ABSTRACT
Experiments show that molecules that are situated at the interfaces (e.g., between gas-liquid, gas-solid, liquid-solid, liquid1-liquid2, solid1-solid2) are known to behave differently (Figure 1.2) than those in the bulk phase (Bakker, 1928; Adam, 1930; Bancroft, 1932; Partington, 1951; Harkins, 1952; Davies and Rideal, 1963; Defay et al., 1966; Gaines, 1966; Matijevic, 1969; Aveyard and Hayden, 1973; Fendler and Fendler, 1975; Chattoraj and Birdi, 1984; Birdi, 1989, 1997, 2002CD, 1999, 2002, 2009, 2010a, 2010b; Adamson and Gast, 1997; Rosen, 2004; Schramm, 2005; Somasundaran, 2006; Kolasinski, 2008; Miller and Neogi, 2008; Somarajai and Li, 2010; Barnes, 2011). Typical examples are:
Liquid surfaces Surfaces of oceans, lakes, and rivers Lung surface, biological cells surfaces
Solid surfaces Road surfaces (car tire) Adhesion, glues, tapes
Cement industry Paper industry Construction industry (tunnels, etc.)
Liquid-solid interfaces Washing and cleaning (dry cleaning) Wastewater treatment Air pollution Power plants
Liquid-liquid interfaces (oil-water systems) Emulsions (cosmetics, pharmaceutical products) Diverse industries
Oil and gas, and shale oil recovery (fracking technology), paper and printing, milk products
The science of surface chemistry covers a very large area, and therefore some essential concepts are delineated here. More details will be covered in the rest of the book, and real practical examples will be analyzed. The classical physical chemistry will be applied throughout the book, along with suitable literature references. However, some essential principles will be delineated in appendices in each chapter.