Unit SURFACE PROCESSES
- Course
- Chemistry
- Study-unit Code
- 55040004
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Marco Paolantoni
- Teachers
-
- Marco Paolantoni
- Hours
- 42 ore - Marco Paolantoni
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2020
- Offered
- 2022/23
- Learning activities
- Affine/integrativa
- Area
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- Academic discipline
- CHIM/02
- Type of study-unit
- Opzionale (Optional)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- Intermolecular interactions. Liquid structure, theoretical and experimental methods for their study. Hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Thermodynamics of surfaces and surface tension. Wettability and capillarity. Kelvin equation. Gibbs adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamics of self-assembly. Gas adsorption on solid surfaces.
- Reference texts
- G. K. Vemulapalli, Chimica Fisica, traduzione italiana, EdiSes, Napoli, 1995.
P. Atkins, J. De Paula, Chimica Fisica, quarta edizione italiana, Zanichelli, Bologna, 2004.
J. N. Israelachvili, Intermolecular and Surface Forces, third edition, Academic Press, Amsterdam, 2011. - Educational objectives
- The main aim of this teaching is to provide students with the basic physical chemistry knowledge needed to address the study of condensed phase systems and interfaces.
Main knowledge acquired will be:
-knowledge of the fundamental concepts for the description of intermolecular interactions;
-basic elements to face the study of liquid phase systems;
-basic knowledge of thermodynamic of surfaces and molecular self-assembling processes;
-knowledge of theoretical methods and experimental approaches useful to face the study of the considered systems.
The main competence (i.e. the ability to apply the acquired knowledge) will be:
-rationalization of the macroscopic and thermodynamic properties of these systems on the basis of their molecular nature;
-interpretation of the equations introduced within the Course (i.e. Laplace-Young equation, Kelvin equation) in connection with the physical phenomena considered (i.e. capillarity, supersaturation and overheating);
-use of these equations to solve numerical and application problems (i.e. determination of the surface tension). - Prerequisites
- In order to be able to understand the topics of the Course and to achieve the foreseen learning outcomes it is important to have the basic notions of physical chemistry.
- Teaching methods
- Lectures on all subjects of the course.
- Other information
- Frequency:
Recommended. - Learning verification modality
- The exam consists of an oral test. This consists on an interview aiming at ascertain the knowledge level and the understanding capability acquired by the student on the contents as indicated on the program. Moreover, the oral test will serve to verify the ability to correctly apply the theoretical knowledge and to communicate appropriately, organizing autonomously the exposition. The duration of the test varies depending on the performance of the test itself.
- Extended program
- Intermolecular interactions. Van der Waals forces and repulsive potentials. The Lennard-Jones potential. Correlations between intermolecular interactions and macroscopic properties. Liquid structure and radial distribution functions. Molecular dynamics simulations and Monte Carlo method. Hydrogen bond. Vibrational spectroscopies and hydrogen bond. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions. Thermodynamics of surfaces: surface and interfacial tension. Specific energy, entropy and free energy of the surface. Gibbs surface and excess surface concentration. Laplace-Young equation. Wettability, contact angle and Young equation. Capillary action. Vapor tension and Kelvin equation. Gibbs adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamics of self-association processes. Colloids, micelles and biological membranes. Gas adsorption on solid surfaces. Some experimental techniques employed for the study of the considered systems will be also described.