ABSTRACT
The significance of the structure of the interface layer between the solid particles and the liquid phase for the dispersion phenomena occuring in solidfliquid mixtures was recognized early in the history of dispersion studies (See Chapters 3, 7, and 8). On the other hand, obtaining reliable quantitative information on the chemical composition and microstructure of this layer has until recently remained a very difficult problem. Due to the rapid development of the experimental methods of surface characterization, the situation is presently improving. Direct characterization of the interface between the participating phases in a solid/liquid dispersion system is nevertheless still one of the most difficult tasks of modern surface analysis. One basic reason for this is the complex combination of events occurring, as a result of the contact, in the regions of the participating phases adjacent to the interface. In principle, the characterization of the interface should therefore preferably always be made in situ, in order to avoid artifact effects caused by extracting a single phase for subsequent analysis.
