Interfaces for Chemistry, Biology and Nanotechnology

CHEM 426 looks at what happens at boundaries — where two phases, materials, or environments meet — and treats those interfaces as the place where most interesting chemistry, biology, and nanoscale behavior actually occurs. You'll work through the intermolecular forces that hold films, membranes, micelles, and self-assembled structures together, then learn how researchers actually probe these systems using force-based techniques, optical imaging, and surface-selective nonlinear spectroscopy, with quizzes, homework, two midterms, and a presentation along the way. It pulls together physical chemistry and a bit of optics into something directly useful for anyone heading toward soft matter, biophysics, or nanotech research.