Suspensions and polymer solutions

Advanced course, Semester A, 2006/2007
0351.4809
Mondays 10:00-13:00, Ornstein 102

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General agenda

• Interactions between suspended particles; suspension stability
• Dynamics of suspensions
• Models of chain-like molecules
• Phase diagrams and phase transitions of polymer solutions
• Polymer dynamics
• Biopolymers

Program

• Lecture 1 (23/10/06)
  • Introduction: particulate liquids
  • Electrostatic interactions: Poisson-Boltzmann theory, Debye-Huckel approximation, potential near a charged plane
  Exercise #1   Solution #1
   
• Lecture 2 (30/10/06)
  • Electrostatic interactions (cont.): potential near a charged sphere, interaction between two charges planes
  
  
• Lecture 3 (6/11/06)
  • Derjaguin approximation (force between curved surfaces)
  • Electrostatic interaction between two charged spheres
  • van der Waals interactions: Keesom interaction, Debye interaction, London (dispersion) interaction
  Exercise #2   Solution #2
   
• Lecture 4 (13/11/06)
  • van der Waals interaction (cont.): interaction between two planes, interaction between two spheres
  • DLVO theory of suspension stability
  • Additional interactions
  • Depletion interaction
  Exercise #3   Solution #3
   
• Lecture 5 (20/11/06)
  • Brownian motion: random walk, Langevin equation, Einstein relation, Stokes-Einstein fromula
  • Hydrodynamics: Navier-Stokes equation, Reynolds number
  
  
• Lecture 6 (27/11/06)
  • Hydrodynamics (cont.): Oseen tensor
  • Hydrodynamic interactions: pair mobility, correlated Brownian motion, pair diffusivity
  Exercise #4   Solution #4
   
• Lecture 7 (7/12/06)
  • Hydrodynamic screening and effective viscosity of a suspension
  
  
• Lecture 8 (11/12/06)
  • Models of single polymer chains:
    • Rotational-isomeric chain
    • Freely jointed chain; Gaussian chain
    • Freely rotating chain
    • Semiflexible polymer; persistence length
    • Worm-like chain
  Exercise #5   Solution #5
   
• Lecture 9 (18/12/06)
  • Stretching a biopolymer
  
  
• Lecture 10 (1/1/07)
  • Relevance of interactions in real chains; fractal dimension
  • Flory argument; swelling exponent
  • Solvent quality
  • Theta collapse
  Exercise #6   Solution #6
   
• Lecture 11 (8/1/07)
  • Scaling theory for single chains
    • Thermal blobs
    • Tension blobs
  • Many chains: Flory-Huggins theory
  Exercise #7   Solution #7
   
• Lecture 12 (15/1/07)
  • Flory-Huggins theory:
    • Phase separation
    • Melts; screening of correlations
  • Semi-dilute solutions: scaling theory; Edwards' screening
  • Generic phase diagram of a polymer solution
  Exercise #8   Solution #8
   
• Lecture 13 (22/1/07)
  • Single-chain dynamics:
    • Rouse model
    • Zimm model