Welcome to the COST School on Surface Analytical Techniques in Regensburg 04. - 07. April 2016

The primary objective of this workshop is a sustainable program centred on detailed discussions of analytical methods and data analysis flavoured by selected topics of Colloids and Interface Science.

The interfacial regions between bulk media, although often comprising only a fraction of the material present, are frequently the site of reactions and phenomena that dominate the macroscopic properties of the entire system. Hence, the understanding of the self-organization of molecules at interfaces and their corresponding static and dynamic properties defines a central theme of Colloids and Interface Science.

Linear and nonlinear optical reflection techniques, X-ray and neutrons scattering and the scanning probe techniques are powerful tools in the armoury of a surface scientists that deepened our understanding of the interfacial architecture. Unfortunately, presentations at international conferences provide at most overviews of applications of scientific methods, but do not allow a meaningful in-depth discussion of the particular experimental and theoretical background. Textbook provide sound information, but there is a lag time between the development of new methods and their incorporation in textbooks and University courses.

Our workshop should bridge this gap and is designed for motivated PhD students and Post-doc in the field of Colloid and Interface science. The major objective is to discuss modern surface analytical tools that increased our understanding of fluid interfaces. Selected surface analytical tools are presented in tutorial review style by scientists using these techniques in their daily research. The information is then discussed and deepened in small workgroups on the basis of problem sheets. The interaction and active discussion of the participants is a crucial element of our workshop.