Themed collection Soft Matter Open Access Spotlight

Condensate droplets arise from phase separation into two liquid phases α (white) and β (green). Vesicle membranes exposed to such droplets are divided up into two membrane segments (red and purple), which can form membrane nanotubes.

In this perspective, we discuss the fundamental mechanisms and the length scales responsible for the formation of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPLs), MNPL size, shape, and morphologies, their metrology, and open questions in the field.

Bacterial biofilms that grow under confinement can mechanically interact with their environment to generate various global geometries and forms of cellular patterning.

Microcontact printing (μCP) is a versatile and low-cost technique for surface patterning, allowing for the fabrication of intricate designs with relative ease.

The co-assembly of nanometer- and submicrometer-sized colloidal particles can result in multi-component superstructures with unique properties.

We review the recent theoretical and simulation studies on interactions between curvature-inducing proteins and membranes.

This review clarifies the structure–process–property relationship in PVA-based polarizers.

Nanoprecipitation is a versatile, low-energy technique for synthesizing nanomaterials through phase separation, enabling precise tuning of nanomaterial properties.

Ion-conducting polymers (ICPs) are gaining interest in various scientific and technological fields. This review highlights advancements in ICP thin films using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and addresses challenges of traditional methods.

This review explores network designs that address the trade-off between toughness and elasticity, offering strategies to develop materials with both high fracture resistance and low hysteresis for advanced applications.

This review is about drops of a liquid with high dielectric permittivity that slide over a solid surface with high electrical resistivity.

A tutorial review on mesoscale computer simulations of fluid lipid membranes presenting three tutorials with repositories of ready-to-run codes for tether pulling, membrane tubulation and membrane fluctuation analysis.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been introduced through detailed tutorials, accompanied by a code package, as a powerful technique suitable for versatile investigations in fluid mechanics and soft matter physics.

The spreading of a drop in a wedge shows anomalous diffusion scaling, with the diffusion exponent directly linked to the fluid's rheological properties.

In models of Pickering emulsion stabilisation, it is assumed that Young’s equation defines the angle of a solid particle at the oil/water interface. Here, we consider the implications for stability when the particle is displaced by an external force.

A method to extract gel-forming mucins from pig trachea is developed. These airway mucins form viscous gels resembling human airway mucus, making them a useful model for lung disease research.

Connecting active and passive monomers to form partially active polymers can lead to directed transport towards regions of high or low chemical concentration.

A new, simple and robust strategy for stabilizing water-in-water emulsions with coatings formed by a lamellar phase.

The cruciform sample geometry is redesigned to enable the measurement of uniaxial and equibiaxial failure stresses of a silicone elastomer that agree with the stresses observed in control measurements.

The solid strain and fluid flux response to cyclic loading of a poroelastic material with material heterogeneity are studied. The effect is found to vary with the type of load and heterogeneity, and is non-negligeable.

The recent discovery of ferroelectric nematics—genuine 3D ferroelectric fluids—has underscored the importance of electrostatic interactions in shaping the physical behaviour of soft matter systems.

Time-resolved wrapping dynamics of anisotropic particles by fluid vesicles is modeled using a force-based triangulated surface framework. Simulations reveal nontrivial uptake pathways featuring sequential orientational transitions.

Illustration of the similarities and differences between dispersions of silica and plant protein particles as oil-structuring agents.

We present a systematic comparison of acid- and base-catalysed silica ionic gels. These gels were compared based on the appearance, morphology, surface and porosity, and their practical utility in gel diffusion crystal growth of bismuth perovskites.

The contraction and expansion flows positively correlate to the contraction ratio, CR, for all tested fluids except for polyethylene oxide solution which destabilizes (left plot) and grows vortices (right plot) nonmonotonically for CR alterations.

High throughput surface tension measurements using steady droplet deformation and velocity in pressure driven flow (orange) compare well with pendant drop (blue).

We introduce a theoretical and computational framework for extracting the pressure equation of state (EoS) of an active suspension from its steady-state sedimentation profile.

Microfluidic experiments show droplets coalescence criteria with viscosity ratio and surfactant concentration, and non-monotonic film drainage time is observed.

Protein condensate adsorption and spreading on actin filaments is investigated using fluorescence microscopy. We show condensates form capillary bridges that bundle filaments and induce network remodeling.

We determine the correlation length and hydrodynamic screening length of an amphiphilic PEG–PCL co-network and analyze their dependence on network composition to establish scaling laws for the targeted design of diffusion-based APCN applications.

Charged hydrogel adhesion and repulsion strongly depends on the surface charge and ionic environment. Oppositely charged surfaces deform the gels locally, while similarly charged surfaces lead to a hydration layer.

We create inflatable particles that can stiffen or soften during inflation utilizing strain localization.

The neutral stability curve gives the critical potential vs. wavenumber, with the straight line marking the transition wavenumber. Left of the intersection shows supercritical saturation, while the right side indicates subcritical rupture.

We investigated the rotational and translational dynamics of gold nanorods in semidilute solutions of bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM), a biologically relevant bottlebrush polymer rich in MUC5B.

Networks of colloidal patchy particles exhibit a rich dynamical response when activated by self-propelled particles with moderate activity.

Time-varying fields direct ferromagnetic spheres to migrate with, against, or across shear flows, enabling self-guided microrobots to navigate surfaces without external feedback.

Poly(ionic liquid) membranes with carbon nitride nanoparticle incorporation exhibit advanced properties.

In this work the self-assembly of the chaperone αB-crystallin is shown to follow the closed association model to a good approximation. The oligomeric form is found to consist of 18 monomers, approximately 7 nm in radius, independent of concentration.

We study textures formed in spherical droplets of twist-bend nematic liquid crystal with radial anchoring.

Crystals made of active particles that turn either toward or away from each other achieve states with orientational order that depends on the underlying crystalline lattice.

Hyperelastic material characterization is crucial for understanding the behavior of soft materials—such as tissues, rubbers, hydrogels, and polymers—under quasi-static loading before failure.

This article demonstrates how to convert commercial thermoset silicone kits to UV-set materials following a convenient, easily accessible protocol.

Coarse-grained simulations reveal that the internal organization of biomolecular condensates is robust to diverse arrays of sequence-encoded molecular and macroscopic properties.

Precursor chemistry, concentration and chirality control polycatecholamine (pCA) polymerization. Analysis of dopamine, levodopa and norepinephrine reveals distinct kinetic and particle aggregation profiles for the rational design of pCA surfaces.

Power law rheology of HL60 cells renders mechanical measurements largely independent of experimental method, timescale and adhesion or suspension state. Specifically, the resting Young's modulus is not affected by buffer composition and viscosity.

The interaction between topological defects in 2D p-atics with periodic boundary conditions is different than Coulomb charges in the same configuration. This is due to topological solitons that are stabilized by the nontrivial domain topology.

Quincke roller active colloids self-assemble under confinement into rotors. A “magic number” of 61 particles forms a tiny crystallite which rotes and undergoes a series of slipping transitions as activity is increased.

We conducted molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous salt solutions in the zwitterion-functionalized nanopore. Our results showed that reversing ZI dipole orientation promotes permselectivity of Na⁺/Cs⁺ over Li⁺ among monovalent cations.

Each lipid type in a model membrane influences membrane properties.

Nanotubes of P3HT exhibit broadly modulable conductive properties in dependence on their thickness. Conductivity values higher for P3HT nanotubes than for the bulk or P3HT nanowires are reported, due to orientation effects.

We examine the combined effects of topography and intrinsic material wettability on the overall wetting behaviour of patterned surfaces, with widespread practical applications.

When cells attached to parallel nanofibers collide, they can form a train, reverse from the collision, or walk past each other. Simulations and linear stability analysis show the outcome depends on cell deformability, positive feedback of polarity, and fiber spacing.

The reversible dissociation–association dynamical process of the ionic bonds offers gels excellent self-healing properties.

Extensile active flows drive sorting to an anchored boundary in an active nematic–passive isotropic fluid mixture.

We experimentally quantify the key error sources in optical tweezer measurements and systematically model their impact on the extraction of interaction potentials.

Colloidal gelation involves formation of an interconnected and percolated network of particles, followed by its coarsening and maturation. We present quantitative analysis of this network through different structural and dynamical measures.

This study theoretically investigates how anisotropic curved membrane components (CMCs) control vesicle morphology through curvature sensing, nematic alignment, topological defects and volume constraints.

We investigate the generation of square-lattice defect arrays in ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals under the influence of an alternating field. The parameters of the structure depend on the frequency of the applied field and could be tuned.

Microgel monolayers at the solid–liquid interface are investigated using force spectroscopy with a sharp AFM tip. We show the effect of the lateral compression on the properties and internal structure of our microgels.

This study highlights topology's role in the phase behavior of polymer blends: catenated DNA network (kDNA)-linear DNA (λ-DNA) mixtures phase separates above a critical λ-DNA concentration, unlike circular-linear blends which remain uniformly mixed.

Bis(pyridyl) urea gelators (L2, L1 + L2) self-assemble into anisotropic fibrillar networks; L2 forms dense, entangled gels, while L1 + L2 shows distinct, dynamic morphologies, revealing isomer-specific assembly pathways.

A phase-field algorithm is used to quantitatively describe wetting morphologies.

Using 3D simulations, this study uncovers how distinct gene silencing mechanisms reshape chromatin, modulate gene expression noise, and drive unique transcription factor cluster patterns—revealing hidden dynamics of genome regulation.

Fire ant rafts dynamically self-organize to conserve energy by separating into active and inactive phases, through formation of stationary clusters that can dissolve rapidly under external stimuli, enabling a swift decentralized collective response.

Dense suspensions of Quincke random walkers exhibit turbulent-like flows mimicking those of bacterial suspensions.

Demixing of smectics can exhibit a diverse range of condensate morphologies. Here we demonstrate that solvent swelling of the smectic can reduce layer bending rigidity, giving rise to more structurally-complex morphologies.

Patterns with long- and short-range order in a monolayer of a self-assembling mixture of particles or macromolecules are studied by MD simulations in a generic model inspired by biological and soft matter systems.

Multiple pathways exist for measuring Poisson’s ratio. Not all methods are appropriate for nearly incompressible materials.

To combat the ever growing energy demand of machine learning, we design novel, neuromorphic, iontronic circuits inspired by Shinriki oscillators and based on microfluidic memristors. We show that they form the universal logic NAND gate.

PDMS and parylene C coatings on azobenzene films are compared. Both enable surface relief grating inscription in water, however parylene C offers improved biocompatibility, cell adhesion, and stability, making it ideal for cell culture applications.