About Us

Research -
Publications by
Area

Publications

Presentations

Co-operation

Teaching

Staff

Former staff

Equipment

Methods

Contacts

Location

CM1101-2012

EUFOAM 2010

COST Action D43

COST Action P21

About Us:

The Department was founded in 1983, as part of the Faculty of Chemistry at the Sofia University. Initially, its name was "Laboratory of Thermodynamics and Physicochemical Hydrodynamics" (LTPH). In December 1999, it was renamed "Laboratory of Chemical Physics and Engineering" (LCPE). In May 2009, it was transformed into "Department of Chemical Engineering" (DCE).

Heads of the unit have been Prof. I.B. Ivanov (1983-1993), Prof. P.A. Kralchevsky (1993-2008) and Prof. N.D. Denkov (2008-present).

The present staff consists of four Full Professors, three Associate Professors, one Assistant Professor, 2 Postdocs, 12 Research Associates; 4 Ph.D. students; two secretaries and graduate students.

Research - Publications by Area:

Research Fields of the Department (fundamental, and/or relevant to the industry):

1. Capillarity, Contact Angles, Thermodynamics of Liquid Films, Surface Forces

2. General Curved Interfaces, Bending Moments, Curvature Elastic Moduli

3. Oscillatory Structural Forces and Stratification of Liquid Films

4. Lateral Capillary Forces and Two-Dimensional Crystallization of Colloids

5. Static and Dynamic Surface Tension of Surfactant Solutions and Interfacial Rheology

6. Micellar Surfactant Solutions and Solubilization

7. Hydrodynamics of Thin Liquid Films

8. Interactions of Drops and Bubbles

9. Foams, Antifoams and Detergency

10. Emulsions, including Food Emulsions and Emulsification

11. Light Scattering from Dispersions and Electrokinetic Phenomena

12. Mass Transport and Membrane Filtration

13. Biointerfaces

14. Instrumental methods

15. Computational Chemistry

Co-operation:

The Department is co-operating with scientific groups from foreign universities, institutes and industrial companies from USA, EU (Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Greece, UK), Japan -- since 1990 it has had 35 projects with foreign companies and foundations.

At the average per year the Department publishes 10-15 scientific papers in international journals, accepts more than 10 foreign visitors, presents 15-20 papers at international conferences (several of them plenary and invited), and 10-15 invited seminars in foreign Institutes and Universities.

Teaching:

The staff teaches courses in:

• Mathematical Methods in Chemistry;

• Transport Phenomena and Separation Processes;

• Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis;

• Statistical Chemical Thermodynamics;

• Interfacial Phenomena and Stability of Dispersions;

• Computers and Computer Modelling;

• Physical Chemistry of Condensed Phases (Solutions).