Introduction to colloid and interface science & its applications. Basic concepts. Van der Waals interactions, the electric double layer, and DLVO theory. Further interaction mechanisms (steric, depletion).
Conformation of polymer chains, chain statistics, polymer solutions and blends, thermodynamics, phase separation, mechanical properties.
Application of microcalorimetry and volumetry to biophysical systems.
Fundamental forces governing the behavior of biomembranes, interactions with their environment, interactions between membranes. Mehtods to probe them.
Fundamentals of small-angle scattering and simple approaches for data analysis. Form factor and structure factors. Examples for aggregating particles, repulsive objects.
Overview of computational methods available in soft condensed matter. Principles and some applications.
