软凝聚态物质
We address the problem of the vapor-liquid phase transition in the restricted primitive model (RPM) using Wertheim's statistical associating fluid theory to capture the effects of ion pairing which dominate the low-temperature vapor phase.…
We use particle simulations to reveal two distinct propulsion mechanisms for a scallop-like swimmer to locomote itself in granular media by reciprocally flapping its wings. Based on the discrete element method, we examine the kinematics and…
Collections of simple, self-propelled colloidal particles exhibit complex, emergent dynamical behavior, with promising applications in microrobotics. When confined within a deformable vesicle, self-propelled rods cluster and align,…
This work addresses the fabrication of transparent glass surfaces with superior water-repellence (i.e., superhydrophobicity), and related functional properties such as omniphobicity, anti-fogging and anti-icing responses. Surfaces have been…
Fluidized beds consist of solid particles suspended in a tube by an ascending fluid. In liquids, it is not rare that particles adhere to each other, decreasing the solid-liquid contact area and the ratio between the tube and grain…
Cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) change color under strain, offering attractive prospects for smart textiles, soft robotics, and photonic devices. However, the helical structure of CLCEs averages out the exceptional anisotropy…
We present a new analysis approach for intensity autocorrelation data, as measured with dynamic light scattering and X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. Our analysis generalizes the established CONTIN and MULTIQ methods by direct…
Nozaki et.~al.\ gave a homotopy classification of the knotted defects of ordered media in three-dimensional space by considering continuous maps from complements of spatial graphs to the order parameter space modulo a certain equivalence…
Understanding how amorphous solids yield under shear is central to predicting material failure, yet prescribing reliable local yielding criteria remains a fundamental challenge. Here, through a mesoscale analysis of localized yielding, we…
Bacterial swimming is well characterized in uniform liquids at rest. The natural habitat of bacterial swimmers, however, is often dominated by moving fluids and interfaces, resulting in shear flows that may strongly alter bacterial…
In tissues, cells in direct physical contact with each other can exchange ions or molecules via protein clusters called gap junctions that form channels across the membranes of adjacent cells. Here, we use a simplified biomimetic approach,…
Surface-induced liquid crystalline phase transitions evoke fundamental interest and can provide deeper insight into the nature of low-dimensional phase transitions. Board-like conjugated polymers are particularly interesting because they…
New theoretical approaches have been developed for studying and quantitatively describing the elastic properties of cubic blue phases in cholesteric liquid crystals. Within the framework of the Landau-de Gennes theory, using the simplest…
The present study investigates a weakly pulsed granular system of polystyrene spheres under long-time microgravity conditions on the International Space Station (ISS). The spheres are measured using Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy (DWS) and are…
The onset and growth of rigid clusters in a two-dimensional (2D) suspension in shear flow are studied by numerical simulations. The suspension exhibits the lubricated-to-frictional rheology transition, but the key results here are for…
Self-poisoning (SP) is ubiquitous in polymer crystallization, but has so far manifested itself visibly only as minima in growth rate vs. temperature in either monodisperse systems where e.g. unstable folded chains obstruct crystallization…
Liquid crystal elastomers are rubbery solids that couple liquid crystalline order and deformation. This coupling leads to properties that are attractive for a number of applications in soft robotics and energy absorption. This paper is…
Active transport of biomolecular condensates and cell migration in collectives are fundamental to development, homeostasis, and processes such as cancer progression, wound healing, and infection response. Yet how these assemblies are…
The self-assembly of complex structures from engineered subunits is a major goal of nanotechnology, but controlling their size becomes increasingly difficult in larger assemblies. Existing strategies present significant challenges, among…
Nonlinearities and instabilities in mechanical structures have shown great promise for embedding advanced functionalities. However, simulating structures subject to nonlinearities can be challenging due to the complexity of their behavior,…