Soft Matter最新文献_第2页

Study of surface morphology complexity of Bacillus subtilis biofilms by coarse-graining method at different size scales. 不同尺度下枯草芽孢杆菌生物膜表面形态复杂性的粗粒化研究。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00420b

Yifan He, Xiaoling Wang

{"title":"Study of surface morphology complexity of Bacillus subtilis biofilms by coarse-graining method at different size scales.","authors":"Yifan He, Xiaoling Wang","doi":"10.1039/d6sm00420b","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6sm00420b","url":null,"abstract":"Biofilms develop highly undulating three-dimensional morphologies that are often described as fractal. However, in biofilm studies, conventional fractal analyses have often relied on two-dimensional grayscale projections or single-value descriptors, which may obscure how surface morphology varies across spatial scales. Here, using Bacillus subtilis biofilms, we apply a voxel-based coarse-graining approach in which biofilm thickness is reconstructed from transmitted-light optical density using a Beer-Lambert law, and normalized exposed-surface-area trajectories are obtained across prescribed spatial scales. Notably, biofilms with identical fractal dimensions DFL from conventional 2D box-counting exhibit distinct exposed surface area trajectories, indicating that area-versus-scale analysis of reconstructed biofilm surfaces can reveal multiscale differences not resolved by a single fractal dimension. With increasing nutrient concentration, the area scale fractal dimension DA decreased and prominent large-scale folds were reduced, whereas biofilm aging increased surface complexity and increased the relative contribution of small-scale features relative to large-scale structures. This provides a complementary approach to quantifying biofilm surface structure beyond conventional two-dimensional fractal analysis.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":"5736-5744"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148756857","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

Rheological characterization of stiffness and photodegradation rate of Fe(III)-alginate hydrogels. 铁(III)-海藻酸盐水凝胶硬度和光降解速率的流变学表征。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00367b

Julie Van Lent, Vince Engelborghs, Karen Ven, Peter Goos, Christian Clasen, Jeroen Lammertyn

{"title":"Rheological characterization of stiffness and photodegradation rate of Fe(III)-alginate hydrogels.","authors":"Julie Van Lent, Vince Engelborghs, Karen Ven, Peter Goos, Christian Clasen, Jeroen Lammertyn","doi":"10.1039/d6sm00367b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sm00367b","url":null,"abstract":"Hydrogels (HGs) are a versatile class of materials that have been used in a wide range of applications. Among them, stimuli-responsive HGs stand out due to their ability to undergo structural transformations in response to environmental changes. In particular, photodegradable HGs are of high interest for applications demanding precise spatial and temporal control over material degradation, including but not limited to drug delivery, tissue engineering and dynamic cell culture systems. Fe(III)-alginate HGs have emerged as promising photodegradable materials that utilize a metal oxidation state dependent bond strength, yet their properties remain underexplored. In this study, we conducted a response surface experiment using rheology to assess how the Fe3+ concentration, alginate concentration, and manufacturer-defined alginate type influence the mechanical (e.g. stiffness) and photodegradation properties (e.g. degradation rate) of Fe(III)-alginate HGs. A design of experiment (DOE) approach revealed the following key insights in the studied range: (i) increasing the Fe3+ concentration enhances the HG stiffness and prolongs degradation time, (ii) alginate concentration alone has minimal impact on stiffness and degradation, and (iii) alginate structure, particularly molecular weight and block composition, strongly influences HG properties, with manufacturer-defined low-viscosity alginate yielding softer, faster-degrading HGs, and medium-viscosity alginate forming the stiffest, most resilient networks. The developed statistical models accurately predicted the HG performance, with experimental values consistently falling within the 95% prediction intervals. These findings provide a valuable framework for fine-tuning Fe(III)-alginate HG properties, enabling their design for specific applications and expanding their potential across various biomedical and engineering fields.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148878922","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

Poroelasticity influences the compression stiffening of model soft tissues. 孔隙弹性影响模型软组织的压缩硬化。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00307a

Iain Muntz, Mireya Arents, Doris Houtzager, Rick Rodrigues de Mercado, Fred C MacKintosh, Gijsje H Koenderink

{"title":"Poroelasticity influences the compression stiffening of model soft tissues.","authors":"Iain Muntz, Mireya Arents, Doris Houtzager, Rick Rodrigues de Mercado, Fred C MacKintosh, Gijsje H Koenderink","doi":"10.1039/d6sm00307a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sm00307a","url":null,"abstract":"The material properties of connective tissues are often considered to be dominated by the extracellular matrix. However, cells within tissues contribute significantly to the mechanics, particularly when considering volume-changing deformations such as axial compression. Recent studies have considered the compression response of model tissues at long times, where the role of the interstitial fluid is negligible. Here, we experimentally study the interplay of matrix, cell and fluid mechanics in the short time response of model tissues based on fibrous networks with embedded microgel inclusions as passive cell-like mimics. By simultaneously applying compression at a fixed strain rate while measuring the shear modulus via small strain shear oscillations, we show that at long times fibrous networks transition from compression-softening behaviour to compression-stiffening behaviour upon incorporation of microgel particles. At short times, however, we show that fluid pressure build-up leads to significant compression-stiffening, regardless of the inclusion of microgels. Our findings demonstrate that the role of fluid pressurisation is key to understanding the response of tissues to deformations on timescales on the order of a few seconds, common in many tissues subject to physiological deformations.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148878924","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

Impact of viscoelastic polymer solution droplets on a granular bed. 粘弹性聚合物溶液液滴对颗粒床的影响。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00482b

Jooyeon Park, Théophile Meiller, Sreeram Rajesh, Alban Sauret

{"title":"Impact of viscoelastic polymer solution droplets on a granular bed.","authors":"Jooyeon Park, Théophile Meiller, Sreeram Rajesh, Alban Sauret","doi":"10.1039/d6sm00482b","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6sm00482b","url":null,"abstract":"The impact of polymer solution droplets on granular beds is relevant to powder processing, binder-jetting additive manufacturing, and environmental applications involving erosion control or spray deposition, yet most controlled studies of drop-grain interactions have focused on Newtonian liquids. In this study, we experimentally investigate the impact of viscoelastic polyethylene oxide (PEO) solution droplets on a dry granular bed and compare the resulting cratering dynamics with those of Newtonian liquids over a wide range of impact energies and Ohnesorge numbers. Crater morphology changes with impact energy, and this evolution occurs at lower energies for drops of polymer solution, consistent with their distinct liquid-grain interactions during impact. The crater diameter exhibits two distinct regimes: a low-energy plateau and a power-law increase at higher impact energies. We identify the transition between these regimes and show that, although the plateau size and the power-law scaling remain nearly unchanged, viscoelastic droplets reach the transition at a lower impact energy than Newtonian droplets. This suggests that the non-Newtonian response introduced by PEO modifies how the impact energy is partitioned among droplet deformation, liquid-grain coupling, and dissipation in the granular bed.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":"5669-5680"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148667700","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

Elastomeric composites of nitrile butadiene rubber reinforced with melanin. 用黑色素增强丁腈橡胶的弹性复合材料。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00483k

R Casalini, M Laskoski, T J Bauder, C C Rudolf, Z Wang

引用次数: 0

Rheological and photoelastic response of hydrated soft granular particles. 水合软颗粒的流变和光弹性响应。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00562d

Brandon Hayes, Krishnaroop Chaudhuri, Rylan Hodgson, Benjamin McMillan, Ruby Gans, Hale Burke, Stephanie McNamara, Thomas Chalklen, Nathalie M Vriend

{"title":"Rheological and photoelastic response of hydrated soft granular particles.","authors":"Brandon Hayes, Krishnaroop Chaudhuri, Rylan Hodgson, Benjamin McMillan, Ruby Gans, Hale Burke, Stephanie McNamara, Thomas Chalklen, Nathalie M Vriend","doi":"10.1039/d6sm00562d","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6sm00562d","url":null,"abstract":"Photoelasticity is a qualitative and quantitative optical technique to image internal stress distributions in transparent materials. In the past few decades, discrete photoelastic particles have been used as a proxy for dry granular materials in both static, quasistatic, and dynamic analogue experiments. The technique allows the visualization of force chains, determination of the location and magnitude of contact forces, and outputs a stress tensor for each particle with shear and normal stress components. To date, little to no work has investigated photoelastic suspensions, where photoelastic granular particles are immersed in a fluid medium, despite its relevance in industrial and natural applications. The introduction of a fluid phase yields additional considerations in the rheological and photoelastic behavior of our proxy particles. In this manuscript, we summarize the state-of-the-art in resolving forces in immersed photoelastic granular materials. We introduce characterization techniques to probe changes in rheological and optical properties of hydrated photoelastic particles, and we report considerations for use of photoelastic particles in immersion-based experiments. We intend for this work to provide the leading framework to study the hydrodynamic interactions in 2D systems of photoelastic particles immersed in a fluid medium.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":"5695-5706"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148785746","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

Room-temperature columnar liquid crystalline organic semiconductors based on pyrazino[2,3-g]quinoxaline: synthesis, characterization, sensing and hole mobility studies. 基于吡嗪诺[2,3-g]喹啉的室温柱状液晶有机半导体：合成、表征、传感和空穴迁移率研究。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00581k

Neichoihoi Lhouvum, Abhishek Rameshchandra Tiwari, Vinod Kumar Vishwakarma, Doddamane Sreenivasamurthy Shankar Rao, Frédéric Dubois, Dharmendra Pratap Singh, Achalkumar Ammathnadu Sudhakar

{"title":"Room-temperature columnar liquid crystalline organic semiconductors based on pyrazino[2,3-g]quinoxaline: synthesis, characterization, sensing and hole mobility studies.","authors":"Neichoihoi Lhouvum, Abhishek Rameshchandra Tiwari, Vinod Kumar Vishwakarma, Doddamane Sreenivasamurthy Shankar Rao, Frédéric Dubois, Dharmendra Pratap Singh, Achalkumar Ammathnadu Sudhakar","doi":"10.1039/d6sm00581k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6sm00581k","url":null,"abstract":"We have synthesized three molecules based on the pyrazino[2,3-g]quinoxaline core, where each structure possesses pendant phenyl rings linked to terminal alkoxy substituents via a phenyl acetate group. The molecules are differentiated by the number of alkoxy chains present at their ends. Photophysical studies of the derivatives revealed high molar extinction coefficients and substantial Stokes shifts. They exhibited good thermal stability. The compound with three peripheral alkyl chains on each side of the symmetrical molecule PQE1 stabilizes the columnar hexagonal mesophase, but PQE2 and PQE3, with two chains per side (meta- or ortho-meta-positioned), exhibited crystalline phases. This emphasizes the role of alkoxy chain number and positioning in promoting mesophase formation in structurally similar derivatives. Cyclic voltammetry revealed comparable redox behavior of the derivatives. Experimental and theoretical analyses showed that they have similar band gaps. PQE1 has demonstrated hopping-assisted charge transport, exhibiting hole mobility in the order of 10-4 cm2 V-1 s-1 along with specific photoresponsive behavior to 450 nm light. These findings elucidate structure-mesophase relationships, guiding the design of liquid crystalline materials with tailored optoelectronic properties.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":"5764-5775"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148785775","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

Ionically conductive hydrogels with high mechanical strength for wearable sensors. 用于可穿戴传感器的高机械强度离子导电水凝胶。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00599c

Kai Wang, Mingjie Li, Yi Kong, Yang Cheng, Anxin Li

{"title":"Ionically conductive hydrogels with high mechanical strength for wearable sensors.","authors":"Kai Wang, Mingjie Li, Yi Kong, Yang Cheng, Anxin Li","doi":"10.1039/d6sm00599c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sm00599c","url":null,"abstract":"Conductive hydrogels have great potential as sensing materials for wearable flexible electronics; however, their practical applications are often limited by low mechanical strength, poor adhesion, and low self-healing efficiency. To meet the requirements of flexible wearable sensors, in this study we introduced zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate (Zn(CF3SO3)2) into the network structure of polyacrylic acid (PAA) and prepared a polyacrylic acid/zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate (PAA/Zn(CF3SO3)2) conductive hydrogel via free radical polymerization. The addition of Zn(CF3SO3)2 not only improves the ionic conductivity but also enhances the crosslinking density through metal coordination. The PAA/Zn(CF3SO3)2(6 wt%) conductive hydrogel exhibits excellent mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 1.628 MPa, an elongation at break of 670%, and a high electrical conductivity of 1.212 S m-1. Furthermore, this hydrogel exhibits good moisture retention, anti-swelling, self-healing, and adhesive properties. Importantly, the wearable sensor based on the PAA/Zn(CF3SO3)2(6 wt%) hydrogel exhibits a wide detection range, fast response time, negligible hysteresis, and high sensitivity (GF = 4.56 at 400-600% strain), enabling accurate capture of large-scale human motions as well as movements such as mouth opening and swallowing. This study demonstrates a multifunctional, high-performance conductive hydrogel, showing promise for applications in wearable health monitoring.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148878795","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

Elastic properties in the nematic phase of a ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal with flexoelectric contributions. 具有挠曲电贡献的铁电向列液晶的向列相弹性性质。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-02 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00639f

Kieran E Fagg, Mikhail Osipov, Helen F Gleeson, Mamatha Nagaraj

{"title":"Elastic properties in the nematic phase of a ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal with flexoelectric contributions.","authors":"Kieran E Fagg, Mikhail Osipov, Helen F Gleeson, Mamatha Nagaraj","doi":"10.1039/d6sm00639f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6sm00639f","url":null,"abstract":"The liquid crystalline ferroelectric nematic (NF) phase is well known for its distinctive physical and electrical properties, namely the bulk polarity. It is therefore important to consider whether the nematic bulk properties are affected by very highly polar molecules and underlying polar phases. In this paper, we present a detailed temperature-dependence of the splay (K11) and bend (K33) elastic constants, and the Fréedericksz threshold voltage for a positive dielectric anisotropy LC mixture exhibiting both non-polar (N) and polar (NF) nematic phases, and include theoretical discussions. Such properties are compared to those of two conventional nematic liquid crystals (NLCs). In the NF LC mixture, we show a marked reduction in the splay elastic constant (1.8-0.5 pN) and the threshold voltage (150-35 mV), across the nematic phase, at temperatures much lower than the nematic to isotropic transition. The values for K11 and Vth linearly extrapolate to 0 pN and 0 V respectively, at the nematic to the intermediate nematic (NX) phase transition. Such reduction in the splay elastic constant, which is a deviation from conventional nematic behaviour, is attributed to flexoelectric coupling becoming significant at these temperatures. Corrections with temperature dependent flexoelectric coupling for the elastic constants, dielectric permittivity, and Fréedericksz threshold voltage, are discussed in detail.","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":"5707-5717"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148785898","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

Impact of a protein addition on the microstructure and rheological properties of silica hydrogels. 添加蛋白质对二氧化硅水凝胶微观结构和流变性能的影响。

IF 2.9 3区化学

Soft Matter Pub Date : 2026-09-01 DOI: 10.1039/d6sm00376a

S N'Mar, T Gibaud, P Guenoun, J P Renault, L Pauchard, F Giorgiutti-Dauphiné

引用次数: 0