Synopses & Reviews
Many materials have complex structural and dynamic properties intermediate between those of crystals and fluids. Among these are liquid crystals, with their well-known orientational order; colloids; polymer solutions and melts; foams; and gels; collectively these have come to be called "soft matter." These materials generally consist of organic molecules that interact weakly; as a result, thermal fluctuations, external fields, and boundary effects strongly influence their structure and properties. This sensitivity raises interesting new problems in basic physics, chemistry, and materials science; offers a path of thinking about some processes in biological systems; and opens numerous possibilities for technological applications. This textbook for graduate students in physics or chemical physics begins with a discussion of chemical bonds, interactions between particles, and the resulting molecular arrangements. The concept of order parameter leads to a discussion of phase transitions, elasticity and dynamics, followed by a review of fractals and growth phenomena. A significant portion of the book deals with defects of topological nature that accompany various types of order. The book concludes with chapters on surface phenomena, stability of colloidal systems, and structural properties of polymers. The detailed exposition, the emphasis on physical principles, and the exercises at the end of each chapter will make this book a valuable introduction for graduate students and researchers to this rapidly growing field.
Review
From the reviews: "This book is an attempt to show the unity of soft matter systems. ... It is noteworthy that the authors have emphasized and discussed in detail that the order parameter has two characteristics: an amplitude and a phase (also called a degeneracy parameter). ... This book gives the conceptual means to classify the various types of singularities of an ordered medium. ... This book will be very useful for researchers and postgraduate students." (K. M. Salikhov, Applied Magnetic Resonance, Vol. 27 (3-4), 2004) "This monography on soft condensed matter originates from a series of lectures given by the authors ... . The book is clearly written by two world leading experts of the field, it is an excellent basis for a third cycle course on the physics of liquid crystals. The bibliography is up-to-date and a list of valuable interesting references is added. ... this book presents in a condensed but clear way many facets of a very rich and fascinating field. We recommend it ... ." (Jean-Pierre Gaspard, Physicalia, Vol. 26 (1), 2004)
Review
From the reviews:
"This book is an attempt to show the unity of soft matter systems. ... It is noteworthy that the authors have emphasized and discussed in detail that the order parameter has two characteristics: an amplitude and a phase (also called a degeneracy parameter). ... This book gives the conceptual means to classify the various types of singularities of an ordered medium. ... This book will be very useful for researchers and postgraduate students." (K. M. Salikhov, Applied Magnetic Resonance, Vol. 27 (3-4), 2004)
"This monography on soft condensed matter originates from a series of lectures given by the authors ... . The book is clearly written by two world leading experts of the field, it is an excellent basis for a third cycle course on the physics of liquid crystals. The bibliography is up-to-date and a list of valuable interesting references is added. ... this book presents in a condensed but clear way many facets of a very rich and fascinating field. We recommend it ... ." (Jean-Pierre Gaspard, Physicalia, Vol. 26 (1), 2004)
Synopsis
Introductions to solid state physics have, ever since the initial book by F. Seitz in 1940, concentrated on simple crystals, with few atoms per cell, bonded together by strong ionic, covalent, or metallic bonds. References to weaker bonds, such as van der Waals forces in rare gases, or to geometric or chemical disorder (e.g., alloys or glasses) have been limited. The physical understanding of this ?eld started well before Seitz s book and led to a number of Nobel prizes after the last war. Applications cover classical metallurgy, el- tronics, geology and building materials, as well as electrical and ionic transport, chemical reactivity, ferroelectricity and magnetism. But in parallel with this general and well publicized trend, and sometimes earlier as far as physical concepts were concerned, an exploration and increasingly systematic study of softer matter has developed through the twentieth century. More often in the hands of physical chemists and crystallographers than those of pure physicists, the ?eld had for a long time a reputation of complexity. If progress in polymers was steady but slow, interest in liquid crystals had lain dormant for forty years, after a bright start lasting through 1925, to be revived in the late 1960s based on their possible use in imaging techniques. The optoelectronic properties of the ?eld in general are even more recent."
Synopsis
This book is based on parts of lecture courses for graduate students and advanced undergraduates in hydrodynamics, soft matter physics, and materials science. The subject of the book has never been presented as a whole in a single text. Unlike other books in the field, this text covers completely and at an elementary level the subject of defects, which has become very important in the last few years. The coherence of the present project is in its particular stress on the concepts of order & disorder.
Synopsis
The study of "soft matter" materials with complex properties has raised a number of interesting problems in basic physics, biology, and materials science, all of which promise new and important technological applications. After a review of chemical bonds and phase transitions, the authors treat topics such as surface phenomena, stability of colloidal systems, structural properties of polymers, and topological defects. The monograph's emphasis on underlying physical principles offers a coherent treatment of the great variety of research in the field.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 Condensed Matter: General Characters, The Chemical Bond, Particle Interactions. / CHAPTER 2 Atomic and Molecular Arrangements. / CHAPTER 3 The Order Parameter: Amplitude and Phase. / CHAPTER 4 Phase Transitions. / CHAPTER 5 Elasticity of Mesomorphic Phases. / CHAPTER 6 Dynamics of Isotropic and Anisotropic Fluids. / CHAPTER 7 Fractals and Growth Phenomena. / CHAPTER 8 Dislocations in Solids. Plastic Relaxation. / CHAPTER 9 Dislocations in Smectic and Columnar Phases. / CHAPTER 10 Curvature Defects in Smectics and Columnar Phases. / CHAPTER 11 Disclinations and Topological Point Defects. Fluid Relaxation. / CHAPTER 12 Topological Theory of Defects. / CHAPTER 13 Surface Phenomena. / CHAPTER 14 Stability of Colloidal Systems. / CHAPTER 15 Polymers: Structural Properties.