CHEE 585. Foundations of Soft Matter.

Introduction to soft condensed matter. Atomic and molecular origins of hydrodynamics and elasticity. Microscale order and disorder, phase transitions and dynamics. Polymer solutions, melts and gels. Surfactants, self-assembled structures, and fluid membranes. Colloidal dispersions, their dynamics, gels and crystals. Liquid crystals. Integration of the foregoing topics with modern experimental techniques in soft-matter research.