IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-24 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00771b

Soumadip Das, Vinod B Vanarse, Omkar S Deshmukh

{"title":"Wettability-gradient-driven capillary filling dynamics in architected tapered microchannels.","authors":"Soumadip Das, Vinod B Vanarse, Omkar S Deshmukh","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00771b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm00771b","url":null,"abstract":"Capillary-driven transport is central to soft and biological matter, from plant-xylem water ascent to autonomous flows in microfluidic networks. Here, we systematically investigate autonomous capillary filling dynamics in microchannels combining geometric tapering and spatially variable wettability. Using high-resolution computational fluid dynamics (Navier-Stokes equations and the level-set method), we quantify the impact of stepwise, linear, and quadratic contact-angle profiles on the Laplace pressure, interface morphology, and flow velocity. For uniform channels and contact angles, the simulations reproduce the classical Lucas-Washburn regime, characterized by a viscous slowdown. In contrast, geometric tapering amplifies the capillary pressure gradient, sustaining or accelerating interface advancement. Tailored wettability gradients enable further control: decreasing the contact angle maintains flow, while increasing the angle toward 90° robustly halts motion, enabling on-demand interface arrest. These results reveal how geometric and interfacial patterning can be coupled for precision fluid manipulation, offering broadly applicable design principles for advanced passive microfluidic systems and programmable soft-matter transport.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145353045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Simultaneous modulation of chirality and mechanical properties in supramolecular hydrogels by varying alkyl spacer length. 改变烷基间隔长度对超分子水凝胶手性和力学性能的同时调节。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-24 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00907c

Yanyan Zhang, Yingying Chen, Jiahao Li, Jian Zhang, Chuan-Liang Feng, Jinying Liu

引用次数: 0

Rotational dynamics of bound pairs of bacteria-induced membrane tubes. 细菌诱导膜管结合对的旋转动力学。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-24 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00701a

Makarand Diwe, P B Sunil Kumar, Pramod Pullarkat

引用次数: 0

Fatty acid foams for nonselective physical removal of microplastics from aqueous solutions. 从水溶液中非选择性物理去除微塑料的脂肪酸泡沫。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-23 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00850f

Kennedy A Guillot, Philip J Brahana, Joseph C Romanos, Gernot Rother, Michael G Benton, Bhuvnesh Bharti

{"title":"Fatty acid foams for nonselective physical removal of microplastics from aqueous solutions.","authors":"Kennedy A Guillot, Philip J Brahana, Joseph C Romanos, Gernot Rother, Michael G Benton, Bhuvnesh Bharti","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00850f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm00850f","url":null,"abstract":"Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants whose removal from water remains a major challenge due to their small size, chemical diversity, and dynamic surface properties arising from environmental aging/weathering. Here, we present a concept of foam-based separation method that physically traps MPs in the foam phase using microtubular assemblies of 12-hydroxystearic acid. These foams are stabilized by anisotropic fatty acid microtubules formed in the presence of ethanolamine, which jam within the foam channels and suppress fluid drainage thereby enhancing MP retention and foam stability. MPs of different sizes, polymer compositions (including polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polytetrafluoroethylene), and weathered states were retained in the foam phase without requiring chemical modification or relying on chemical interactions between the fatty acid and MPs. Thermally induced transition of the fatty acid microtubules into nanomicelles above the characteristic phase transition temperature (∼35 °C) enables controlled foam collapse and recovery of trapped MPs. The cumulative removal efficiency can exceed 85% through multiple foaming cycles, matching predictions from a probabilistic retention model. This work shows that foams can provide a simple platform to trap MPs, thus providing a new physical-removal strategy that does not rely on the particles' chemistry.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145342154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Tunable dynamics of flexible magnetic microcrosses: synchronous rotation, breathing and out-of-plane arm overtaking. 柔性磁微十字的可调动力学：同步旋转、呼吸和离面臂超车。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-23 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00772k

Joe Tavacoli, Andris P Stikuts, Mihir Dass, Tim Liedl, Pietro Tierno

{"title":"Tunable dynamics of flexible magnetic microcrosses: synchronous rotation, breathing and out-of-plane arm overtaking.","authors":"Joe Tavacoli, Andris P Stikuts, Mihir Dass, Tim Liedl, Pietro Tierno","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00772k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm00772k","url":null,"abstract":"We combine colloidal self-assembly and soft-lithography techniques to realize flexible magnetic microcrosses that can be manipulated via external, time dependent magnetic fields. The crosses are characterized by a central domain connected via four flexible arms. When subjected to an in-plane, rotating magnetic field, the crosses transit from a synchronous to an asynchronous spinning motion where their average rotation decreases with the driving frequency. In the asynchronous regime and at low field amplitudes, the crosses display a breathing mode, characterized by relative oscillations between the arms, while remaining localized in the two dimensional plane. In contrast, for high field amplitudes, we observe an arm overtaking regime where two opposite filaments surpass the remaining ones forcing the cross to perform a three-dimensional gyroscopic-like rotation. Using slender body theory and balancing the effect of magnetic and elastic interactions, we recover the experimental findings and show that the overtaking regime occurs due to different arm magnetizations. Our engineered microscopic colloidal rotors characterized by multiple flexible filaments may find potential applications for precise lab-on-a-chip operations or as stirrers dispersed within microfluidic or biological channels.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145342191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Enhanced transport behavior of small molecules in polymer solutions. 聚合物溶液中小分子的增强输运行为。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-23 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00765h

Goga Ram, Rajarshi Guha, Nirmalya Bachhar

{"title":"Enhanced transport behavior of small molecules in polymer solutions.","authors":"Goga Ram, Rajarshi Guha, Nirmalya Bachhar","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00765h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm00765h","url":null,"abstract":"The transport of small molecules in crowded polymeric or biological systems is a complex process with extensive implications for drug delivery, imaging, tracer diffusion, and other biological processes. In this study, we examined an intriguing case where a methylated small molecule, rhodamine 6G (R6G), diffused faster than a similar-sized non-methylated molecule (6-HEX) in an aqueous polyethylene oxide solution, and dramatically enhanced its diffusivity near the dilute-to-semidilute transition. The commonly used universal scaling model cannot explain such phenomena. The experimental diffusivity measurement was performed using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, and an all-atom molecular dynamics simulation was conducted to estimate theoretical diffusivity. We demonstrate that the degree of hydrophobicity of the dye molecule directly influences the level of non-sticky behavior exhibited by the dye. Using both experiment and simulation, we show that the hydrophilic dye (6-HEX) shows a stronger affinity (sticky molecule) to the polymer chains and moves along with them. Our simulations show two different interconnected local densities of polymer-rich and polymer-lean zones, observed at a length scale of the polymer's radius of gyration. Additionally, near the dilute to semi-dilute transition, the volume fraction of the polymer-rich zone decreases, thereby increasing the volume fraction of the polymer-lean zone. We show that the methylated, hydrophobic dye interacts less with the polymer and traverses through the low-density region, which enhances its diffusivity. This study aids in understanding the transport behavior of small molecules in dilute and semi-dilute polymer solutions and helps identify the concentration regime at which a non-sticky molecule can exhibit enhanced transport behavior.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145342151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Geometrical factors govern ballistic energy dissipation of polymeric nanoscale thin films. 几何因素影响高分子纳米薄膜的弹道能量耗散。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-23 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00618j

Laureano Ortellado, Nicolás A García, Gabriel Catalini, Jean-Louis Barrat, Leopoldo R Gómez

引用次数: 0

Loading causes molecular damage in fibrin fibers. 负载导致纤维蛋白纤维的分子损伤。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-22 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00681c

Sajjad Norouzi, Matthew J Lohr, Mayar T Ibrahim, Christian M Jennings, Daniel Wang, Pengyu Ren, Manuel K Rausch, Sapun H Parekh

{"title":"Loading causes molecular damage in fibrin fibers.","authors":"Sajjad Norouzi, Matthew J Lohr, Mayar T Ibrahim, Christian M Jennings, Daniel Wang, Pengyu Ren, Manuel K Rausch, Sapun H Parekh","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00681c","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5sm00681c","url":null,"abstract":"Blood clots are the body's natural biomaterials formed during wound healing, but they are also the cause of many pathologies, such as ischemic stroke. Fibrin, the main protein in clots, provides clots with mechanical strength through a network of fibrin fibers. These fibers exhibit high extensibility and primarily elastic properties under static loading conditions though little is known about single fiber mechanics under dynamic loading, as experienced in vivo. Indeed, many biological materials show distinct mechanical responses under repeated loading/unloading (cyclic loading), a prime example of which is clot embolization. Using lateral force microscopy, we show that fibrin fibers exhibit viscoelasticity and undergo irreversible molecular damage under cyclic loading. Cross-linking results in a more rigid structure with permanent damage occurring at larger strains - findings corroborated by computational modeling. Molecular spectroscopy analysis with broadband Raman scattering spectroscopy, combined with molecular dynamics simulations, allows identification of the damage source, unfolding pattern, and inter- and intramolecular changes in fibrin. The results reveal partial recovery of the protein's secondary and tertiary structures, providing a deeper understanding of fibrin's molecular wear under load and its behavior in wound healing and pathologies like stroke and embolism.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12541363/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145342180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Effect of the pH value on compression and array structures of highly charged microgels at the air/water interface. pH值对高电荷微凝胶在空气/水界面压缩和排列结构的影响。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-22 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00892a

Takahisa Kawamoto, Haruka Minato, Daisuke Suzuki

{"title":"Effect of the pH value on compression and array structures of highly charged microgels at the air/water interface.","authors":"Takahisa Kawamoto, Haruka Minato, Daisuke Suzuki","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00892a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm00892a","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the interfacial behavior of stimuli-responsive microgels is critical for applications such as foam and emulsion stabilization, as well as for the fabrication of two-dimensional colloidal crystals using the interfaces. In this study, the pH-dependent compression behavior and array structures of micron-sized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) microgels at the air/water interface was investigated. By combining a Langmuir trough with fluorescence microscopy, microgel arrays under compression and acidic (pH = 3) or basic (pH = 9) conditions were directly visualized. At pH = 9, the carboxyl groups within the microgels are deprotonated, resulting in significant swelling and the formation of ordered hexagonal arrays with high crystallinity (Ψ6 > 0.84) upon compression. In contrast, at pH = 3, the carboxyl groups within the microgels are protonated, leading to a suppression of the electrostatic repulsion between neighboring microgels and a reduction in crystallinity (Ψ6 ∼ 0.70) of the microgel arrays before and after compression. Furthermore, the calculated surface-compression modulus using the compression isotherms indicated higher interfacial elasticity for charged microgels, demonstrating that electrostatic repulsion governs both array ordering and mechanical robustness. These findings provide fundamental insights into the role of charge in controlling the microgel structure and mechanics at interfaces, thus offering further guidelines for the design of stimuli-responsive materials and stabilizers for foams and emulsions.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145342146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Line tension controls the spontaneous formation of vesicles. 线张力控制着囊泡的自发形成。

IF 2.8 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2025-10-22 DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00600g

Anja F Hörmann, Miriam Simon, Christoph Brückner, Sarah E Rogers, Lionel Porcar, Ingo Hoffmann, Michael Gradzielski

引用次数: 0

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