软凝聚态物质
Hydrogel diffusiophoresis is the deformation of a hydrogel due to a solute gradient that leads to a gradient of pairwise interactions between the solute particles and the hydrogel polymers to trigger osmotic flux. Unlike typical osmosis, it…
We present an experimental method to fabricate centimetric thin elastic capsules with highly uniform thickness and negligible bending stiffness using silicone elastomers. In our experiments, the capsules thickness is tunable at fabrication,…
Turbulence is most commonly associated with high Reynolds number flow, however the framework of turbulent dynamics has been conceptually extended to many other fields, such as magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, elastic wave turbulence in…
In this paper we compare three frameworks for modeling flows of complex fluids: (i) local conservations of mass, momentum and energy, (ii) GENERIC, and (iii) Onsager principle. The first is based on the mass, momentum, and energy…
A hallmark in natural systems, self-organization often stems from very simple interaction rules between individual agents. While single-species self-propelled particle (SPP) systems are well understood, the behavior of binary mixtures with…
Inspired by recent experiments of cells accumulating on anisotropic substrates, we study a two-dimensional, compressible, isotropic, active fluid in the presence of anisotropic friction. We find that regions of anisotropic friction that are…
The influence of gravity on the drag force acting on a projectile impacting granular media is investigated experimentally via embedded inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor and numerically through discrete element method (DEM) simulations.…
Directed transport is a characteristic feature of numerous biological systems in response to signals such as nutrient and chemical gradients. These signals often depend on time owing to the high complexity of interactions in these systems.…
Identifying the conditions under which glass formation occurs is crucial for a fundamental understanding of the glass transition mechanism. Pure liquids devoid of any frustration avoid glass transition and undergo crystallization. In this…
Collectives of actively-moving particles can spontaneously segregate into dilute and dense phases through a process known as motility-induced phase separation (MIPS). This captivating phenomenon is well-studied for randomly-moving particles…
Fitting two different materials is a versatile methodology in manufacturing complex structures. One of the canonical models for fitting is the snap-fit model, in which flexible materials and rigid structures are assembled by pushing their…
Noisy pursuit in complex environments drives emergent collective behaviors in active matter systems. A compelling platform to study the impact of environment cues is provided by the standard Vicsek model for studying flocking and swarming…
A high degree of structural complexity arises in dynamic neuronal dendrites due to extensive branching patterns and diverse spine morphologies, which enable the nervous system to adjust function, construct complex input pathways and thereby…
Anisotropic diffusion governs transport in a wide range of soft and biological materials, where microstructure and molecular interactions jointly shape how matter moves. Here, we quantitatively investigate anisotropic molecular transport in…
The morphology of DNA is strongly influenced by its surrounding environment, including factors such as pH, salt type and valency, and the presence of polymers. Inorganic salts are known to reduce the DNA chain length through mechanisms like…
We perform Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations of granular particles (polystyrene spheres) vibrated inside a cubic container. The study investigates the evolution of the packing fraction with and without rotational friction at…
Ostwald's Rule of Stages, which is one of the most widely observed phenomena associated with crystallization of polymorphs, follows naturally from the thermodynamics of nucleation. However, most observations of its manifestations have been…
Hypothesis: The macroscopic properties of polymer composites are governed by the dispersion and aggregation states of filler particles within a crosslinking matrix. Although curing transforms a liquid precursor into a solid network, its…
We study equilibrium configurations of nematic liquid crystals confined to two-dimensional isosceles triangles, subject to tangent boundary conditions. This toy problem is motivated by the effects of geometrical asymmetry on equilibria in…
We study the self-diffusiophoresis of a spherical chemically active particle near a planar, impermeable wall, with a focus on the influence of particle orientation on propulsion. We analyze a Janus particle with asymmetric surface chemical…