Syllabus for Introduction to Soft Condensed Matter
PHYS3122
Current Lecturer
Prof. Zexin ZHANG Email: zhangzx@suda.edu.cn
Prof. Kang CHEN Email: kangchen@suda.edu.cn
Course Time
5th Semester
Lectures: 2 sessions/week, 50min /session. 18 weeks.
Course Description
Introduction to Soft Condensed Matter is an introductory course of soft matter physics for advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students who major in physics, chemistry or material science. This course will give an overview of the various aspects of the physics of soft condensed matter, including colloids, polymers, and liquid crystals, etc.
Prerequisites
Thermal Physics (PHYS3102) and Statistical Mechanics (PHYS3127)
Textbooks
Richard A.L. Jones, Soft Condensed Matter, Oxford University Press 2002
Main contents
Week | Teaching Contents | Sessions | Objectives |
1 | Introduction to the course | 1 | Learn the concept and features of soft matter |
2 | Forces, energies and timescales in condensed matter
| 1+1 | Learn the interactions and phase behaviors of gas, liquid and solid. Learn the basics of mechanical response, viscosity and relaxation |
3 | Phase transitions
| 2 | Learn the basics of phase transition: nucleation, spinodal decomposition and phase separation |
4 | Phase transitions | 2 | Learn the basics of phase transition: nucleation, spinodal decomposition and phase separation |
5 | Colloidal dispersions | 2 | Learn Brownian motion, forces between colloids and phase behavior of colloids |
6 | Colloidal dispersions | 2 | Learn Brownian motion, forces between colloids and phase behavior of colloids |
7 | Polymers | 2 | Learn the architecture of polymers, chain statistics and ideal models, dynamics |
8 | Polymers | 2 | Learn the architecture of polymers, chain statistics and ideal models, dynamics |
9 | Polymers | 2 | Learn the architecture of polymers, chain statistics and ideal models, dynamics |
10 | Gelation | 2 | Learn the classes of gel and the theory of gelation |
11 | Liquid crystal | 2 | Learn the concepts of liquid crystal phases, the nematic/isotropic transition, topological defects, etc. |
12 | Liquid crystal | 2 | Learn the concepts of liquid crystal phases, the nematic/isotropic transition, topological defects, etc. |
13 | Liquid crystal | 2 | Learn the concepts of liquid crystal phases, the nematic/isotropic transition, topological defects, etc. |
14 | Crystallization in polymers | 2 | Learn the hierarchies of structure and chain-folded crystals |
15 | Supramolecular self-assembly | 2 | Learn the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules: bilayers, vesicles, micelles; polymer/polymer mixture; phases of block copolymer… |
16 | Supramolecular self-assembly | 2 | Learn the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules: bilayers, vesicles, micelles; polymer/polymer mixture; phases of block copolymer… |
17 | Other topics in soft matter | 2 | Learn biological soft matters: nucleic acids, proteins, membranes… |
18 | Other topics in soft matter Review of the whole course | 1+1 | Learn biological soft matters: nucleic acids, proteins, membranes… Summary of the course |
Marking Scheme:
Class Performance | Midterm | Final exam |
30% | 30% | 40% |