Lateral surface

Abstract: Dry and in situ (fluid-cell) Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Low-Pressure Gas Adsorption experiments were used to investigate the surfaces of pure Na-smectite particles. These two techniques permit the identification of different surfaces of the platelets (lateral, basal, and interlayer surfaces) and to quantify their surface area. Calculation of the surface area was done for AFM, by measuring directly the dimensions of the clay particles on AFM images, and for gas adsorption experiments, by applying the Derivative Isotherm Summation (DIS) procedure designed by Villieras et al. (Villieras et al. 1992, 1997a, 1997b). In the present study, we find a discrepancy between measurements of the basal and interlayer surface area. This difference is due to the stacking of platelets in dry conditions compared to their dispersion in aqueous suspension. A particle is estimated to be formed of nearly 20 stacked layers in the dehydrated state used in the gas adsorption experiment, whereas it is estimated to be composed of only 1 or 2 layers in aqueous suspension, on the basis of AFM measurements. However, the two techniques give similar results for the lateral surface area of the platelets (i.e., about 8 m2/g) and the perimeter to area ratio value of the particles because the stacking of platelets does not alter these values. This correlation confirms the effectiveness of the interpretation of the gas adsorption experiments lowest pressure domains as the adsorption on lateral surfaces. The lateral surface area has important implications in the calculation of specific sorption site density on clay material. The relevance of the lateral surface area value (8 m2/g) was tested subsequently with sorption data found in the literature. Based on those results, we show that one essential parameter for the calculation of particle edge-site density is the mean perimeter to area ratio value. This parameter can be obtained by microscopic techniques but the measurement is tedious. The good correlation between the AFM results and the DIS-method results confirms that the latter procedure offers a quick and reliable alternative method for the measurement of the lateral surface area. AFM experiments can be further conducted to constrain the dispersion around the DIS value and the anisotropy of suspended particles.

Abstract: Piezoresponse scanning force microscopy measurements performed on lead zirconate titanate mesoscopic structures revealed a negative shift of the initial piezoelectric hysteresis loop. The shift is dependent on the size of the structure and is most probably due to the pinning of ferroelectric domains at the free lateral surface and ferroelectric–electrode interface. Considering a simple model, the thickness of the pinned domain layers is found to be about 15 and 70 nm at the ferroelectric–electrode interface and lateral free surface, respectively.

Abstract: An ultrasonic medical probe has an elongate shaft with a head portion having a distal end face oriented at least partially transversely to a longitudinal axis of the shaft The head portion has a lateral surface extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the lateral surface being provided with outwardly or radially extending projections The shaft of the probe is provided with an internal longitudinal channel or bore and at least one ancillary or tributary channel communicating at an inner end with the longitudinal channel or bore and extending to the lateral surface The ancillary or tributary channel has an outer end disposed in a region about the projections The projections may be finely configured and distributed so as to form a knurled surface on the head portion

Abstract: An experimental technique for imposing lateral confinement on specimens subjected to dynamic or quasi-static uniaxial compression has been developed. Lateral confinement is provided by a shrink-fit metal sleeve installed on the lateral surface of a cylindrical ceramic specimen. Experiments using this technique were performed on sintered aluminum nitride (A1N). The results show that the failure mode changes from fragmentation by axial splitting under conditions of uniaxial stress to localized faulting under moderate lateral confinement. The compressive failure strength of the AlN increases with the increase of confinement pressure under both static and dynamic loading conditions. The effect of strain rate on the failure strength appears to be independent of the confinement pressure.