Soft Matter Emerging Investigator – Dmitry Fedosov

Dmitry A. Fedosov received his Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia in 2002. After earning a MS degree in aerospace engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 2004, he moved to Brown University, where he pursued a PhD degree in applied mathematics. Dmitry received a MS degree in applied mathematics in 2007 and his PhD in 2010. His thesis work was on multiscale modelling of blood flow and polymeric soft matter systems. His thesis work was recognized with the 2011 Nicholas Metropolis Award for outstanding doctoral thesis work in computational physics from the American Physical Society. After completing his PhD, Dmitry moved to Forschungszentrum Juelich in Germany, and received the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award from the Humboldt foundation to build up an independent research group. Currently, he continues to work as a group leader at Forschungszentrum Juelich with a research focus on non-equilibrium physics, including various complex systems in biophysics and active matter.

Read Dmitry Fedosov’s Emerging Investigator article: http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D3SM00004D

 

How do you feel about Soft Matter as a place to publish research on this topic?

Soft Matter is a good match for the research on active matter systems, as I feel it reaches out to the research community interested in this topic.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I am fascinated by active non-equilibrium systems which can exhibit very complex structures, dynamics, and responses to various external conditions and manipulations. Even though diverse properties of these systems make their investigation very challenging, they also lead to great opportunities for finding novel physical mechanisms and for using these systems in many technological and biomedical applications.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

I think one of the most important questions is the emergence of complex structures, dynamics, and responses of active soft systems from interactions between their internal simple constituents. Can we explain, tune, and control the behaviour of active systems?

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Be persistent and follow your ideas and dreams no matter what difficulties you meet on the way. Eventually, it will pay off in some expected or unexpected way.

 

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We are very pleased to announce that Professor Lixin Wu has been appointed as an Associate Editor for Soft Matter

Profile picture of Professor Lixin Wu

 

Professor Lixin Wu is currently the outstanding Tang Auching Professor in College of Chemistry at Jilin University and a PI of the State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials of China. He is also a member of Colloids and Interface Chemistry Division of the Chinese Chemistry Society. His research interests mainly focus on the fabrication and structure studies of supramolecular hybrid assemblies comprising of inorganic nanoclusters and organic amphiphiles. By regulating non-covalent interactions and incorporating functional units, his group would like to develop flexible framework structures and those composites toward precisely nano colloid-separation, near-infrared photothermal transformation, and environment friendly catalytic and bio-applicable materials.

 

 

Professor Wu has given his thoughts on the future of the soft matter field and the role of Soft Matter:

Soft Matter deals with interdisciplinary areas relevant to surface/interface, colloids, assemblies and behaviors, and polymers. In the present stage, the boundary among the traditional areas is getting ambiguous, which makes those clear topics in soft matter become extended greatly. More importantly, the extension of the originally focused fields generates new challenges in theory and applied materials. In this context, the soft matter field will go in two directions which are unambiguous. One is various applied materials based on soft matter concept and the other is the matched theory in searching and understanding for such kinds of materials. 

 

Read Professor Wu’s recent Soft Matter articles

Synergistically enhanced photothermal transition of a polyoxometalate/peptide assembly improved the antibiofilm and antibacterial activities
Yu Wang, Gang Chen, Rongrong Liu, Xuexun Fang, Feu Li, Lixin Wu and Yuqing Wu

Soft Matter, 2022, 18, 2951-2958

Recent advances on porous interfaces for biomedical applications
Jing Liang, Bao Li and Lixin Wu

Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 7231-7245

 

Professor Wu’s favourite recent Soft Matter articles

Professor Wu has selected some recent publications in Soft Matter that they found particularly interesting or insightful. These articles are all free to read until 31 August 2023.

Progress in the self-assembly of organic/inorganic polyhedral oligomeric silesquioxane (POSS) hybrids
Mohamed Gamal Mohamed and Shiao-Wei Kuo

Soft Matter, 2022, 18, 5535-5561

Membrane mixing and dynamics in hybrid POPC/poly(1,2-butadiene-block-ethylene oxide) (PBd-b-PEO) lipid/block co-polymer giant vesicles
Rashmi Seneviratne, Rosa Catania, Michael Rappolt, Lars J. C. Leuken and Paul A. Beales

Soft Matter, 2022, 18, 1294-1301

Polypyrrole and polyaniline nanocomposites with high photothermal conversion efficiency
Lorena Ruiz-Pérez, Loris Rizzello, Jinping Wang, Nan Li, Giuseppe Battaglia and Yiwen Pei
Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 4569-4573

Recent progress in the science of complex coacervation
Charles E. Sing and Sarah L. Perry
Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 2885-2914

A review on recent advances in polymer and peptide hydrogels
Sanjoy Mondal, Sujoy Das and Arun K. Nandi
Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 1404-1454

Fabrication of novel MXene (Ti3C2)/polyacrylamide nanocomposite hydrogels with enhanced mechanical and drug release properties
Peng Zhang, Xiu-Jie Yang, Peng Li, Yingyuan Zhao and Qingshan Jason Niu
Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 162-169

Dynamic surface-assisted assembly behaviours mediated by external stimuli
Xuan Peng, Fengying Zhao, Yang Peng, Jing Li and Qingdao Zeng
Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 54-63

Facile preparation of self-assembled hydrogels constructed from poly-cyclodextrin and poly-adamantane as highly selective adsorbents for wastewater treatment
Nan Hou, Ran Wang, Rui Geng, Fan Wang, Tifeng Jiao, Lexin Zhang, Jingxin Zhou, Zhenhua Bai and Qiuming Peng
Soft Matter, 2019, 15, 6097-6106

 

All these articles are currently FREE to read until 31 August 2023!

 

 

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We are very pleased to announce that Professor Roberto Cerbino has been appointed as an Associate Editor for Soft Matter

Profile picture of Roberto Cerbino

 

Professor Roberto Cerbino is a Professor of Experimental Soft Matter Physics at the University of Vienna, Austria. Before joining in 2021, he held a tenure for 14 years at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Milan, Italy. Roberto’s research encompasses the structure, dynamics, rheology, and instabilities of active and passive complex fluids, with a particular emphasis on colloidal and cellular collectives. He is credited with inventing Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM), a technique that utilizes optical microscopy to extract multi-scale activity in complex fluids and biological systems. In addition to DDM, he employs a range of cutting-edge optical techniques and image analysis methods to gain in-depth insights into the behaviour of soft materials.

 

 

Professor Cerbino has also given his insight and thoughts on the future of the soft matter field and the role of Soft Matter:

At a time when sustainability is of utmost importance, scientists from all disciplines are intensifying their efforts to preserve our planet and its invaluable resources. A significant part of this global dialogue revolves around soft matter, encompassing a broad range of materials present in our daily lives. Taking action toward the biocompatible, sustainable, and eco-friendly production, use, and disposal of soft materials, such as developing biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics or designing energy-efficient processes for the production of detergents, paints, and coatings, is essential for creating a better future. Facing all these challenges requires merging knowledge from different disciplines in an endeavor well-suited to the collaborative spirit inherent in the community of soft matter scientists.

 

Along a similar line of thought, soft matter science also offers a unique interdisciplinary lens to unravel biological systems. These insights range from the microscopic biomechanics and dynamics of cell membranes, DNA, and proteins, to larger-scale phenomena such as the behaviors of cytoskeletal filaments, the mechanics of tissues, and the flow of blood. Looking ahead, I expect that the role of soft matter in understanding these and numerous other biological systems will only gain importance. This could also involve developing new therapeutic approaches based on soft matter principles for targeted drug delivery or for designing biomimetic materials to be used in regenerative medicine. Therefore, continued interdisciplinary research and collaboration in the field of soft matter science will be essential for future breakthroughs in biology and medicine.

 

Finally – and strongly influenced by my own approach to soft matter science – I view the creation of innovative methods and technologies as vital in pushing the boundaries of what is possible and attainable, particularly in terms of accessible spatial and temporal scales. In this area, too, the continuous discussion between different disciplines remains highly essential.

 

As a hub for these types of collaborative endeavors, Soft Matter has the potential to lead the way, being an established, reliable, and powerful platform for dialogue, research dissemination, and increased visibility of interdisciplinary research. As an Associate Editor, I’m fully committed to using my role effectively to help navigate us toward these exciting opportunities.

 

Read Professor Cerbino’s recent Soft Matter articles

Deformation profiles and microscopic dynamics of complex fluids during oscillatory shear experiments
Paolo Edera, Matteo Brizioli, Giuliano Zanchetta, George Petekidis, Fabio Giavazzi and Roberto Cerbino

Soft Matter, 2021, 17, 8553-8566

Disentangling collective motion and local rearrangements in 2D and 3D cell assemblies
Roberto Cerbino, Stefano Villa, Andrea Palamidessi, Emanuela Frittoli, Giorgio Scita and Fabio Giavazzi

Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 3550-3559

 

Professor Cerbino’s favourite recent Soft Matter articles

Professor Cerbino and Professor Wu have selected some recent publications in Soft Matter that they has found particularly interesting or insightful. These articles are all free to read until 31 August 2023.

Physics of smart active matter: integrating active matter and control to gain insights into living systems
Herbert Levine and Daniel I. Goldman

Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 4204-4207

Non-linear properties and yielding of enzymatic milk gels
Julien Bauland, Mathieu Leocmach, Marie-Hélène Famelart and Thomas Croguennec

Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 3562-3569

Green, tough and highly efficient flame-retardant rigid polyurethane foam enables by double network hydrogel coatings

Yubin Huang, Jinming Zhou, Ping Sun, Lei Zhang, Xiaodong Qian, Saihua Jiang and Congling Shi
Soft Matter, 2021, 17, 10555-10565

 

 

All these articles are currently FREE to read until 31 August 2023!

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Soft Matter Emerging Investigator – Bhuvnesh Bharti

Bhuvnesh Bharti is an Anding Endowed Associate Professor in the Cain Department of Chemical Engineering at Louisiana State University. He received his B.S. (Hons. School) and M.S. (Hons. School) from Panjab University Chandigarh, India. He obtained his PhD at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany in 2012, which was followed by postdoctoral research at Shinshu University and North Carolina State University. Bhuvnesh is the recipient of several awards including Springer Theses Award (2014), NSF-CAREER Award (2020) and LSU Rising Faculty Research Award (2021). His research group investigates structure-property-function relationships in colloidal dispersions and develops methodologies to program their equilibrium and non-equilibrium behaviours. His present research interests include active colloids, directed assembly, and fundamental investigations on environmental colloidal pollutants such as microplastics.

Find more about his work via:

Group website: https://faculty.lsu.edu/bbhartigroup/index.php

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/b-bharti 

Read Bhuvnesh Bharti’s Emerging Investigator article: http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D3SM00354J

 

How do you feel about Soft Matter as a place to publish research on this topic?                                                                                        

We are always excited to submit our work to Soft Matter. It is a reputable, and well-established avenue for publishing our research. With its wide readership invested in soft matter science and related disciplines, it offers an invaluable platform to maximize the visibility and impact of our work. I believe that Soft Matter plays an important role in advancing the field as a whole by providing us a platform to contribute to the collective understanding of soft materials and their properties.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

Currently, one of the major thrusts in our research group is on investigating the behaviour of colloids driven by external electric and magnetic fields. We believe that field-driven colloidal matter occupies an intriguing intersection between traditional synthetic materials and the dynamic machinery found in out-of-equilibrium biological systems. The ability to energize colloidal particles using external fields provides an opportunity to uncover the fundamental principles underlying the assembly and functionality of biomaterials. This knowledge can be harnessed to design functional materials with customizable physicochemical properties. However, the research area of field-driven colloids presents several challenges that require attention to achieve a comprehensive understanding of these systems. Key among these challenges, from my perspective, is the precise control of colloidal structure and dynamics in three-dimensional space, as well as predicting their complex behaviours and emergent properties. Additionally, practical applications necessitate addressing scalability, robustness, and controlled responses in complex environments. Successfully tackling these challenges will advance our understanding of field-driven colloids and unlock their potential applications.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

In our opinion, the single most important question that needs to be addressed in the area of field-driven colloids is: “What are the mechanisms and principles governing the dynamic self-assembly and collective behaviour of field-driven colloidal particles in three-dimensional space?” This question goes beyond surface-level understanding and dives into the intricate processes that dictate how external fields influence the motion, assembly, and interactions of colloidal particles in complex 3D environments. To answer this question, our ongoing research focuses on investigating the intricate interplay between external fields and colloidal dispersions, seeking to unravel the underlying mechanisms that govern their structure and dynamics. We are also exploring the complex interactions between particles themselves, as well as their interactions with the applied field, considering factors such as particle shape, size, and surface properties. By addressing these challenges and gaining a deeper understanding of the principles at play in 3D space, we aim to unlock the full potential of field-driven colloids and open up exciting possibilities for transformative applications in various scientific and technological domains.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Starting an independent research career and establishing a research lab can be intimidating. In my opinion, it’s crucial to prioritize sustainability in our scientific careers. This means focusing not only on research but also educating and mentoring young minds along with maintaining a healthy work-life balance. A successful research career involves more than publishing articles and securing grants—it also encompasses mentoring, graduate student training, and education. While achieving work-life balance is challenging, it’s essential to make an effort to maintain this equilibrium for the well-being of yourself and your loved ones.

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Soft Matter Emerging Investigator – Stefan Guldin

Dr Stefan Guldin is Professor of Adaptive & Responsive Nanomaterials and Deputy Head (Enterprise) of the Department of Chemical Engineering at University College London. He studied Physics at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (2003-05) and the Technical University of Munich (2005-08) and graduated with a PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2012 (Advisor: Prof Ulli Steiner; thesis title: Inorganic nanoarchitectures by organic self-assembly). Subsequently, Dr Guldin carried out postdoctoral research as a scholar of the German Academy of Sciences at EPFL (Advisor: Prof Francesco Stellacci) before taking up his current position in 2015. His research interests include the study of material formation on the nanoscale by molecular self-assembly, creation of adaptive and responsive materials architectures and translation into real-world applications, ranging from chemical sensors and biomedical diagnostics to electrochemical devices and optical coatings. For his work, Dr Guldin has received awards by the Institute of Physics, German Academy of Sciences, the German National Academic Foundation, Springer Publishing and the European Materials Research Society. He is co-founder of the biomed start-up Vesynta, which is devoted to the development of companion drug monitoring solutions for personalised medicine with currently 6 full-time employees. His educational platform qTLC.app, which enables researchers to conduct analytical chemistry with a smartphone, is used in 47 countries across 6 continents.

Find more about Stefan’s work via:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/responsive-nanomaterials

Twitter: @AdReNa_Lab

Read Stefan Guldin’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D2SM01348G

 

How do you feel about Soft Matter as a place to publish research on this topic?

While there is such a broad choice now, Soft Matter remains one of my favourite journals. The reason is quite simple – its quality of peer review remains unmatched. Every article that has gone through the publication process with Soft Matter significantly improved in response to the reviewers’ comments. The depth of responses and enthusiasm for science that often resonates from Soft Matter reviewers shows that the journal is able to recruit some of the most knowledgeable subject experts that are willing to give their time and brain power to the community.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

When building a research group from scratch, it can be tempting to go after every opportunity for growth. It is very important that you are creating synergies between your group members and building up a core expertise in specific materials systems and characterisation techniques. This will allow you to build your own profile and become attractive for collaborations. While you may be perfectly able to go very broad even early on, this will rarely be recognised by your community.

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Soft Matter Emerging Investigator – Rahul Mangal

Rahul Mangal is presently an Associate Professor in the department of Chemical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. He received his PhD in 2016 from Cornell University on structural and dynamical investigation of nanoparticle polymer composites. Subsequently he did a Post Doc at University of Wisconsin Madison. After joining IIT Kanpur in 2017, his research group has been focusing on experimental investigation of several fundamental problems in areas such as Active Soft Matter, Polymers and their composites and Liquid Crystals. Rahul’s research contributions have been rewarded with several accolades including Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) Young Engineering Award 2020 and 1979 Batch Young Researcher fellowship by IIT Kanpur. Additionally, he serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Applied Polymer Physics.

Find more about Rahul’s work via

Twitter: @mangalr

 

Read Rahul Mangal’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D3SM00228D

 

How do you feel about Soft Matter as a place to publish research on this topic?

Ever since I started my academic career, I have held Soft Matter in high esteem because of its broad readership and interdisciplinary authorship in fields such as colloids and interfaces, polymers, emulsions etc. Furthermore, Soft Matter is known to have a rigorous peer-review process enabling it to publish high-quality research which enjoys a wide reach and strong reputation in the scientific community. For these reasons I strongly consider Soft Matter to be an excellent platform to showcase our novel findings of deforming active motion of droplets in a viscoelastic environment.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

Artificially propelling droplets are very exciting active soft matter systems which have become a captivating subject of scientific interest due to their potential to emulate biological motion and function as advanced cargo transporters. However, the current understanding of their motion is mostly confined to uncomplicated Newtonian environments. Presently, we are excited that through comprehensive investigations, our recent research has delved into the behaviour of these droplets in non-Newtonian environments leading to the discovery of several novel phenomena, including the deforming active motion presented in this study. Considering that these non-equilibrium systems are rather new, several fundamental aspects about their behaviour are not known yet, therefore, the understanding of the complex underlying physics behind their intriguing phenomena remains a major challenge.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

In my opinion, a crucial question that still requires an answer is how we can achieve complete command over artificial swimmers to utilize them as efficient cargo carriers and diagnostic agents in microscopic environments. To tackle this issue, current scientific endeavours are focused on comprehending the behaviour of these swimmers in diverse and intricate settings, with the ultimate goal of enabling their deliberate navigation.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

When starting out as a new academic, it is common to receive numerous advice from various sources. However, the most effective approach is to stay true to our own interests and zeal while keeping things uncomplicated. Initiating a new research group and exploring uncharted territory can be daunting, but perseverance typically pays off in the end.

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Soft Matter Emerging Investigator – Tal Cohen

Tal Cohen is an Associate Professor at MIT. She joined the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering in November 2016 and has a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She received both her MSc and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering at the Technion in Israel. Following her graduate studies, Tal was a postdoctoral fellow for two years at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and continued for an additional postdoctoral period at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. She received the ONR young investigator award and the NSF CAREER award in 2020, and the ARO young investigator award in 2019. Earlier awards include the MIT-Technion postdoctoral fellowship, and the Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship. Her research is broadly aimed at understanding the nonlinear mechanical behavior and constitutive sensitivity of solids. This includes behavior under extreme loading conditions, involving propagation of shock waves and dynamic cavitation, material instabilities, and chemo-mechanically coupled phenomena, such as material growth. 

 

 

 

Find more about her work via:

Website: http://tal-cohen.wixsite.com/website

Twitter: @CohenMechGroup

Read Tal Cohen’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D2SM01675C

 

 

Our current research

We are interested in understanding how materials behave when they are pushed to their extremes; whether by imposing large deformations, by applying dynamic loading conditions, or by growth. Closely related to experimental observations, our research exploits analogy with related fields and accounts for complex material response, with the overarching goal to derive theoretical models that can significantly affect our understanding of the observed phenomena, but are still simple enough to be applied in design or characterization of materials. We are a theoretical group with an experimental lab that by basic material fabrication and mechanical testing allows us to make observations and to validate our theories.

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Soft Matter Emerging Investigator – Lee Fielding

Dr Lee A. Fielding (MRSC, MIMMM, FHEA) is a Senior Lecturer in Polymer Chemistry in the Department of Materials at The University of Manchester and his research group is based in the Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub within the Henry Royce Institute, where he is currently the Research Area Lead for Chemical Materials Design. He obtained an MChem in Chemistry from The University of Sheffield in 2008, which was followed by a PhD in 2012 from the same institution with Professor Steven P. Armes. He then worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher before taking up a Lectureship at The University of Manchester in 2015, where he is currently the Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies for Materials Science and Engineering and Programme Co-ordinator for the MSc in Polymer Materials Science and Engineering (PMSE). He is a committee member of the Joint Colloids Group and his research primarily involves the design, synthesis and applications of polymers and polymer colloids including research into sustainable waterborne coatings and adhesives, self-assembled colloidal materials and polymer-based materials for biomedical diagnostics and regenerative medicine.

 

 

Find more about his work via:

Website: Fielding Lab

Twitter @lee_fielding

Read Lee Fielding’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D2SM01534J

 

How do you feel about Soft Matter as a place to publish research on this topic?

Soft Matter is inherently interdisciplinary and a natural home for reporting research into the preparation and characterisation of hydrogel systems with improved strengths, tuneable functionalities, and responsive behaviour. It’s broad readership, reputation and the efficient publication process all make it a great place to publish our research.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I am very excited about the utilisation of new approaches to design polymer colloids and how they can be used to tackle interdisciplinary challenges or real-world problems. These challenges may be in developing advanced materials for a more sustainable society or for use in areas such as biomedical diagnostics or regenerative medicine.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

As we transition towards a more sustainable society the development and adaptation of materials that are designed with sustainability in mind, whilst retaining or improving on functionality, is a huge challenge that raises a great deal of academic, industrial, and societal questions.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Take the time to build your network! It really helps to share and learn from each other’s experiences, begin identifying and developing shared research interests, and ultimately make friends who also work in your discipline. I did this in part through firstly attending, and then organising, early career events such as the annual recent appointees in polymer science (RAPS) and early career colloids (ECCo) meetings.

 

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Open call for papers: Themed collection on Food as soft matter

Soft Matter is excited to announce an open call for submissions to themed collection on ‘Food as soft matter’

Guest Edited by Associate Professor Vivek Sharma (University of Illinois Chicago, USA), this themed collection invites contributions in form of articles, communications, reviews and perspectives aimed at understanding and analysing food as soft matter and molecular gastronomy: the physicochemical basis for designing foods. Imagine bread, butter, wine, cheese, ice cream, chocolates, mayo, frothy beers, milk, yogurt, sushi, meats, cotton candy, burgers, fondue, chips, cookies, cakes, and champagne. Contributors are requested to use the lens of soft matter and present their original research efforts that dive into the science of cooking and molecular gastronomy, food production, processing, and consumption by highlighting concepts from statistical thermodynamics, macromolecular and soft matter physics, interfacial science, fluid mechanics and rheology (science of deformation & flow). Many food materials are rheologically-complex fluids that can be modelled as multicomponent colloidal dispersions with a continuous liquid phase containing dispersed proteins, polysaccharides, drops, bubbles, particles, and self-assembled structures (like micelles). Contributors are encouraged to discuss the influence of the dispersed and the continuous phases and of ingredients like salt, sugar, fat, animal proteins, and gluten on stability, microstructure, rheology, and heuristic properties like dispensing behaviour, stickiness, thickening, stringiness, softness, creaminess, mouthfeel, texture, foamability, and chewability. The Guest Editor’s focus is on curating an anthology and a landmark collection of original papers and reviews that place significant emphasis on understanding current foods to develop the roadmap for sustainable, cost-effective, healthier, and tasteful alternatives, including meat and dairy alternatives with plant-based ingredients.

Open call for Food as soft matter promotional image

 

Submissions open until 1 July 2023

 

If you wish to submit to the collection, please contact softmatter-rsc@rsc.org 

Submissions to the journal should fit within the scope of Soft Matter – Please see the journal website for more information on the journal’s scope, standards, article types and author guidelines. All submissions will be subject to initial assessment by the journal Associate Editors and are subject to the journal’s standard rigorous peer review procedures, as such we cannot guarantee peer review or acceptance in the journal. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online and they will be published in a regular issue of Soft Matter.

 

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Highlighted papers of 2022 – selected by the Soft Matter Editorial Board

The Editorial Board of Soft Matter is very pleased to spotlight some of the most exciting articles published in Soft Matter during 2022. All included papers were individually chosen by the Soft Matter Editorial Board to showcase some of the work that best encapsulates the journal.

 

 

Quote from Editor-in-Chief Alfred Crosby about the Editorial Board Highlights of 2022 collection

 

Click here to read the collection!

 

All articles in our Editorial Board Highlights of 2022 collection are free to access until 31 May. The full collection can be found here and we have also highlighted a selection of articles below. We hope you enjoy these, and the rest of the articles included in the collection.

 

From vesicles toward protocells and minimal cells

Highlighted by Soft Matter Editor-in-Chief Professor Alfred Crosby

Masayuki Imai, Yuka Sakuma, Minoru Kurisu and Peter Walde

Soft Matter, 2022, 18, 4823-4849

 

Transition to the viscoelastic regime in the thinning of polymer solutions

Highlighted by Soft Matter Associate Editor Professor Amy Shen

Sreeram Rajesh, Virgile Thiévenaz and Alban Sauret

Soft Matter, 2022, 18, 3147-3156

 

Compression of colloidal monolayers at liquid interfaces: in situ vs. ex situ investigation

Highlighted by Soft Matter Associate Editor Professor Emanuela Zaccarelli

Keumkyung Kuk, Vahan Abgarjan, Lukas Gregel, Yichu Zhou, Virginia Carrasco Fadanelli, Ivo Buttinoni and Matthias Karg

Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 175-188

 

Phase separation dynamics in deformable droplets

Highlighted by Soft Matter Associate Editor Professor Xuehua Zhang

Simon Gsell and Matthias Merkel

Soft Matter, 2022, 18, 2672-2683

 

Congratulations to all the selected authors, we hope you enjoy reading their articles!

 

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