#interfacial chemistry

• To adsorb — To attract, bind, and concentrate atoms, molecules, or ions from a fluid phase (gas or liquid) onto the surface or interface of a solid or liquid substrate. This physical or chemical process occurs via residual intermolecular forces or covalent bonds, strictly distinguished from the paronym verb 'to absorb', which entails penetration into the bulk volume. It is a spontaneous, typically exothermic surface-driven phenomenon.