Entry requirements

60 credits chemistry including Chemical Principles I/Basic Chemistry, 10 credits, as well as Physical Chemistry I, 5 credits, or The Basic Principles of Chemistry, 15 credits.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• discuss fundamental concepts in surface chemistry as well as analyse and carry out calculations of surface chemical problems relevant to these concepts
• discuss and account for factors that affect phase behaviour and aggregation structure in self-associating systems
• analyse and solve problems calculations concerning thermodynamic and electrostatic properties of colloids
• account for how electrokinetic effects arise and carry out calculations of corresponding properties
• give examples of how the different parts of the course are linked to activities within society and industry
• carry out risk and safety assessments for laboratory work as well as discuss and document laboratory in written form the contents and results of the laboratory sessions

Content

Surface thermodynamics, surface tension and surface adsorption. Wetting and contact angle. Electric double layers and electrokinetic processes. Micells and self-associating systems. Interactions between colloidal particles. Polymer adsorption and steric stabilisation. Technical applications of systems containing surface active components and colloids.

Instruction

Lectures, teaching sessions, seminars, laboratory sessions and projects.

Assessment

Seminars (2 credits), laboratory exercises (2 credits) as well as project with oral presentation and written report (3 credits) during the course. Written examination at the end of the course (3 credits). The final grade is based on a weighted sum of performances in the written examination, seminars and laboratory exercises.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.