Soft Matter最新文献

{"title":"Obstacle-enhanced spontaneous oscillation of confined active granules.","authors":"Xue Zhang, Yuxin Tian, Ran Ni, Yong Zhu, Luhui Ning, Peng Liu, Mingcheng Yang, Ning Zheng","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01027b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01027b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spontaneous oscillation in particle numbers has been reported recently, in which two chambers connected by a narrow channel are alternately filled and emptied by self-propelled particles. The challenge in realizing the application of this oscillation lies in promotion of the oscillatory periodicity. By placing an asymmetric obstacle at an appropriate position near a channel opening, we can significantly improve the oscillation quality, which approaches the quality of an ideal oscillation. Additionally, we experimentally explore the relationship between the oscillation quality and various system parameters such as the obstacle position. Based on experimental observations, we incorporate a random noise into our previous model and properly reproduce the experimental results. The agreement between theory and experiment uncovers the mechanism of delicate competition between noise and unidirectional particle flow in influencing the oscillation quality. Our findings provide new insights for the optimization of the oscillation quality, expand the conventional rectification capability of the ratchet effect due to the obstacle, and make it possible for spontaneous oscillation to serve as a reliable source for rhythmic signals.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142612849","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}

{"title":"A dynamical system approach to relaxation in glass-forming liquids.","authors":"Jack F Douglas, Qi-Lu Yuan, Jiarui Zhang, Hao Zhang, Wen-Sheng Xu","doi":"10.1039/d4sm00976b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00976b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The \"classical\" thermodynamic and statistical mechanical theories of Gibbs and Boltzmann are both predicated on axiomatic assumptions whose applicability is hard to ascertain. Theoretical objections and an increasing number of observed deviations from these theories have led to sustained efforts to develop an improved mathematical and physical foundation for them, and the search for appropriate extensions that are generally applicable to condensed materials at low temperatures (<i>T</i>) and high material densities where the assumptions of these theories start to become particularly questionable. These theoretical efforts have largely focused on minimal models of condensed material systems, such as the Fermi-Ulam-Pasta-Tsingou model, and other simplified models of condensed materials that are amenable to numerical and analytic treatments and that can serve to illuminate essential features of relaxation processes in condensed materials under conditions approaching integrable dynamics where clear departures from classical thermodynamics and dynamics can be generally expected. These studies indicate an apparently general multi-step relaxation process, corresponding to an initial \"fast\" relaxation process (termed the fast β-relaxation in the context of cooled liquids), followed by a longer \"equipartition time\", namely, the α-relaxation time <i>τ</i>_α in the context of cooled liquids. This relaxation timescale can be enormously longer than the fast β-relaxation time <i>τ</i>_β so that <i>τ</i>_α is the primary parameter governing the rate at which the material comes into equilibrium, and thus is a natural focus of theoretical attention. Since the dynamics of these simplified dynamical systems, originally intended as simplified models of real crystalline materials exhibiting anharmonic interactions, greatly resemble the observed relaxation dynamics of both heated crystals and cooled liquids, we adapt this dynamical system approach to the practical matter of estimating relaxation times in both cooled liquids and crystals at elevated temperatures, which we identify as weakly non-integrable dynamical systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142602456","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}

{"title":"Thin free-standing liquid films manipulation: device design to turn on/off gravity in flow regimes for thickness map control and for material structuring.","authors":"Paolo Iaccarino, Zhe Wang, Andrea Marfuggi, Simone Russo, Vincenzo Ferraro, Giuseppe Vitiello, Sara Coppola, Ernesto Di Maio","doi":"10.1039/d4sm00951g","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00951g","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The manipulation and control of free-standing liquid film drainage dynamics is of paramount importance in many technological fields and related products, ranging from liquid lenses to liquid foams and 2D structures. In this context, we theoretically design and introduce a device where we can reversibly drive flow regime switch between viscous-capillary and viscous-gravity in a thin free-standing liquid film by altering its shape, allowing us to manipulate and stabilize the film thickness over time. The device, which mainly consists of a syringe pump, a pressure transducer, and a 3D-printed cylinder, is coupled with a digital holography setup to measure, in real time, the evolution of the local film thickness map, revealing characteristic features of viscous-capillary and viscous-gravity driven drainage regimes. By using polyvinyl alcohol/water concentrated solutions, we are also able to produce viscoelastic membranes after manipulation and water evaporation, which presents manipulation history-dependent geometrical properties. Furthermore, using a system composed of carboxymethyl cellulose, water, and rod-like zinc oxide nanoparticles, we show a clear effect of film manipulation on particle rearrangement. We believe this device could represent a starting point for the development of a useful and practical tool to study thin liquid film dynamics and to produce novel (patterned) 2D structures for the numerous scientific and technical fields where they are of use.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142581335","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}

{"title":"Light scattering study of algal floc growth and structure: alum <i>vs.</i> polymeric plant-derived flocculant.","authors":"Temitope Orimolade, Ngoc-Tram Le, Lyle Trimble, Bandaru Ramarao, Sitaraman Krishnan","doi":"10.1039/d4sm00837e","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00837e","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The flocculation dynamics of <i>Microcystis aeruginosa</i> algal cultures using alum and aqueous <i>Moringa oleifera</i> seed extracts as flocculants were analyzed through light scattering and fractal analysis. Floc growth in continuously stirred <i>M. aeruginosa</i> suspensions, with cell densities ranging from 200 to 800 μg L^-1 chlorophyll <i>a</i> (Chl <i>a</i>), exhibited distinct patterns in fractal dimension (<i>d</i>_F) evolution relative to floc size: a smooth, monotonic increase; stochastic increase; and stabilization or leveling off. <i>d</i>_F values ranged from 1.3 to 2.6, with floc diameters (<i>D</i>_4,3 volume-weighted mean) spanning 30 to 300 μm. Alum (0.1 to 0.4 g L^-1) induced fast diffusion-limited flocculation, initially producing lower <i>d</i>_F values, which progressively increased due to structural rearrangement at a slower rate. In contrast, at sufficiently high concentrations (0.1 to 0.2 g L^-1 BSA equivalent), <i>M. oleifera</i> seed proteins facilitated stable, high <i>d</i>_F ≈ 2.0 early on, evidently through patch charge interactions. Flocs formed with alum were prone to shear-induced breakage, limiting both their size and stability, whereas <i>M. oleifera</i> extract produced larger, more stable flocs with greater resilience to shear due to robust particle network formation by the polymer. Both flocculants effectively treated 800 μg L^-1 Chl <i>a M. aeruginosa</i> suspensions, but <i>M. oleifera</i> extract demonstrated better performance in terms of floc size at similar mass concentrations. These findings highlight the potential of <i>Moringa</i> seed extract as a sustainable and effective alternative to conventional flocculants like alum, offering insights into their mechanisms and performance in flocculation processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142581332","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}

{"title":"Towards a universal model for the foaming behavior of surfactants: a case study on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).","authors":"Muchu Zhou, Reza Foudazi","doi":"10.1039/d4sm00931b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00931b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Foam fractionation offers a promising solution for the separation of surface-active contaminants from water. Therefore, this work aims to comprehensively investigate foaming behavior and its correlations with the interfacial properties. As a case study, we evaluate foaming of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are one of significant environmental issues worldwide due their pervasive presence in the environment. Since there is no universal model to describe the foaming behavior of surfactants that can be applied to PFAS, this research utilizes dimensional analysis to establish a correlation between the foaming behavior of PFAS solutions-characterized by expansion rate of foaming-and dimensionless numbers that represent both processing and interfacial characteristics. Foaming parameters, such as gas flow rate and aeration time, are varied to study their effect on PFAS foamability. In addition, we study PFAS with different headgroups and with different chain lengths in the presence of electrolytes with different concentrations. Our study elucidates distinct, condition-specific equations for individual PFAS, revealing that long-chain PFAS foaming is significantly influenced by interfacial property-related dimensionless numbers, such as the Boussinesq number. Additionally, the Froude number and Weber number affect the foamability of both long- and short-chain PFAS. Moreover, our study identifies specific trends, including a maximum foaming capacity at a certain Capillary number, aligning with the maximum in dilatational interfacial modulus. The results suggest more studies are needed on bubble interaction and foam film behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142581337","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}

{"title":"Coupled dynamics in binary mixtures of model colloidal Yukawa systems†","authors":"Daniel Weidig and Joachim Wagner","doi":"10.1039/D4SM01123F","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4SM01123F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The dynamical behavior of binary mixtures consisting of highly charged colloidal particles is studied by means of Brownian dynamics simulations. We investigate differently sized, but identically charged particles with nearly identical interactions between all species in highly dilute suspensions. Different short-time self-diffusion coefficients induce, mediated by electrostatic interactions, a coupling of both self and collective dynamics of differently sized particles: the long-time self-diffusion coefficients of a larger species are increased by the presence of a more mobile, smaller species and <em>vice versa</em>. Similar coupling effects are observed in collective dynamics where both time constant and functional form of intermediate scattering functions' initial decay are influenced by the presence of a differently sized species. We provide a systematic analysis of coupling effects in dependence on the ratio of sizes, number densities, and the strength of electrostatic interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" 44","pages":" 8897-8908"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/sm/d4sm01123f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560326","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}

{"title":"Retraction: Supramolecular organic nanotubes: how to utilize the inner nanospace and the outer space","authors":"Naohiro Kameta, Hiroyuki Minamikawa and Mitsutoshi Masuda","doi":"10.1039/D4SM90172J","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM90172J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Retraction of ‘Supramolecular organic nanotubes: how to utilize the inner nanospace and the outer space’ by Naohiro Kameta <em>et al.</em>, <em>Soft Matter</em>, 2011, <strong>7</strong>, 4539–4561, https://doi.org/10.1039/C0SM01559H.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" 44","pages":" 8925-8925"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/sm/d4sm90172j?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636633","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}

{"title":"Retraction: Self-assembled organic nanotubes embedding hydrophobic molecules within solid bilayer membranes","authors":"Naohiro Kameta, Masumi Asakawa, Mitsutoshi Masuda and Toshimi Shimizu","doi":"10.1039/D4SM90171A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM90171A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Retraction of ‘Self-assembled organic nanotubes embedding hydrophobic molecules within solid bilayer membranes’ by Naohiro Kameta <em>et al.</em>, <em>Soft Matter</em>, 2011, <strong>7</strong>, 85–90, https://doi.org/10.1039/C0SM00375A.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" 44","pages":" 8924-8924"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/sm/d4sm90171a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636632","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}

{"title":"Jamming crossovers in a confined driven polymer in solution.","authors":"Setarehalsadat Changizrezaei, Mikko Karttunen, Colin Denniston","doi":"10.1039/d4sm00761a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00761a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We use lattice-Boltzmann molecular dynamics (LBMD) simulations to study the compression of a confined polymer immersed in a fluid and pushed by a large spherical colloid with a diameter comparable to the channel width. We examined the chain's deformation with both purely repulsive and weakly attractive Lennard-Jones (LJ) potentials applied between the monomers. The sphere's velocity was varied over 3 orders of magnitude. The chain is in a non-dense state at low pushing velocities for both repulsive and attractive monomer interactions. When the velocity of the spherical colloid exceeds a threshold <i>v</i>*, the back end of the chain transitions to a high density state with low mean square monomer displacement (MSD) values. The front end, however, remains in a non-dense state with high MSD indicating a pseudo two-state coexistence. This crossover is also revealed through volume per monomer and MSD as a function of the sphere's velocity. We also studied polymer dynamics by investigating folding events at different times.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142542967","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}

{"title":"The role of macrocycles in supramolecular assembly with polymers","authors":"Ruslan Kashapov, Yuliya Razuvayeva, Elena Fedorova and Lucia Zakharova","doi":"10.1039/D4SM01053A","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4SM01053A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Recently, supramolecular self-assembly has attracted the attention of researchers worldwide because it enables the creation of nanostructures with unique properties without additional costs. Spontaneous organization of molecules allows the design and development of new nanostructures that can interact with drugs and living cells and generate a response. Therefore, supramolecular structures have enormous potential and can be in demand in various fields of healthcare and ecology. One of the widely used building blocks of such supramolecular assemblies is polymers. This review examines the joint aggregation behavior of various macrocycles (cyclodextrins, calixarenes, cucurbiturils, porphyrins, and pillararenes) with polymers, the functional properties of these supramolecular systems and their potential applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" 43","pages":" 8549-8560"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142520405","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}