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In a liquid crystal watch, the molecules contained within a thin film of the screen are reorientated each second by extremely weak electrical signals. Here is a fine example of soft matter: molecular systems giving a strong response to a very weak command signal. They can be found almost everywhere. Soft magnetic materials used in transformers exhibit a strong magnetic moment under the action of a weak magnetic field. Take a completely different domain: gelatin, formed from col lagen fibres dissolved in hot water. When we cool below 37°C, gelation occurs, the chains joining up at various points to form a loose and highly deformable network. This is a natural example of soft matter. Going fu...
Linking of materials properties with microstructures is a fundamental theme in materials science, for which a detailed knowledge of the modern characterization techniques is essential. Since modern materials such as high-temperature alloys, engineering thermoplastics and multilayer semiconductor films have many elemental constituents distributed in more than one phase, characterization is essential to the systematic development of such new materials and understanding how they behave in practical applications. X-ray techniques play a major role in providing information on the elemental composition and crystal and grain structures of all types of materials. The challenge to the materials chara...
Soft Condensed Matter commonly deals with materials that are mechanically soft and, more importantly, particularly prone to thermal fluctuation effects. Charged soft matter systems are especially interesting: they can be manufactured artificially as polyelectrolytes to serve as superabsorbers in dypers, as flocculation and retention agents, as thickeners and gelling agents, and as oil-recovery process aids. They are also abundant in living organisms, mostly performing important structural (e.g. membranes) and functional (e.g. DNA) tasks. The book describes the many areas in soft matter and biophysics where electrostatic interactions play an important role. It offers in-depth coverage of recent theoretical approaches, advances in computer simulation, and novel experimental techniques. Readership: Advanced undergraduate level in physics, physical chemistry, and theoretical biochemistry.
Ionomers, that is polymers containing a low concentration of charged units along the chain, have been the subject of increasing interest during the past twenty years. The presence of ionic groups in the poly mer changes some of its properties dramatically. Increases in the modu lus and the viscosity of several orders of magnitude have been observed, and changes in the glass transition of hundreds of degrees are possible. In addition, diffusion coefficients can be modified drastically. These changes are due primarily to the presence of reversible ionic cross links in these materials. Because of the low dielectric constant of most organic polymers, the ions or ionic dipoles tend to aggregate ; this aggregation process, however, is limited, because the ionic groups are covalently bonded to the organic chain. Host of the fundamental research done on these materials has been devoted to a determination of the extent of association, the structure of the aggregates, the limi ting factors, and the correlations between molecular and supermolecular structure and the resul ting properties.
In a liquid crystal watch, the molecules contained within a thin film of the screen are reorientated each second by extremely weak electrical signals. Here is a fine example of soft matter: molecular systems giving a strong response to a very weak command signal. They can be found almost everywhere. Soft magnetic materials used in transformers exhibit a strong magnetic moment under the action of a weak magnetic field. Take a completely different domain: gelatin, formed from col lagen fibres dissolved in hot water. When we cool below 37°C, gelation occurs, the chains joining up at various points to form a loose and highly deformable network. This is a natural example of soft matter. Going fu...
This book is devoted to a simple practical approach to neutron, X-ray and light scattering experiments, involving model calculation of the scattering and mathematical transformation. It is intended to attract colloid and polymer scientists using scattering methods in their laboratory or at common research facilities. The primary objective is to explain the current methodology of elastic and quasi-elastic scattering techniques (avoiding both under and over-exploitation of data) rather than a general course on colloids and polymers. Basic information on data interpretation, on the complementarity of the different types of radiation, as well as information on recent applications and developments are presented.
In a liquid crystal watch, the molecules contained within a thin film of the screen are reorientated each second by extremely weak electrical signals. Here is a fine example of soft matter: molecular systems giving a strong response to a very weak command signal. They can be found almost everywhere. Soft magnetic materials used in transformers exhibit a strong magnetic moment under the action of a weak magnetic field. Take a completely different domain: gelatin, formed from col lagen fibres dissolved in hot water. When we cool below 37°C, gelation occurs, the chains joining up at various points to form a loose and highly deformable network. This is a natural example of soft matter. Going fu...
This volume comprises the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Study Institute held at Geilo, Norway, 24 March - 3 April 2003, the seventeenth ASI in a series held every two years since 1971. The objective of this ASI was to identify and discuss areas where synergism between modern physics, soft condensed matter and biology might be most fruitful. The main pedagogical approach was to have lecturers focussing on basic understanding of important aspects of the relative role of the various interaction- electrostatic, hydrophobic, steric, conformational, van der Waals etc. Soft condensed matter and the connection between physics and biology have been the themes of several earlier Geilo Schools. A retu...