Soft Materials Lab

Catalog description

The course provides students with exposure to some surface modifica-tion chemistry and the standard techniques used for the characterization of surface properties. In addition to use of instrumentation, students will familiarize themselves with surface preparation and modification tech-niques, including self-assembly, evaporation, spin coating, and Lang-muir-Blodgett techniques. There are seven experimental modules: con-tact angle goniometry; air-liquid and liquid-liquid interfacial tension measurement; fluorescence imaging and Brewster Angle Microscopy; reflection infrared spectroscopic determination of surface coverage; ellipsometric measurement of thin films; atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterization of surfaces; and colloidal particle size distribution measurement and particle stability using light backscattering. Written and verbal reports are required.