Foreword

Chemical modification of solid surfaces by the use of additives is extremely important for a large variety of applications. For this reason, the book “Chemical modification of solid surfaces by the use of additive” summarizes these uses and gives an overview of recent developments of these syntheses and applications in this field. The book contains several chapters starting with fundamental science in “Role of surfactants in facet dependent synthesis of anisotropic nanostructures,” which highlights the importance of surface modification during synthesis of nanomaterials. In chapter two “Quantum dots; Synthesis, application, toxicology and surface modification with special consideration on CdTe QDs”, the synthesis of quantum dots as an optical nanomaterial is discussed in detail, where also toxicological aspects in relation to surface chemical modifications are discussed. This chapter is important and highlights especially the role of surface modifications to protect humans from harm by turning a potentially poisonous entity into a highly useful and harmless tool.

The book continues then with engineering questions starting from chapter 3, whereby the “Improvement of flow behavior of coal–water slurry using surfactant mixture” is discussed in detail highlighting the influence of surface modification for process engineering questions. In chapter 4 the influence of surface modification for health and environmental remediation are discussed, highlighting even the potential of surface modification for combining engineering with health and environmental aspects. Having introduced environmental protection in the aforementioned chapter, Chapter 5 “Generation of Fly ash and its surface modification for Pipeline transportation” highlights the importance of surface modification to prevent pipeline clotting and reduce the energy required for transport. By reducing the energy needed for transportation, surface modification techniques can even contribute to climate.

Surface chemical modifications are also important in sensing applications as chapter 6: “Chemical Modification of Carbon Electrode for Sensing Application” discusses. In addition to sensing, the “Functionality modification of polysaccharides for enhanced surface properties at cell-material interface for biomedical application” is nicely explained in chapter 7. Furthermore, the role of additives on metal coating substrate surfaces is discussed in chapter 8. After this chapter, the book switches to microelectronic and microwave applications with chapter 9 and 10. These chapters mainly discussed perovskite structures and their optical and dielectric properties, highlighting the potential of surface modification in the field of electronics.

Due to the rich content, I am confident that the book will be an interesting resource for students and experts from basic science to industry to expand their knowledge in the field of surface modifications.