Articles tagged with Soft Matter
Researchers found that microscopic folds can act like programmable traffic gates for liquid droplets, stopping, letting pass, or merging them without contact. The folds sense droplets from a distance and adjust their curvature to control droplet size and shape.
Researchers have designed a tough, fatigue-resistant, and multifunctional biogel for next-gen wearable electronics. The biogel enables self-powered devices for gesture recognition and robotic hand control with high precision.
Researchers at Aalto University have discovered how tiny organisms break the laws of physics to swim faster, offering new pathways for engineering and medicine. The team found that non-reciprocal motion, known as time reversal symmetry breaking, is key to efficient swimming in the mesoscale realm.
Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that foams exhibit internal motion resembling deep learning in AI systems. The study suggests a common mathematical principle underlying both foams and AI training, with implications for designing adaptive materials and understanding biological structures.
Scientists at The University of Osaka reproduced multiple statistical characteristics of slow earthquakes using gel jelly beads on a liquid surface. The study suggests that slow earthquakes exhibit anomalously long and small slips adjacent to regular earthquakes, with potential implications for probabilistic earthquake assessments.
Researchers discovered that a 'Goldilocks zone' of speed exists where droplets can bounce, but only if they hit surfaces between certain speeds. The study also found that smaller droplets cannot bounce regardless of their speed due to viscosity limits.
Researchers have made significant advancements in soft porous crystals (SPCs) with promising applications in gas storage, separation, catalysis, and devices. The 'dose sensitivity' of SPCs directly affects their economic viability, with high performance and batch consistency crucial for trace or low-dose applications.
Researchers have developed a novel way for liquid crystals to retain information about their movement, enabling the creation of smart and flexible materials. The breakthrough could lead to advancements in memory devices, sensors, and new types of physics.
Researchers have solved the crystal structure of tetra-n-butylammonium bromide hydrate (TBAB) hydrate, a semiclathrate hydrate used in air conditioning. The unique tetragonal superstructure explains its heat storage characteristics and provides new design principles for hydrate-based functional materials.
A new study maps the internal behavior of soft materials when deformed, revealing localized fracture events and heterogeneous flows. The findings challenge long-standing assumptions and provide valuable insights for improving manufacturing techniques.
The Rice University team created a soft robotic arm capable of performing complex tasks using smart materials, machine learning, and an optical control system. The arm is guided and powered remotely by laser beams without any onboard electronics or wiring.
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University solved the drainage mystery in foams by discovering the pressure needed to rearrange bubbles sets the limit for liquid to drain out. The team found that dynamics play a crucial role in understanding soft materials and designing better foam products.
Researchers discovered that tuning interspecies stickiness and tendency to bundle enables precise control over network formation and rheological performance. This framework enables programmable control over material structure and mechanical properties, inspired by biological tissues.
Researchers developed a self-healing hydrogel that can resist cracking and damage quickly. By incorporating sacrificial segments, the material forms new networks to reinforce itself.
Researchers at Institut Laue-Langevin and Aarhus University developed a new method to characterise foam structure, enabling the creation of plant-derived foaming ingredients in food. The technique uses small-angle neutron scattering, imaging, and electrical conductivity measurements to provide insights into pea albumin-based foams.
The German Research Foundation has approved a four-and-a-half-year extension for the Research Training Group 2516, which explores structure formation in soft matter. The group aims to understand assembly processes and manipulate them through interfaces.
A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science has confirmed that baseball's 'magic mud' works, providing the right mixture for spreading, gripping, and stickiness. The study also highlights the potential for natural materials like the mud to be used as sustainable lubricants.
Scientists successfully synthesized polyaniline in iron sulfate, revealing perfect diamagnetism and minimal temperature dependence on electrical conductivity. This discovery opens up novel possibilities for conductive polymers, potentially leading to advancements in electromagnetic wave shielding and anticorrosion materials.
Researchers at Yokohama National University successfully synthesized a stable clathrate hydrate phase with a predicted hexagonal crystal structure. The team fine-tuned the guest molecule to stabilize the structure, which has implications for various applications including natural gas storage and CO2 capture.
A new study links various soft material behaviors, revealing a critical parameter called the brittility factor that simplifies failure behavior. This finding helps engineers design better materials for future challenges.
Scientists at Yokohama National University have successfully developed a roll-to-roll process to create elastic substrates for stretchable electronic devices. The resulting materials demonstrated functionality even when stretched by 70%, opening up new possibilities for wearable technology and smart packaging.
RMIT researchers have found that the liquid-solid boundary can fluctuate back and forth, with metallic atoms near the surface breaking free from their crystal lattice. The phenomenon occurs at unexpectedly low temperatures and is observed up to 100 atoms in depth.
Amanda Marciel, assistant professor at Rice University, receives a $670,406 NSF CAREER Award to develop synthetic networks with gel-like softness and high elasticity. Her research aims to create new elastomers with controlled structure-function relationships.
Researchers tested AlphaFold2's ability to predict protein structure changes from single point mutations. They found that AlphaFold can accurately predict deformation at the chromophore-binding site, leading to accurate predictions of fluorescence in fluorescent proteins.
Lehigh University researchers have discovered that applying magnetic forces to individual 'microroller' particles can spur collective motion, allowing the grains to flow uphill, up walls, and climb stairs. This counterintuitive phenomenon has potential applications in mixing, segregating materials, and microrobotics.
Scientists have developed a metallic gel that allows for highly conductive 3D printing at room temperature. The gel, which is 97.5% metal, enables the creation of electronic components and devices with unprecedented conductivity.
Researchers from the University of Warsaw explore how kitchen phenomena lead to breakthroughs in biomedicine and nanotechnology. They describe bubbles in champagne, Leidenfrost effect, and surface tension, revealing surprising connections between food science and scientific discoveries.
Researchers developed a novel printing method that controls the precise deposition of bioink in embedding medium, achieving accurate and homogeneous structures. The method enables the creation of complex three-dimensional structures with multiple materials, which has potential applications in manufacturing heterogeneous tissue models.
Scientists from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have used in situ confocal microscopy to study colloidal gels. They found that different local particle arrangements uniquely modulated the properties of the gel, with tetrahedra arresting motion and pentagonal bipyramid clusters imparting solidity.
The new technique allows for the production of a dozen different soft polymer material morphologies, including ribbons, nanoscale sheets, rods, and branched particles. By precisely controlling three sets of parameters during manufacturing, researchers can fine-tune the morphology of polymeric materials at the micro- and nano-scale.
Researchers at Lehigh University have received a $1.2 million NSF grant to purchase a new plasma focused ion beam system for studying material deformation at the nanoscale. The system enables in situ mechanical testing and EBSD analysis, allowing for detailed study of microstructural elements and
Researchers have summarized the latest developments in mass transfer techniques for large-scale and high-density microLED arrays. The techniques address key challenges such as interfacial adhesion mechanisms and process parameters to achieve high reliability and efficiency.
Researchers found that softer nozzle materials produce more stable jets across a wide range of flow rates, enabling users to control the breakup length and hit targets more accurately. This is achieved through the use of passively-deforming nozzles, which can deform as liquids pass through them.
A mathematical model reveals that spontaneous symmetry breaking in chemical reactions leads to homochirality, optimizing energy harvesting from the environment. This phenomenon could explain how life developed on primordial Earth and has implications for the synthesis of chiral drug molecules.
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University found that a foam's liquid amount and extent determine its draining mechanism. They identified universal thresholds for different foams, promising clear design principles for new materials.
A multidisciplinary team of Lehigh University researchers will conduct experiments on thermophoresis in complex fluids for bioseparations at the International Space Station. The team hopes to understand how temperature gradients affect particles and improve virus separation techniques with potential societal impact.
Researchers successfully mimic nano spatial compartments to create artificial mitochondria, capable of supplying ATP or other useful molecules to cells in damaged or diseased tissues. The artificial organelles are generated from Exosome fusion and can function as energy reserves in the damaged tissues.
Researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered how cells can remember and respond to environmental pressure by adjusting their protein structures. The team found that an optimal concentration of cross-linkers allows proteins to strengthen under stress, enabling the material to 'remember' past experiences.
Researchers used slice-and-view scanning electron microscopy to uncover a twin boundary defect in a soft-block copolymer. The defect may be exploited to create materials with novel acoustic and photonic properties.
Researchers at IBS Center for Soft and Living Matter use laser to study cage formation in colloidal glasses, finding non-monotonic length scale peaking at onset temperature. The findings reveal complex dynamics underlying glass transition, with implications for understanding other glassy systems.
Scientists have created soft pyroelectric materials that can convert heat into electricity, solving the mystery of how snakes sense their surroundings in the dark. The development is based on a mathematical model inspired by the physiology of snake pit organs.
Researchers at Université libre de Bruxelles estimate nanoconfinement impacts material contacts, interfacial interactions and vdW forces. Thinner films exhibit reduced contacts with silicon wafers due to weaker van der Waals forces.
Researchers face difficulties in creating nanomaterials that can interact with biomembranes and achieve desired biological functions due to structural complexities in nature. The team emphasizes the need for a common language among theoretical concepts, membrane models, and cell experiments to improve predictability.
The inaugural issue of Hokkaido University's 'Tackling Global Issues' magazine highlights soft matter research with potential applications in medicine and industry. The publication features research on hydrogels, soft crystals and molecular machines.
Researchers have developed a new mathematical model that describes how molecules are transported to react within nanoreactors. The model reveals that the reaction rate is not limited by molecule concentration, but rather by the shell's permeability, opening up possibilities for controlling chemical reactions.
Omar Saleh, a UCSB professor, has been awarded the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award for his work on soft and biological matter. He will use the €45,000 award to collaborate with German researchers on a long-term project focused on artificial DNA systems.
Soft Matter will separate from its host journal in January 2007, becoming an independent publication with a focus on interdisciplinary research. The move is expected to have far-reaching effects for the soft matter community.