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The study of "soft matter" materials with complex properties has raised a number of interesting problems in basic physics, biology, and materials science, all of which promise new and important technological applications. After a review of chemical bonds and phase transitions, the authors treat topics such as surface phenomena, stability of colloidal systems, structural properties of polymers, and topological defects. The monograph´s emphasis on underlying physical principles offers a coherent treatment of the great variety of research in the field. Many materials have complex structural and dynamic properties intermediate between those of crystals and fluids. Among these are liquid crystals, with their well-known orientational order; colloids; polymer solutions and melts; foams; and gels; collectively these have come to be called "soft matter." These materials generally consist of organic molecules that interact weakly; as a result, thermal fluctuations, external fields, and boundary effects strongly influence their structure and properties. This sensitivity raises interesting new problems in basic physics, chemistry, and materials science; offers a path of thinking about some processes in biological systems; and opens numerous possibilities for technological applications.
This textbook for graduate students in physics or chemical physics begins with a discussion of chemical bonds, interactions between particles, and the resulting molecular arrangements. The concept of order parameter leads to a discussion of phase transitions, elasticity and dynamics, followed by a review of fractals and growth phenomena. A significant portion of the book deals with defects of topological nature that accompany various types of order. The book concludes with chapters on surface phenomena, stability of colloidal systems, and structural properties of polymers. The detailed exposition, the emphasis on physical principles, and the exercises at the end of each chapter will make this book a valuable introduction for graduate students and researchers to this rapidly growing field.

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CHAPTER 1 Condensed Matter: General Characters, The Chemical Bond, Particle Interactions. / CHAPTER 2 Atomic and Molecular Arrangements. / CHAPTER 3 The Order Parameter: Amplitude and Phase. / CHAPTER 4 Phase Transitions. / CHAPTER 5 Elasticity of Mesomorphic Phases. / CHAPTER 6 Dynamics of Isotropic and Anisotropic Fluids. / CHAPTER 7 Fractals and Growth Phenomena. / CHAPTER 8 Dislocations in Solids. Plastic Relaxation. / CHAPTER 9 Dislocations in Smectic and Columnar Phases. / CHAPTER 10 Curvature Defects in Smectics and Columnar Phases. / CHAPTER 11 Disclinations and Topological Point Defects. Fluid Relaxation. / CHAPTER 12 Topological Theory of Defects. / CHAPTER 13 Surface Phenomena. / CHAPTER 14 Stability of Colloidal Systems. / CHAPTER 15 Polymers: Structural Properties.

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