CHME5179 (Complex Fluids and Everyday Materials) course reviews and ratings at Northeastern (NEU). Compare professors with RateMyProfessor reviews.
Introduces intra- and intermolecular forces and moves on to material deformation in response to external stress, including polymeric elasticity. Covers topics in colloidal science and biological physics: the microscopic origins of suspension stability and biological self-assembly. Additional topics include “molecular gastronomy,” personal care and cleaning products, active materials, and experimental techniques. Studies of complex fluids and soft materials are highly interdisciplinary. Many everyday materials are combinations of the three phases of matter—solid, liquid, and gas—with unique material properties. “Complex fluids” and “soft matter” refer to suspensions, emulsions, foams, and gels, which include personal care items, household cleaners, and even food. Nearly all biological material can be described as a soft material.
Data updated October 2026.