Soft Matter Blog

Morgan Stefik is an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina and is the Founding Director of the South Carolina SAXS Collaborative. He obtained a BE degree in Materials Engineering from California Polytechnic State University in 2005 and a PhD degree in Materials Science from Cornell University in 2010. He then completed postdoctoral research at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. His accolades include a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2018, recognition as an Emerging Investigator by the Journal of Materials Chemistry A in 2017, a Breakthrough Star Award from the University of South Carolina in 2018, election to the council of the International Mesostructured Materials Association in 2018, selection as an ACS PMSE division Young Investigator in 2020, recognition as an Early Career Scholar by the Journal of Materials Research in 2022, a Garnet Apple Award for Teaching Innovation from the University of South Carolina in 2022, and a Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Fellowship in 2022.  Morgan can be found on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/morganstefik

Read Morgan’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D2SM00513A

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 most excited about kinetic-control broadly and particularly as applied to polymer assemblies. Rather than finding the singular equilibrium arrangement at some condition, kinetic-control opens up the possibility to make infinite different configurations.  Some of these new configurations can often enable new and useful properties or help solve existing problems. Reproducibility is a significant challenge with kinetic-control since such processes are inherently pathway-dependent and one often does not know which processing parameters are important at the beginning. Furthermore, many of the characterization techniques are only convenient at the end of processing which makes it that much more difficult to figure out what was happening throughout the entire processing timeline.  The tremendous potential for new and exciting capabilities, however, make this challenge worthy of attention from my perspective.

Ting Ge is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina. He earned his BS degree in 2007 from the University of Science and Technology of China followed by a Ph. D. degree in 2013 from Johns Hopkins University. Subsequently, he worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the Research Triangle of North Carolina in the USA, first at UNC-Chapel Hill and then at Duke University. He is interested in investigating the microscopic origin of the macroscopic behaviour of various soft matter systems. A combination of molecular simulations and theory is employed in his research activities.

They can be found on Twitter @TingGe15

Read Ting Ge’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D2SM00731B

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

The interdisciplinary feature of Soft Matter makes it an ideal place for publishing my research on the force-driven active dynamics of nanorods in polymeric fluids. The microscopic insights from the combined computational and theoretical research are anticipated to intrigue the readers of Soft Matter across different disciplines, such as the material scientists who study the force-driven processing of functional nanorod-containing polymer composites and the biomedical engineers who develop nanorod-based techniques for drug delivery and imaging.

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

The most exciting aspect of my research is the elucidation of the microscopic origin of the macroscopic behavior of various soft matter systems. The goal is achieved through the combination of molecular simulations that have unparalleled access to detailed microscopic information and theoretical modeling that delineate the hierarchy of multiple time and length scales. Topics currently investigated include (1) the effects of polymer topology on the thermodynamics, rheology, and mechanics of polymeric materials, (2) the transport of nanoscale objects in complex polymeric environments, as well as (3) the scale-bridging physics in the fracture behavior of thermoplastics and elastomers. The most challenging aspect of these research topics is making close connections to the synthesis, characterization, and measurements of the relevant soft matter systems in real experiments, both in the setup of a sound model for the molecular simulations and theory and in the comparison between the simulation, theory, and experiments.

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

In my opinion, the most important questions in the research on nanoscale transport in a complex soft matter environment should target the active and far-from-equilibrium nature of a soft matter environment commonly present in living systems, which differ distinctively from the passive and equilibrium nature of many synthetic soft matter materials. One example is the diffusion of virus nanoparticles through a mucus gel network which is essential in preventing lung infection.

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

Starting my research group in January 2020 right ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic was not an easy task. I would love to share one quote with my fellow scientists, “The world’s most precious resource is the persistent and passionate human mind”.

Lorenzo completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees in Physics at the University of L’Aquila (Abruzzo, Italy) in 2010, before moving to the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge to start his PhD in soft condensed matter physics. After graduating in 2013, Lorenzo took up an Oppenheimer Early Career Research Fellowship, followed by a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellowship in 2016 and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in 2018. The following year, Lorenzo moved to the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London where he was promoted to the post of Senior Lecturer, before returning to the University of Cambridge Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in 2022. Lorenzo’s research group, supported by the Royal Society, an ERC Starting Grant, and funding from UK research councils (EPSRC, BBSRC), applies the toolkit of nucleic acid nanotechnology to designing advanced biomimetic systems, biophysical models, and tackling challenges in biomedicine. They can be found on Twitter @DiMicheleLAB1 

Read Lorenzo’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D2SM00863G

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

Our research group uses DNA nanotechnology to build advanced biomimetic systems: from nanostructures that imitate membrane proteins to whole “synthetic cells” – micro robots designed to reproduce responses typically observed in biological cells.  This research area, sometimes referred to as “bottom-up synthetic biology” is very multidisciplinary, rooted in concepts of biophysics, soft condensed matter, statistical mechanics, physical chemistry, nanotechnology and molecular biology. Our aim is to make our work accessible to scientists working across all these disciplines, and Soft Matter is among the very few journals that can reach out to such a diverse audience. Soft Matter is thus a great venue for 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 really excited about the open-ended nature of my group’s research area. Biological systems have evolved for billions of years to display an extremely rich array of functionalities and behaviours. We aim to re-create some of these responses, but there are so many to choose from, each posing different challenges and requiring different solutions. I find this very stimulating!  Still, this freedom to explore is also challenging for me: some self-control is needed to avoid branching out in too many directions and losing focus!

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

The most urgent question in the field, in my opinion, is around the issue of integration: how do we make components developed by different groups, to produce different responses, compatible with each other?  We can now establish many (relatively) simple responses in synthetic cells, such as synthesis of molecules, directed motion, and control over the properties of synthetic membranes which we address in our contribution to the special issue. In biological cells, however, these responses occur in a highly coordinated fashion, which is critical for more complex behaviours such as decision making, adaptation and evolution. We are still largely unable to achieve this degree of integration in biomimetic systems, as different responses often rely on incompatible components. To tackle this challenge, the community should come together and make an effort towards enhancing cross-compatibility.

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

Follow your passions and intuition when it comes to choosing a field of research – all other considerations are irrelevant if you do not find your own work inspiring.

Lei Bao is currently a Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at RMIT University, Australia. She received her PhD in the College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences (CCMS) of Wuhan University, China and was awarded the 2014 Australia Endeavour Fellowship to pursue her postdoctoral studies in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She held an RMIT Vice-Chancellor Fellowship in 2015 and is a recipient of the prestigious Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Her multidisciplinary work is centred on solving energy, environment and health-related challenges through controllable design and engineering of nanomaterials. The research team she leads at RMIT focuses on surface and colloidal engineering with directions in confined nanocarbon synthesis and assembly for energy conversions as well as in the development of biocompatible multifunctional nanocomposites for biomedical applications. They can be found on Twitter @NanocarbonLei, on LinkedIn and online via their website.

Read Lei’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D2SM00557C

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

Soft Matter provides an excellent platform for researchers from physics, chemistry, materials and engineering to exchange thoughts and discoveries. Our research on nanocarbon assembly lies in the intersection area of fluid dynamics, colloidal engineering and interfacial science. I feel very excited to share our findings with the interdisciplinary readership of Soft Matter and hope it will spark more discussion and collaboration on this research topic.

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

Incorporating nanocarbon materials into electronic devices has been considered a promising approach for developing next-generation devices with high efficiency and high sensitivity. The way to integrate these nanomaterials into the device is critical for functionalities and properties. I am excited to see how our research could deepen the understanding of physical chemistry phenomena, leading to the development of a simple and robust technique to controllably arrange nanocarbons into different structures on surfaces for potential device fabrications. For the assembly of nanocarbon materials with ultrasmall dimensions, such as a few nanometers-sized carbon dots, the biggest challenge is to employ a direct visualisation technique to understand the dynamics of their assembly process. 

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

The ultimate goal of nanomaterial assembly is to precisely control and engineer the structures for design applications. Hence, the mechanism behind the assembly process and how the assembly structures induce different properties are the important questions to be addressed.

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

Research is fun and can be challenging sometimes so find your support systems, such as your colleagues or mentors, who are willing to share their experiences and provide genuine feedback to you.

Andrea Scotti obtained his PhD in 2015 from ETH Zürich (Switzerland) performing his research between the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (GaTech, USA). His PhD thesis was awarded with the Young Scientist Prize of the Swiss Neutron Scattering Society. After a first postdoc at Lund University, he moved to Aachen where in 2017 he started his Alexander Von Humboldt fellowship. Since 2019, he has been a Junior Group Leader at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the RWTH Aachen university. The main subject of his research is experimental soft matter, with particular focus on the relationship between microscopic architecture of soft building blocks, e.g. microgels, and the macroscopic response of a soft material, both in three and two dimensions. The experimental tools he uses include scattering (neutron, X-ray and light), reflectometry, rheology, computer simulations, interfacial techniques (Langmuir-Blodgett trough) and microscopy techniques (confocal, atomic force).

Read Andrea’s Emerging Investigator article “Experimental determination of the bulk moduli of hollow nanogels“

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

For interdisciplinary studies between the fields of physics, chemistry, and biology, I have found Soft Matter to be one of the best journals in which to disseminate our results, as well as to see what is new in the field of colloidal science.

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

My main interest lies in understanding the ordering of soft material under flow, specifically what is the role of the softness of the individual particles or macromolecules on the overall macroscopic properties of the material. Now we are able to produce soft particles, in particular micro- and nanogels, with different internal structures and shapes. The main challenge is to isolate what are the key characteristics of a particle (e.g. elastic moduli, architecture, shape) that have the dominant effect on the flow and equilibrium phase behaviour of the solutions.

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

One of the main questions is how we can define the idea of softness in a quantitative and rigorous way. This is fundamental to describe its effects on a material’s properties, but also to build bridges between different fields. For instance, is the softness that plays a role in the flow properties of a solution of nanogels the same that affects the flow of blood cells? How soft are viruses compared to other synthetic soft colloids? Answering these questions will allow us to understand the fundamental laws governing different systems. This can pave the way to both a better understanding of soft and condensed matter, but also to the development of synthetic materials that can better mimic biologically-relevant compounds.

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

You should always look for discussions with your colleagues and other researchers. Some of my best work has been the result of spontaneous conversations at conferences, seminars and workshops, which have seeded fruitful long-lasting international collaborations.

Dr. Richard Mandle was awarded BSc and MSc degrees in Chemistry from the University of Hull. He completed his PhD in Chemistry under the supervision of Professor John Goodby FRS at the University of York in 2013 (thesis title: “The Nitro Group in Liquid Crystals”). In postdoctoral positions he developed new materials for consumer LCD devices and worked on developing materials that exhibit new nematic phase types (York), as well as on auxetic elastomers (Leeds). Dr. Mandle has published over 80 peer reviewed journal articles, was awarded the Young Scientist award of the British Liquid Crystal Society in 2017 and the Vorländer Lectureship of the German Liquid Crystal Society in 2022. In 2022 Dr. Mandle was awarded a prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship which he holds as a joint appointment between the School of Chemistry and the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leeds.

Read Richard’s Emerging Investigator article ‘A new order of liquids: polar order in nematic liquid crystals’

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

The nascent field of ferroelectric nematics sits at a sort of tricritical point between chemistry, physics and mathematics; Soft Matter cuts right across these scientific disciplines and beyond, and so is a really good fit for this sort of work.

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

Ferroelectric nematics are capable of all sorts of things that no other known state of matter can do, so understandably there is huge excitement about possible applications. We are getting pretty good at developing new materials, but relating the physical properties back to molecular structure is a bit of a black box at the moment.

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

I think it is fair to say that the discovery of polar order and ferroelectricity in fluids looks to be of the highest significance. Probably the biggest question right now is “how universal is polar ordering, and this new phase of matter?” is it restricted to a few odd molecules, or are we dealing with a more general phenomenon? Right now, evidence points to the latter, which is really important given that there is a big expectation that this discovery will end up in all manner of applications.

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

Your job is only one part of your life and, in the far distant future, when you retire it’s gone. Make time for the stuff that really matters.

Charles Dhong is currently an Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering at University of Delaware. He received a PhD from Johns Hopkins University followed by postdoctoral studies at University of California, San Diego. His research group is interested in measuring or controlling the mechanical forces at biological interfaces. Biological interfaces, ranging from cells to the human sense, are complex because they are soft and patterned. Although they are complex, controlling these biological interfaces are important in a range of applications, including basic biology, cancer detection, and virtual reality for the sense of touch. To achieve these goals, we build devices, perform simulations and modeling, and incorporate new materials including conductive polymers and graphene sensors. He can be found on Twitter @CharlesDhong.

Read Charles’ Emerging Investigator article ‘Controlling fine touch sensations with polymer tacticity and crystallinity’

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

As we work on using materials chemistry to control touch, Soft Matter has been an excellent venue for publishing work at the intersection of materials chemistry, interfaces, and human psychology. Although we believe touch has many aspects that are traditional to soft matter mechanics and materials, the inclusion of human subjects and psychophysics requires an appreciation for interdisciplinary research. At the same time, the fundamental and rigorous approaches of research in Soft Matter help ground our work in established adhesion and interfaces science.

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

We are excited to see how many everyday textures and feelings we can create just by changing materials chemistry. With emerging areas of virtual reality, and neglected areas of accessibility aids for people with low vision and blindness, touch still remains an open area of exploration. One of the most challenging parts is that coming from a surface science background, working with human subjects data can be inherently variable. However, replacing human participants with machine mimics often does not replicate key parts of tactile perception. We still need ways to quantify and describe touch in ways that are unbiased, consistent, yet still remain useful.

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

I think the field is wide open, but I believe an important part of touch is to develop a standard and basis to communicate findings. Right now, unless you physically try the device of another lab, it is difficult to gauge progress. While perception is subjective, other fields like vision research have clearer standards or metrics to compare work. However, touch is inherently difficult because the human finger not only senses touch but is also an active participant in generating stimulus through mechanical forces: How you touch an object changes the forces and tactile stimuli generated.  In other senses, like vision, the eye does not influence the source of stimuli, e.g. a light bulb will emit the same stimuli to any subject.

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

People say that side projects can suddenly morph into key directions for a lab, and that’s been true for us. Classical areas today often started as brand new niche concepts–maybe as a side project–and most communities are open to new ideas or directions.

Eleonora Secchi is currently the Group Leader of the bioMatter Microfluidics Group at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. She earned a B.A. in Physical Engineering, an M.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry from the Polytechnic University of Milan. Her graduate research work focused on developing optical correlation techniques and their application to the study of biological and soft matter systems. From 2014 to 2016, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Ecole Normale Supérieure of Paris, working with Prof. Lyderic Bocquet on the measurement of water flow from a single carbon nanotube, which allowed her to answer a long-debated question on water slippage at the carbon–water interface. She was awarded an ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2016 to join the group of Prof. Roman Stocker at ETH Zurich, where she became interested in biophysics. In 2018, thanks to a Swiss National Science Foundation PRIMA grant, Eleonora started her research group. Her research aims to understand the physical mechanisms influencing the assembly and the behavior of bacterial biofilms.  Her group investigates the environmental factors and the physical mechanisms controlling bacterial transport, surface colonization, and biofilm formation in fluids, focusing on the biofilm matrix — “the dark matter of biofilms”. She exploits the precision afforded by microfluidics, combined with visualization techniques borrowed from soft matter physics, to access biofilm’s microstructure and rheology, with the ultimate goal of linking structural properties to their biological function.

Read Eleonora’s Emerging Investigator article ‘A microfluidic platform for characterizing the structure and rheology of biofilm streamers’

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

We presented a work at the interface between biophysics and fluid dynamics, with possible applications to soft matter systems. The Soft Matter readership has the perfect background to appreciate it and find further applications. 

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

Biofilms are bacterial aggregates embedded in a self-secreted polymeric matrix. They contribute to the surge of antibiotic resistance, a “global crisis” according to the UN, and cause costly biofouling and biocorrosion in the industrial sector. Studying the physical principles controlling biofilm assembly and the emergence of their properties can lead to developing novel, universal strategies to prevent and control their formation. I am excited to contribute to this medical and technological challenge while recognizing how ambitious the aim is to find universal physical principles to describe biofilm, the most diverse and widespread lifeform.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?
Bacteria are capable of assembling a mighty physico-chemical shield to protect themselves and survive harsh environmental conditions, namely the biofilm matrix. The matrix varies greatly in its composition among different bacterial species, but it can generally be described as a polymeric gel with viscoelastic rheology. The field wonders how is the assembly of this gel-like matrix regulated and what are the mechanisms conferring to the matrix its unique physico-chemical properties.