Conveners
M2-6 Soft condensed matter I (DCMMP) | Matière condensée molle I (DPMCM)
- Robert Wickham
Complex spherical packing phases, namely the Frank-Kasper (FK) phases, have been discovered in various soft matter systems such as block copolymers and surfactant solutions. A generic and simple model for the formation of spherical packing phases in these systems comprises hard spheres with short-range attraction and long-range repulsion (SALR). In the SALR systems, the attractive head...
Recent experiments have elucidated the physical properties of kinetoplasts, which are chain-mail-like structures found in the mitochondria of trypanosome parasites formed from catenated DNA rings. Inspired by these studies, we use Monte Carlo simulations to examine the behavior of two-dimensional networks (``membranes'') of linked rings. For simplicity, we consider only identical rings that...
Our laboratory has recently reported the technique of preparing stable glass films of polymers through PVD and the exceptional properties of these materials. This technique is in principle applicable to a wide range of polymers, and it has been demonstrated for polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate). Stable glasses are known to have higher density and enhanced kinetic stability compared to...
Ionic microgels are soft, permeable, colloidal particles, made of crosslinked polymer networks, that ionize and swell in a good solvent. Their sensitive response to changes in environmental conditions, e.g., temperature and pH, and their capacity to encapsulate drug or dye molecules, have spawned applications of microgels to drug delivery, biosensing, and filtration. Swelling of these soft...
Phytoglycogen (PG) is a natural polysaccharide produced in the form of compact, 44 nm diameter nanoparticles in the kernels of sweet corn. Its highly branched, dendritic structure and soft, compressible nature leads to interesting and useful properties that make the particles ideal as unique additives in personal care, nutrition, and biomedical formulations. These applications are particularly...
Phytoglycogen (PG) is a glucose-based polymer that is naturally produced by sweet corn in the form of compact nanoparticles with an underlying dendritic architecture. Their deformability and porous structure combined with their non-toxicity and digestibility make them ideal for applications in personal care, nutrition and biomedicine. PG nanoparticles can be modified using chemical procedures...
