Soft Matter Blog

A new low molecular weight gelator forms metallogels in the presence of Ag salts. Photoreduction of the salt under UV irradiation then results in the CONTROLLED synthesis of silver nanoparticles.

Photoluminescence of freshly prepared gels

Mot interestingly, the gels exhibited complex and surprising rheological behaviour depending on the initial concentration of silver salt.

Read for free HERE until March 4, 2011. Marc-Oliver M. Piepenbrock, Nigel Clarke and Jonathan W. Steed, Soft Matter, 2011, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C0SM00647E, Paper

Researchers use peanut butter to draw analogies between colloidal glassy pastes and metallurgy. The nutty spread was shown to undergo plastic deformations – similar to ‘work hardening’ observed in the strengthening of metals.

Smooth peanut butter exhibited very slow dynamics and non-linear rheological properties after constant shear rate experiments.

Read more here: Romaric R. R. Vincent and Peter Schurtenberger, Soft Matter, 2011, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C0SM01256D, Communication. Article FREE until 4 March, 2011 at Soft Matter.

The dependence of pattern formation in hydrogels undergoing the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction on the gel size and shape is presented in a recent Soft Matter paper for an upcoming themed issue on Active Soft Matter.

The authors use both experimental and simulation approaches to validate their own theoretical model on the chemomechanical coupling in responsive gels.

Read this Soft Matter article for free (until February 24, 2011) here, and watch out for other papers like this in the upcoming themed issue on Active Soft Matter.

Irene Chou Chen, Olga Kuksenok, Victor V. Yashin, Ryan M. Moslin, Anna C. Balazs and Krystyn J. Van Vliet, Soft Matter, 2011, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C0SM01007C, Paper

In a recent communication, triterpenoids are used as scaffolds in supramolecular self-assembly and recognition. Conjugates of molecules based on glycyrrhetinic acid form dimers held together through 6-hydrogen bonding pairs. The supramolecular dimeric structure was able to recognise and encapsulate polar molecules in aprotic solvents through its suitably sized cavity.

This unique dimer may have the potential to encage molecules with medicinal activity, and thus be used as a novel biomaterial.
Read this Soft Matter article for free (until February 24, 2011) here.

Jun Hu, Jinrong Lu, Ruofan Li and Yong Ju, Soft Matter, 2011, (Advance Article), DOI: 10.1039/C0SM01392G, Communication

The question of ‘active’ or ‘passive’ mechanisms for red blood cell flickering (or vibratory motion), currently under debate, is investigated in a recent publication.

Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are a useful model for understanding cell mechanics. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have recently examined the response of erythrocytes to external stress with the help of optical traps and high-speed video imaging.

Read this Soft Matter article for free until 15 Feb, 2011 here!

Young Zoon Yoon, Jurij Kotar, Aidan T. Brown and Pietro Cicuta, Soft Matter, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0SM01117G, (Advance Article).

To help develop metal binding molecules for nanoscale electronics, sensors, and biomedical devices, a team based in the USA has investigated the adsorption of amino acids and surfactants onto a gold surface. Using molecular dynamics simulations, the team investigated the mechanism and strength of the interactions. They say that the adsorption strength correlates with the degree of coordination of polarizable atoms (O, N, C) to multiple epitaxial sites, and therefore, the molecular size and geometry rather than the specific chemistry determine the adsorption energy.

Fancy knowing more? Read the article for free until 15th February 2011. 

Jie Feng, Ras B. Pandey, Rajiv J. Berry, Barry L. Farmer, Rajesh R. Naik and Hendrik Heinz, Soft Matter, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0SM01118E (Advance Article)

The crystallization behavior of colloidal cubes has been studied using tunable depletion interactions by a team at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, and New York University, USA. The team found that under certain conditions the cubes self-organize into crystals with a simple cubic symmetry, which is set by the size of the depletant.

Read the article for free until the 14th February: Laura Rossi, Stefano Sacanna, William T. M. Irvine, Paul M. Chaikin, David J. Pine and Albert P. Philipse, Soft Matter, 2011, DOI:10.1039/C0SM01246G (Advance Article)

Whether the extended law of corresponding states can be applied to equilibrium and non equilibrium features of the state diagram of a globular protein has been investigated by a team based in Switzerland and Sweden. The team say that for the globular protein lysozyme, the binodal and spinodal lines are governed by the integral features of the interaction potential, but the arrest line is mainly determined by the contact value.

Read the full paper (free until 9th February) here: Thomas Gibaud, Frédéric Cardinaux, Johan Bergenholtz, Anna Stradner and Peter Schurtenberger, Soft Matter, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0SM01175D (Advance Article)

A team of scientists have shown that equilibrium phase diagrams can predict the outcome of polymerization reactions in surfactant systems. The team from Lund University, Sweden and Coimbra University, Portugal, claim that the general trends that should also be relevant for more complex systems. 

 
Read the full article for free here: Salomé dos Santos, Lennart Piculell, Ola J. Karlsson and Maria da Graça Miguel, Soft Matter, 2011, DOI:10.1039/C0SM00958J (Advance Article)