This volume covers a variety of topics in colloid and surface science, a broad area at the intersection of chemistry, physics, biology, and materials science which investigates the disperse state of matter and surface phenomena in disperse systems. The book arises from and summarizes years of colloid research performed at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). Throughout, the presentation of fundamental theoretical and experimental approaches and results is combined with discussions of technological applications which are based on the theory. There is extensive coverage of lyophilic and lyophobic systems.

From the Preface: “...Special attention is devoted in the book to the broad capabilities that the use of surfactants offers for controlling the properties and behavior of disperse systems and various materials due to the specific physico-chemical interactions taking place at interfaces. At the same time the authors made every effort to avoid duplication of material traditionally covered in textbooks on physical chemistry, electrochemistry, polymer chemistry, etc...”

Target Audience: Engineers, technologists, academic and industrial scientists and researchers, and upper-level students working in areas that deal with applications related to disperse systems and interfacial phenomena.

Table of Contents:

General Introduction

Surface Phenomena and the Structure of Interfaces in One-Component Systems

The Adsorption Phenomena: Structure and Properties of Adsorption Layers at the Liquid—Gas Interface

Interfaces Between Condensed Phases: Wetting

The Formation of Disperse Systems

Transfer Processes in Disperse Systems

Lyophilic Colloidal Systems

General Causes for Degradation and Relative Stability of Lyophobic Colloidal Systems

Structure, Stability and Degradation of Various Lyophobic Disperse Systems

Principles of Physical—Chemical Mechanics

Index