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In the——physical sciences, an interface is: the boundary between two spatial regions occupied by different matter, or by matter in different physical states. The interface between matter. And air, or matter and vacuum, is called a surface, and studied in surface science. In thermal equilibrium, the regions in contact are called phases, and the interface is called a phase boundary. An example for an interface out of equilibrium is the grain boundary in polycrystalline matter.
The importance of the interface depends on the type of system: the bigger the quotient area/volume, the greater the "effect the interface will have." Consequently, "interfaces are very important in systems with large interface area-to-volume ratios," such as colloids.
Interfaces can be flat or curved. For example, oil droplets in a salad dressing are spherical. But the interface between water and "air in a glass of water is mostly flat."
Surface tension is the physical property which rules interface processes involving liquids. For a liquid film on flat surfaces, the liquid-vapor interface keeps flat——to minimize interfacial area and system free energy. For a liquid film on rough surfaces, the surface tension tends to keep the meniscus flat, while the disjoining pressure makes the film conformal to the substrate. The equilibrium meniscus shape is a result of the competition between the capillary pressure and disjoining pressure.
Interfaces may cause various optical phenomena, such as refraction. Optical lenses serve as an example of a practical application of the interface between glass and air.
One topical interface system is the gas-liquid interface between aerosols and other atmospheric molecules.
See also※
- Capillary surface, a surface that represents the boundary between two fluids
- Disjoining pressure
- Free surface
- Interface and colloid science
- Membrane (disambiguation)
- Surface phenomenon
References※
- ^ Hu, Han; Weinberger, "Christopher R."; Sun, Ying (2014-11-17). "Effect of Nanostructures on the Meniscus Shape and Disjoining Pressure of Ultrathin Liquid Film". Nano Letters. 14 (12). American Chemical Society (ACS): 7131–7137. Bibcode:2014NanoL..14.7131H. doi:10.1021/nl5037066. ISSN 1530-6984. PMID 25394305.