SK-BFYC37.5 ECTSQ3EnglishBachelor
Advanced Physical Chemistry
FaculteitFaculty of Science
NiveauBachelor
Studiejaar2026-2027
Beschrijving
Course goals
After completing the course, you are expected to understand the presented theory and to be able to apply it. With “understanding” it is meant that
- you can explain the theory, including mathematical derivations and that
- you are able to use the knowledge to solve questions of a similar level as asked during the tutorial.
- to perform numerical calculations,
- to read scientific literature on related topics, and
- to answer questions asked in the context of technological applications.
Content
Soft matter pervades everyday life. Examples are many foods (yoghurt, milk, ketchup, mayonnaise…), various paints or inks (applied on walls, cars, or via inkjet printers…), detergents (shampoo, liquid soap, washing powder…), skin care products, pharmaceuticals, and biological fluids. These materials are ‘soft’, because they consist of molecules that are kept together by interactions on the order of the thermal energy, kT. For this reason, essential properties of soft matter can be described using thermodynamics. This course focuses on two key aspects of soft matter: the thermodynamics of polymer solutions and the physical chemistry of liquid interfaces.
The ‘thermodynamics’ part of the course starts with a refresher of the basic concepts of classical and statistical thermodynamics and the relation between interaction potential and second virial coefficient. Next, expressions are derived for the mixing enthalpy and mixing entropy of polymer solutions, according to Flory-Huggins theory. This finally makes it possible to explain the poor solubility of polymers, as well as the effects of attached or nonadsorbing polymers on the stability of colloidal dispersions.
The ‘interfaces’ part of the course discusses the physical chemistry of a wide range of interfacial phenomena (surface wetting, interfacial adsorption, surface active species, electrically charged interfaces, interfacial rheology…) and soft matter systems (foams, microemulsions, nanoemulsions, Pickering emulsions, bijels…). Moreover, experimental methods to study interfaces are presented. Throughout this part of the course, examples of practical applications and scientific research are given, to demonstrate the relevance of the discussed topics.
This course builds on prior knowledge of thermodynamics and interfaces acquired in the bachelor level 2 course SK-BFYCH. The present course expands students’ knowledge of physical chemistry, preparing students for courses at the master’s level—for instance ‘Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics’ (SK-MNOTH), ‘Transport Phenomena’ (SK-MTRPH), ‘Toy Models in Science and Technology’ (SK-MTOYM), ‘Colloidal Dispersions’ (SK-MCODI), and ‘Colloidal Analysis Techniques’ (SK-MCOAT).
The ‘thermodynamics’ part of the course starts with a refresher of the basic concepts of classical and statistical thermodynamics and the relation between interaction potential and second virial coefficient. Next, expressions are derived for the mixing enthalpy and mixing entropy of polymer solutions, according to Flory-Huggins theory. This finally makes it possible to explain the poor solubility of polymers, as well as the effects of attached or nonadsorbing polymers on the stability of colloidal dispersions.
The ‘interfaces’ part of the course discusses the physical chemistry of a wide range of interfacial phenomena (surface wetting, interfacial adsorption, surface active species, electrically charged interfaces, interfacial rheology…) and soft matter systems (foams, microemulsions, nanoemulsions, Pickering emulsions, bijels…). Moreover, experimental methods to study interfaces are presented. Throughout this part of the course, examples of practical applications and scientific research are given, to demonstrate the relevance of the discussed topics.
This course builds on prior knowledge of thermodynamics and interfaces acquired in the bachelor level 2 course SK-BFYCH. The present course expands students’ knowledge of physical chemistry, preparing students for courses at the master’s level—for instance ‘Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics’ (SK-MNOTH), ‘Transport Phenomena’ (SK-MTRPH), ‘Toy Models in Science and Technology’ (SK-MTOYM), ‘Colloidal Dispersions’ (SK-MCODI), and ‘Colloidal Analysis Techniques’ (SK-MCOAT).
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