Soft Matter Blog

Congratulations to the Poster Prize winners at International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists (IACIS 2012)

11 Jul 2012

Congratulations to Arisa Saito, Karmena Jaskiewicz, Miyako Tsuura, Tomohiro Fukushima and Amata Chaikriangkrai for winning the Soft Matter poster prizes at International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists (IACIS 2012).

The titles of the winning posters were:

Ms. Arisa Saito (Shinshu University)
Concentration fluctuation of aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) solutions under magnetic fields

Ms. Karmena Jaskiewicz (Max Plank Institute)
Active transport of nanoparticles into polymersomes probed by photon correlation spectroscopy

Ms. Miyako Tsuura (Kyushu University)
Surface freezing of alkane-alkane, alkane-fluoroalkane, and alkanol-alkanol mixtures

Mr. Tomohiro Fukushima (Kyoto University)
Chemical Modulation of Self-Assembly Kinetics for Crystal Domain Control of Porous Coordination Copolymers

Mr. Amata Chaikriangkrai (Tokyo University of Technology）
Relationships between the Synthesis Conditions of Fe-Containing Mesoporous Silica and Its Effectiveness as a New Cosmetic Sunscreen Material

Poster Prize winners at International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists
From left to right: Arisa Saito, Tomohiro Fukushima, Miyako Tsuura, Amata Chaikriangkrai & Karmena Jaskiewicz

IACIS 2012 was held 13th – 18th May in Sendai, Japan.

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Congratulations to the Poster Prize winners at 14th International Scanning Probe Microscopy Meeting

11 Jul 2012

By Russell Johnson, Development Editor.

Congratulations to Simon Attwood, Duckhoe Kim and Amanda Quirk for winning the Soft Matter poster prizes at 14th International Scanning Probe Microscopy Meeting.

The titles of the winning posters were: Simon Attwood (University of Waterloo)
Effect of Small Molecules on Phospholipid Membranes By Atomic Force Spectroscopy

Duckhoe Kim (Columbia University)
Rapid Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy and Imaging of Short DNA Molecules

Amanda Quirk (University of Guelph)
Atomic Force Microscopy Study of Site-Specific Enzyme Action on Native Cellulose Fibers

From left to right: Duckhoe Kim, Simon Attwood, Amanda Quirk and John Dutcher who presented the awards.

The 14th International Scanning Probe Microscopy Meeting was held 16th – 18th June Toronto, Canada.

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Lipids and Membrane Biophysics: Faraday Discussion 161 (11th – 13th September)

05 Jul 2012

By Russell Johnson, Development Editor.

There’s still just time to submit a poster for Lipids and Membrane Biophysics: Faraday Discussion 161 [link to http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCConferences/FD161/index.asp] – by the deadline date 13 July.

This Faraday Discussion will consider recent developments in the study of biomembrane structure, ordering and dynamics, with particular emphasis on the roles of lipids in these phenomena. Registration is quick and simple via our online booking system, so act today [link to http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCConferences/FD161/registration.asp].and benefit from early bird savings.

Why choose to come to a Faraday Discussion? They have a unique format – all papers are circulated in advance and all discussion contributions are recorded for publication in the abstract book after the event. You can also have your own poster space at the meeting, so submit yours now [link to http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCConferences/FD161/cfp.asp] before the deadline of 13 July.

Come and discuss new experimental and theoretical findings and novel methodologies, as we focus on exploring the relevance of concepts from amphiphile self-assembly and soft matter physics to understanding biomembranes.

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Top 10 most-read Soft Matter articles in May

03 Jul 2012

By Aliya Anwar.

This month sees the following articles in Soft Matter that are in the top ten most accessed for May:

Design of patchy particles using ternary self-assembled monolayers
Inés C. Pons-Siepermann and Sharon C. Glotzer
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 6226-6231
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM00014H

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

Self-assembled hierarchical structure evolution of azobenzene-containing linear-dendritic liquid crystalline block copolymers
Zehua Shi, Dongzhong Chen, Huanjun Lu, Bin Wu, Jie Ma, Rongshi Cheng, Jianglin Fang and Xiaofang Chen
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 6174-6184
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM07249A

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

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

Thermoresponsive supramolecular dendronized copolymers with tunable phase transition temperatures
Jiatao Yan, Xiaoqian Zhang, Wen Li, Xiuqiang Zhang, Kun Liu, Peiyi Wu and Afang Zhang
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 6371-6377
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25285F

Dual pH-triggered physical gels prepared from mixed dispersions of oppositely charged pH-responsive microgels
James McParlane, Damien Dupin, Jennifer M. Saunders, Sarah Lally, Steven P. Armes and Brian R. Saunders
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 6239-6247
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25581B

Design and properties of supramolecular polymer gels
Atsushi Noro, Mikihiro Hayashi and Yushu Matsushita
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 2416-2429
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25144B

Membrane properties of swollen vesicles: growth, rupture, and fusion
Chun-Min Lin, David T. Wu, Heng-Kwong Tsao and Yu-Jane Sheng
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 6139-6150
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25518A

Non-affine deformations in polymer hydrogels
Qi Wen, Anindita Basu, Paul A. Janmey and Arjun G. Yodh
Soft Matter, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25364J

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!

To keep up-to-date with all the latest research, sign up for the Soft Matter e-Alert or RSS feeds or follow Soft Matter on Twitter or Facebook.

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Hot Review: Volume of polymer gels coupled to deformation

29 Jun 2012

By Serin Dabb, Deputy Editor.

Polymer gels are soft solids with thermodynamically semi-open features which enables the solvents to flow in and out of the gels. The gel volume, therefore, can be coupled to other types of mechanical stimulus such as solvent flow and centrifugal force. This Hot Review focuses on experimental and theoretical studies on a rich variety of phenomena caused by the strain-driven volume change of gels.

Read for free for a short time:

Volume of polymer gels coupled to deformation
Kenji Urayama and Toshikazu Takigawa
Soft Matter, 2012, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25359C

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What makes research biomimetic, bioinspired or biokleptic?

25 Jun 2012

By Serin Dabb, Deputy Editor.

Sarah Staniland and co-workers discuss the meaning of the term ‘biomimetic’, and how it differs or overlaps between disciplines. How does a physicist define biomimetics, compared to a biologist? The irridescence of butterfly wings to tiny magnetic organisms are all discussed in this interesting and thoughtful Opinion piece.

Read for free for a short time:

Innovation through imitation: biomimetic, bioinspired and biokleptic research
Andrea E. Rawlings, Jonathan P. Bramble and Sarah S. Staniland
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 2675-2679, DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25385B

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Soft Matter in the news: ‘Magnetic emulsions’ could clean up oil spills

21 Jun 2012

By Serin Dabb, Deputy Editor.

A Soft Matter paper published today has been highlighted by the BBC on their website. The paper, by Julian Eastoe and co-workers, has expanded on a previous study to make magnetically responsive emulsions with magnetic surfactant stabilisers.

As the team says, compared to nanoparticle-stabilised magnetic emulsions, a major advantage of these magnetic surfactants is the simple synthesis and purification, offering new possibilities for molecular design of specialist surfactants. For example, replacing the surfactant alkyl tails with fluorocarbons could result in supercritical CO₂-compatible magnetic responsive emulsions for oil and gas field flooding.

Read the Soft Matter paper for free here:

Magnetic emulsions with responsive surfactants
Paul Brown, Craig P. Butts, Jing Cheng, Julian Eastoe, Christopher A. Russell and Gregory N. Smith
Soft Matter, 2012, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C2SM26077H

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Highlight on aqueous two-phase polymer solution-loaded vesicles

20 Jun 2012

By Serin Dabb, Deputy Editor.

This Hot Highlight describes recent developments in lipid vesicles encapsulating aqueous two-phase polymer solutions (ATPS). Aqueous phase separation in the closed environment of a lipid vesicles can be a model system for biological microcompartments within a cell. Studying ATPS-loaded vesicles may lead to a deeper understanding of membrane behavior and membrane processes in vivo.

Read for free for a short period of time:

Lipid membranes in contact with aqueous phases of polymer solutions
Rumiana Dimova and Reinhard Lipowsky
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 2409-2415, DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25261A

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Announcing Patrick Doyle as the 2012 Soft Matter Lectureship recipient

15 Jun 2012

By Serin Dabb, Deputy Editor.

The Soft Matter Editorial Board have chosen Professor Patrick Doyle 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 – there was an excellent group of candidates this year – and contratulate Professor Doyle.

Patrick S. Doyle is Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Doyle’s research focuses on fundamental and applied topics in soft matter. Much of his research is in the realms of micro/nanofluidic technologies, DNA biophysics, and rheology. By combining theory, simulation and experiments, he has shed new light on the polymer dynamics of DNA in highly confined geometries and under complex electric fields. His group has also invented microfluidic technologies to produce highly structured hydrogel microparticles for both fundamental colloidal studies and applications, such as multiplexed biomolecule sensing, drug delivery and catalysis.

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Wound dressing helps healing cells to do their job

14 Jun 2012

By Serin Dabb, Deputy Editor.

A wound dressing that guides cells close to the wound has been designed by scientists in Switzerland.

The dressing is made from polydimethylsiloxane and is etched with grooves, which enhance cell polarisatrion, migration speed and directionality.

The dressing makes wound healing faster and may prevent scar tissue forming. The dressing is also non-adhesive and controls cells in a ‘top down’ approach. Unlike current dressing, this one can be removed when the tissue is healed.

Read for free for a short time:

Topography-mediated apical guidance in epidermal wound healing
Anastasios Marmaras, Tobias Lendenmann, Gianluca Civenni, Davide Franco, Dimos Poulikakos, Vartan Kurtcuoglu and Aldo Ferrari
Soft Matter, 2012, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C2SM00030J

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Soft Matter Blog

Congratulations to the Poster Prize winners at International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists (IACIS 2012)

Congratulations to the Poster Prize winners at 14th International Scanning Probe Microscopy Meeting

Lipids and Membrane Biophysics: Faraday Discussion 161 (11th – 13th September)

Top 10 most-read Soft Matter articles in May

Hot Review: Volume of polymer gels coupled to deformation

What makes research biomimetic, bioinspired or biokleptic?

Soft Matter in the news: ‘Magnetic emulsions’ could clean up oil spills

Highlight on aqueous two-phase polymer solution-loaded vesicles

Announcing Patrick Doyle as the 2012 Soft Matter Lectureship recipient

Wound dressing helps healing cells to do their job

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