Second harmonic studies of liquid interfaces
This thesis reports on experimental studies of kinetics and equilibria at liquid interfaces using the technique of Second Harmonic Generation (SHG). In the first part, SHG was used to study the kinetics of adsorption of p-nitrophenol at the air/water interface of a flowing liquid jet. Measurements of the SH signal strength and the polarization of the SH light at various distances (times) along the jet axis yield information about the development of the density and orientation of p-nitrophenol at the air/water interface. The kinetics of adsorption was interpreted in terms of the Langmuir theory and was found to be consistent with this model. The free energy of adsorption obtained from the jet experiments was found to be the same as that obtained from static (equilibrium) experiments. The orientation of p-nitrophenol at the jet air/solution interface was the same as for the static (equilibrium) interface,which indicates that orientational equilibrium was rapidly achieved. It was also found that adsorption of nitrophenol to the air/water interface is not diffusion controlled, but rather is kinetically controlled by a barrier. SHG was then used to probe the silica/water interface.
- Research Organization:
- Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 111301
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: TH: Thesis (Ph.D.); PBD: 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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