Research Initiation: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics of Fluid Interfaces

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This is a study of the properties of the interfaces in fluid mixtures at equilibrium, using the methods of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, with emphasis on those aspects which are important in chemical engineering processes. In a first part, analytical and numerical methods are used to determine the effects of the range of the intermolecular forces on the properties of surface tension. Next, a method of determining the behavior of surface tension in fluid mixtures is developed as a function of temperature, by extrapolation from the critical region, in which so much detailed information has recently become available. Finally, the structure and cohesion of surfactant films occuring in such mixtures as oil and water are studied. Analytical, numerical and possibly, videomicroscopic techniques are used to study this last problem.