Interfacial Systems Chemistry: Towards the Remote Control of Surface Properties

摘要

Controlling the functionality of exposed surfaces is a key prerequisite for manipulating the properties of objects. This statement is true even more for nanoparticles, where the relative importance of atoms or molecular subunits exposed at the surface is much greater than for macroparticles. The tailoring of interface-controlled phenomena requires not only the fabrication of such surfaces with predefined static properties, for advanced applications it is also desirable to devise a remote control, such that surface properties can be adjusted by an external stimulus. The complex molecular architecture required to achieve this goal is an instructive example of the topics addressed in the emerging field of interfacial systems chemistry.