Importance of colloids

Using the knowledge of colloidal phenomena, we can create materials having some desired properties. For example,

• Composites, where we can tailor the properties appropriate for a particular purpose.
• Pastes for micro-electronic components having a suitable thermal conductivity.
• Structural materials for aircrafts and automobiles, which make them tough as well as lightweight.
• Coatings for contact lens or a graft giving it the right surface properties. Here, one is concerned with the bio-compatibility which is a property of the surface and not the bulk because the lipids or proteins would see only the surface of the lens/graft.
• Nano-composites where the dispersed particles are of the size less than one nm.

But we cannot simply blend one kind of particles with another kind to make a composite. There are involved procedures for doing this, which require an understanding of colloid physics and chemistry. For example, consider a composite. When it is loaded, a failure is more likely to get initiated at an interface. The interface might tear leaving behind a blister. So, we have to go the colloidal scale to determine the strength of a composite.
Apart from the above applications, colloidal phenomenon also has immense importance in the field of surfactants and detergency.