Undergraduate Course: Soft Condensed Matter Physics (PHYS10097)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Soft Condensed Matter Physics studies complex fluids in which intermediate level structures with length scale between small molecules and the macroscopic world exist: colloidal particles, polymers, and aggregates spontaneously formed by soap-like (surfac- tant) molecules. This course emphasises the generic features of these systems (most im- portantly, Brownian motion), and develops simple models to account for their behaviour. It will also look at how the principle of soft matter physics can give insight into biological problems. |
| Course description |
* Material properties of gases, liquids and solids; atomic and molecular interactions
* Phase transitions and phase diagrams
* Viscous, elastic and viscoelastic behaviour of materials
* Glasses and the glass transition
* Liquid-liquid demixing and the regular solution model
* Interfaces and the kinetics of phase transitions: nucleation and spinodal decomposition
* Polymeric materials:rubber
* Statistics of polymer chains
* Self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules
*Brownian motion
* Colloidal particles and the forces between them
|
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 30 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 16,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Revision Session Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
72 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
50% Coursework
50% Examination |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Soft Condensed Matter Physics | 180 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | Soft Condensed Matter Physics Exam | 180 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of phase behaviour and phase transitions in soft matter.
- explain which forces act on and between colloidal particles and derive the main equations governing them
- Discuss the properties and characterization of polymers and derive the main models to describe their behaviour.
- Demonstrate an understanding of self-assembly.
- Demonstrate a grasp of the order of magnitude of the central quantities and develop confidence with "intuitive" estimates as well as calculations based on concepts presented in this course.
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | SCMP |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Patrick Pietzonka
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Katy Brown
Tel: (01316) 505310
Email: |
|
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