Soft Condensed Matter is a general term given to materials that are easily deformed or structurally altered due to thermal fluctuations or weak mechanical stresses. The topic includes colloids, polymers, gels, surfactants solutions, liquid crystals, surface forces and biological materials. Students will be introduced to soft matter and learn the fundamentals of colloid science, surface forces, polymers and liquid crystals. The topic is necessarily multidisciplinary and will include many examples of everyday phenomena and will be of interest to chemists, engineers and biologists as well as physics students.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Explain the significance of soft condensed matter both scientifically and in the wider community.
- Explain material properties using a fundamental knowledge of Colloid and Interface Science
- Describe polymer solutions using the fundamental basic physics
- Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the physics of liquid crystal systems
- Recognize everyday examples of soft matter systems and use material learned in the course to understand the behavior of such systems
Indicative Assessment
Assessment will be based on:- Exam (45%, LO 1-5)
- Laboratory work (30%, LO1-5)
- Assignments (25%, LO 1-5)
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Workload
Three lectures per week and 8 x 3 hour laboratory classesRequisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Soft Condensed Matter, Richard A. L. Jones, Oxford University Press, ISBN 019 850589 2Soft Matter Physics an Introduction, Maurice Klemen & Oleg D. Lavrentovich, Springer, ISBN 0-387-95267-5
Intermolecular and Surface Forces, Israelachvili
Assumed Knowledge
Students should have completed mathematics in high school at a high level.Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $3840 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $5460 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9750 | 22 Jul 2019 | 29 Jul 2019 | 31 Aug 2019 | 25 Oct 2019 | In Person | View |
