Colloid

1
Colloid Surface Science

• Barry K. Lavine
• Department of Chemistry
• Oklahoma State University

2
Colloid Domain

• State of matter in which the size of the basic
  unit varies from 1nm 1000nm.
• Science has taken a firm hold on the nature of
  matter at its two extremes a) the molecular,
  atomic, and subatomic level, and b) bulk
  materials
• Unfortunately, our understanding of the colloid
  domain lags behind these other areas
• Surface phenomena play an important role in the
  colloid domain.
• Nanoscience, the theme of our previous EPSCOR
  submission is only a small segment of the colloid
  domain.

3
Importance of the Colloid Domain

• Environmental Chemistry The study of colloidal
  particles and surfactants in natural aquatic
  environments such as rivers, lakes, soils, and
  porous rocks is an emerging field. Surfactants,
  for example, can alter the interfacial phenomena
  governing the migration of DNAPLs thereby
  affecting its accessibility during remediation.
• Chemical Reactions at Surfaces Heterogeneous
  catalysis by colloids, Chemical and biological
  reactions in colloidal systems
• Drug Delivery Colloidal polymers (e.g.,
  hydrogels) can serve as the basis for a method to
  transport drugs to specific sites in the body for
  targeted delivery.

4
Importance of the Colloid Domain

• Interfacial Medicine -A complex mixture of lipids
  and proteins, known as lung surfactant, forms
  monolayers at the alveolar air-water interface.
  The surfactant lowers the surface tension to near
  zero. A lack of surfactant results in a
  condition known as respiratory disease syndrome.
  Detailed structure-function relationship, e.g.,
  the phase behavior of the various components of
  lung surfactant, is crucial to understanding this
  condition.
• Chemical Analysis - Ultrasensitive and Selective
  DNA and Protein-Based Detection by Nanoparticles,
  Swellable molecularly imprinted polymer particles
  for environmental sensing.
• Self Assembly- Controlled colloidal assembly
  holds promise as it can produce microstructured
  photonic and electronic materials, and
  bio-electronic interfaces more easily than common
  lithographic and microfabrication technologies.

5
Challenges in Colloid and Surface Science

• The following phenomena unique to the colloid
  domain are not well understood.
• Aggregation
• Adsorption
• Phase Behavior
• Polymer Swelling
• Micellization
• Self Assembly
• This limits our understanding of the colloid
  domain.

6
Proposed NSF EPSCOR Site

• Focus will be on advancing our understanding of
  the colloid domain with emphasis on applying
  developments in this area to real world problems
  such as drug delivery and transport and fate of
  pollutants in the environment.
• Projects funded by the site will be collaborative
  in nature and will have both a fundamental and
  applied component. The will involve both
  engineers and scientists.
• The approach being taken here is based on the old
  axiom, Build on Strength.
• Surfactant Institute (University of Oklahoma)
• Individual Investigators (e.g., Bret Flanders,
  Bruce Ackerson, Barry K. Lavine at OSU)

7
Educational Component

• Institutions of higher education in the United
  States continue to ignore the subject of surface
  and colloid chemistry.
• This despite the fact that trillions of dollars
  in economic capacity are directly or indirectly
  involved with this scientific area.
• Perhaps, the most significant contribution that
  will be made by the proposed EPSCOR site will be
  in the dissemination of colloid science
  throughout institutions of higher learning in
  Oklahoma.
• This will truly make OSU and OU competitive at
  the national level in an area that is
  economically important to the country and
  Oklahoma.