This textbook was developed over a period of 10 years for the author,s lecture on soft matter physics for both graduate and undergraduate students in the Physics Department of Fudan University.
Soft matters are different from hard ones essentially due to former,s relatively weak interaction which is comparable to kBTrm(Trm=room temperature). It is this feature that results in the major characteristics of soft matters such as “strong reactions upon weak actions”. This textbook not only concentrates on the basic interactions inside soft matters in a reductionist approach(Chap. 2, Chaps. 5 and 6), but also introduces the exploration works on the complexity of soft matters in methods of system science(Chap. 4). Soft matters is a bridge between hard matters and complex systems that show characteristics of deterministic chaos in nature.
As a “model animal”(a mouse, if you prefer) in soft matters, electrorheological(ER) fluids are introduced. While the properties and mechanisms of static ER effect are summerized(Chap. 5), this textbook puts its emphasis on the dynamic ER effects(Chap.6). The Onsager principle of least energy dissipation rate is adapted in the textbook to see how it governs the optimal paths of a system,s deviation from and restoration to equilibrium. As another model animal, granular media is introduced(Chap. 7) to explain the thermodynamics of sands and its dynamics such as compartmentalization, pattern formation, and granular flow. Since many soft matters consist of light atoms, neutron scattering appears useful as a powerful tool and is worth mentioning(Chap.3), especially when a splashing neutron source is being erected in China.
Soft matter physics is full of unknowns(Chap. 1) as the subject is still at its infancy, making it highly attractive. If you like a challenging subject, you will most certainly fall in love with soft matter physics at first sight!
1.1 Why Soft Matters
1.1.1 Why should study soft matter physics
1.1.2 The interests of soft matter physics
1.2 Classifications of Soft Matters
1.2.1 Complex fluids
1.2.2 Basic concepts of nonNewtonian fluids
1.2.3 Major characteristics of nonNewtonian fluids
1.3 SelfOrganization of Soft Matters
1.3.1 Scale invariance
1.3.2 Entropy driven selforganization
1.3.3 Measurements of depletion effect
1.3.4 Calculations of depletion effect
1.4 Modern Methods Used in the Study of Complex Systems References
2.2 Intermolecular Interaction
2.2.1 Doublelayer forces
2.2.2 Electric dipole interaction
2.2.3 Induced dipoles, polarizability
2.2.4 Repulsive forces
2.2.5 The origin of van der Waals interaction
2.3 Structural Forces
2.3.1 Wettability of colloidal particles
2.3.2 Lyophilic repulsive force
2.3.3 Slip length change on nanostuctured surface
References
Chapter 3 Structure Determination of Soft Matters
3.1 Why Neutrons
3.1.1 Advantages of neutron scattering
3.1.2 Discovery of neutrons
3.1.3 Neutron imaging
3.2 Neutron Diffraction
3.2.1 Diffraction of radiation
3.2.2 Wave properties of neutrons
3.2.3 Neutron elastic scattering
3.2.4 Neutron inelastic scattering
3.3 Structure Determination of Soft Matters
3.3.1 Neutron scattering of light elements
3.3.2 The neutron scattering of liquid
3.3.3 Radial distribution function g(r)of liquid
3.3.4 Form factor and structure factor of neutron scattering spectrum
3.3.5 Small angle neutron scattering
3.4 Optical Microscopy and Light Scattering
3.4.1Structure determination with optical microscopy
3.4.2Static and dynamic light scattering
3.4.3Diffusingwave spectroscopy
3.4.4Applications of DWS
References
Chapter 4 Complexity of Soft Matters
4.1 Examples of Chaos in Soft Matters
4.1.1 Rheochaos
4.1.2 Chaos in ECG
4.1.3 Neural system
4.1.4 Selfsimilarity
4.1.5 Fractal dimension
4.1.6 Measurements of fractal dimension
4.2 Physical Mechanism of Fractals
4.2.1 Butterfly effect
4.2.2 Necessary and sufficient physical conditions for fractal structures
4.3 Quantitative Analysis of Chaos
4.3.1 The broadband power spectrum
4.3.2 The positive maximum lyapunov exponents
4.3.3 Conditions for deterministic chaos of time series
4.4 Complexity Helps in Better Understanding Soft Matters
4.4.1 Fractal growth in colloidal aggregation
4.4.2 Settling of fractal aggregates in water
4.4.3 Chaos helps mix microfluids
4.4.4 Life system is a dissipative structure
References
Chapter 5 Static Electrorheological Effects
5.1 Electrorheological Effects
5.1.1 Basic phenomena
5.1.2 Static particle structure of ER fluid
5.1.3 Colloidal electrorheological effect
5.1.4 Polarization types and electric double layer
5.2 Suspensional ER Models
5.2.1 Dielectric ER models
5.2.2 Conduction ER models
5.3 Colloidal ER Models
5.3.1 Giant ER effect
5.3.2 Polar molecule ER effect
References
Chapter 6 Dynamic Electrorheological Effects
6.1 Dynamic Behaviors of ER Fluids
6.1.1 Dynamic phenomena
6.1.2 Lorentz local field
6.1.3 Shear stress under static shear flow and transient electric field
6.2 Lamellar Structure
6.2.1 Lamellar structure stability under shearing
6.2.2 Criterion of ER activity
6.3 Twofluid Model of Continuous Phase
6.3.1 Twofluid model of continuous phase
6.3.2 Electric field to a quiescent suspension
6.3.3 Electric field to a flowing suspension191
6.4 Onsager Principle of Least Energy Dissipation
6.4.1 Derivation of the Onsager principle
6.4.2 Establishment of the NavierStokes equations
6.4.3 Numerical calculation
6.5 Shear Banding
6.5.1 Experimental phenomena of shear banding
6.5.2 Constitutive models of shear banding
References
7.4 Grain Segregation
7.4.1 Granular liquids—stratification
7.4.2 Rotation drum
7.4.3 Segregation by vertical vibration—Brazil nut problem
7.5 Granular Solid
7.5.1 Counterintuitive phenomenon: construction history
7.5.2 Thermodynamics of sand
7.6 Granular Gas
7.6.1 Experiment of sand as Maxwell's demon
7.6.2 Model of flux function
References