Contents


Preface

Modern systems necessitate the use of advanced materials with appropriate surface properties essential to enhance their performance significantly. A surface that is exposed directly to different environments depending on the application is paramount because it needs to exhibit excellent resistance against wear, erosion, corrosion, temperature, pressure, etc. to improve durability and achieve ever-greater efficiency. Therefore, there is a need to obtain an appropriate surface finish depending on the application, which necessitates the usage of multiple surface engineering techniques that are complementary to each other in association with suitable surface preparation processes. To ensure the expected behavior and efficiency, modern experimental methods to assess surface characteristics as well as interfaces are of great importance. This book presents recent advances in the field of surface science for a better understanding of surfaces and interfaces and their applications. It is a useful book describing a variety of materials for different applications and gives an in-depth understanding of mechanisms involved in achieving the desired properties that are extremely useful to materials developers, design engineers, scientists, system maintenance engineers, academia, students, researchers, and industrialists. The book comprises a collection of articles written by senior people specialized in

Chapter 1 covers organic semiconductors as active materials in thin film electronic devices, such as alkynes, heterocyclics, dyes, ferrocenes, spiranes, or porphyrins, with special geometries and certain electronic molecular parameters that possess nonlinear optical properties and offer several major advantages over their inorganic counterparts. There are a number of simple and versatile techniques that can be employed for the deposition of these important classes of materials. The matrixassisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique provides advantages with regard to making organic films of different morphologies on various types of substrates. New insights into crystallization growth mechanisms in MAPLE-deposited conjugated polymer films, which realize the connection between the structure and the carrier transport properties, are discussed herein. Second harmonic generation

Chapter 2 demonstrates different proposals of magnetic bioderivatives and their applicability in biotechnology. The historical context of immobilized enzymes, as well as immobilization methods highlighting the main advantages and disadvantages of each, is mentioned. In addition, iron oxides and composite materials are presented as support for biomolecule immobilization. Composites are effortlessly prepared, including many materials capable of providing advantages to the magnetic derivatives. Enzymes covalently linked to these magnetic particles combine their catalytic properties with reaction specificity, reusability, and possible reactor construction. In addition, proteins can also be purified by these magnetic composites containing specific ligands allowing reactors and reuses too. A number of characterization techniques used to study the magnetic material and derivative immobilized are described as well. Altogether, an engaging presentation of the interesting features of magnetic bioderivatives is highlighted, as well as their uses in

surface science and technologies.

capabilities of thin films are also investigated.

the biotechnology field and other applications.
