Robert J. Hunter – författare

This is a completely revised, reorganised, and updated second edition of the classic textbook on colloid science, provided for the first time in a single volume. Colloid science is the study of systems involving small particles of one substance suspended in another. Suspensions of liquids form the basis of a wide variety of systems of scientific and technological importance including paints, inks, ceramics, cosmetics, soils, biological cells, and many food preparations. Although concentrating on systems involving suspensions of solids in water, the development here is made in terms which can be readily extended to the other less frequently encountered systems. The book explains the principles of colloid science, and provides a clear account of the fundamental physical and chemical concepts on which our understanding of colloidal systems depends. The accent is on making the theories accessible by providing all necessary development.

From agricultural soils to the clouds and fogs which influence our weather; from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals; from the food we eat to the structure of biological cells - most of the materials around us are made up of colloids. Colloidal systems are also important in the paper, paint and ink industries, either in the final products or at crucial stages in their manufacture. This book provides an introduction to the area of science which seeks to understand those processes which govern the behaviour of these systems.The emphasis is on providing a sound basic understanding on which later, more advanced study can be built. The book offers a gentle introduction to the author's two-volume reference book Foundations of Colloid Science, which can be used to take the specialist reader into the latest research literature.

The first volume of "Foundations of Colloid Science" was essentially an advanced textbook of colloid science, suitable for students and researchers in the areas of colloid science, surface chemistry and polymer studies. Volume 2 contains material which has been extended to include some important new areas, and topics discussed in the first volume are developed to a much greater depth. An introductory chapter on the theory of liquids describes the concept of correlation functions and the use of Fourier transforms to analyze the scattering of light and neutrons by colloidal systems. Adsorption is given detailed coverage and a chapter on electrokinetics introduces a new approach to time dependent processes in the double layer. The principles of double layer theory are also used to review the behaviour of thin films and emulsions (both macro and micro). A final chapter on the rheology of colloidal suspensions calls on many of the concepts discussed earlier to bring some cohesion to this rapidly developing field.