MICELLES, COLLOIDS AND SURFACES
Having attended the lecture courses on Chemical Thermodynamics and Physical Chemistry I.
Viva voce exam: solving quantitative problems and verification of the ability in employing the taught material in practical cases.
• Knowledge of the key thermodynamic processes, of the key measurable quantities and of their physical and chemical meaning, both at the macroscopic and microscopic levels of detail;
• Ability in selecting the appropriate concepts, formulae and equations to be employed while tackling quantitative questions and analyzing experimental data or the quantitative features of interfacial systems; ability in extrapolating or simplifying complicate interfacial systems to allow their rational analysis;
• Understanding the differences in behavior between interfacial and bulk systems;
• Appreciation for the scientific and technological applications of dispersed systems.
Introduction to dispersed and discontinuous systems: scientific and technological importance; practical applications; experimental measures and theoretical predictions (4h)
Fluid interfaces and capillarity: surface tension and its dependence on temperature and composition; molecular monolayers; intermolecular forces and origin of interphase tension; molecular characteristics and their impact on interface tension (6h).
Static and dynamical effects of surface tension: Young-Laplace equation and its solutions; experimental determination of surface tension; surface curvature and impact on vapor pressure (Kelvin's effect); bubbles and droplets nucleation, statistical and classical description; supersaturation; thin liquid films and their properties; disjoining pressure (10h)
Energetic of bulk systems and their interfaces; surface wetting and droplet curvature, multicomponent systems and interfacial adsorption; application of the "phase rule" and Gibbs' adsorption equation; physical and chemical characteristics of surfactants; surfactant self-assembly; protecting solid materials (12h).
Dispersed systems: micelles and self-assembling systems, crystal mesophases; micell dynamics and time-evolution; micelles as drug vectors; polymeric micelles; lysosomes and vesicles (8h).
Colloids: definition of colloidal systems and their classification; stability and preparation of colloidal systems; colloidal morphology (shape, size and related distributions); sedimentation, centrifugation and diffusion of colloids; experimental determination of size and its distribution (microscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering); interaction between colloidal particles and its consequences (DVLO theory, Hofmeister series, kinetics and dynamics of aggregation); polymer adsorption (strong and weak polyelectrolytes) on colloidal particles (8h).
Frontal lectures (40h): theoretical presentation of the main topics by means of overhead projections or schematics on the whiteboard; quantitative analysis of a few case studies.
Practical experiences (12h): physico-chemical measurements on colloidal or interphase systems.
Further explanations: any day, by appointment only.