Focus Articles

9th March 2022
Figure 1: Simulated state diagram illustrating various membrane structures for different Peclet numbers (Pe) characterizing particle propulsion strength and volume fractions (ϕ) of active particles. The three main regimes are tethering (red symbols), fluctuating (blue symbols) and bola/prolate (brown symbols) vesicle shapes. Each dot containing a grid pattern indicates the position of the nearest snapshot within the shape diagram. Simulations mimic a nearly tensionless flaccid vesicle. Copyright: authors

From Soft Active Systems to Synthetic Cells

Scientists from the ETH Zurich and Forschungszentrum Jülich highlight their recent collaborative study on a novel active system of self-propelled particles (SPPs) enclosed in a lipid vesicle, which exhibits dramatic shape changes resembling... (Read more)
7th August 2020
Surface pattered with 3D soft mushroom features showing adhesion via mechanical interlocking of mushroom features onto a textile fabric. Copyright: Wageningen University & Research

3D Printed Bioinspired Surface Patterning for Soft Robotics

Research work by Wageningen University and Groningen University shows that 3D mushroom-shaped surface features have desirable mechanical functionality to adhere to soft and rough surfaces such as fabrics via mechanical... (Read more)
7th August 2020

Designing Optimal Super-liquid-repellent Surfaces

Scientist from Durham University research into doubly reentrant surfaces designed for optimal water... (Read more)
4th February 2019
Polarized optical microscopy texture of a novel lyotropic liquid crystal phase formed by the self-organization of DNA nanoparticles. Copyright: authors of M. Salamonczyk et al., Nat.Commun. 7, 133358 (2016).

Molecular Engineering of Novel All-DNA Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Phases

Researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, propose that DNA can be a versatile building block for fabricating all-DNA particles with engineered shape and interaction potentials that could serve... (Read more)