| Abstract: | A. Importance of Surface Properties When any solid material, either organic or inorganic, is to be used, surface properties of the material often determine the value as a practical usable material. All solid materials having definite shapes are surrounded by other materials, and hence interfacial phenomena should be taken into account. Surface properties are as important as such bulk properties as tensile strength, elongation, Young's modulus, and hardness. Furthermore, full utilization of bulk properties is often supported by surface properties. This is particularly the case of fiber, film, membrane, or others in which the surface area/volume ratio is large. Even when mechanical properties alone look important, as in the case of composite materials, interfacial phenomena in filler-matrix interactions are fundamental in determining the bulk properties. |
