Suspensions and polymer solutions

Advanced course, Semester B, 2010/2011
0351.4809
Wednesdays 16:00-19:00, Ornstein 110

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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 (23/2/11)
  • Introduction: particulate liquids
  • Electrostatic interactions:
    • Poisson-Boltzmann theory
    • Debye-Huckel approximation
    • potential near a charged plane
  
  
• Lecture 2 (2/3/11)
  • Electrostatic interactions (cont.):
    • potential near a charged plane - nonlinear theory
    • potential near a charge sphere
    • interaction between two charged planes
  Exercise #1   Solution #1
   
• Lecture 3 (9/3/11)
  • Derjaguin approximation (force between curved surfaces)
  • Electrostatic interaction between two charged spheres
  • van der Waals interactions between molecules
  
  
• Lecture 4 (16/3/11)
  • van der Waals interaction between molecules (cont.)
  • van der Waals interaction between two planes; between two spheres
  Exercise #2   Solution #2
   
• Lecture 5 (23/3/11)
  • DLVO theory of suspension stability
  • Additional interactions
  • Depletion interaction
  Exercise #3   Solution #3
   
• Lecture 6 (30/3/11)
  • Brownian motion: random walk, Langevin equation, Einstein relation
  
  
• Lecture 7 (6/4/11)
  • Stokes-Einstein fromula
  • Hydrodynamics: Navier-Stokes equation, Reynolds number
  • Hydrodynamics: Oseen tensor
  
  
• Lecture 8 (13/4/11)
  • Hydrodynamic interactions: pair mobility, correlated Brownian motion, pair diffusivity
  • Models of single polymer chains: rotational-isomeric chain
  Exercise #4   Solution #4
   
• Lecture 9 (27/4/11)
  • Gaussian chain; Kuhn length
  • Semiflexible polymer; persistence length
  • Worm-like chain
  • Stretching a biopolymer
  Exercise #5   Solution #5
   
• Lecture 10 (4/5/11)
  • Stretching a biopolymer (cont.)
  • Relevance of interactions in real chains
  
  
• Lecture 11 (11/5/11)
  • Relevance of interactions (cont.): fractal dimension
  • Flory argument; swelling exponent
  • Solvent quality
  • Theta collapse
  • Scaling theory for single chains: thermal blobs
  Exercise #6   Solution #6
   
• Lecture 12 (18/5/11)
  • Scaling theory for single chains: tension blobs
  • PDF of a real chain
  • Many chains: Flory-Huggins theory
  Exercise #7   Solution #7
   
• Lecture 13 (25/5/11)
  • Flory-Huggins theory:
    • Phase separation
    • Melts; screening of correlations
  Exercise #8   Solution #8
   
• Lecture 14 (1/6/11)
  • Semi-dilute solutions: scaling theory; Edwards' screening
  • Generic phase diagram of a polymer solution