Skip to main content
Unit of study_

CHEM3916: Membranes, Self Assembly and Surfaces(Adv)

2020 unit information

Away from the covalent and ionic interactions that hold molecules and solids together is the world of fragile objects - folded polymers, membranes, surface adsorption and stable molecular aggregates - held together by weak forces such as van der Waals and the hydrophobic effect. The use of molecules rather than atoms as building blocks means that there are an enormous number of possibilities for stable aggregates with interesting chemical, physical and biological properties, many of which still wait to be explored. In this course we examine the molecular interactions that drive self assembly and the consequences of these interactions in supramolecular assembly, lipid membrane formations and properties, microemulsions, polymer conformation and dynamics and range of fundamental surface properties including adhesion, wetting and colloidal stability. CHEM3916 students attend the same lectures as CHEM3916 students, but attend an additional advanced seminar series comprising one lecture a week for 12 weeks.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Science

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Chemistry Academic Operations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
[(65 or greater in (CHEM2401 or CHEM2911 or CHEM2915)) AND (65 or greater in (CHEM2402 or CHEM2912 or CHEM2916))] OR (65 or greater in (CHEM2521 or CHEM2921 or CHEM2991))
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
CHEM3116
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and language of the chemistry of surfaces and self-assembly, and the chemical processes driving them
  • LO2. explain and predict the intermolecular interactions, and thermodynamic considerations occurring in polymers, films, surfaces, colloids, and nanostructured self-assemblies
  • LO3. demonstrate the ability to perform safe laboratory manipulations and to handle glassware
  • LO4. demonstrate the ability to find and analyse information and judge its reliability and significance
  • LO5. demonstrate the ability to communicate scientific information appropriately both orally and through written work
  • LO6. demonstrate the ability to engage in team and group work for scientific investigations and for the process of learning
  • LO7. demonstrate a sense of responsibility and independence as a learner and as a scientist
  • LO8. demonstrate basic skills in computing, numeracy and data handling.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

There are no availabilities for this year.
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Find your current year census dates

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.