OVERVIEW

The development of formulation technologies involves specific skills and a science-based approach that focuses the contribution of each formulation component in achieving the properties requested in the final product. This teaching provides the fundamentals required to understand the science of formulations and its increasingly importance in the global economy.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of this course is to provide a general framework on the chemistry of formulations through the recall of basic knowledge, the study of preparation methods and instrumental investigation techniques and the discussion of management problems. Particular attention will be paid to colloidal systems as essential components in formulation technology for advanced industrial applications.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching contents are related to the knowledge of properties, methods of preparation and characterization techniques of different types of colloids, monolayers and multilayers with the aim to correlate structure and properties of different molecular architectures. To this purpose, specific examples in various application areas are provided. At the end of the teaching the student will be able to:

• define the application areas and industrial relevance of the chemistry of formulations;
• describe the properties of colloids, monolayers and multi-layers and their application potential in the field of industrial formulations;
• identify the most suitable experimental techniques for the characterization of colloids, monolayers and multilayers in relation to their potential applications in the field of industrial formulations; 
• show adequate language skills in the description of phenomena and processes involving colloidal systems and formulations.

PREREQUISITES

None, but it is certainly useful to have previously followed the teaching of Colloids and Interphases.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching consists of traditional lectures for a total of 32 hours, sometimes accompanied with exercises carried out by the teacher in the classroom.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Recalls on the formulation chemistry: areas of application and industrial relevance.

Recalls on the science of colloids and surfaces and its role in the formulation chemistry.

Colloids: molecular, structural and electronic properties. Quantum confinement effects and their importance in conditioning the properties of the matter at the nanoscale level (optical, magnetic, mechanical) and reactivity.

Transport properties of colloidal systems: diffusion, sedimentation and membrane equilibria (osmotic pressure, Donnan effect, dialysis processes). Examples of applications on biological macromolecules.

Rheological properties of colloidal systems: Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids (plastic, pseudo-plastic, dilatant fluids). Einstein's theory on the viscosity of dispersions. Thixotropy and anti-thixotropy. Rheometers and viscometers. Examples of applications in cosmetics and food industry.

Association Colloids: general properties, critical micellar concentration, thermodynamics and kinetics of micellization. Structural models for micelles dispersed in water and definition of the corresponding structural parameters. Solubilizing, detergent and catalytic properties of micelles and their applications. Reverse micelles, liposomes and lyotropic liquid crystals: structure, properties and applications.

Formation of monolayers and multilayers by adsorption from solutions. Self-assembled monolayers on solid substrates (SAM): structure, properties and methods of preparation on 2D- and 3D-surfaces. Langmuir-Blodgett films: structure and properties. Examples of applications of adsorbed monolayers and multilayers.

Based on the content described, the teaching contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals of the ONU 2030 Agenda: Goal 4. Quality Education, Goal 5. Gender Equality and Goal 12. Responsible consumption and production.

As a quality assurance, the detailed program of the teaching is uploaded to the corresponding aula@web page, so the students can verify the correspondence between topics and learning outcomes.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

To facilitate learning, lesson notes are uploaded to the corresponding aul@web simultaneously with their content’s presentation in the classroom. Verification quizzes and tests are uploaded to the same web page to check individual preparation.

The following supporting texts are suggested:

“Principles of colloid and surface chemistry”, P. C. Hiemenz, R. Rajagopalan, 3rd edition, CRC press, Taylor & Francis Group, 1997.

“Kirk-Othemer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology”, J. I. Kroschwitz, M. Howe-Grant, Eds., John Wiley & Sons, 1996.

Supplementary material is provided on request to working students or students with SLD.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARINA ALLOISIO (President)

MAILA CASTELLANO

MASSIMO DOMENICO OTTONELLI

SILVIA VICINI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Teaching is held during the second semester of the academic year. Timetable and start of lessons can be found at:

https://corsi.unige.it/corsi/9020/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is an oral examination conducted by two teachers for a duration of at least 30 minutes.

During the calendar year, 7 official exam sessions are scheduled, distributed in the time intervals established by the Manifesto degli Studi and the Regolamento del Corso di Studio. Extraordinary exam sessions outside the as-indicated periods will be granted only to students overdue with the curriculum studiorum.

The oral examination usually consists of two parts; both of them are awarded a maximum rating of 15/30 for the exam evaluation:

- in the first part, the student has to face a problem connected to formulation chemistry in order to verify his understanding and mastery of the teaching topics as well as his ability to apply the theoretical concepts to real situations;

- in the second part, the student is called upon to illustrate and discuss topics of the teaching program, chosen by the examination committee; the second part is awarded a maximum rating of 15/30.

For students with disabilities or with SLD, the examination methods refer to the specific regulations of the University of Genova (https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa).

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Goal of the assessment is to verify the understanding and mastery of the learning outcomes by the student, particularly as far as the student’s ability to correlate the properties of colloids, monolayers and multilayers to their potential applications in the field of industrial formulations is concerned. 

Moreover, the oral exam will avail to verify the achievement of the appropriate level of mastery of the topics transmitted during the lectures and of language skills. The student's ability to compare and integrate the data available from various experimental characterization techniques and from the correlation structure-property models included in the teaching program will also be evaluated.

If the learning outcomes are not achieved, the student will be invited to deepen his preparation also by taking advantage of further explanations by the teacher before repeating the exam.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

The lessons attendance is strongly recommended to become familiar with the examination procedure, since the lectures are always accompanied by concrete examples related to daily life and industrial practice.