Title: Landscape and Memory
Abstract:
Soft materials often get trapped in interesting metastable
states, whose properties depend not only on thermodynamic conditions
(pressure, temperature...) but also on their previous history. This
memory
effect is governed by the free-energy landscape through which the
material
has travelled en-route to its final state. Examples include the
micelle-to-vesicle transition in biological lipids; the formation of
nematic-colloid gels; and the granulation process used to make washing
powder.
Prof. M. E. Cates
School of Physics
University of Edinburgh
JCMB Kings Buildings
Mayfield Road
Edinburgh EH9 3JZ
m.e.cates@ed.ac.uk