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Course

MSE-425: Soft matter

Summary

The first part of the course is devoted to the self-assembly of molecules. In the second part we discuss basic physical chemical principles of polymers in solutions, at interfaces, and in bulk. Finally, we look at colloids and emulsions.

Lectures

Instructors (2)

Harm-Anton Klok

Esther Amstad

Esther Amstad studied material science at ETH in Zurich. She also carried out her PhD thesis at the same University under the supervision of Prof. Marcus Textor; for her thesis, she worked on the surface modification and steric stabilization of oxide nanoparticles. As a postdoctoral fellow, she joined the experimental condensed soft matter group of David A. Weitz at Harvard University where she used droplet based microfluidics to assemble different types of functional micro- and nanomaterials. In addition, she developped new microfluidic devices that enable the production of very small, airborne drops as well as devices that produce highly monodisperse emulsion drops at a very high throughput. In June 2014, Esther joined the material science department (IMX) of EPFL where she is leading the Soft Materials Laboratory (SMAL).

Official source

https://edu.epfl.ch/coursebook/en/soft-matter-MSE-425

Moodle Page

http://go.epfl.ch/MSE-425

Summary

Lectures

Instructors (2)

Harm-Anton Klok

Esther Amstad

Official source

https://edu.epfl.ch/coursebook/en/soft-matter-MSE-425

Moodle Page

http://go.epfl.ch/MSE-425

Ontological neighbourhood

Chemistry

Organic chemistry: Polymer chemistry

Lectures in this course (47)

Polymer Brushes: Surface-Initiated Polymerization

Explores the synthesis and properties of polymer brushes formed through surface-initiated polymerization.

Heat Transfer Fundamentals

Covers the organization of the course, the importance of exercises, and exam preparation guidelines.

Micelles: Thermodynamics and Formation

Explores the thermodynamics and formation of micelles, including critical concentration and aggregate shapes.

Micelles: Structure and Properties

Explores the formation and properties of micelles, the role of amphiphilic molecules in solubilizing fats, lyotropic liquid crystals, surface tension, and the Gibbs adsorption isotherm.

Vesicles: Formation and Characterization

Explores the formation, characterization, and applications of vesicles in drug delivery.

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