COURSES

Goals

Objectives are to introduce students with the: - specific physico-chemical properties of nanoparticles, - controlled synthesis of nanoparticles, - importance of nanoparticles in the development of new advanced materials, - colloidal stabilization and surface functionalization of nanoparticles, - characterization methods of nanoparticles surfaces and interparticle interactions, - examples from nature, research and industry. Competences: - ability to correlate physico-chemical properties of nanoparticles with potential applications, - ability to design nanoparticulate materials and their synthesis for potential applications, - integration of acquired knowledge to identify and solve the problems related to the development and optimization of nanomaterials.

Curriculum

Basics on nanoparticles: structural, magnetic, electro-optical and chemical properties of nanoparticles. Controlled synthesis of nanoparticles and their surface functionalization. Physico-chemical properties of the nanoparticles' surfaces: surface charge, electrokinetic properties, interparticle forces in suspensions and preparation of suspensions. Surfactants, functionalization and tailoring of nanoparticles' surfaces. Self-assembly and directed assembly of colloidal nanoparticles into functional materials. Methods for the characterization of the surface and colloidal properties of particles and suspensions. Correlation between surface the chemistry of particles and rheological properties of their colloidal suspensions. Selected examples from nature, research, production technology.