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SoftComp e-Newsletter No. 5 - April 2025
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Dear Members and Friends of SoftComp,
Since its inception in 2004, SoftComp has been at the forefront of promoting collaboration, innovation and progress in the faszinating interdisciplinary field of soft matter physics, chemistry and biology worldwide. The 20th anniversary of SoftComp last year is a significant milestone in the journey of our consortium. Through its conferences, workshops, publications and networking opportunities, SoftComp has played a crucial role over the past two decades in bringing together scientists, researchers and experts from diverse backgrounds to explore the fundamental properties and applications of soft materials. In addition, SoftComp has actively promoted education and outreach initiatives, inspiring the next generation of scientists to pursue careers in soft materials research. We are excited to continue following this successful path in the future.
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Our sincere thanks go to all our supporters on this journey, which we will continue to pursue in the future!
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Angela Wenzik & Stephan Förster
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for the SoftComp Coordination, Management and Communication Team
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Scientific News
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Phase separation and ageing of glycine-rich protein
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Discover the fascinating world of tick adhesives! Researchers from SoftComp partner Wageningen University and Maastricht University, The Netherlands, have cracked the code on the mysterious liquid-to-solid transition of tick saliva, revealing new insights into bioadhesives. Learn how this breakthrough could lead to innovative tick control strategies and biomedical applications, from tissue sealants to medical sutures.
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A unified state diagram for the yielding transition of soft colloids
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Scientists from the SoftComp partner CNRS Montpellier in France and the New York University, USA, have shed light on the microscopic origin of fluidization, a phenomenon where complex fluids transition from a solid-like state to a flowing state when subjected to external forces. The interpretation of the experimental results, which was inspired by the work of Dutch physicist J.D. van der Waals on phase transitions, opens doors to further research and potential innovations in fields such as materials science, engineering, and biotechnology.
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SoftComp partners from Forschungszentrum Jülich and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany, have uncovered the profound effects of electric fields on protein phase behaviour and crystallization. Their research offers valuable insights into how external electric fields can alter the behaviour of proteins at the molecular level.
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Novel technique to measure properties of sub-cellular compartments
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Scientists from SoftComp partner University of Durham, UK, and other European research institutes have developed a new technique to measure the properties of biomolecular condensates, shedding light on their role in cellular processes and diseases. Using Flicker Spectroscopy, the team analysed shape fluctuations in live cells, enabling the measurement of tens of thousands of condensates. Discover the implications of this innovative approach for our understanding of cellular biology.
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Advancing sustainable materials development
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Researchers at SoftComp's Belgian partner institution, KU Leuven, have developed a novel method for the upcycling of humins, a major by-product of biorefineries, into new materials. This addresses the challenges associated with the variable composition and handling properties of humins, and demonstrates their potential as building blocks for advanced bio-renewable materials, thus contributing to sustainable development and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
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Impact of aspect ratio on protein network assembly
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Scientists at SoftComp partner University of Leeds and STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, have made an exciting discovery about the functional advantages of high aspect ratio bio-polymers, found in nature's networks. These building blocks provide crucial structural and mechanical support, and can be engineered to create novel biomaterials.
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Event Reports
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Annual Meeting 2024 Celebrated 20th Anniversary of SoftComp
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129 SoftComp members and friends met from 21 to 24 May 2024 in Lyon for the SoftComp/EUSMI Annual Meeting 2024. It was dedicated to the special topic of sustainable soft matter. The festive setting was also used to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SoftComp. Meeting website
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Four SoftComp Webinars Took Place in 2024
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Four SoftComp webinars took place in 2024 and provided interesting insights into a wide range of research topics in the field of soft matter: Jacques Jestin from the ILL, France reported on ‘Soft Matter at the ILL’, Anthony Ryan from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom on ‘From the Self-Assembly of Synthetic Soils to Growing Food in a Refugee Camp’. Norman Wagner from the University of Delaware, USA spoke in his webinar on ‘Novel Shear and Dilatational Interfacial Rheometer for the Study of Complex Fluids Applied to Polymers and mAbs at the Air-Water Interface’, Markus Antonietti from MPI Potsdam, Germany on ‘Carbon nitride: An Interface driven organic semiconductor and its use in artificial photosynthesis and photoosmotic machines’. The dates for 2025 will be announced gradually on the SoftComp website.
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Intelligent Soft Matter Workshop with 64 Participants
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The SoftComp Topical Workshop “Intelligent Soft Matter” has taken place from 26 to 29 September 2024 in Salou, Spain, and was organized by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain, the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, and the Universita’ Ca’ Foscari, Italy. 64 participants attended 24 talks with the aim of jointly exploring ways to design new types of matter: Intelligent Soft Matter by combining the expertise and collaboration of the experts from three fields: active matter, decision making and nanosensors. One result of the workshop is an invited perspective article in the themed "Soft Matter 20th Anniversary Collection" of the journal Soft Matter. Workshop website
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16th Bombannes Summer School Educated 42 Students
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The 16th European Summer School on “Scattering Methods Applied to Soft Condensed Matter”, also known as the “Bombannes School”, was organised by the University of Montpellier and the ILL Grenoble, France, from 4 to 11 June 2024, and was once again sponsored by SoftComp, among others. School website
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Upcoming Events
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About SoftComp
SoftComp first emerged in 2004 as a Network of Excellence – a tool developed under the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission – and continued as a self-sustaining Consortium in December 2009, when EU funding came to an end. SoftComp deals with the integration of European research, seeking to strengthen scientific and technological excellence in soft matter. In particular, it aims to establish a knowledge base for the intelligent design of functional and nanoscale soft matter composites, by overcoming the present fragmentation of this important field involved in the development of new materials at the interface of non-living and living matter, where the delicate principles of self-assembly in polymeric, surfactant and colloidal matter prevail. SoftComp has created an integrated team that is able to mobilize European potential in soft matter composite materials and thus disseminate excellence through extensive training and knowledge transfer schemes. Softcomp now consists of 36 research groups in 32 different institutions spread over 12 European countries.
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Please visit our website for more information or to subscribe to our email newsletter: www.eu-softcomp.net/,
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Archive of all SoftComp newsletters (electronic and print): Newsletters
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Dr. Flavio Carsughi
SoftComp Project Manager
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Forschungszentrum Jülich
JCNS Outstation
Lichtenbergstrasse 1
85748 Garching
Germany
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Phone: + 49 89 289-10703
Fax: + 49 89 289-10799
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SoftComp Newsletter Editor
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Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
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Copyright of Images:
All scientific news images copyright authors besides “Unlocking Cell Secrets with Flicker Spectroscopy”, which has been published in Law J. O. et. al., Sci. Adv., 9, eadg0432 (2023) under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Group image copyright SoftComp.
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