Themed collection Soft Matter Emerging Investigators Series
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Predicting polymer solubility from phase diagrams to compatibility: a perspective on challenges and opportunities
Advances in physical models and data science are improving predictions of polymer–solvent phase behavior and we discuss the different approaches taken today and the remaining barriers to making broadly useful predictions.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 5652-5669
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00590B
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The sweetest polymer nanoparticles: opportunities ahead for glycogen in nanomedicine
Glycogen is a biomaterial nanoparticle composed of sugar. In this perspective, the opportunities of glycogen in nanomedicine going forward is discussed.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 3577-3584
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00261J
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A new order of liquids: polar order in nematic liquid crystals
Given the widespread adoption of display technology based on nematic liquid crystals, the discovery of new nematic phases at thermodynamic equilibrium, although extremely rare, generates much excitement.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 5014-5020
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00543C
Theory and simulation of ligand functionalized nanoparticles – a pedagogical overview
Synthesizing reconfigurable nanoscale synthons with predictive control over shape, size, and interparticle interactions is a holy grail of bottom-up self-assembly.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 3554-3576
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00177J
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Worm blobs as entangled living polymers: from topological active matter to flexible soft robot collectives
Living worms form “blobs,” active entangled physical structures with emergent properties. We show how these worms provide a fascinating platform to study active polymer physics.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 7057-7069
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00542A
Fluid manipulation via multifunctional lubricant infused slippery surfaces: principle, design and applications
Water-repellent interfaces with high performance have emerged as an indispensable platform for developing advanced materials and devices.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 588-608
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01547A
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Solvent-assisted self-assembly of block copolymer thin films
Solvent-assisted block copolymer self-assembly is a compelling method for advancing practical applications of these materials due to the exceptional level of the control of BCP morphology and significant acceleration of ordering kinetics.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 4042-4066
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00439A
An organic/inorganic hybrid soft material for supramolecular adhesion
An organic/inorganic hybrid supramolecular adhesive with 3D printing capacity was prepared from low-molecular-weight monomers.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 5670-5674
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00501E
Quantifying the trade-off between stiffness and permeability in hydrogels
Hydrogels have a distinct trade-off between mechanical stiffness and water permeability due to the spacing of polymer strands.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 7735-7740
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01215D
A simple simulation-derived descriptor for the deposition of polymer-wrapped carbon nanotubes on functionalized substrates
Analysis of solvent structure obtained from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations reveals a descriptor that predicts the experimental deposition of polymer-wrapped carbon nanotubes.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 4653-4659
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00572G
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Repulsive torques alone trigger crystallization of constant speed active particles
Active particles which repel each other through torques crystallize without reducing their intrinsic speed.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 3120-3124
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00256F
Temperature-dependent reentrant phase transition of RNA–polycation mixtures
In this letter, we report that RNA–polycation mixtures display a temperature-controlled dual-response phase behavior with concurrent UCST and LCST transitions.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 1342-1349
https://doi.org/10.1039/D1SM01557E
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Controlling the thermally-driven crystallization of DNA-coated nanoparticles with formamide
DNA-driven assembly of colloidal crystals often requires annealing at temperatures that can damage DNA-nanoparticle bonds. Here we show that regulating assembly thermodynamics with DNA denaturants enables crystallization under ambient conditions.
Soft Matter, 2024, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00854E
Asymmetric toughening in the lap shear of metamaterial structural adhesives
Metamaterial structural adhesives with a thick asymmetric backing and thin adhesive layer offer superior advantages over traditional uniform adhesives, including enhanced adhesion due to the crack trapping mechanism and asymmetric properties.
Soft Matter, 2024, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00410H
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Elucidating the role of physicochemical interactions on gel rheology
Bond kinetics and network restructuring in gels control their yield transition and thixotropic recovery.
Soft Matter, 2024, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00516C
Quantitative turbidimetric characterization of stabilized complex coacervate dispersions
The stabilization of complex coacervate microdroplets can be modulated by the concentrations of cPE stabilizer and salt, enabling their various applications, such as bioreactors, drug delivery vehicles, and encapsulants.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 5060-5070
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01761C
Effect of surface viscoelasticity on top jet drops produced by bursting bubbles
Our work investigates the dynamics of top jet drops from bubble bursting at the free surface of mixed protein–surfactant solutions, where surface viscoelasticity profoundly influences drop characterization.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 4868-4877
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00243A
Core-softened colloid under extreme geometrical confinement
Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate how core-softened colloids respond to extreme confinement, identifying a mono-to-bilayer transition and highlighting the emergence of the square phase.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 4681-4691
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00339J
Heterogeneity-induced retraction in viscoelastic fluids following cessation of flow
Complex fluids including entangled wormlike micelles (WLMs) can develop heterogeneous flow regions in steady shear flow. We show that flow heterogeneity in WLMs can cause significant retraction of the fluid upon cessation of the imposed flow.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 4567-4582
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00203B
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Optimizing anisotropic transport on bioinspired sawtooth surfaces
Biomimetic surfaces inspired by butterfly wings serve as a template to better understand anisotropic wetting and droplet motion.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 4079-4087
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01669B
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Mesoscale simulations of diffusion and sedimentation in shape-anisotropic nanoparticle suspensions
We investigate the self-diffusion and sedimentation of suspensions of shape-anisotropic nanoparticles using a novel mesoscale model.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 3942-3953
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00271G
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Spontaneous oscillation of an active filament under viscosity gradients
We investigate the effects of uniform viscosity gradients on the spontaneous oscillations of an elastic, active filament in viscous fluids.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 3845-3853
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00095A
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Emergence of preferential flow paths and intermittent dynamics in emulsion transport in porous media
Emulsions injected into 2D porous media flow through pores with higher local velocities without being selective about the size of the pores they encounter, leading to the trapping of a large number of them and the formation of preferential paths.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 3585-3592
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01465G
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In situ polymer gelation in confined flow controls intermittent dynamics
When alginate and calcium mix in a microfluidic junction, the system either flows, clogs, or demonstrates intermittency: gel repeatedly deposits, causing increased pressure, then ablates. The gel maintains its shape upon ablation to form micro-rods.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 1858-1868
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01389H
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Optimal face-to-face coupling for fast self-folding kirigami
We show the potential for improvement of the folding dynamics of two-level kirigami structures by optimizing the naturally occurring hydrodynamic coupling between the levels.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 1114-1119
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01474F
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Anisotropic run-and-tumble-turn dynamics
By modeling run-and-tumble-turn particles that can only travel and turn along the four Cartesian axes, we show how microscopic anisotropic features extend to macroscopic scales, and are inherited, in the interacting case, by global order.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 1133-1150
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00589E
Exploring how cation entropy influences electric double layer formation and electrochemical reactivity
The entropy of ions governs the structure and composition of electric double layers with major implications for electrocatalytic activity.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 351-364
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01302B
Elasticity tunes mechanical stress localization around active topological defects
Topological defects play diverse roles in biology. We find that tuning the passive elasticity substantially changes the intensity and extent of stresses, and in active systems can invert the defect motion and stress pattern.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 115-123
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01113E
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Branched copolymer surfactants impart thermoreversible gelation to LAPONITE® gels
Composite solutions of LAPONITE® and branched copolymer surfactants give thermoreversible sol–gel transitions due to nanostructural assembly processes.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 103-114
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01271A
Stimuli-directed selective detection of Cu2+ and Cr2O72− ions using a pH-responsive chitosan-poly(aminoamide) fluorescent microgel in aqueous media
In this work, the preparation of a pH-responsive fluorescent microgel, (NANO-PAMAM-CHT), is presented for the selective detection of Cu2+ and Cr2O72− ions.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 79-88
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01319G
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Geometric learning of knot topology
Unambiguous knot classification is a long-standing problem. In this paper, the authors use Machine Learning to classify all knots up to 10 crossings with more than 95% accuracy and also to distinguish knots with multiple identical knot polynomials.
Soft Matter, 2024,20, 71-78
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01199B
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Hydrophobically modified complex coacervates for designing aqueous pressure-sensitive adhesives
The rheology of complex coacervates can be elegantly tuned via the design and control of specific non-covalent hydrophobic interactions between the complexed polymer chains.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 8832-8848
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01114C
Rate-dependent stress-order coupling in main-chain liquid crystal elastomers
This study reports rate-dependent measurements and relaxation of stress, director rotation, and shear strain in main-chain nematic LCEs subjected to uniaxial tension with various initial directors, which is further explained by an analytical model.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 7923-7936
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00770G
Effects of crowding on the diffusivity of membrane adhered particles
We investigate changes in the diffusivity and rheology of particles tethered to a lipid bilayer as they become highly crowded.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 7708-7716
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM01269G
The cohesive properties and pyrolysis mechanism of an aprotic ionic liquid tetrabutylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide
This work proposed a novel method to calculate the wide-temperature-range cohesive properties of organic salts in both the liquid and solid states, and first calculate the charge separation distance in the single ion pair of the vapor.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 6458-6467
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00614J
Capillary detachment of a microparticle from a liquid–liquid interface
Microparticles at a liquid–liquid interface are common in many material systems, from Pickering emulsions to capillary suspensions. Confocal and colloidal probe microscopy are combined to measure meniscus shape and detachment forces.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 6247-6254
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00470H
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Effect of small amounts of akaganeite (β-FeOOH) nanorods on the gelation, phase behaviour and injectability of thermoresponsive Pluronic F127
Composite hydrogels containing small amounts of paramagnetic akaganeite (β-FeOOH) nanorods in PF127 triblock copolymer show enhanced thermal stability and injectability which could find applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 5869-5879
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00451A
Soft, flexible pressure sensors for pressure monitoring under large hydrostatic pressure and harsh ocean environments
A soft, flexible pressure sensor is developed to measure hydrostatic pressure in the ocean environment, which can be potentially integrated with many platforms including diver equipment and marine animal tags for real-time pressure monitoring.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 5772-5780
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00563A
Crossover behavior in stress relaxations of poroelastic and viscoelastic dominant hydrogels
AFM measurement reveals that two distinct mechanisms determine the crossover phenomenon in the stress relaxation of hydrogels. This contributes to a better understanding of similar mechanical behaviors of cells and tissues.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 5443-5451
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00592E
Influence of surfactant on glass transition temperature of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles
Presented is an experimental study of PVA and DMAB stabilized PLGA particles and the measurement of their Tg's with mDSC.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 5371-5378
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00082F
Microfluidic nanobubbles: observations of a sudden contraction of microbubbles into nanobubbles
Utilizing a microfluidic flow-focusing chip to generate monodisperse bulk nanaobubbles. We make the surprising observation of a critical microbubble diameter above and below which the scale of bubble shrinkage dramatically changes.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 5142-5149
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00380A
Investigating the cut-off effect of n-alcohols on lipid movement: a biophysical study
Cellular membranes are responsible for absorbing the effects of external perturbants for the cell's survival.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 5001-5015
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01583H
Magnetic field enabled in situ control over the structure and dynamics of colloids interacting via SALR potentials
A model system of tunable, competing short-range attraction (SA) and long-range repulsion (LR) among colloidal particles is developed which encompasses a diverse range of assembled states, including fractal clusters and a Wigner glass state.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 4439-4448
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00354J
Investigating structure and dynamics of unentangled poly(dimethyl-co-diphenyl)siloxane via molecular dynamics simulation
Poly(dimethyl-co-diphenyl)siloxane has improved mechanical properties compared with polydimethylsiloxane. We used atomistic molecular dynamics simulation to investigate how the diphenyl contents slow down the relaxation dynamics of the copolymers.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 4265-4276
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00509G
A coarse-grained simulation model for colloidal self-assembly via explicit mobile binders
Developing a model for assembly of colloids with mobile binding sites, we probe the physics of assembly of adhesion patches between particles. We find design rules for assembly of low valence chains, and also study the folding behavior of these ‘colloidomers’.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 4223-4236
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00196B
Deforming active droplets in viscoelastic solutions
In a viscoelastic environment, characterized by Deborah number (De), active droplets get deformed and perform zig-zag motion. This unique motion is inextricably linked to the swimming mode employed by them.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 3783-3793
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00228D
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Dynamic shapes of floppy vesicles enclosing active Brownian particles with membrane adhesion
The combined effect of self-propulsion and membrane adhesion of colloidal particles in a fluid vesicle is studied numerically. Novel ring-, sheet-, and branched-polymer-like particle arrangements are obtained.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 3436-3449
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00004D
Prediction of zwitterion hydration and ion association properties using machine learning
Hydration and ion association data for a library of zwitterions was produced by molecular dynamics simulations. Machine learning was applied to reveal how chemical design influences target properties.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 3179-3189
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00062A
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Torsion-induced stick-slip phenomena in the delamination of soft adhesives
Propagation of stick-slip waves along the circumference of soft adhesive cylinders under combined torsion and compression is shown experimentally and explained by a theoretical model.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 2319-2329
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01675C
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Preparation of polymer nanoparticle-based complex coacervate hydrogels using polymerisation-induced self-assembly derived nanogels
pH-responsive nanogels synthesised by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer mediated polymerisation-induced self-assembly were used to prepare shear-thinning polymer nanoparticle-based complex coacervate hydrogels.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 2074-2081
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01534J
Boundary design regulates the diffusion of active matter in heterogeneous environments
The transport of self-propelled particles in porous media is sensitive to boundary design; effective temperature corrections to Brownian models tend to overestimate the diffusivity of active swimmers after normalizing by their bulk self-diffusivity.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 1890-1899
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01421A
Diffusiophoresis of a spherical particle in porous media
We develop a mathematical model that can predict the diffusiophoretic motion of a charged colloidal particle driven by a binary monovalent electrolyte concentration gradient in porous media.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 1131-1143
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01620F
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Long term phase separation dynamics in liquid crystal-enriched microdroplets obtained from binary fluid mixtures
Herein, we compare the phase separation dynamics of binary liquid–liquid crystal mixtures in droplet-based confinement to behaviour in the bulk using experiments, computer simulations and thermodynamic considerations.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 1017-1024
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01348G
Two-dimensional diffusiophoretic colloidal banding: optimizing the spatial and temporal design of solute sinks and sources
We numerically explore diffusiophoretic banding of colloidal particles in two dimensions by spatio-temporally designing solute sources and sinks. We discover an optimal design set by a balance of interpole diffusion and molar rate decay timescales.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 892-904
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01549H
Structures, thermodynamics and dynamics of topological defects in Gay–Berne nematic liquid crystals
Molecular modeling of topological defect motion under temperature gradients.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 483-496
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01178F
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To thread or not to thread? Effective potentials and threading interactions between asymmetric ring polymers
Using computer simulations of a system of two unlinked rings we show and explain how the threading roles of the rings can be exchanged when their length and bending stiffness are varied.
Soft Matter, 2023,19, 17-30
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01177H
Machine learning enabled quantification of the hydrogen bonds inside the polyelectrolyte brush layer probed using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations
Machine learning method has been employed to quantify the changes in water–water hydrogen bonding inside densely grafted polyelectrolyte brush layer, as compared to the water–water hydrogen bonding outside the brush layer.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 8945-8951
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00997H
Effect of variations in manufacturing and material properties on the self-folding behaviors of hydrogel and elastomer bilayer structures
Thermal expansion model is adopted to predict the folding angles of the temperature-responsive nanocomposite hydrogel/elastomer bilayer structures to study the effect ofinevitable variations in manufacturing and material properties on folding angles.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 8771-8778
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM01104B
High-χ, low-N micelles from partially perfluorinated block polymers
High-χ conditions from fluorophobic block polymers enable persistent micelles with core blocks consisting of just 11 mer units and having elongated conformations.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 7917-7930
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00513A
Interplay between substrate rigidity and tissue fluidity regulates cell monolayer spreading
Using a cell-based computational model of a spreading cell monolayer, we show that the interplay between tissue fluidity and substrate rigidity regulates the rate of collective spreading.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 7877-7886
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00757F
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Yield precursor in primary creep of colloidal gels
Colloidal gels under moderate stress show an early precursor to yield detectable at macroscopic length scales. This precursor arises from accumulation of local plastic events.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 7612-7620
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00884J
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Information-theoretical measures identify accurate low-resolution representations of protein configurational space
Different clustering strategies can produce qualitatively different low-resolution representations of a protein’s conformational space. The resolution-relevance framework pinpoints those that better preserve important, biologically relevant features.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 7064-7074
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00636G
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Modulating membrane fusion through the design of fusogenic DNA circuits and bilayer composition
Control over lipid-membrane fusion is valuable in nanomedicine and synthetic biology. Here we provide guiding principles to program it by using fusogenic DNA nanostructures and exploring the effect of lipid composition on fusion efficiency.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 7035-7044
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00863G
Experimental investigation and finite element modelling of PMMA/carbon nanotube nanobiocomposites for bone cement applications
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are one of the preferred candidates for reinforcing polymeric nanobiocomposites, such as acrylic bone types of cement.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 6800-6811
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00637E
Force-driven active dynamics of thin nanorods in unentangled polymer melts
Molecular simulation and scaling theory demonstrate the combination of an anisotropic “skinny” shape and a strong external force enables a nano-needle to pierce through a polymer matrix with reduced viscous resistance.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 6582-6591
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00731B
Self-assembly of carbon nanodots induced by liquid–liquid phase separation in a surface microdroplet
The film, porous and granular nanostructures are generated from evaporating carbon dot-laden ternary droplets. Liquid–liquid phase separation during evaporation is unravelled as a critical role in the controlled self-assembly of carbon nanodots.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 6517-6528
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00557C
Experimental determination of the bulk moduli of hollow nanogels
Small-angle neutron scattering with contrast variation is used to determine the bulk moduli of hollow nanogels. The cavity makes these nanogel extremely compressible at very low applied stress.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 5750-5758
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00680D
Self-assembly of globular proteins with intrinsically disordered protein polyelectrolytes and block copolymers
Intrinsically disordered polypeptides are a versatile class of materials, combining the biocompatibility of peptides with the disordered structure and diverse phase behaviors of synthetic polymers.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 5759-5769
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00415A
Quantitative analysis of biomolecule release from polystyrene-block-polyethylene oxide thin films
The concept of biomolecule release from co-assembled PS-b-PEO films (left) is depicted. The main findings (right) display an analysis of protein stability, a release comparison depending on cargo size, and tuning release by adjusting film thickness.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 4513-4526
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00383J
Controlling fine touch sensations with polymer tacticity and crystallinity
Humans can distinguish thin films of polystyrene which differed only in their degree of crystallinity.
Soft Matter, 2022,18, 3928-3940
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00264G