All Soft Matter articles
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ResearchInorganic ‘sponge’ made from seafood waste
New form of calcite can absorb water as well as contaminants like oil and dyes
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Research
Rippling polymer sheets flex like muscles
Two-dimensional Belousov–Zhabotinsky gels mimic the way organisms move
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Feature
Using ions to connect life to machines
Ionotronic materials are beginning to show how life’s signals can be aligned with electronics. James Urquhart speaks to the scientists who are exploring the emerging frontier
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Research
Knotted molecules can transfer chirality from the nano to the macroscale
Simply unknotting a molecule added to liquid crystals can invert their chirality
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Business
Reducing food waste by touch
Mimica’s tactile food labels know better than best-before dates
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Research
Hydrogel boosts power of self-cooling solar panels
Material that sucks water from air increases solar cells’ performance by up to 19%
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Research
Soap-like catalyst outperforms enzyme with mimicry and micelles
Bioinspired approach could be used for a range of enzymes
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Research
Whiskey webs could snare counterfeiters
Unique patterns formed by whiskey residues could aid investigations into imitation liquors
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Research
Stretchy ionic polymers pave the way for ion-based tech
Elastomers deliver ionic analogues of diodes, transistors and transducers without using a liquid electrolyte
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Business
Tissue scaffolds from resin inks
4D Medicine’s biodegradable polymer inks can be 3D-printed into useful biomedical applications
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Research
Odd 'entropic bonds' akin to chemical ones can form between nanoparticles
Simulations finds that ’bonding’ can occur in the absence of any electronic interaction
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Research
Geometrically precise metamaterials deform on-demand
Purposeful imperfections programme predictable buckling into soft robotic materials
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Research
Droplets retain crystal-like structure while sliding on vertical substrate
Surprising properties of soft material may have significant impact on polymer physics
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Research
Bubbly protocells bob up and down
Enzymes inflate or consume oxygen bubbles making clay capsules float and sink reversibly
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Research
Hydrogel goes for a stroll
3D printed hydrogel figurine walks back and forth in electric field
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Research
Saturn ring-like ‘streaming’ takes liquids into a new world
Equatorial rings that break up into uniform microdroplets could be an alternative to microfluidic emulsification techniques
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Research
Self-healing hydrogels glow with stable structural colour
Biocompatible, jelly-like materials that can repair themselves without losing their colour could find uses in photonics or biomedicine
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Research
Glowing dyes move data storage beyond binary
A method to chemically save information in quaternary code using dyes could change how we approach data storage
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Research
Carbon nanofibre offers new spin on catalysts
Electrospinning carbon nanofibre into an electrocatalyst paves the way to flexible energy storage devices
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Research
Nanotubes make Kevlar armour smarter
Conducting composite senses damage and stiffens on impact
