Colloid and Interfacial Chemistry

Research in the group is devoted to the self-assembly properties of amphiphilic (surfactant) molecules and the application of those self-assemblies (micelles, liquid crystals, vesicles) and related colloidal systems (emulsions, microemulsions) in the synthesis of advanced nanostructured materials and for the design of tailor-made formulations in various technological applications. These activities involve the characterization of nanostructured liquids and solid materials by several techniques such as static and dynamic light scattering (SLS, DLS), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), optical and electron microscopy (TEM, SEM), surface and interfacial tensiometry and rheology. The group, with more than 20 years of experience in the field, has recently oriented the study of functionalized amphiphilic and colloidal systems towards biomedical applications.