Surface Chemistry, Colloids and Nanochemistry

40 lessons, pages 3931–3970.

  1. Interfaces and Surface Thermodynamics — Surface free energy, surface tension and the surface excess
  2. Curved Interfaces and the Young–Laplace Equation — Pressure differences across bubbles, droplets and capillaries
  3. The Kelvin Equation and Ostwald Ripening — Vapour pressure and solubility of small droplets and particles
  4. Wetting and Contact Angles — Young's equation, spreading coefficients and surface energies
  5. The Gibbs Adsorption Isotherm — Linking surface tension changes to surface excess concentration
  6. Thermodynamics of Gas Adsorption — Adsorption enthalpy, entropy loss and isosteric heat
  7. Deriving the Langmuir Isotherm — Kinetic and equilibrium derivations of fractional coverage
  8. Testing Langmuir Behaviour with Linear Plots — Extracting monolayer capacity and equilibrium constants from data
  9. Dissociative and Competitive Adsorption — Extending the Langmuir model to split molecules and mixtures
  10. Freundlich and Temkin Isotherms — Heterogeneous surfaces and coverage-dependent adsorption heats
  11. The BET Isotherm and Multilayer Adsorption — Assumptions and form of the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller model
  12. Measuring Surface Area by Gas Adsorption — Nitrogen adsorption at 77 K and specific surface area calculation
  13. Isotherm Types and Porous Solids — IUPAC isotherm shapes, pore sizes and capillary condensation hysteresis
  14. Adsorption from Solution — Activated carbon, dye uptake and water purification
  15. Adsorption and Desorption Kinetics — Sticking probability, residence time and temperature-programmed desorption
  16. Langmuir–Hinshelwood and Eley–Rideal Mechanisms — Rate laws for surface-catalysed reactions from isotherms
  17. Probing Surfaces: Spectroscopy and Microscopy — XPS, STM and AFM as windows on surface structure
  18. Surfactant Structure and Classification — Anionic, cationic, zwitterionic and non-ionic amphiphiles and HLB
  19. Surfactant Monolayers at Interfaces — Gibbs and Langmuir films and surface pressure
  20. Thermodynamics of Micellisation — The hydrophobic effect and entropy-driven self-assembly
  21. Determining the Critical Micelle Concentration — Surface tension, conductivity and fluorescence probe methods
  22. Factors Affecting Micelle Formation — Chain length, head group, added salt, temperature and the Krafft point
  23. Packing Parameter and Micelle Shape — Predicting spheres, rods, bilayers and reverse micelles
  24. Vesicles, Liposomes and Bilayers — Closed bilayer structures and their role in delivery and biology
  25. Solubilisation, Detergency and Microemulsions — How micelles carry oils and form thermodynamically stable mixtures
  26. DLVO Theory of Colloid Stability — Balancing van der Waals attraction and double-layer repulsion
  27. Steric and Electrosteric Stabilisation — Polymer layers that keep particles apart
  28. Characterising Colloids: Light Scattering and Electrophoresis — Dynamic light scattering, particle size and zeta potential measurement
  29. Introduction to Nanochemistry — The nanoscale, surface-to-volume ratio and top-down versus bottom-up routes
  30. Size-Dependent Properties of Nanomaterials — Melting point depression, reactivity and catalytic activity
  31. Quantum Confinement — Particle-in-a-box energies and the exciton Bohr radius
  32. Quantum Dots and Size-Tunable Band Gaps — The Brus model and size-dependent absorption and emission colour
  33. Nucleation and Growth of Quantum Dots — The LaMer model, size focusing and controlling size distribution
  34. Core–Shell Quantum Dots and Surface Passivation — Ligands, trap states, shells and photoluminescence quantum yield
  35. Applications of Quantum Dots — Displays, bioimaging, sensing and solar energy conversion
  36. Metal Nanoparticles and Surface Plasmons — Plasmon resonance and the colours of gold and silver colloids
  37. Carbon Nanomaterials — Fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene
  38. Self-Assembly and Nanostructured Surfaces — Self-assembled monolayers, templating and bottom-up design
  39. Nanomaterial Safety and Sustainability — Toxicity, environmental fate and responsible nanotechnology
  40. Surface Chemistry, Colloids and Nanochemistry: Unit Review — Connecting isotherms, micelles, colloid stability and quantum dots