Surface analysis by scanning electrochemical microscopy: resolution studies and applications to polymer samples.

Resolution studies of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) have been performed in the feedback mode and in the generator/collector mode at circular model structures. A quantitative correlation of the loss in resolution and the increase in distance between tip and sample is found. Measuring a band electrode of just 500 nm width, the high sensitivity of the SECM in identifying chemically active sites is proven. Applied to polymer samples, the chemical composition was determined in the feedback mode at high lateral resolution. The difference in electrical conductivity allows one to distinguish between doped and undoped parts of a polyaniline film. By scanning above a blend consisting of polypyrrole and polypropylene, a map of the local chemical composition was obtained. In this context, the influence of the tip overpotential on the image is discussed.

[Comparative post-treatment evaluation of patients with pain-dysfunction syndrome]. / Vergleichende Nachuntersuchung von Patienten mit Dysfunktionsschmerzsyndrom.

It was the objective of this study to evaluate the effects of the changes assessed by clinical functional analyses before and after treatment on the subjective symptoms of 234 patients with TMJ disorders and facial pain. The results showed that the numbers of tender muscles and the changes in interincisal opening are more closely correlated with the subjective discomfort of the patients than the extent of interocclusal clearance or deviation during jaw opening.