Colloid Science and Separations Professors Blankschtein , Cooney , Doyle , Hatton , Laibinis and Tester Colloid science plays a central role in a large number of processes and technologies of interest to chemical engineers. Interfaces abound and interfacial phenomena in many ways control the products and processes associated with these technologies, mature and emerging alike. At MIT, we have a broad program in the area of colloid science, specifically in structured fluids. This program is interdisciplinary, drawing on the fields of engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. It is a scientifically challenging area with important practical benefits, not only in industrial processes, but also in biomedical applications.
Structured fluids are solutions composed of microstructures dispersed in a solvent.
These can have important ramifications in fields as diverse as biological and environmental separations, drug delivery systems, transport of cholesterol in the body, tertiary oil recovery, cosmetics, food processing, synthesis of ultrafine particles for microelectronic and ceramics applications, and detergency and wetting. Self-assembled lipid systems are ubiquitous in nature, forming the basis for all cells and providing the compartmentalization required for cells to function. Gas hydrates and other clathrate systems are important in energy applications, and may also find novel applications in separation processes. Our program is driven by important problems in the industrial and biomedical sectors, and gives participants exposure to a wide range of theoretical and experimental tools. Exposure to analytical chemistry and to organic synthesis are other important areas from which a student can derive benefit.