James Anson – Soft Matter Blog

Author Archive

Soft Matter: looking to the future

29 Jul 2013

Over recent years Soft Matter has grown, mirroring the growth of the subject, which has been fantastic for the journal. This growth has given us an excellent foundation on which to build the journal’s future.

The ultimate aim of the journal is that, as authors, your research published in Soft Matter will be highly visible to those you want to read it and, as readers, you will easily be able to find the articles you are most interested in and discover the latest breakthroughs in our field. In a recent Editorial the Editorial Board have discussed how Soft Matter will be developing to ensure the journal continues to meet this aim.

For more information please read the Editorial here…

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Announcing Eric M. Furst as the 2013 Soft Matter Lectureship recipient

29 Apr 2013

The Soft Matter Editorial Board have chosen Professor Eric M. Furst as the recipient of this year’s Soft Matter Lectureship. This annual Lectureship was established by the journal in 2009 to honour a younger scientist who has made a significant contribution to the soft matter field. We would like to thank everyone who nominated someone – as always there was an excellent group of candidates – and congratulate Professor Furst.

Eric M. Furst is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Director of the Center for Molecular Engineering and Thermodynamics at the University of Delaware. Furst received his BS with University Honors in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, his PhD from Stanford University, and afterwards studied biophysics as a Chateaubriand postdoctoral fellow at Institut Curie, Paris. His interests span a wide range of topics in soft matter science and engineering, but focus in particular on the physics and chemistry of the colloidal domain. Furst’s research group is recognized for their contributions to active and passive microrheology, biomaterial rheology, interfacial phenomena, directed self-assembly of colloids and nanoparticles, and colloid electrokinetics.

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Peter Schurtenberger joins the Soft Matter Editorial Board

17 Apr 2013

We are delighted to welcome Peter Schurtenberger to the Soft Matter Editorial Board.

Peter Schurtenberger is currently a professor at the Division of Physical Chemistry, Lund University, Sweden. His research interests focus on colloidal soft matter, nanotechnology, biophysics, materials sciences and food technology, on the characterization of soft matter with scattering methods and on the development of new instruments for this task.

Schurtenberger received his PhD in physics from ETH Zurich in 1984, worked as a postdoc at Lund University and MIT, and as a senior researcher at the Department of Materials of ETHZ. In 1999 he was appointed as the chair in experimental physics at the University of Fribourg, where he became the founding director of the Adolphe Merkle Institute and received a chair in Experimental Physics and Nanoscience in 2008. He moved to Lund University at the end of 2010.

His recent publications include:

Fluid–solid transitions in soft-repulsive colloids
Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 3000-3004

Hybrid raspberry microgels with tunable thermoresponsive behavior
Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 2798-2802

Deformable particles with anisotropic interactions: unusual field-induced structural transitions in ultrasoft ionic microgel colloids
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 10819-10822

Preparation and characterization of ellipsoidal-shaped thermosensitive microgel colloids with tailored aspect ratios
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 3538-3548

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Themed issue on Reconfigurable soft matter

11 Apr 2013

Soft Matter and guest editors Joanna Aizenberg (Harvard University) and Anna Balazs (University of Pittsburgh) are planning to produce a themed issue on ‘Reconfigurable soft matter’.

From the guest editors:

“This issue will focus on experimental, theoretical and computer simulation studies of soft, reconfigurable materials. A distinctive feature of these systems is their ability to sense and respond to external stimuli or changes in the environment by readjusting their morphology and/or functionality. Examples abound in biology since this adaptive behaviour is vital for survival. Consider, for the example, the ability of the octopus and cuttlefish to change their colour and texture in the presence of their predators, and thus camouflage their identity. In order to accomplish analogous adaptive behaviour, synthetic systems typically encompass a coupling between mechanical and chemical, electrical, optical or thermal behaviour. For instance, certain photo-responsive gels mechanically shrink or swell in the presence of light, and by exploiting this property, the gels can be driven to undergo controllable shape changes. Our goal is to highlight the new advances in designing and creating such reconfigurable materials. Advances in this area could lead to new multi-functional systems, which display one structure and function in one environment, but display another shape and function under different conditions. As a friend of ours likes to joke, an umbrella provides a prime example of this behaviour – in the absence of rain, it remains folded and could act as a walking stick; however, in the presence of rain, it becomes unfolded and keeps the user dry. We seek other remarkable examples of such useful adaptation.”

The deadline for receipt of manuscripts for this themed is 14 June 2013

Manuscripts can be submitted using the RSC’s online submissions service. Please clearly mark that the manuscript is submitted for the themed issue on ‘Reconfigurable soft matter’.

Please would you inform the editorial office by e-mail as soon as possible if you plan to submit to the issue and whether your contribution will be original research or a review-type article. We would like to have a list of authors who intend to contribute as soon as possible.

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Discussing soft matter education

04 Apr 2013

Soft Matter has recently published online a series of Editorials by Samuel A. Safran, Tom Lubensky, Richard Jones, Edit Yerushalmi & Erich Sackmann that discuss the state of soft matter education across scientific fields.

Both the authors and Soft Matter strongly feel that this is an area of great importance for the soft matter community, and would very much like to encourage you all to share your thoughts, comments and opinions on this subject. As such we have created this blog as a central place to enable open discussion of the matter.

If you would like take part in this discussion please add your comments on this blog, and come back often to see what others have to say!

The Editorials are listed below and they have also been grouped together on the ‘Themed Issues’ tab of the Soft Matter website so that you can easily find them again in the future.

1. Soft matter education – Samuel A. Safran

2. Reflections on graduate education in soft matter – Tom C. Lubensky

3. The place of soft matter in undergraduate physics courses – Richard A. L. Jones

4. The challenge of teaching soft matter at the introductory level – Edit Yerushalmi

5. Activities and future challenges of soft matter and biological physics education – Erich Sackmann

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April’s hot papers

04 Apr 2013

Knotting and metric scaling properties of DNA confined in nano-channels: a Monte Carlo study
Cristian Micheletti and Enzo Orlandini

Computer simulations of colloidal particles under flow in microfluidic channels
Arash Nikoubashman, Christos N. Likos and Gerhard Kahl

Stimuli-responsive surfactants
Paul Brown, Craig P. Butts and Julian Eastoe

(more…)

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Introducing Soft Matter’s new Chairman: Michael Rubinstein

26 Mar 2013

We are very pleased to announce that the new Chairman for Soft Matter is Michael Rubinstein.

Michael Rubinstein received a B.S. with honors in physics from Caltech in 1979, M.A. in 1980, and a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 1983 specializing in soft condensed matter theory in the group of D. R. Nelson. Between 1983 and 1985 Michael was a post-doctoral fellow with E. Helfand at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ where he started his research in polymer physics. In 1985 Michael joined Research Laboratories of Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY where he worked for 10 years in different areas of polymer theory.

In 1987 he received C.E.K. Mees Award “In Recognition of Excellence in Scientific Research and Reporting”, and in 1994 he was Juliot Curie Visiting Professor at Ecole Superieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles in Paris. In 1995 Michael moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is currently a John P. Barker Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Curriculum of Applied Sciences and Engineering as well as a member of the Program in Molecular and Cellular Biophysics and of the Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience and Technology.

In 1998 he was Visiting Professor at College de France and in 2013 he was awarded Michelin Science Chair at ESPCI. In 2001 Michael was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. From 2001 through 2004 he was an Associate Editor of Macromolecules. In 2003 he published a textbook “Polymer Physics” with R. H. Colby. In 2004 he was a co-chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Macromolecular, Colloidal and Polyelectrolyte Solutions, and in 2008-2009 he was a Chair of the Division of Polymer Physics of the American Physical Society. In 2010 Michael received the Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society.

Michael’s research interests are in the area of theoretical soft condensed matter physics with an emphasis on polymer physics. His main scientific contributions include theories of polymer entanglements, dynamics of reversible networks, and models of charged polymers. His recent scientific interests are in applications of polymer physics to biological systems, such as airway surface layer of a lung and development of molecular models of polymer gels and networks including those with self-healing properties.

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Top 10 most-read of 2012 Soft Matter articles

22 Mar 2013

Below are the ten most-read Soft Matter articles of 2012 that were published in 2012:

Extreme wettability and tunable adhesion: biomimicking beyond nature?
Xinjie Liu, Yongmin Liang, Feng Zhou and Weimin Liu
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 2070-2086,
DOI: 10.1039/C1SM07003G

Mechanics of morphological instabilities and surface wrinkling in soft materials: a review
Bo Li, Yan-Ping Cao, Xi-Qiao Feng and Huajian Gao
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 5728-5745,
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM00011C

Design and properties of supramolecular polymer gels
Atsushi Noro, Mikihiro Hayashi and Yushu Matsushita
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 6416-6429,
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25144B

Gel-nanocomposites: materials with promising applications
Dibyendu Das, Tanmoy Kar and Prasanta Kumar Das
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 2348-2365,
DOI: 10.1039/C1SM06639K

Nanoemulsions versus microemulsions: terminology, differences, and similarities
David Julian McClements
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 1719-1729,
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM06903B

Self-assembly of biodegradable polyurethanes for controlled delivery applications
Mingming Ding, Jiehua Li, Hong Tan and Qiang Fu
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 5414-5428, DOI: 10.1039/C2SM07402H

Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels: from a natural polysaccharide to complex networks
Xian Xu, Amit K. Jha, Daniel A. Harrington, Mary C. Farach-Carson and Xinqiao Jia
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 3280-3294,

DOI: 10.1039/C2SM06463D

Tunable plasmonic nanostructures from noble metal nanoparticles and stimuli-responsive polymers
Ihor Tokarev and Sergiy Minko
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 5980-5987,
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25069A

Nanostructure-templated control of drug release from peptide amphiphile nanofiber gels
John B. Matson, Christina J. Newcomb, Ronit Bitton and Samuel I. Stupp
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 3586-3595,
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM07420F

Self-assembled architectures with multiple aqueous compartments
Hans-Peter M. de Hoog, Madhavan Nallani and Nikodem Tomczak
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 4552-4561,
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM06934B

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

Fancy submitting an article to Soft Matter? Then why not submit to us today!

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Nanotech Conference & Expo 2013

21 Mar 2013

Short Course: Designing Soft Nano and Microstructured Materials: Processing and Commercial Applications
Sunday May 12, 2013, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Washington, DC, USA

Soft materials are a fascinating class of fluids that have unusual, complex, “squishy” properties that are imparted by a surprisingly small amount of added ingredients. This overview course surveys the application of a wide range of soft materials, both aqueous and non-aqueous, using colloids, surfactants, polymers, and the mesoscale structures they can form. The student will be exposed to current and historical work in the field, with an emphasis on commercial processing and applications like foods, personal care products, drug formulations, oil exploration, and materials synthesis. Numerous examples will be shared and used as the basis to “tunnel down” to smaller length scales to explore the microscopic and molecular reasons for the unique behavior of soft materials on a large scale.

A visual approach, using movies and images, is taken to explore the field and share the small-scale insights gained from techniques like microscopy, microfluidics, and microrheology. Because one of the key attributes of soft materials is their mechanical and rheological behavior, wherever possible the link between microstructure and bulk properties will be explained and used to motivate their range of applications.

The survey and guidelines presented in the class are assembled into a set of course notes intended to serve as a standalone guide to designing various classes of soft materials and a reference for current research in the area and practical techniques of characterization and formulation.

Course Instructor
Pat Spicer has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware (1992) and a PhD in (1997) Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, where his research focused on design and synthesis of colloidal and nanoparticle materials. After defending his thesis he went to work for the Procter & Gamble Company, leading their Crystallization group in the Corporate Engineering Division and supporting the scale-up and manufacture of complex fluid products for all of P&G’s product areas. After 15 years with P&G, Pat began work as an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. There his research focuses on the design and development of microstructured fluid materials and understanding of their kinetic behavior.

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