MPhil - Course NE.11 (Lent term, elective)
Nano Self-Assembly
Jeremy Baumberg
(NDTC1 - Jeremy Baumberg, (Erika Eiser, Neil Greenham))
In this course, the different forces that operate at the micro‐ and nano‐scale will be covered with examples drawn from many areas. In particular how these forces influence assembly (either driven or self‐assembly) of micro‐ and nano‐structures, and the interplay between different components will be discussed, including some of: non‐covalent interactions, Brownian motion, sedimentation and diffusion, surfactants and surface tension, surface thermodynamics and adsorption, micelles and geometric forces, mass action, packing and phase diagrams, microemulsions, surface bending energies, electrostatics in assembly, electric double layer, enthalpy and entropy stabilisation, and adhesion, multi‐wall stabilities. The aim is to give students a grounding in the different factors that influence assembly in a variety of situations to enable them to adopt a deep approach in devising strategies for building nanodevices and nanomaterials. Examples will be drawn from a wide spectrum of Nano research including colloids, micelles, nanoparticles, block co-polymers, aggregates, and proteins