CHE 596I Colloid Science and Nanoscale Engineering

The course discusses the principles and presents a broad interdisciplinary outlook in liquid-based nanotechnology, innovative industrial products, bioarrays, sensors and microdevices. The first part of this course will cover the fundamentals of colloidal interactions between surfaces, particles, surfactants and biomolecules, as well as the principles of self-assembly and particle manipulation by external fields. In the second part we will discuss applications in microfluidics, micropatterning, bioarrays, nanostructured and photonic materials. 3 credit hours.

 
   
   
Prerequisite
  

The attendees should have some prior knowledge of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and/or physics.

 
Course Objectives   The course will teach the attendees to perform the following:
  • Identify the intermolecular and surface forces acting in various colloidal suspensions and nanoscale systems and be able to develop quantitative estimates of the strength and magnitude of these forces.
  • Develop solutions to scientific and technological problems in colloidal and microfabricated systems by application of the theory of colloidal interactions.
  • Understand the principles of colloidal and biological self-assembly, and their application, advantages and limitations in technology.
  • Apprehend various light-scattering and electric-field based techniques for characterization and manipulation of colloidal nanoparticles and be able to apply them in research.
  • Be familiar with the latest concepts in the microfabrication, microfluidics and nanotechnology. Be able to propose and engineer simple new devices by microfabrication and/or self-assembly.

 
Course Requirements  

HOMEWORK: The course will include one homework assignment per week that will typically require 2-4 hours of independent student work.

EXAMINATIONS: Two mid-term exams and one final exam or a short term paper are expected.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: The homeworks will include computational problems that can be solved most conveniently by any computer package (however solutions by hand will also be acceptable).

PROJECTS: No large projects will be required. However, some homeworks on nanoscale engineering may include small projects instead of textbook-type problems. The final exam may be substituted by a short term paper.

 
Textbooks  

The Colloidal Domain: Where Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Technology Meet, D. F. Evans and H. Wennerstrom, Wiley-VCH, 1999. ISBN 0-471-24247-0.

Intermolecular and Surface Forces, J. N. Israelachvili, Academic Press, 1992. ISBN 0-12-375181-0.

The second part of the class will include a variety of texts from scientific books and papers, which will be distributed as handouts and available for download.
Computer and Internet Requirements  

NCSU has recommended minimum specifications for computers used for classes. Depending on your computer needs, we recommend your computer meet or exceed the following minimum specifications below.

PCs must have an Intel-compatible 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB hard drive with 1 GB free space available, 256 Color Display, CD-ROM drive, 1024x768 (min.) video adapter, sound card, and speakers. The operating system should be Windows XP Pro. Real One Player Basic (available free online) and high speed Internet connection such as cable, DSL, T1 or LAN will be required for EOL courses.

MAC users must have a G4 processor with firewire and USB factory built-in, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB with 1GB free space available, 256 Color Display, CD-ROM drive, 1024x768 (min) video adapter, sound card, and speakers. The operating system must be MacOS 10.4 (minimum) along with the above RealOne and Internet specifications above.

For more detailed information on computer specifications and recommendations, please refer to our website at: http://engineeringonline.ncsu.edu/currentstudents/computeraccess.htm

 

Instructor  

Dr. Orlin Velev, Professor
Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
North Carolina State University
EB1, 911 Partners Way (Office 2030)
Raleigh, NC 27695-7905

Phone: (919) 513-4318
Fax: (919) 515-3465
E-Mail: odvelev@unity.ncsu.edu
Instructor Website: http://www.che.ncsu.edu/faculty_staff/odv.html