Physical Chemistry of Surfaces

Code:

EQ0087

Acronym:

QFS

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Physical Sciences (Chemistry)

Instance: 2009/2010 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Chemical Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Chemical Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIEQ	72	Syllabus	3	-	6	49	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

1. This course unit aims to endow students with advanced knowledge in Surfaces, Interfaces and Colloidal Systems, as well as with skills in the interpretation of physical and chemical phenomena and textural characterization of porous materials.
2. It will be made a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to problems.
3. This course unit also aims to develop students’ critical and creative spirit.

Program

1. Chemistry and Physics of Surfaces
Surface tension and contact angle; Laplace, Kelvin and Young equations
Cohesion, adhesion and spreading
Methods to determine surface tension and contact angle; Porosimetry
Formation of insoluble monolayer; Langmuir-Blodgett films;
Adsorption from solution: Gibb’s equation; Detergency and fluctuation;
Introduction to the study of colloidal systems; Micelles, emulsions and microemulsions

2. Adsorption at the Gas/Solid Interface and Textural Characterization of Porous Materials
Physical and chemical adsorption; Equilibrium and adsorption isotherms;
Porous solids; mechanisms of vapour retention;
Isothermal analysis of physical adsorption: B.E.T method;
Standard isotherms; Isothermal analysis by –t and –ALFA methods;
Capillary condensation and evaporation; application of Kelvin’s equation;
Adsorption in microporous solids
Characterization of porous materials (adsorbents and catalysts); Activated carbon

3. Electrical phenomena in interface
The electrical double layer

Mandatory literature

Paul C. Hiemenz, Raj Rajagopalan; Principles of colloid and surface chemistry. ISBN: 0-8247-9397-8
José Luís Figueiredo, Fernando Ramôa Ribeiro ; com co-autoria com José Melo Órfão, Francisco L; Catálise heterogénea. ISBN: 978-972-31-1204-7

Complementary Bibliography

Arthur W. Adamson, Alice P. Gast; Physical chemistry of surfaces. ISBN: 0-471-14873-3 encaernado
S. J. Gregg, K. S. W. Sing; Adsorption, surface area and porosity. ISBN: 0-12-3000956-1

Teaching methods and learning activities

This course unit is divided into general theoretical-practical classes (GTP- 2 hours/week) and theoretical-practical (TP- 1.5 hours/week) classes with groups of students.
General theoretical-practical classes will be based on the presentation of the theoretical themes of the course unit and examples. In theoretical-practical classes exercises are discussed and solved.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	88,00
	Total:	-	0,00

Eligibility for exams

During classes students will be asked to solve some exercises as homework, which have to be delivered to the professor in the following week, unless otherwise agreed. The level of difficulty of the exercises and the time needed to solve them will vary.
To be admitted to exams, students cannot miss more classes than allowed by the rules and they have to deliver the exercises.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final Grade will be based on the following formula: FG= 0.15 CA+ 0.85E
CA- Continuous Assessment (homework)
E- Final Exam

This formula will be applied to students who are attending the course unit for the first time.

Students, who attended this course unit in the previous year, do not need to attend classes (they can attend as many classes as they want however). Thus their final grade will only be based on the grade achieved in the final exam.
However, students can take part of the continuous assessment component again, therefore they have to attend classes and do the homework. They have to inform the professor responsible for theoretical-practical classes about their decision. They will be assessed based on the above mentioned formula.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students have to attend an exam at the appropriate season. Their grades will be based on the classification achieved in the exam.

Classification improvement

Students cannot improve the grade of the continuous assessment component.
In order to improve their grades, students have to attend an exam which will be as final exam.
The same is applicable to recurso (resit) exam.