• Level of study

    BAC +5

  • ECTS

    5 credits

  • Component

    Faculty of Science

  • Hourly volume

    42h

Description

This course presents the concepts, foundations and orders of magnitude of the physics and physical chemistry of interfaces that govern the mesoscopic scale of matter, and ultimately determine the behavior and properties of everyday objects: soil, milk, cheese, paints, inks, cosmetics, adhesives, lubricants ..., many technological processes and biological cells and membranes.

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Objectives

Understand the microscopic physical origin of colloidal interactions and be able to evaluate their intensities and ranges in relation to thermal agitation energy: For example, know how to calculate the van der Waals interaction energy between objects of simple geometric shapes, or the range of interactions between charged surfaces in water as a function of the ionic strength

- Know how to characterize a colloidal state: nature of the dispersion, specific surface, sedimentation length, diffusion coefficient, etc.

- Correctly estimate the numerical values of the various physical quantities relevant to the mesoscopic scale and know how to express them in units adapted to this scale.

- To know the different types of surface-active molecules, their self-assembly modalities: to calculate a critical micellar concentration, to know how to characterize it experimentally

- Know how to solve simple exercises related to the statics of anchoring.

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Necessary pre-requisites

Basic knowledge of general physics (thermodynamics, electrostatics, forces, energy, rudiments of quantum mechanics), thermochemistry, and mastery of basic mathematical tools for physics (derivatives, integrals, limited developments, cylindrical and spherical coordinates)

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Knowledge control

Final examination

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Syllabus

The colloidal state: description, time, energy and length scales

Intermolecular interactions: covalent interactions, Coulomb interactions, dipolar interactions, se

Van de Waals interaction between colloids

Electrostatic forces between surfaces in liquids.

Steric forces mediated by polymers

Colloidal stability: DLVO theory. Coagulation kinetics.

Physical chemistry of self-assembly and surfactants

Wetting phenomena: surface and interfacial tension, wetting criterion, spreading parameter, capillary length, Young-Dupré's Law, Laplace's Law, Jurin's Law, tensiometry.

Chemical equilibria and free enthalpy

Acid-base, redox, solubility and complexation equilibria.

Preparation of colloidal suspensions ?

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