ChE I9200 Soft Materials Lab
The course provides students with exposure to some surface modification 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 techniques, including self-assembly, evaporation, spin coating, and Langmuir-Blodgett techniques. There are seven experimental modules: contact 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.
Prerequisite
Undergraduate degree in engineering, or permission of the instructor.
Contact Hours
3 hr./wk.