTlBr. Sweep rate 20mV/s. The in-plane and surface normal structural models are deduced from the surface X-ray diffraction measurements and X-ray reflectance. The empty circles are Br and the filled circles are Tl. (b) Potential-dependent diffraction intensities at the indicated positions for the three coadsorbed phases. (From Wang et al., 1998, with permission from Elsevier.)... 

Figure 5.11 Variation in the catalytic activity of an Mg(0001) surface when exposed to a propene-rich propene- oxygen mixture at room temperature. The surface chemistry is followed by XPS (a), the gas phase by mass spectrometry (b) and surface structural changes by STM (c, d). Initially the surface is catalytically active producing a mixture of C4 and C6 products, but as the surface concentrations of carbonate and carbonaceous CxHy species increase, the activity decreases. STM images indicate that activity is high during the nucleation of the surface phase when oxygen transients dominate. (Reproduced from Ref. 39).

Although the dopant dissolves in the ceria lattice, we cannot rule out the presence of an amorphous dopant-rich phase at the surface of the catalyst (even after severe calcining). XPS + XRD measurements show a dopant-lean bulk and a dopant-rich surface. The structural similarity of the different catalysts is supported by the surface area-pore volume relationship (Figure 3). 

In summary, the alumina nanolayers formed by the high-temperature oxidation on NiAl alloy surfaces are structurally and chemically very different from the bulk-terminated surfaces of the various A1203 phases, and they thus provide very prototypical examples of oxide phases with novel emergent properties because of interfacial bonding and thickness confinement effects. 

The surface phase diagram of vanadium oxides on Rh(l 11) has been investigated in a series of papers of our group [4, 18, 19, 90, 101-103]. It is characterized by pronounced polymorphism and many different oxide structures have been detected as a function of coverage and growth temperature. The vanadium oxide structures for coverages up to the completion of the first monolayer formed on Rh(l 11) under the different preparation conditions may be subdivided into highly oxidized phases... 

Wadle, A., Forster, Th. and von Rybinski, W. (1993) Influence of the microemulsion phase structure on the phase inversion temperature emulsification of polar oils. Colloids and Surfaces A Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 76, 51-57. 

PHEMA solubility decreases with increasing ion concentration. As a result, Mikos et al. used salt solutions of varying ionic strength to dilute the reaction mixtures (Liu et al., 2000). It was noted that increasing the ion content of the aqueous solution to 0.7M, interconnected macropores were obtained at 60 vol% water. Surfactants may also be used to control the network pore structure. However, not much work has been done in this area, since surfactants typically work to reduce the surface repulsions between the two phases and form a uniform emulsion. These smaller emulsion droplets when gelled will create a network with an even smaller porous structure. Yet, this is still a promising area of exploration, since it may be possible to form alternate phase structures such as bicontinuous phases, which would be ideal for cellular invasion. 

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