Product Description
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.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 1 review)

Soft Matter, emphasis on Liquid Crystals

Soft Matter Physics by Oleg and Maurice presents a very comprehensive account of the fundamental principles critical to understanding the phase behavior, disinclinations, defects, elasticity and dynamics of anisotropic phases. The material covered will be of interest to everyone even remotely connected with the study of liquid crystals.

The discussions are fairly recent, and the emphasis is on leading the reader through nearly every aspect of liquid crystal behavior, explained through a rich collection of equations, diagrams and analogies. A good understanding of this matter automatically leads to understanding of the other soft materials like colloids and polymers, that are discussed in last two chapters of the book. This book is uniquely useful in the detailed discussion of nematodynamics, elasticity of mesomorphic phases, dynamics of defects and disinclinations, liquid crystal order and phase transitions, fractals and growth phenomenon, drops of anistropic fluids: the insight offered for these topics makes it a must buy for the graduate students and scientists fascinated by LC phases.

One may wish to start with P. J. Collins to appreciate the beautiful science of liquid crystals, (its a book without equations), follow it up with this treatise to comprehend the mathematical details of phenomenon, then delve into the classic by de Gennes to learn the concepts from the master, and I guess finish off with Chaikin and Lubensky to become an expert in aspects related to liquid crystalline phases.

March 24, 2006

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Soft Condensed Matter Physics in Molecular and Cell Biology (Scottish Graduate)
by W.C.K. Poon, David Andelman

Soft Condensed Matter
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Principles of Condensed Matter Physics
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Colloidal Dispersions (Cambridge Monographs on Mechanics)
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Quantum Liquids: Bose Condensation and Cooper Pairing in Condensed-Matter Systems (Oxford Graduate Texts)
by Anthony James Leggett