Sir Eric Rideal, a Past President of the SCI, founded the SCI Colloid and Surface Chemistry Group more than forty years ago.

Our subject area pervades virtually all areas of chemistry, and indeed science in general. It is the foundation of what is popularly called nanotechnology and finds applications across a wide range of commercial sectors. Although the colloidal properties of a particular material are rarely the driving force in product manufacture, they can shape the design of the product. In pharmaceuticals for example, it is the active drug that is the product, but it requires the skill of the colloid scientist to package the drug into an effective formulation that not only ensures that it reaches its target, but which also controls the rate of release of the drug.

The Technical Interest Group primarily organises short conferences in its areas of interest, sometimes in conjunction with the RSC's Colloid & Interface Science Group. Given the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of Colloid and Surface Science these meetings are frequently held in conjunction with other SCI Technical Interest Groups or organisations. In a major effort to present a more coherent front for Colloid Science, particularly in the UK, the Committee now meets regularly with that of its sister group in the RSC, and all meetings of either Group are now co-sponsored. The Group is keen to attract young scientists into the area of colloid science and is always looking for new initiatives in this area.