A versatile optical tensiomer allowing the investigation of static and dynamic interfacial properties in multiphase soft matter systems comprised of stimuli-responsive interfaces.

高级软多相材料的设计、制备和表征是一个密集的研究领域，因为它们具有广泛的实际和潜在的应用领域：高性能复合材料和聚合物，化妆品和食品工业的多相乳液和泡沫，组织工程支架和药物输送装置只是其中的几个例子。所有这些材料都由界面组成，这些界面在加工和微观结构发展过程中起着关键作用；（ii）与材料属性直接相关；确保物质功能。最近，密集的研究工作也集中在刺激响应界面的制备上，以获得对环境敏感的智能材料，或者提高工艺性能以开发更环保的材料，例如通过外部触发形成和破坏乳剂的能力。光学张力计是专门设计用来测量各种关键的表面和界面性质的：(1)表面能，(2)界面张力，(3)界面粘弹性。我们要求的光学张力计是一种多功能仪器，可以在静态（平衡）和动态（时间依赖）模式下执行所有这些测量，不需要或带有表面活性剂或界面活性纳米/微粒（吸附测量）。它将具有独特的特点，允许研究多相系统与一个滴对滴注射模块。该仪器将允许测量温度范围从亚环境到超过400摄氏度-适用于液体和聚合物熔体。包括10个项目的至少4个研究项目将直接受益于该仪器，并将扩大他们在各种接口方面的专业知识：(i)刺激响应接口；（ii）用共聚物修饰的聚合物界面；（iii）表面活性剂、微/纳米颗粒和/或蛋白质和多糖复合物修饰的界面；（iv）化学物质改性的金属/固体表面；(v)具有驱动其自组织的多个接口的系统。这种张力计将有助于培养软物质界面科学和工程领域的高素质科学家。

The design, preparation and characterization of advanced soft multiphase materials is an intensive field of research because of their wide array of actual and potential fields of applications : high-performance composites and polymers, multiphase emulsions and foams for the cosmetic and food industries, tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery devices are only a few examples. All of these materials are comprised of interfaces which (i) play key roles during processing and microstructure development ; (ii) are directly linked to the material properties ; (iii) assure material functionalities. More recently, intensive research efforts have also been concentrated in the preparation of stimuli-responsive interfaces to either obtain smart materials that are sensitive to their environment, or to enhance process performances to develop greener ones, such as the ability to form and break emulsions with an external trigger. An optical tensiometer is specifically designed to measure a variety of key surface and interfacial properties : (1) surface energies, (2) interfacial tensions and (3) interfacial viscoelastic properties. The optical tensiometer we request is a versatile instrument that can perform all of these measurements in static (equilibrium) and dynamic (time dependant) modes, without or with surfactants or interfacially active nano/microparticles (adsorption measurements). It will have the unique feature of allowing the study of multiphase systems with a droplet-in-droplet injection module. The instrument will allow measurements at temperatures ranging from sub-ambient to over 400 degC - suitable for liquids and polymer melts. At least 4 research programs comprising 10 projects will directly benefit from this instrument and will expand their expertise on a variety of interfaces : (i) stimuli-responsive interfaces ; (ii) polymer interfaces modified with copolymers ; (iii) interfaces modified with surfactants, micro/nanoparticles and/or complexes of proteins and polysaccharides ; (iv) metal/solid surfaces with modified chemistries ; (v) systems with multiple interfaces that drive their self-organization. This tensiometer will contribute to the training of highly qualified scientists in the field of the science and engineering of soft matter interfaces.