Soft Interfaces: The 1994 Dirac Memorial Lecture

by Pierre Gilles de Gennes, Sam Edwards

Overview

Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century, died in 1984. Dirac's college, St. John's of Cambridge, generously endowed annual lectures to be held at Cambridge University in his memory. This volume contains a much expanded version of the 1994 Dirac Lecture by Nobel Laureate Pierre Gilles de Gennes. The book presents an impressionistic tour of the physics of soft interfaces. Full of insight and interesting asides, it not only provides an accessible introduction to this topic, but also lays down many markers and signposts that will be of interest to researchers in physics or chemistry. Features discussions of wetting and dewetting, the dynamics of different types of interface and adhesion and polymer/polymer welding.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521020350
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/29/2005
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.03(h) x 0.39(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction Sir Sam Edwards; 1. Geography and explorations; 2. Mobile borders: the dynamics of wetting (or dewetting); 3. Decorated borders: slippage between a solid and a polymer melt; 4. Principles of adhesion; 5. Polymer/polymer welding; 6. Conclusions; Remarks; Appendix: Drag on a tethered chain moving in a polymer melt; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'Soft Interfaces gives a thorough - and indeed enhanced - account of proceedings that will prove a valuable 114 pages for researchers in the field … Good as background for students and possible research inspiration for academics.' New Scientist

'The work will be of value for advanced workers in the fields of fluid mechanics, surface science, polymer fracture and adhesion.' Derek W. Aubrey, Chemistry in Britain

From the Publisher