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Soft Materials: from Fundamentals to Applications
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:41:24
Abstract
This course consists of a series of lectures, each focusing on a specific fundamental concept previously encountered by the student during basic courses, and on its direct relevance for soft materials and their applications (e.g. colloidal crystals, dense suspensions, emulsions, foams and liquid crystals).
Objective
Soft materials, such as complex fluids, polymers, liquid crystals, foams etc. are of paramount importance in many technological applications and consumer products. Additionally, they also work as "open laboratories", where basic phenomena, normally studied at the atomic or molecular length and time scales, can be easily and directly observed at the micro and nanoscale. The aim of this course is to offer the student the possibility to connect fundamental concepts (e.g. entropy or thermodynamic equilibrium), which too often stay as abstract constructions, to direct examples of soft materials. At the end of the course the student will have acquired advanced knowledge of soft matter systems and strengthened his/her background in basic physics and physical chemistry.
Content
Each lecture will be divided into two parts. In the first part a specific concept will be introduced and discussed. In the second part the implications for soft materials will be presented, often with practical demonstration in the class. Examples are: - Entropy and phase transitions; application to colloidal crystals. - Thermodynamics versus kinetics; application to Pickering emulsions. - Excluded volume; application to liquid crystals. The detailed series will be presented at the beginning of the course.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Notes will be handed out during the lectures and published online before each lecture.
Literature
Provided in the lecture notes.
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- Course webpage
- Recording
- Lecture notes and slides
- Learning environment
- Lecture notes and slides
- Documents
- course webpage
- Literature
- additional resources
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- end-of-semester examination
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Soft Materials: from Fundamentals to Applications
Does not take place this semester.
|
No time listed | 2 h weekly |
| exercise |
Soft Materials: from Fundamentals to Applications
Does not take place this semester.
|
No time listed | 1 h weekly |
Offered In
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Elective Courses (The students are free to choose individually from the entire course offer of ETH Zürich on the Master level. Please consult the study administration in case of questions.)
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General Electives (Students may choose General Electives from the entire course programme of ETH Zurich - with the following restrictions: courses that belong to the first or second year of a Bachelor curriculum at ETH Zurich as well as courses from GESS "Science in Perspective" are not eligible here. The following courses are explicitly recommended to physics students by their lecturers. (Courses in this list may be assigned to the category "General Electives" directly in myStudies. For the category assignment of other eligible courses keep the choice "no category" and take contact with the Study Administration ( ) after having received the credits.))
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