This is the first monograph devoted to investigation of the most complex physical processes - phase transitions, critical phenomena and super-molecular organization - of soft systems, including a wide class of solutions from associated to micellar ones. In the book their thermophysical parameters are determined. Special attention is paid to problems of emergence and stability of the microemulsion state. Modern theoretical understanding is accompanied by experimental results. New methods and models for the description of several soft systems are proposed. The book is intended for scientists, engineers, graduate and doctoral students interested in the problems of the physics of soft matter. 1. Introduction.- 2. Acoustic Spectroscopy of Ideal Solutions.- 3. Phase-Separating Solutions.- 4. Dynamics of States Close to Critical.- 5. Physics of Solutions with Double Critical Point.- 6. Micellization as a Phase Transition.- 7. Fluctuation Mechanism of Forced Spinodal Decomposition.- 8. Weak Stirring and Absolute Instability Phenomena.- 9. Microheterophase Relaxation State.- 10. Transition from Emulsion to Microemulsion.- References.
From the reviews:
"This book mostly reviews experimental techniques used in phase separation including new interesting aspects on microemulsions, multicomponents and micellar solutions. It is divided in 10 short chapters, the discussion is concise clear and many experimental results are provided. ... we can recommend this book for anyone involved in the soft matter physics and interested by phase separation process." (Stéphane Métens, Physicalia, Vol. 26 (1), 2004)
