iCampus
General physics, General chemistry, Introduction to thermodynamics
The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Overview of colloidal systems and interfaces
Kinetic theory of colloidal systems: concepts, applications
Surface energy: concepts, applications
Adsorption: concepts, applications
Charged interfaces: physico-chemical models
Interactions between surfaces: concepts, applications
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Rephrase the concepts which allow understanding physico-chemical phenomena involving dispersed systems and interfaces (surfaces, colloids, nanometer-scale and supramolecular systems), and their impact on the behavior of such systems at the macroscale;
- Evaluate the consequences of these phenomena, based on realistic numerical values;
- Establish links between phenomena occurring at different scales (nano, micro, macro);
- Explain phenomena observed in daily life or in typical bioengineering applications (materials, food, living systems, soils and environment, chemical industries, biotechnology) on the basis of concepts developed in the course;
- Predict the behavior of simple systems.
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Written exam, including an open book question
Lectures illustrated by experimental observations and mixed with the resolution of numerical exercises.
Introduction: overview of colloidal systems and interfaces.
Kinetic theory of colloidal systems: sedimentation, centrifugation, diffusion, Brownian movement.
Surface energy: surface tension, Laplace equation, wetting - capillarity - adhesion - cohesion - dispersion, porosimetry, illustrations.
Adsorption from solution: properties of monolayers, adsorption, Gibbs equation, Langmuir isotherm, illustrations.
Properties of charged surfaces: origin of charge, physical and chemical models of the double layer, interactions between particles and stability of colloidal systems.
Syllabus. Illustrations of the lectures available through iCampus.
