RSC - Soft Matter latest articles

Droplet–substrate timescale matching modulates impact outcomes on flexible substrates

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00497K, Paper

Bo-Jian Wei, Shurong Gao, Zi-Xuan Wang, Yan-Ru Yang, Congliang Huang, Xiaodong Wang
Droplet impact on flexible substrates occurs widely in natural and engineering systems. Although substrate deformation and vibration affect impact dynamics, a quantitative framework linking substrate vibration to distinct impact outcomes...
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Empirical Corrections to the Activation Energy Barrier Allow Classical Nucleation Theory to Better Predict Phase Change Kinetics in Colloidal Hard Spheres and Beyond: The Use of Thermodynamic Reference States to Address Out-of-Equilibrium Conditions

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00294C, Paper

Peter J Skrdla
Despite being a century old, classical nucleation theory (CNT) remains in wide use to this day for qualitatively describing the phase change kinetics spanning a wide variety of materials relevant...
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Lateral hydrodynamics in supported membranes: The Evans-Sackmann model and its extensions

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00465B, Review Article

Yuto Hosaka, David Andelman, Shigeyuki Komura
We review the theoretical development and modern applications of the Evans-Sackmann hydrodynamic model for lateral transport in supported fluid membranes. We first cover the original formulation, emphasizing the linear momentum...
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Steady and oscillatory propulsion in reactive swimming droplets

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01026H, Paper

Vidhi Jain, Vijay Sharma, Rahul Mangal, Dipin S. Pillai
A droplet propulsion model with reactant and product surfactants predicts propulsion for reaction-induced increases and decreases in interfacial tension. Stability analysis reveals symmetry-breaking transitions to monotonic or oscillatory motion.
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Adhesives with a thickness smaller than the fractocohesive length enhance adhesion

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00382F, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Jiatai Sun, Yu Wang, Jiawei Yang
When two materials are adhered by an adhesive, two length scales emerge: the adhesive thickness and the adhesive fractocohesive length. The former is a geometric length, and the latter is...
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Flow induced by bistable dynamics of soft magnetic pillars near a magnetoelastic instability

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00094K, Paper

Open Access

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Charles Paul Moore, Jerome Fresnais, Jean-Francois Berret
Soft magnetic filaments driven by external fields provide a versatile model system for nonequilibrium dynamics in active soft matter. We investigate the magnetoelastic response of elastomeric micropillars containing superparamagnetic inclusions...
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Loading iron(III)porphyrin as the gas/anion binding site into methylated β-cyclodextrin-incorporated polymer hydrogels

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00256K, Communication

Open Access

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Atsuki Nakagami, Shin-nosuke Nishimura, Tomoyuki Koga, Masahito Kodera, Hiroaki Kitagishi
Functions as a simple heme protein model was demonstrated in the hydrogels by loading Fe^IIITPPS into per-O-methylated β-cyclodextrin (CD^Me)-incorporated N-acryloylglycinamide (NAGAm) polymer.
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Dual-mode pH-programmable enzymatic hydrogel system for on-demand glucose generation

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00452K, Paper

Lillian Yeatman, Hannah Hutchinson, Noel Ventura, Murdoch DeGray, Evgeny Katz, Oleh Smutok
A pH-responsive starch/chitosan/Ca²⁺–alginate hydrogel with immobilized amyloglucosidase enables comparison of bulk and electrochemical pH regulation. Electrochemical pH switching provides rapid, reversible control of glucose generation.
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Axial forces in capillary liquid bridges of polymer solutions

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00314A, Paper

Open Access

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Sreeram Rajesh, Riley S. Tinianov, Jooyeon Park, Alban Sauret
Adding polymers to capillary liquid bridges between particles can increase axial forces and delay rupture during rapid separation. At slow separation, these bridges remain governed mainly by capillarity.
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Disorder-induced persistent random motion and trapping of microswimmers

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00308G, Paper

Open Access

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Mirko Residori, Sebastian Aland, Christina Kurzthaler
Microorganisms often move in confined, disordered environments, where hydrodynamic couplings can modify their transport behavior.
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Charles Murray van Wyk, a discreet pioneer of fibre network mechanics

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00220J, Review Article

Open Access

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Hugo Lachuer
In 1946, C. M. van Wyk published a seminal theoretical paper on wool mechanics, explaining why the mechanical stress applied to wool is a function of the inverse cube of its volume.
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Metal-ion induced coacervation of a short peptide under acidic conditions

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00295A, Paper

Open Access

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Mohammed Amin Belahouane, Morgan Robinson, Liam Grant, Olivia Young, George Zorn, Lucas Caire da Silva
Zn²⁺ induces coacervation of a short aromatic peptide at low pH via metal–peptide interactions. Secondary metal ions tune coacervate lifetime, polarity, and viscosity, enabling simple design of responsive peptide-based soft materials.
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Topological defects mediate collective transport of confluent cells

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00296J, Paper

Open Access

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Jiusi Zhang, Chung Wing Chan, Bo Li, Rui Zhang
Collective cell migration governs a range of physiological and pathological processes, from tissue morphogenesis to cancer invasion, in which topological defects arise as an inevitable consequence of frequent cellular rearrangement...
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Stress-Boundary-Memory Feedback Drives Vortical-Polar Transitions in Softly Confined Active Matter †

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00266H, Paper

Haosheng Wen, Sunil Kumar, Mohamed Laradji
We computationally investigate how environmental sensitivity of active matter interacts with soft confinement to shape collective dynamics. In our model, the active constituents are represented as self-propelled particles (SPPs), implemented...
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Biofilm Density Regulates Diffusiophoretic Colloid Delivery

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00320F, Paper

Open Access

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Zahao Chen, Amir Pahlavan
Biofilms are structured communities of microorganisms embedded in an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix whose dense, polymer-rich architecture strongly hinders the transport of antimicrobial agents and nanoparticle carriers. Diffusiophoresis, the...
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Electrorheology of Suspensions of Oblate Poly(ionic liquid) Ellipsoids

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00398B, Paper

Yudong Wang, Xiaoyang Zhao, Haoming Pang, Jianbo Yin
The shape of dispersed phase particles is an important factor to influence properties of composites and suspensions. Plate-like particles have attracted great attention in the development of high-performance electro-responsive electrorheological...
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Volume and surface methods for microparticle traction force microscopy: a computational and experimental comparison

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00242K, Paper

Open Access

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Simon Brauburger, Bastian K. Kraus, Tobias Walther, Cornelis Mense, Tobias Abele, Kerstin Göpfrich, Ulrich S. Schwarz
Computer simulations show that the surface method performs better for microparticle traction force microscopy than the volume method. This is confirmed by experiments with DNA-based hydrogel microparticles.
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Sequential reaction control during in situ polymerization and formation processes of reactive polyurethane coatings via adjusting molecular weight and isocyanate content of the prepolymer

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4263-4272
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00247A, Paper

Bin Zhao, Huawei Xu, Jie Liu, Junfeng Zhang, Huimin Duan, Peter Müller-Buschbaum, Wenxing Chen, Dongming Qi, Qi Zhong
By regulating molecular weight and free –NCO content of prepolymer, the tuned viscosity can enlarge the reactive difference between linear chain extender and star-shaped cross-linker. Thus, sequential polymerization can be realized in RPU coatings.
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Modelling the role of interaction heterogeneity in the gelation of micron-scale colloidal systems

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4273-4286
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00117C, Paper

Open Access

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Po-Ting Wu, Ying-Shuo Peng, John C. Crocker, Talid Sinno
Interaction heterogeneity acts as a new design parameter for colloidal gelation, promoting sequential assembly of strong and weak binders and enabling control of local gel microstructure.
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Translational diffusion and isomerization reaction of a liquid crystal molecule at solid–liquid interface of ionic liquids studied by total internal reflection-transient grating spectroscopy

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4184-4193
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00321D, Paper

Open Access

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Masaki Fujiwara, Hideaki Shirota, Kento Kasahara, Nobuyuki Matubayasi, Yoshifumi Kimura
The isomerization reaction of MBBA is accelerated at the interface between ionic liquids and sapphire.
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Theoretical modeling and scaling laws in hydrogels incorporating convoluted chain entropy and interchain repulsion

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4161-4172
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00139D, Paper

Ming Li, Haibao Lu
An analytical microstructure paradigm for hydrogels is illustrated, emphasizing the topological networks containing chemical crosslinks and localized entanglements, as well as the unique inter-chain repulsive interactions.
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In vivo measurements of fascia lata effective mechanics combined to a memory fiber–recruitment–viscoelastic modeling approach

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4223-4237
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00467A, Paper

Franck Germain, Thomas Gibaud
Coupled with a memory fiber–recruitment–viscoelastic model, ramp-relaxation trials quantify in vivo fascia lata effective mechanics. This establishes a reproducible foundation for future research into training, rehabilitation, or aging.
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Wetting morphologies and apparent line tension of nanodroplets on soft substrates

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4194-4200
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00264A, Paper

Binyu Zhao, Shuo Wang, Günter K. Auernhammer
For nanodroplets on soft substrates, their contact angles depend on both the droplet contact radius and the substrate stiffness. The apparent line tension is not only wettability-dependent but also stiffness-dependent.
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How tip geometry controls fracture in ductile polymer glasses and brittle elastomers

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4253-4262
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00148C, Paper

Open Access

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Asal Y. Siavoshani, Zehao Fan, Shi-Qing Wang
Based on spatiotemporally resolved polarized optical microscopy (str-POM) measurements, we studied the fracture behavior of ductile and brittle glassy polymers as well as highly crosslinked rubbers to draw the following conclusions.
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Growth pathway of an AB2-type colloidal alloy during colloidal heteroepitaxy

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4213-4222
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00402D, Paper

Masahide Sato, Jun Nozawa
Ideally, the final crystal structures are determined by the minimization of free energy.
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Two-step yielding in a jammed microgel suspension

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4238-4252
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01150G, Paper

Fayis Kanheerampockil, Rachna Maria Kurian, Gary Bryant, Suresh Bhat
This work reports the mechanism underlying two-step yielding in repulsive colloidal microgel glasses under shear deformation.
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Theory of hybrid defects, with coupled orientational order parameters, on flat and curved surfaces

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4151-4160
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00299D, Paper

Open Access

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Lincoln Paik, Jonathan V. Selinger
Many physical systems exhibit two types of orientational order, such as polar and nematic, or polar and hexatic. The coupling between these order parameters leads to complex hybrid structures for topological defects.
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Conformal phase-transition hydrogel interfaces for high fidelity electrophysiological sensing and data-driven inference

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4134-4150
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00123H, Paper

Xuelin Li, Weiyang Tang, Mingyang Wang, Giacomo Moretti, Ji Lin, Chuanqian Shi
A GT-QCS hydrogel electrode controls sol–gel transition to form a conformal adhesive interface on skin. The obtained sEMG, ECG, and EEG signals are analyzed through deep learning, bridging soft-material design and data-driven physiological analytics.
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Photo-crosslinked pluronic hydrogels: micelle self-assembly and thermoresponsive behavior

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4201-4212
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00071A, Paper

Open Access

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Michel Habib, Joao Fragoso, Christine Joly-Duhamel, Jean-Pierre Habas, Sylvain Catrouillet, Audrey Tourrette, Tahmer Sharkawi, Sebastien Blanquer
This study links self-assembly, swelling, and rheology in Pluronics before and after methacrylation/crosslinking, showing how micellar structure governs crosslinking kinetics and the thermal response of hydrogels.
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Crowding-induced collapse and adsorption of polymers with nonuniform bending stiffness

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4173-4183
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00383D, Paper

Open Access

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Gregory R. Cantrall, Gaurav Chauhan, Steven M. Abel
Spatial variations in stiffness regulate polymer collapse and adsorption driven by depletion interactions in crowded environments.
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Structural characterization of phosphatidylcholine lipid monolayers across the liquid-expanded/liquid-condensed phase transition

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4120-4133
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00208K, Paper

Konrad Weber, Joshua Reed, Bastian Mueller, Chen Shen, Gerald Brezesinski, Emanuel Schneck
GIXD reveals that LE-like short-ranged correlations persist throughout the LE/LC transition of a phospholipid monolayer. The structural parameters evolve with (de)compression at phase coexistence.
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Decoupling particle size and charge transport in PEDOT:PSS via morphological inheritance of monomer emulsification

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00309E, Paper

Yucheng Yin, Kai Zhang, Lanlan Wei, Xiang Zhang, Jiajun Hong, Yufei Liu, Min He, Jie Yu
Hydrodynamic shear induces a coil-to-extended transition in PEDOT:PSS, shifting charge transport to inter-particle hopping; microscopic crystalline expansion intrinsically offsets grain boundary penalties in 76 nm networks.
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Convective flow in coalesced droplets under a temperature difference for uniform distribution of microspheres in vertical contact-separation

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00259E, Paper

Shinji Bono, Shintaro Okai, Mary-Jo Weir Weiss, Boris Stoeber, Satoshi Konishi
Convective flow in a coalescent droplet under a temperature difference enhances solute mixing in vertical contact-separation.
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Multiscale structural–rheological mapping of cancer spheroids during maturation

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00020G, Paper

Open Access

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Kajangi Gnanachandran, Massimiliano Berardi, Grażyna Pyka-Fościak, Joanna Pabijan, B. Imran Akca, Małgorzata Lekka
Multiscale AFM and HFS reveal how cytoskeletal remodelling, intercellular interfaces, and structural heterogeneity jointly govern the time-dependent rheology of bladder cancer spheroids.
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Mean first passage time of chiral active Brownian particles

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00448B, Paper

Open Access

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Sarafa A. Iyaniwura, Mingfeng Qiu, Zhiwei Peng
How does chirality affect search efficiency? Chiral active particles exhibit optimal rotation rates that minimize first-passage times in confined environments.
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Pathways for fast and slow fusion of nanovesicles without membrane rupture

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00288A, Paper

Open Access

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Bartosz Różycki, Rikhia Ghosh, Reinhard Lipowsky
Nanovesicles enclosed by tensionless and asymmetric lipid bilayers can undergo fusion without bilayer rupture, and these fusion processes follow two distinct pathways, which are controlled by the stress asymmetry between the two bilayer leaflets.
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Computational study of multicharged cyclodextrin derivatives with deep cavities for high-affinity host–guest recognition

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00346J, Paper

Biyang Cheng, Qiaofei Yao, Fuhao Ren, Dengke Shen
Multicharged cyclodextrins with deep cavities exhibit enhanced host–guest binding through electrostatic interactions.
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Phase dependence of effective surface diffusivity in surfactant monolayers dilatated far from equilibrium

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00090H, Paper

Open Access

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Tyler J. Mucci, Joe A. Adam, Amir H. Hirsa
Assessing rapidly dilatated insoluble monolayers using Newtonian hydrodynamics revealed phase-dependent, large effective surface diffusivity with the potential to inform the development of complex interfacial models.
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Space-resolved stress correlation and viscoelastic moduli for polydisperse system: two faces of the stress noise

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00149A, Paper

Open Access

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Joerg Baschnagel, Alexander Semenov
We discuss several advances in the theory of space-resolved stress correlations and viscoelastic relaxation moduli for liquids and other amorphous systems. Our study focuses on three aspects: (i) For a...
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Effects of surface roughness on droplet impact dynamics

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00167J, Paper

Open Access

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Joe Ghossein, Chinmay Kendurkar, Jonathan B. Boreyko, Olivier Coutier-Delgosha
A bimodal energy framework resolves how surface texture modulates interfacial energy and viscous dissipation. This model captures systematic spreading variations across regimes, providing accurate predictions where smooth-surface benchmarks fail.
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Modeling Domain Growth of Polymer Melt Crystallization

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00323K, Paper

Open Access

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Sameer Rajendra Rajendra Kalghatgi, Sumesh P Thampi, Sanat Kumar, Chris Durning
The crystallization of a subcooled polymer melt, described by a local scalar internal variable φ , is modeled by non-equilibrium thermodynamics, specifically using a dissipation argument. The formulation yields a...
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Catanionics from Biosurfactants and Regular Surfactants: Miscibility and Structure

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00236F, Paper

Janine Birnbach, Niki Baccile, Tanya Todorova, Andreas Bick, Xenophon Krokidis, Francois Ribot, Sylvain Prevost, Petra Pernot, Matthias Karg, Peter Schmiedel
Mixtures of anionic and cationic surfactants, often referred to as catanionics, can possess synergistic properties, e.g. lower surface tension compared to their individual components. However, they usually precipitate close to...
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Rheology of Escherichia coli suspensions with various bacterial morphologies and motion characteristics

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00408C, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Boyoung Jeong, Yumeng Zhao, Sheng Dai
Motile bacteria can interact with surrounding fluids, creating complex rheological behavior of suspensions. Yet such studies with paralyzed flagella or de-flagellated bacteria are limited, leaving the separate roles of motility,...
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Membrane tubulation by spherical nanoparticles: effect of lateral tension

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00343E, Paper

Open Access

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Thomas R. Weikl
Membrane tension tends to stabilize weakly undulated shapes of membrane tubules wrapped around linear aggregates of spherical nanoparticles, but only moderately affects the energy gain of the aggregates compared to individual particle wrapping.
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Transport properties of active particles moving on adjustable networks

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00135A, Paper

William G. C. Oropesa, Pablo de Castro, Hartmut Löwen, Danilo B. Liarte
Active particles reshape networks with transient blocked trails: Nontrivial transport from the interplay of persistence and blocking mechanisms.
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Particle sizing in milk by combined differential dynamic microscopy and cryo-FIB-SEM tomography

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4074-4081
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01201E, Paper

Open Access

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Joe J. Bradley, Fraser H. J. Laidlaw, Tom Pendry, Ngai Ying Denise Li, Alexander K. Boggon, Thomas Glen, Vincent A. Martinez, Jochen Arlt, Job H. J. Thijssen, Wilson C. K. Poon
Size distributions for particles in milk as obtained by differential dynamic microscopy and cryo-focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy.
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Chemically triggered rapid degradation of tetraPEG gels cross-linked with a diacylhydrazine-containing cross-linker

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4093-4100
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00301J, Paper

Open Access

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Satsuki Sekiguchi, Takamasa Sakai, Kousuke Tsuchiya
Tetra-armed poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels containing diacylhydrazine units undergo rapid degradation by treatment with sodium hypochlorite even at extremely low concentrations.
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Dynamical universality and vibrational divergence in 2D supercooled liquids, quasicrystals, and crystals

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4057-4073
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM00870K, Paper

Open Access

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Edwin A. Bedolla-Montiel, Marjolein Dijkstra
Dodecagonal quasicrystals show cage-trapping dynamics like supercooled liquids, yet their vibrational modes display phase coherence and defect signatures akin to periodic crystals, a hybrid state bridging amorphous and ordered solids.
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A model of 3D confluent tissue behaves as an under-constrained glass

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4101-4109
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00255B, Paper

Open Access

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Chengling Li, Matthias Merkel, Daniel M. Sussman
The 3D Voronoi model exhibits tunable sub-Arrhenius glassy dynamics, establishing that atypical relaxation and mechanics are features of many under-constrained materials.
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Superlubricity in granular shear flows under external vibrations

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3984-3988
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00233A, Communication

Open Access

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Diego Berzi, Melisa M. Gianetti, Dalila Vescovi
Shear granular flows become superlubric in the presence of vibrations.
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On the role of surfactants in emulsions and foams

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3968-3983
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00181E, Perspective

Open Access

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Dominique Langevin
This perspective article focuses on surfactants and on interfaces between water and air or oil.
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Hydrodynamic scattering of a neutral squirmer by a near-wall curved obstacle: MPCD simulations and analytical theory

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4045-4056
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00352D, Paper

Prashant K. Nagar, Devandar Chauhan, Harsh Pandey, Sujin B. Babu, Kamakshi Pandey
Dynamics of the scattering of a neutral squirmer near a curved, wall-mounted obstacle explored via simulations supported with analytical calculations. Interestingly, the scattering is similar to classical scattering with a repulsive potential.
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Ion size controls the conductivity of solid polymer electrolytes

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4026-4033
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00205F, Paper

Ganesh K. Rajahmundry, Tarak K. Patra
This study elucidates the impacts of ion–ion and ion–polymer size ratios on the phase behavior and conductivity of solid polymer electrolytes.
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The impact of a compound drop on a solid surface: the influence of shell viscosity

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4016-4025
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00218H, Paper

Ravi Ranjan Singh, Deepak Kumar Mandal
A study of a compound drop impacting a surface is presented.
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Viscoelasticity and elastoplasticity in the power law creep and yielding of gels and fibre network materials under stress

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4034-4044
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00053C, Paper

Michael J. Hertaeg, Suzanne M. Fielding
Stress-controlled simulations of a minimal disordered fibre network reveal distinct viscoelastic and elastoplastic regimes of power law creep.
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Transient negative capacitance in ferroelectric and twist-bend ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4007-4015
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00284F, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Netra Prasad Dhakal, Manisha Talwar, Zakaria Siddiquee, Jakub Karcz, Przemysław Kula, Peter Salamon, Antal Jákli
The negative capacitance (NC) of ferroelectric nematic and twist bend ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal materials can be used in conventional electronics to reduce the power dissipation.
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Geometric control of motility-induced phase separation

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,4082-4092
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00213G, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Toler H. Webb, Helen S. Ansell, Daniel M. Sussman
Gaussian curvature controls the shape and location of the dense phase in self-propelled particles undergoing motility-induced phase separation.
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Systematic error detection in the database of liquid crystals (LiqCryst) using predictive models

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3989-3995
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00257A, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Yoshiaki Uchida, Shizuo Kaji, Naoto Nakano
A human-in-the-loop workflow combining machine learning with expert validation detects inconsistencies in LiqCryst 5.2, the liquid-crystalline database, highlighting likely errors and improving data reliability systematically.
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Parallel micro- and mesophase transitions of thermoplastic polyurethane induced by thermal annealing

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3996-4006
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00133E, Paper

Yu-Chi Lee, Wei-Cheng Lin, Yi-Quan Zhang, Chi-Chung Hua
Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) can undergo parallel micro- and mesophase transitions via a short-term thermal annealing well below the melting temperature.
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CAGE Ionic Liquids Meet Biomembranes: Unraveling Molecular Mechanisms and Partitioning Kinetics

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00351F, Paper

Rakesh Gupta, Ganapathy Ayappa
Choline-based ionic liquids (ILs) are extensively explored for drug delivery and antimicrobial applica- tions, yet their interactions with lipid membranes remain poorly understood. Using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, free energy...
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Non-equilibrium phase transitions in hybrid Voronoi models of cell colonies

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00238B, Paper

Mattia Miotto, Giancarlo Ruocco, Matteo Paoluzzi
Eukaryotic cells are characterized by a stiff nucleus whose role in governing the collective behavior of cell aggregates is often underestimated. However, increasing experimental evidence links nuclear mechanics to phenotypic...
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Realizing microrheological response of configurable viscoelastic media with a dynamic optical trap

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00203J, Paper

Sanatan Halder, Manas Khan
A probe sphere in a dynamic optical trap exhibits microrheological responses in a viscoelastic fluid with tunable rheological properties that can be independently modulated by experimental parameters such as the optical trap strength and dynamics.
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Modeling the organizational heterogeneity of cholesterol-enriched microdomains in the neuronal membranes of gray and white matter of Alzheimer's brain: a computational lipidomics study

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00153J, Paper

Sruthi Peesapati, Sandipan Chakraborty
Combining computational lipidomics and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we have elucidated that AD-associated lipid remodeling in neuronal membranes alters lateral heterogeneity and microdomain organization, specifically in gray matter region.
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Mechanical anisotropy of 3D-printed digital materials at large strains

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00036C, Paper

Seunghwan Lee, Gisoo Lee, Seounghee Yun, Sumin Lee, Jeonyoon Lee, Hansohl Cho
3D-printed digital materials whose mechanical behavior travels between those from thermoplastic to rubbery polymers have become increasingly important. However, their mechanical functionalities have not been fully exploited due to intrinsic...
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Beyond pair entropy: orientational many-body correlations in supercooled glass-forming liquids from a four-point structural entropy

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00491A, Paper

Sandeep Kushawah, Devansu Chakraborty, Prasanth P. Jose
A four-point structural entropy, built from the spatial distribution g(r,θ,ϕ) in a local particle-centered frame, captures many-body orientational ordering in supercooled liquids that the conventional isotropic pair entropy cannot.
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Viscous solvent embrittles long-chain polymer networks

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00297H, Paper

Open Access

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Haeji Kim, Diogo Costa, Junsoo Kim
Long-chain polymer networks exhibit a decrease in toughness with increasing solvent viscosity and crack velocity, attributed to shear-lag effects that limit tension transmission along polymer chains.
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A percolation-based theoretical model reveals the structural origin of strain-stiffening in semiflexible fibrous networks

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00177G, Paper

Yi Zhou, Shuo Yang, Leitao Cao, Jing Ren, Runnan Bai, Yunhao Yang, Ruoxuan Peng, Jinrong Yao, Xin Chen, Zhengzhong Shao, Shengjie Ling
AFM-derived molecular dynamics and graph analysis reveal that strain-stiffening in semiflexible fibrous networks arises from the formation of a rigidity-percolating load-bearing backbone.
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Ionic microsphere-reinforced multifunctional conductive hydrogel sensors for human motion monitoring

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00291A, Paper

Jie Ren, Yu Wang, Wenjing Zhang, Ziqiong Zhou, Yan Li, Wu Yang
A multifunctional conductive hydrogel with excellent comprehensive performance is designed by introducing functional ionic microspheres into an oxidized xanthan gum/chitosan hydrogel matrix and can be used to detect various human motions.
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Nanopore sequencing with proteins: synchronization and dischronization of molecular dynamics simulations with laboratory and industrial developments

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00125D, Review Article

Zongan Wang, Yuqian Liu, Tao Zeng, Denghui Li, Xiao Shi, Jiawen Zhang, Hao Wang, Liuxin Shi, Jiayuan Zhang, Yinqi Bai, Yuning Zhang, Yuliang Dong
Protein nanopores have revolutionized DNA sequencing by enabling long-read, real-time, and portable genomic analysis. This review traces the experimental evolution of three key protein nanopores, namely α-hemolysin, MspA, and CsgG,...
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Formation of assembloids by DNA-mediated synthetic cell self-assembly

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00119J, Paper

Open Access

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Anna Burgstaller, Erick Angel Lopez Lopez, Gyu Min Hwang, Kevin Jahnke, Oskar Staufer
Self assembly of organoids and assembloids from synthetic cells with DNA.
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Underwater mussel-inspired adhesive formed by simple coacervation

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00434B, Paper

Guillaume Gimenez, Amandine Parron, Armand Rufino, Véronique Lapeyre, Bertrand Goudeau, Jean-Paul Douliez, Cédric le Coz, Adeline Perro
Mussels possess a remarkable natural ability to adhere to wet surfaces, such as rocks, in marine environments.
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Enhancing electromechanical responsiveness of PVC gels via ion size control

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00031B, Paper

Open Access

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Kazuki Takahashi, Osamu Urakawa, Tadashi Inoue
Tuning ion size dramatically enhances the electromechanical responsiveness of PV gels, revealing ion size as a critical design parameter for electroactive soft materials.
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The cocktail method: influence of microbubble shell homogeneity on acoustic behavior and stability

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00286B, Paper

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This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Pascal Poc, Giulia Guerriero, Johannes Büchler, Tim Grossrieder, Marco Cattaneo, Gonzalo Collado-Lara, Nathan Blanken, Ines Oberhuber, Justine Kusch, Outi Supponen, Simone Schuerle
We introduce the 'cocktail method' which reduces the formation of lipid domains in microbubbles. This study sheds light on lipid organization and its impact on shell viscoelasticity and stability, aiding the engineering of predictable microbubbles.
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3D morphology and phase-selective transport in amphiphilic silicone hydrogels: experiments and multiscale simulations

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00092D, Paper

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Eri Ito, Yoshiaki Kawagoe, Tomonaga Okabe
Amphiphilic silicone hydrogels form bicontinuous nanostructures. Experiments and multiscale simulations reveal how domain connectivity and tortuosity govern oxygen and ion transport.
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Elastocapillary lifting and encapsulation of water by a triangular elastic film under gravity

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00232C, Paper

Open Access

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Kyoko Shibata, Hana Kanda, Yoshimi Tanaka, Yutaka Sumino
Water encapsulation by a triangular elastic film occurs only when elastocapillary, elastogravity, and capillary length scales become comparable.
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Preparation and electrorheological properties of a La-doped MOF-Ti composite encapsulated with TiO2

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00292G, Paper

Huanhuan Pang, Chuanling Zhang, Ziqi Shan, Shuang Li, Lili Ma, Baoxiang Wang, Chuncheng Hao
The titanium dioxide-coated, lanthanum-doped MOF nanoparticles were synthesized using a two-steps method, which can exhibit smart electrorheological behavior under external electric field.
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Modeling elastoviscoplastic materials using physics-informed neural networks

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3946-3958
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00198J, Paper

Open Access

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Babak Valipour Goodarzi, Reza Foudazi
An updated Saramito model captures type III elastoviscoplastic rheology from linear to nonlinear regimes with a single set of fitting parameters, using a two-step physics-informed neural network fitting.
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Mechanically robust PEDOT:PSS hydrogel via mild liquid metal crosslinking

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3925-3933
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00219F, Paper

Qian Zhou, Azur Azapagic, Austin Eiting, Seoyeon Won, Alexandra Boyadzhiev, Himanshu Sant, Deisy Cristina Carvalho Fernandes, Huanan Zhang
Ga³⁺ crosslinking via EGaIn enhances the mechanical robustness of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels under mild conditions while maintaining functional conductivity for soft electronic applications.
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Modeling the slow Arrhenius process (SAP) in polymers

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3882-3892
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00305B, Paper

Open Access

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Valeriy V. Ginzburg, Oleg V. Gendelman, Simone Napolitano, Riccardo Casalini, Alessio Zaccone
Slow Arrhenius process (SAP) is hypothesized to be analogous to the high-temperature αβ-process. We model α-transition and SAP for multiple polymers using our “general TS2” equation and obtain good agreement with experiments.
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Hopping dynamics of a tracer particle confined in a fluctuating lattice

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3913-3924
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00250A, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Seonghui Kim, Yeonho Song, Bong June Sung, Shinji Saito, Jun Soo Kim
We investigate the hopping dynamics of a tracer particle in a two-dimensional fluctuating lattice using Brownian dynamics simulations and hop-function analysis.
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Coating-induced lubrication in granular media: from particle-scale tribology to bulk rheology

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3857-3869
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00039H, Paper

F. M. Rocha, D. Dumont, F. Tapia, A. Gans, V. Bertin, M. Nicolas, O. Pouliquen
Coated granular materials are involved in numerous industrial processes. Here, we combine tribology and rheology experiments, DEM simulations and mean-field modelling to reveal how polymer coatings modify the rheology of granular materials.
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Rheology of MXene-reinforced dual-network hydrogels in swollen and unswollen states

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3893-3912
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01278C, Paper

Jiaxin Wu, Ruihui Yun, Yue Liang, Lesen Ma, Mehdihasan I. Shekh, Guangming Zhu, Florian J. Stadler
Shear and extensional rheology reveal that MXene-enabled hydrogels maintain gel-like behavior yet dissipate energy near yielding via fast, reversible polymer–MX interactions.
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Plug flow down to the nanoscale can induce partial solidification of confined fluids

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3934-3945
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00300A, Paper

Open Access

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Shan Chen, Hongguang Zhang, Zhenjiang Guo, Ignacio Pagonabarraga, Xianren Zhang
In this work, we employ molecular dynamics simulation to study the anomalous fluid behavior of plug nanoflows.
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Multiscale reorganisation of colloidal aggregation by percolating bacterial networks

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3870-3881
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01062D, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Laura Stricker, Samuel G. V. Charlton, Eleonora Secchi
Near-wall, non-motile bacterial networks act as geometric scaffolds that reshape colloidal self-assembly by limiting ordering to the nearest-neighbour scale, as quantified by structural and information-theoretic metrics.
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Stress-aided thermal activation of crack propagation in multidentate hydrogen bonding adhesives

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3846-3856
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00081A, Paper

Zachary D. Lamberty, Ngon T. Tran, Daniel B. Knorr, Joelle Frechette
Crack propagation along the interface of multidentate adhesives can be related to the thermal barrier to chemical bond dissociation through an Arrhenius-like dependence.
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Dynamics of particles suspended in field-enhanced microscale flows

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3827-3845
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01239B, Perspective

Open Access

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Debmalya Halder, Andrew Yee, Minami Yoda, Shaurya Prakash
The perspective review describes the state of art and future directions for understanding and manipulating dynamics of suspended colloidal particles in field-enhanced microscale flows.
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Dynamics of magnetic self-propelled particles in a harmonic trap

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00387G, Paper

Pamela Muñoz-Obreque, Oscar Garrido, Diego Romero, Erick Burgos, Hartmut Löwen, Francisca Catalina Guzmán-Lastra
Artificial active particles provide a powerful platform to investigate non-equilibrium collective behavior.Here, we use Hexbugs equipped with embedded magnetic dipoles as macroscopic realizations of Magnetic Self-Propelled Particles (MSPPs) to study...
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Effect of methoxy substituent on self-assembly and gelation performance of benzamide-based organogelators

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00210B, Paper

Qian-Ru Li, Xing Lu, Hui Li, Yong-Le Dou, Xiu Yue, Akram Yasin, Peng-Cheng Ma
Low-molecular-weight organogelators (LMOGs) have gained widespread attention for their unique properties and potential applications across various fields. However, the discovery of most LMOGs has largely been serendipitous. The molecular structural...
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Role of hydration effects in driving ion binding to polyelectrolyte brushes and chains: a perspective

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00234J, Perspective

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Raashiq Ishraaq, Siddhartha Das
This paper probes hydration effects in counterion binding and variation in height (radius) of polyelectrolyte (PE) brushes (chains) as a function of ion's nature (chaotropic/kosmotropic) and PE functional group's nature (hydrophobic/hydrophilic).
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Dynamic permeability in metastable droplet interfacial bilayers

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3759-3773
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00150E, Paper

Nivedina A. Sarma, David A. King, Xuefei Wu, Brett A. Helms, Paul D. Ashby, Thomas P. Russell, Ahmad K. Omar
As droplet interfacial bilayers dissolve en route to coalescence, coarsening pores enable size-selective transport. We develop a theory linking this size-selective transport to the evolving pore structure and mechanism of bilayer breakdown.
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Suppression of anomalous dynamics by random pinning in three-dimensional confluent tissues

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00334F, Paper

Jing Li, Yan-Wei Li
We numerically investigate the supercooled glassy dynamics of a three-dimensional Voronoi model for confluent cellular tissues, focusing on the effect of randomly pinning a fraction of cells.
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Overview: the Janus-nature of molecular CO2 in charge adjustment at wet surfaces

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3692-3716
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00222F, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Peter Vogel, Muhammad Nawaz Qaisrani, Mattis Rasenat, Johannes Lützenkirchen, Marialore Sulpizi, David Beyer, Christian Holm, Thomas Palberg
Experiments and simulations reveal the Janus face of molecular CO₂ regarding charge adjustment at dielectric surfaces immersed in aqueous electrolyte, where it enriches diffusely. In turn, some surfaces increase their charge, while others decharge.
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Delamination and restructuring inside multilamellar lipid vesicles by a polycation: formation of multi-compartment vesicles

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3741-3749
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00155F, Paper

Rui Cao, Rishabh Jain, Ian K. Torres, Chris Oville, Anthony D. Dinsmore
Multilamellar lipid vesicles delaminate and form multiple internal compartments, driven by binding and translocation of high-MW polycations from the exterior.
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The sinking dynamics of a solid intruder in concentrated cornstarch suspensions studied using ultra-fast magnetic resonance imaging

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3806-3818
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00385K, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Nikolay K. Kirov, Christopher P. McLaren, Klaas P. Pruessmann, Christoph R. Müller, Alexander Penn
Real-time MRI links the oscillatory motion of sinking intruders in cornstarch suspensions to the suspension response. Evolving perturbed regions and shear rate heterogeneities around the intruder indicate coupled, history-dependent dynamics.
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Light-tunable DNA interactions enable spatiotemporal assembly and relaxation-driven crystallization of colloids

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3717-3727
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00281A, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Etienne Ducrot, Patrick A. Hage, Bas G. P. van Ravensteijn, David J. Pine, Ilja K. Voets
Light-tunable DNA brushes enable isothermal spatiotemporal control of colloidal interactions and relaxation-driven crystallization.
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Plasticization as a tool for tuning the dynamics of polymerized ionic liquids: insights from molecular dynamics simulations

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3750-3758
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00189K, Paper

Arshid Ahmad, Michael Vogel
Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the dynamical properties of a polymerized ionic liquid (PIL), which features backbone-embedded imidazolium rings, can be tuned by plasticization with a simple ionic liquid (SIL).
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Cooperative effect of local active stresses on the macroscopic contractility of elastic fiber networks

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3790-3805
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM00803D, Paper

Abhinav Kumar, David A. Quint, Kinjal Dasbiswas
The collective effect of actively contractile units embedded in elastic biopolymer networks determines the network's macroscopic contractile response.
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Droplet dynamics in textured flow-focusing microchannels: effects of surface texture on deformation and transport

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3728-3740
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00338A, Paper

Rakesh Kumar, Gandi Eswari, Debdeep Bhattacharjee, Arnab Atta
This study investigates the post-formation dynamics of water droplets dispersed in an oil continuous phase within a microfluidic flow-focusing channel incorporating lithographically fabricated surface grooves.
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Diffusion of rod-like particles in complex fluids

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3683-3691
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00101G, Paper

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Władysław Sokołowski, Huma Jamil, Karol Makuch
A simple framework using only single-bead mobility and the wave-vector-dependent viscosity gives explicit formulas for the parallel and perpendicular mobilities of a dimer.
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A simple model for poration-induced electrodeformation of giant vesicles

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3774-3789
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01250C, Paper

Rochish M. Thaokar, Rupesh Kumar, Nalinikanta Behera, Mohammad Maoyafikuddin
This work attempts to understand the mechanism of poration induced deformation, in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), under pulsed DC fields, using a simple semi-analytical model.
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