Surface chemistry
Undergraduate · Chemistry
Syllabus focus
Standard syllabus · STEM / applied
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Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Surfaces and interfaces
- Surface excess and Gibbs dividing surface
- Surface tension and capillarity
- Young's equation and contact angle
- Wetting, spreading, and hydrophobicity
- Surface energy of solids and liquids
- Curved interfaces: Kelvin equation, Laplace pressure
- Surface reconstruction and relaxation
- Low-energy electron diffraction and surface structure (intro)
- Surface defects and active sites
- Solid–gas, solid–liquid, and liquid–gas interfaces
Adsorption
- Physical vs chemical adsorption
- Langmuir isotherm: derivation and assumptions
- Freundlich and BET isotherms
- Determination of surface area by BET method
- Adsorption kinetics and activation energy of desorption
- Heterogeneous catalysis and Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism
- Competitive adsorption and selectivity
- Adsorption on porous materials: zeolites, MOFs
- Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold and silicon
- Applications: gas storage, separation, sensing
Colloids and dispersions
- Colloid classification: lyophobic and lyophilic
- Brownian motion and Einstein–Stokes equation
- Light scattering: Tyndall effect, Rayleigh scattering
- Zeta potential and electrokinetic phenomena
- DLVO theory: van der Waals and electrostatic forces
- Colloid stability and coagulation
- Emulsions and microemulsions
- Foams and surfactant behavior
- Micelle formation and critical micelle concentration (CMC)
- Applications: detergents, drug delivery, food emulsions
Surface modification and nanomaterials
- Thin film deposition: physical and chemical vapor deposition
- Atomic layer deposition (ALD) principles
- Surface functionalization with silanes and thiols
- Nanoparticle synthesis in colloidal media
- Core-shell nanoparticles and surface passivation
- Catalysis at supported metal nanoparticles
- Biosensors: immobilization of biomolecules on surfaces
- Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) principles
- Quartz crystal microbalance for mass sensing
- Environmental fate of nanoparticles at interfaces
STEM / applied
Experimental techniques
- Contact angle goniometry
- Surface tension measurement by du Noüy ring or Wilhelmy plate
- BET surface area analysis (demonstration or data interpretation)
- Dynamic light scattering for particle size
- Zeta potential measurement by electrophoretic mobility
- AFM and SEM imaging of surfaces (introduction)
- XPS for surface composition (introduction)
- Langmuir–Blodgett films (where covered)
- Quartz crystal microbalance experiments
- Data analysis for adsorption isotherms
Applied surface chemistry
- Heterogeneous catalyst design and characterization
- Corrosion and protective surface coatings
- Semiconductor surface processing in microfabrication
- Anti-fog and anti-icing surface treatments
- Biomedical implant surface modification
- Water repellent and self-cleaning surfaces (Lotus effect)
- Oil spill remediation with surfactants
- Pharmaceutical formulation: colloidal drug delivery
- Paint, ink, and coating adhesion science
- Career paths in materials, catalysis, and formulation science
Notes
Topics reflect common surface chemistry syllabi at US colleges and universities. Overlap with physical chemistry, colloid science, and materials chemistry is typical. Prior physical chemistry background helpful.