Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Substitute(s)
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This lecture provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of soft matter, a field at the interface of statistical physics, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics. It focuses on the physical mechanisms governing systems whose structure and dynamics result from a subtle balance between interactions, thermal fluctuations, interfacial forces, and external driving.
The main topics covered include particle interactions; Brownian motion, diffusion, and sedimentation; interfaces, surface tension, capillarity, and wetting; foams and emulsions; suspensions, colloids, gels, and pastes; as well as their rheological behavior. Particular attention is paid to length, time, and energy scales, and to dimensionless numbers used to identify the dominant physical mechanisms. The concepts are illustrated through experimental systems and examples drawn from everyday situations.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The main objective of the lecture is to provide students with the concepts and tools needed to understand the physical properties of soft matter and to relate behaviors observed at the macroscopic scale to mechanisms operating at mesoscopic and microscopic scales.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- identify the main classes of soft materials and their physical characteristics;
- determine the relevant length, time, force, and energy scales for a given system;
- compare different physical mechanisms using order-of-magnitude estimates and dimensionless numbers;
- understand phenomena related to interfaces, capillarity, wetting, and the stability of dispersed systems;
- describe the physical mechanisms governing colloids, suspensions, emulsions, foams, gels, and pastes;
- characterize the main rheological behaviors of soft materials.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
bachelor in physics
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
-
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Further information:
Exam is based on a presentation of the student over a chosen chapter/article.
Work placement(s)
-
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Nicolas Vandewalle, Full Professor
04/366.3703
nvandewalle@uliege.be
Megan Delens, Maitre de Conférence
Megan.Delens@uliege.be