Colloids

Categorize materials/liquids according to their interfacial properties
Identify and analyze phenomena originating from surface tension, and adapt the composition of a system to obtain the expected properties
Predict the behavior of a fluid in contact with a solid or liquid substrate (wetting). contact with a solid or liquid substrate (wetting)
Identify the role of a surfactant in a complex formula
Suggest ways of improving a formula involving surfactants through a rational choice of ingredients
Describe and classify colloidal dispersions.
Identify and explain the sources of instability in a colloidal dispersion.
Distinguish between the different forces present in a colloidal medium according to its nature.
Propose experimental solutions to counter colloidal instabilities.
Describe the manufacture of emulsions from a theoretical and practical point of view.

General thermodynamics

This course is an introduction to formulation in the field of dispersed media. Its aim is to give students a basic understanding of the physical chemistry of interfaces and colloids.
I) Physical chemistry of interfaces and surfactants (8 sessions+2TD, V. Ravaine)
The first part of this course is devoted to the physical chemistry of interfaces, which play a significant role in these finely divided systems. The first section is devoted to capillarity, i.e. the study of moving interfaces. We introduce the notion of interfacial tension, explaining its origins and consequences. We also describe the techniques used to measure this parameter. The second section is devoted to the thermodynamic treatment of surfaces, leading us to determine the adsorption of solutes at interfaces, and in particular that of surfactants. The third section is devoted to the behavior of surfactants in solution, where they associate to form colloidal structures such as micelles or bilayers.
II) Stability in colloidal dispersions (5 sessions+1TD, C. Faure)
The second part of the course begins with a brief description of discrete colloidal dispersions and a proposed classification of these particulate systems. All the possible causes of instabilities in colloidal dispersions are detailed, specifying their origin and the means of countering them. Emphasis is placed on the study of all the forces (van der Waals, electrostatics, depletion, etc.) that can act between particles present in dispersions, whether charged (DLVO theory), coated with polymers or surfactants. Their physical origin is explained and their interaction potentials are expressed analytically and graphically.
III) Applications to emulsions (1 session+ 1TD, C.Faure)
The third part is devoted to emulsions. After describing the formation of emulsions from micellar systems and the techniques used in their manufacture, we turn to their kinetic evolution, with reference to the physico-chemical concepts introduced in Part II.

Physical and analytical chemistry

Foundations of colloid science, Vol. 1 and 2, Hunter Colloidal dispersions, Russel, Daville and Showalter
Gouttes, Bulles, Perles et Ondes, de Gennes, Brochart-Wyart, Quéré
Thermodynamique des états de la matière, Papon et Leblond Physical Chemistry of Surfaces, Adamson