Sensitive matter : foams, gels, liquid crystals, and other miracles / Michel Mitov ; translated by Giselle Weiss.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mitov, Michel.

Standardized Title:

Matière sensible. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Colloids.

Materials.

Rheology.

Soft condensed matter.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 184 p. ) ill. ;

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Life would not exist without sensitive, or soft, matter. All biological structures depend on it, including red blood globules, lung fluid, and membranes. So do industrial emulsions, gels, plastics, liquid crystals, and granular materials. What makes sensitive matter so fascinating is its inherent versatility. Shape-shifting at the slightest provocation, whether a change in composition or environment, it leads a fugitive existence. Physicist Michel Mitov brings drama to molecular gastronomy (as when two irreconcilable materials are mixed to achieve the miracle of mayonnaise) and offers answers to everyday questions, such as how does paint dry on canvas, why does shampoo foam better when you "repeat," and what allows for the controlled release of drugs? Along the way we meet a futurist cook, a scientist with a runaway imagination, and a penniless inventor named Goodyear who added sulfur to latex, quite possibly by accident, and created durable rubber. As Mitov demonstrates, even religious ritual is a lesson in the surprising science of sensitive matter. Thrice yearly, the reliquary of St. Januarius is carried down cobblestone streets from the Cathedral to the Church of St. Clare in Naples. If all goes as hoped-and since 1389 it often has-the dried blood contained in the reliquary's largest vial liquefies on reaching its destination, and Neapolitans are given a reaffirming symbol of renewal.

Contents:

Front matter

CONTENTS

PREFACE: MATTER, ARE YOU THERE?

PROLOGUE: SENSITIVE MATTER, DIVINE MATTER?

INTRODUCTION: LET US PRAISE SENSITIVITY, A UNIFYING VIRTUE

CONCILIATION: THE ART OF RESOLVING CONFLICTS

REVELATION: THE LITTLE ADDITIVE THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

ADAPTATION: RESPONDING TO THE ENVIRONMENT

EPILOGUE

BONUS TRACKS

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CREDITS

INDEX OF SENSITIVE MATERIALS

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

ISBN:

9780674069244

0674069242

9780674064560

0674064569

OCLC:

794004257