ABSTRACT
The aim of this book is to give an overview of the main fields of soft matter physics. It is also an opportunity to pay tribute to Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (Figure 11.1), who created this discipline. The authors attempted to write the different chapters by following de Gennes’ style of teaching and doing research, i.e. by using scaling arguments to make complex calculations accessible to a wide audience and by being guided by curiosity. We explore many phenomena, technological achievements, and biological processes to which soft matter physics concepts may be applied. The different chapters are illustrated by some de Gennes’ handmade slides and drawings. Drawing was his passion, and he got a price of the city of Paris for his synthetic style! He represents polymers in good or bad solvent in a very unique and artistic view (Figure 11.2). Pierre-Gilles de Gennes in 1991 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429154355/a763ff5b-c317-45ee-bbca-9ba0408a1d56/content/fig11_1_PB.jpg"/> https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429154355/a763ff5b-c317-45ee-bbca-9ba0408a1d56/content/fig11_1_OC.jpg"/> Cartoon made by P.-G. de Gennes for the 70th birthday celebration of the distinguished polymer experimentalist, Henri C. Benoit. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429154355/a763ff5b-c317-45ee-bbca-9ba0408a1d56/content/fig11_2_PB.tif"/> https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429154355/a763ff5b-c317-45ee-bbca-9ba0408a1d56/content/fig11_2_OB.tif"/>
