Provided here is up-to-date and in-depth information on various swelling phenomena occurring in living organisms and in the unanimated world. Thebook is arranged in six parts, which cover fundamentals, special topics, analytical and experimental methods and applications relevant to swelling insoils, cells and tissues of plants and animals. Specifically, it includes all aspects of osmotic phenomena leading to swelling in clays, cells, tissues, gels, blisters, colloidal systems, surfaces and membranes. Forces between surfactant, lipid and protein membranes and in polymeric systems are also considered.weiterlesen