Handbook

The link between molecules and the macroscopic properties we measure depends on the microscale and mesoscale structures the molecules form in complex fluids like emulsions, foams, aerosols, and particle dispersions. Study of complex fluids encompasses many applications: Food formulation and  processing, Pharmaceutical development and testing, and Specialty Fluid Chemical Products. Complex fluid structures interact at the mesoscale to impart properties such as texture, viscosity, colour, taste, and feel. This course covers the structures that molecules can form, why interfaces are so important to the properties of materials, and the fundamental forces and energies involved in their equilibrium and kinetic behaviour. We will look at the large-scale consequences of these structures in terms of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids and see how rheology in turn influences mixing, dispersing, stability and shelf-life. Through case studies and our own investigations, we will look in detail at the theoretical, experimental and analytical advances across a range of different applications of complex fluids.