Physics of Soft Materials

3.0 credits · Graduate

An introduction to general aspects of (i) structure, (ii) order and (iii) dynamics of soft materials /biomaterials. Typical representative materials discussed include polymers, thermo- and lyotropic liquid crystals, and gels. Following development of structural aspects of these materials, a general formalism for description of partially ordered systems in terms of orientation distribution functions will be introduced, including various techniques to measure these parameters. Finally, dynamics of soft materials will be discussed including transport and flow behavior, and aspects of the local dynamics. Structure, order and dynamic characterization techniques available at Cornell, such as NMR and x-ray scattering, will be emphasized.