RSC - Soft Matter latest articles

The sinking dynamics of a solid intruder in concentrated cornstarch suspensions studied using ultra-fast Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00385K, Paper

Open Access

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Nikolay Kirilov Kirov, Christopher P McLaren, Klaas P Pruessmann, Christoph Rüdiger Müller, Alexander Penn
The sinking of intruders in concentrated cornstarch suspensions is governed by localized, transient dynamics that are difficult to access experimentally because of the opacity of the material. Here, we use...
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Liquid crystalline order delays crystallisation in mixed surfactant systems

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00317F, Paper

Open Access

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Sepideh Khodaparast, William N. Sharratt, Robert M. Dalgliesh, João T. Cabral
Liquid crystalline ordering in mixed SDS/DDAO surfactant systems creates a kinetically hindered intermediate state that dramatically increases crystallisation induction times.
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Light-tunable DNA interactions enable spatiotemporal assembly and relaxation-driven crystallization of colloids

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00281A, Paper

Open Access

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Etienne Ducrot, Patrick A. Hage, Ilja Karina Voets, David J. Pine, Bas Van Ravensteijn
Self-assembly of colloidal particles enables the formation of complex superstructures, yet precise control over assembled structures remains challenging and assembly pathways primarily rely on temperature, a global trigger. Here, we...
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Conformal Phase-Transition Hydrogel Interfaces for High Fidelity Electrophysiological Sensing and Data-Driven Inference

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00123H, Paper

Xuelin Li, Weiyang Tang, Mingyang Wang, Giacomo Moretti, Ji Lin, Chuanqian Shi
While gelatin-based conductive hydrogels can acquire electrophysiological signals over multiple days, the statistical consistency and analytical utility of these long-term recordings for data-driven interpretation remain inadequately assessed.To address this, we...
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A Supramolecular Gel Platform for Selective Naked-Eye Recognition of Thorium(IV) Ion

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00239K, Paper

Yanyi He, Xiao-Qi Yu, Shanshan Yu
The naked-eye detection of Th4+ poses a critical analytical challenge. While stimulus-responsive hydrogels offer a potential solution by converting recognition events into visible macroscopic phase transitions, this promising mechanism has...
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Hopping Dynamics of a Tracer Particle Confined in a Fluctuating Lattice

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00250A, Paper

Open Access

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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. Conventional analyses based on the mean square displacement and the self-intermediate scattering...
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Lysine containing amphiphilic peptide-based non-cytotoxic soft materials with potential antifungal and antibacterial activities for 3D cell culture

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00190D, Paper

Sagnik Banerjee, Sayani Haldar, Supratim Bose, Sandipan Chatterjee, Valeria Castelletto, Ian W. Hamley, Deepak Kumar Sinha, Arindam Banerjee
Trifunctional new peptide-based hydrogels with potential antibacterial and antifungal activities to promote 3D cell culture promising for regenerative medicine.
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Parallel micro- and mesophase transitions of thermoplastic polyurethane induced by thermal annealing

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
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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Photo-Crosslinked Pluronic Hydrogels: Micelle Self-assembly and Thermoresponsive Behavior

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00071A, Paper

Open Access

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Michel Habib, João David Fragoso, Christine Joly-Duhamel, Sylvain Catrouillet, jean pierre habas, Audrey Tourrette, Tahmer Sharkawi, Sebastien Blanquer
Amphiphilic block copolymers, such as Pluronic triblock copolymers, are widely employed to engineer stimuli-responsive hydrogels for applications ranging from biomedicine to energy and food industries. In this study, we investigated...
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Crowding-induced collapse and adsorption of polymers with nonuniform bending stiffness

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00383D, Paper

Open Access

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Gregory R Cantrall, Gaurav Chauhan, Steven Matthew Abel
Macromolecular crowding can significantly impact the behavior of biopolymers, with crowding-induced depletion interactions influencing both the conformations and surface adsorption of individual polymers. Although previous studies have explored the influence...
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Measuring elastic properties of granular hydrogels: Effects of capillary interaction and ionic conditions

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00161K, Paper

Jiayin Zhao, Haiyi Zhong, Yixiang Gan
The elastic properties of granular hydrogels are commonly characterised under wet conditions, yet the influence of capillary interactions remains unclear. In practical applications, hydrogels operate in aqueous environments containing dissolved...
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Plasticization as a tool for tuning the dynamics of polymerized ionic liquids: Insights from molecular dynamics simulations

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
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...
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Structural characterization of phosphatidylcholine lipid monolayers across the liquid-expanded/liquid-condensed phase transition

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
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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Hybrid magnetic Janssen effect arising from percolating ferromagnetic grain networks

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00069J, Paper

Louison Thorens, Solenn Rodriguez, Nicolas Taberlet, Mickael Bourgoin, Knut Jørgen Måløy, Stéphane Santucci
Combining experiments and discrete-element simulations, we reveal a hybrid magnetic Janssen effect: the apparent mass of disordered granular columns can be finely tuned by adjusting the fraction and arrangement of ferromagnetic grains.
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Multiscale reorganisation of colloidal aggregation by percolating bacterial networks

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01062D, Paper

Open Access

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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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Soft matrix: probing local mechanical properties in amorphous solids

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3380-3392
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01274K, Paper

Aparna Sreekumari, Monoj Adhikari, Nandlal Pingua, Vishnu V. Krishnan, Shiladitya Sengupta, Pinaki Chaudhuri, Smarajit Karmakar, Vishwas V. Vasisht
Localized yielding in amorphous solids is probed using a soft matrix method. Microscopic simulations reveal an intrinsic failure length scale ζ and age-dependent changes in the pseudogap exponent θ.
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Molecular dynamics investigation of the impact of methylation on the nematic phase of phenyl benzoate mesogens and dimers

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3370-3379
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00196C, Paper

Open Access

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Jacob S. Votava, Emily C. Davidson, Michael A. Webb
Atomistic simulations reveal that a single methyl substituent suppresses nematic ordering in phenyl benzoate mesogens by trading local conformational entropy for global orientational order.
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Following the formation of single-chain nanoparticles generated by interblock crosslinking within diblock copolymers: a Monte Carlo simulation study with adjustable interaction strength between the blocks

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3393-3402
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01153A, Paper

Open Access

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Anja Voigt, Christian Strauch, Tom Höfken, Mirco Wahab, Wiebke Hadwich, Christopher Barner-Kowollik, Conrad Hübler, Stefanie Schneider, Felix A. Plamper
During crosslinking, the interaction between two blocks of diblock copolymers determines the structure of the resulting single chain nanoparticles (SCNPs). Attraction leads to compact SCNPs, while negligible attraction provides ladder-like patterns.
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The effect of weathering environments on microplastic chemical identification with Raman and IR spectroscopy: Part II. polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and nylon 6

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3403-3419
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01102G, Paper

Open Access

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Samantha Phan, Jonathan J. Ramtahal, Christine K. Luscombe
Raman and IR spectra reveal non-linear chemical changes during microplastic weathering. We demonstrate that using just one technique can lead to misinterpreting a polymer's aging state, underscoring the need for complementary data.
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Wrinkles, rucks, and folds formed in a heavy sheet on a frictional surface

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3320-3336
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00062B, Paper

Keisuke Yoshida, Hirofumi Wada
When a cloth is pinched and lifted from a table, a ghost-like shape appears with spontaneous wrinkles. In this study, indentation of a heavy elastic sheet on a frictional substrate reveals how a lifted shape develops wrinkles, rucks, and folds.
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Dynamics of emulsion drop impact, spreading and evaporation: the effect of internal phase gelation

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3359-3369
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00195E, Paper

Open Access

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Mario Cordova-Gonzalez, Parisa Bazazi, S. Hossein Hejazi
Emulsion droplets with liquid or gelled internal phases show similar impact dynamics but diverge during spreading and drying. Internal gelation suppresses late-stage spreading and produces rugged, interconnected deposits instead of isolated residues.
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Coupling of electrospinning and photo-induced processes for advanced nanofibrous polymeric materials: current state-of-the-art and future perspectives

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3285-3311
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00041J, Review Article

Open Access

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Thi Nhung Vu, Alessandra Vitale
Coupling electrospinning with photo-induced reactions enables robust, multifunctional nanofibrous materials. This review defines mechanisms and design principles for reactive and scalable fibrous systems.
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Self-assembly of quasicrystals under cyclic shear

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3346-3358
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00068A, Paper

Open Access

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Raphaël Maire, Andrea Plati, Frank Smallenburg, Giuseppe Foffi
We investigate the self-assembly of two-dimensional dodecagonal quasicrystals driven by cyclic shear, effectively replacing thermal fluctuations with plastic rearrangements.
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Dynamics of Marangoni-driven elliptical Janus particles

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3337-3345
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01270H, Paper

Pabitra Masanta, Ratan Sarkar, P. Parmananda, Raghunath Chelakkot
A combined theoretical and experimental study reveals that camphor-infused Janus particles exhibit distinct dynamical states depending on their size and aspect ratio.
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4D printing of fully programmable sheets of digital metamaterials

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3312-3319
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM00780A, Paper

Open Access

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

Ido Levin, Ela Sachyani, Rama Lieberman, Noa Trink, Eran Sharon, Shlomo Magdassi
This work resolves a long-standing challenge in 4D printing by enabling simultaneous material agnostic control of both lateral geometry and spontaneous curvature, unlocking a new design space for programmable shape-morphing materials.
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Cooperative effect of local active stresses on the macroscopic contractility of elastic fiber networks †

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM00803D, Paper

Abhinav Kumar, David A Quint, Kinjal Dasbiswas
The collective action of actively contractile units embedded in elastic biopolymer networks plays a crucial role in regulating the network's macroscopic mechanical response. Here, we investigate how the macroscopic boundary...
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Ion Size Controls the Conductivity of Solid Polymer Electrolytes

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00205F, Paper

Ganesh K Rajahmundry, Tarak K. Patra
Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are ion-containing solid materials composed of a polymer matrix that enables ionic transport while maintaining mechanical stability. The correlations among ion clustering, microstructure, and conductivity of...
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Confined labyrinthine pattern in chiral liquid crystal droplets

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00114A, Paper

M. Rubio-Saldías, V. Fernandez-Gonzalez, M. G. Clerc, P. I. Hidalgo, J. Vergara
Labyrinthine patterns in temperature-driven chiral liquid crystal droplets are explored through experiments and theoretical modeling. An inhomogeneous amplitude equation describes confinement and self-organization.
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Systematic error detection in the database of liquid crystals (LiqCryst) using predictive models

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00257A, Paper

Open Access

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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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Scaling dynamics of particles confined at fluid–fluid interfaces

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00118A, Paper

Open Access

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Eduarda B. Oliveira, Elton L. Correia, H. Henning Winter, Sepideh Razavi
Particle–laden fluid interfaces exhibit complex linear viscoelastic behavior resulting from collective particle dynamics confined to two dimensions.
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NTA-Ni lipids affect membrane phase behavior and fluorescence of lipid-like dyes

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00172F, Paper

Agustín Mangiarotti, Maria Julia Altamirano, Maira Celeste Dominguez, Natalia Wilke
NTA-lipids modify membrane properties and quench the fluorescence of adjacent lipid-dyes.
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The impact of a compound drop on a solid surface: The influence of shell viscosity

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00218H, Paper

Ravi Ranjan Singh, Deepak Kumar Mandal
A study of a compound drop impacting a surface is presented. The drop is of single-core, shell type, with the shell containing oil at three viscosities (1, 10, and 100...
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Effect of external salt solution concentration on carboxyl dissociation degree (α) and pKa of weak polyelectrolyte membranes for sustainable technologies

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01024A, Paper

Open Access

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Yongha Kim, Charleen M. Rahman, Michael A. Shaqfeh, Kyle M. Tierney, Andrew J. Lukaszewski, Nikitha S. Kanumuru, Dae Eun Kang, Hee Jeung Oh
Understanding the dissociation vs. varied salt conditions in weakly charged polymers is critical to develop innovative charged polymers for sustainability.
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Droplet dynamics in textured flow-focusing microchannels: Effects of surface texture on deformation and transport

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
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. The effects of continuous-phase flow...
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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, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00053C, Paper

Michael J Hertaeg, Suzanne M Fielding
We study computationally the creep and yielding of athermal gels and fibre network materials under a constant imposed shear stress, within a minimal model of interconnected filaments with central forces...
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Coating-induced lubrication in granular media: from particle-scale tribology to bulk rheology

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
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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Equilibrium fluctuations of a quasi-spherical vesicle: role of the membrane dissipation

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00156D, Paper

Open Access

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Petia M. Vlahovska, Rony Granek
We theoretically investigate the thermally-driven curvature and lipid density fluctuations of a quasi-spherical vesicle, accounting for the dissipation due to monolayer viscosity and intermonolayer friction. The theory predicts that membrane...
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Rheology of MXene-reinforced dual-network hydrogels in swollen and unswollen states

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
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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Transient Negative Capacitance in Ferroelectric and Twist-Bend Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00284F, Paper

Open Access

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Netra Prasad Dhakal, Manisha Talwar, Zakaria Siddiquee, Jakub Karcz, Przemysław Kula, Péter Salamon, Antal Jakli
The negative capacitance (NC) of ferroelectric materials can be used in conventional electronics to reduce the power dissipation. Recently, NC was shown (Phys. Rev. Appl., 24, 014029 (2025)) to exist...
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Microscopic measurement of the local deformation field establishes the mechanistic origin of the fatigue threshold for soft brittle materials

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3165-3173
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00197A, Paper

Open Access

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

Umut Altuntas, Chenzhuo Li, John Martin Kolinski
Direct crack tip strain imaging reveals irreversible plastic zones governing soft material fatigue, both below and above the fatigue threshold.
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Morphological transitions in the crystallization-driven self-assembly of narrowly distributed π-conjugated triblock copolymers

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3252-3258
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00165C, Paper

Bin Huang, Donglai Tian, Zhubin Liu, Yanchen Deng, Guiyou Wang, Aiguo Hu
Crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) of π-conjugated block copolymers enables precise control over micellar morphology.
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Quantitative prediction of oil–water interfacial tension in surfactant systems using dissipative particle dynamics

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3259-3276
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00083E, Paper

Open Access

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Rachel L. Hendrikse, Carlos Amador, Matthew Davies, Mark R. Wilson
An experimentally parametrised DPD simulation model for surfactants at oil–water interfaces predicts interfacial tension, surface coverage, and synergistic effects in mixed surfactant systems.
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Effective interfacial tension of a film solidified during the collision of a molten wax droplet with a water surface

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3224-3237
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00010J, Paper

So Kitsunezaki, Rina Nakashioya, Chihiro Uemura, Akio Nakahara
When a droplet of wax melt collides with a water surface, a thin solidified film is often created and suppresses the cavity expansion. The effective interfacial tension of the film is determined by the thickness and the yield stress of the wax.
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Thermal dehydration of swollen heterogeneous soft materials

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3238-3251
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01263E, Paper

Michele Curatolo, Giuseppe Tomassetti, Ruud van der Sman, Luciano Teresi
The dehydration of bi-layer soft materials under temperature variations is a key process in applications such as biomedical devices and responsive hydrogels.
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Hierarchical Bayesian constitutive model selection for high-strain-rate soft material characterization

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3207-3223
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01193K, Paper

Open Access

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Victor Sanchez, Sawyer Remillard, Bachir A. Abeid, Lehu Bu, Spencer H. Bryngelson, Jin Yang, Jonathan B. Estrada, Mauro Rodriguez
A hierarchical Bayesian framework is developed for the inertial microcavitation rheometry technique to probabilistically select constitutive models and estimate parameters of soft materials from bubble dynamics under ultra-high strain rates.
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Steady rotation and wall-mediated dynamics of magnetic Janus particles in oscillating fields

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3156-3164
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01257K, Paper

Amrutha Raghu, Kyle J. M. Bishop, Bhuvnesh Bharti
Janus particles with a ferromagnetic patch show height-dependent rolling and hybrid dynamics in oscillating magnetic fields, where moment coupling drives continuous rotation and boundary interactions govern trajectories.
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A solvent-topology perspective on hydrophobic aggregation

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3196-3206
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01246E, Paper

Open Access

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Vicente Domínguez-Arca
Solvent topology exhibits a sharp, kernel-dependent connectivity crossover even when amphiphile aggregation evolves smoothly.
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Machine learning approaches to quantify nanoscale variations in the mechanical properties of soft nanoparticles

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3143-3155
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM00943J, Paper

Open Access

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

Benjamin Baylis, John R. Dutcher
We provide a framework for using machine learning classifiers to accurately and efficiently quantify the mechanical properties of soft materials on the nanoscale.
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Morphology of compound viscoelastic drops in extensional flows

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3174-3195
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01191D, Paper

Malay Vyas, Uddipta Ghosh
We analyze compound viscoelastics drop in uniaxial extensional flows, where the phases are modelled by the Giesekus constitutive model. For limiting cases, asymptotic solutions are derived and subsequently used to perform a detailed parametric study.
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Mechanistic insights into hydrophobicity-dependent antimicrobial selectivity of quaternary ammonium poly(oxanorborneneimide) polymers using coarse-grained simulations

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00170J, Paper

Joshua D. Richardson, Vincent M. Rotello, Reid C. Van Lehn
MARTINI 3 coarse-grained simulations of poly(oxanorborneneimide) polymers reveal that hydrophobicity-driven membrane insertion underlies their selective disruption of bacterial over human red blood cell membranes.
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Stress-aided thermal activation of crack propagation in multidentate hydrogen bonding adhesives

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
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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Effects of “antifreeze” oligopeptides and electric fields on unidirectional ice growth in thin water layers

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01157D, Paper

Masato Katoh, Tomonori Waku, Yoshimichi Hagiwara
We conducted experiments on the effects of electric fields and oligopeptides on water freezing in a narrow space. When AC100V and oligopeptides were used, ice growth suppression was obtained, probably due to the migration of peptide aggregates.
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Geometric control of motility-induced phase separation

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00213G, Paper

Open Access

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Toler H. Webb, Helen S Ansell, Daniel Sussman
Curvature fundamentally alters the collective properties of soft, active, and biological materials. Here we study motility-induced phase separation (MIPS), a canonical non-equilibrium transition, and demonstrate that even weak and slowly...
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Influence of Rigid-Soft Domains on Proton Conduction and Microstructure in Block Copolymer Membranes

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00130K, Paper

Avneesh Kumar, Dong Wook Chang
In ionic copolymers, chemically distinct domains can be combined to enhance proton transport and stability. In this work, we integrated a rigid engineering plastic, poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK), with...
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Effects of hydrostatic pressure on epithelial dome formation and stability

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00004E, Paper

Jianfeng Meng, Guangsong Xie, Yifei Zheng, Huaixuan Chen, Peng Xia, Pengfei Xu, Yingke Xu, Liangfei Tian, Qi Gao, Youhua Tan, Dechang Li, Baohua Ji
This work reveals the biophysical mechanisms by which hydrostatic pressure regulates dome formation and stability and provides insights into the effect of external pressure on collective cell behaviors during tissue morphogenesis.
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Interfacial ion transport in cellulose nanocrystal-based ionogels with low ionic liquid content

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00048G, Paper

Yang Ge, Kyle Shultz, Joyce Sundo, Benjamin A. Paren, Pinar Akcora
This study investigates the gel formation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) in a hydrophobic ionic liquid, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (HMIm–TFSI), with the addition of a co-solvent, dimethylformamide (DMF).
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Rod particle-like viscoelastic behavior of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose samples with narrow molar mass distributions dissolved in aqueous solutions

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00235H, Paper

Misato Yoshida, Daiki Nakagawa, Kengo Arai, Yoshiki Horikawa, Toshiyuki Shikata
The viscoelastic behaviors of aqueous solutions of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HpMC) samples with narrow molar mass distributions clearly revealed that the HpMC molecules behave as rod-like particles even in a fully entangled concentration range.
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Structural aging of a cohesive and amorphous granular solid under cyclic loading

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00108D, Paper

Open Access

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William Hobson-Rhoades, Douglas J. Durian, Yue Fan, Hongyi Xiao
Experimental two-dimensional granular rafts become more brittle following cyclic uniaxial deformation. Boundary conditions enable spatially heterogeneous density change, which is driven by voids that differ in behavior based on their size.
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Structure–rheology–thermal property correlation in graphene oxide reinforced gum acacia-g-poly(acrylic acid) nanocomposite hydrogels

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3090-3108
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00176A, Paper

Pragnesh N. Dave, Sanjay Bamaniya, Pallavi Singh
The rational design of sustainable hydrogel systems with tailored mechanical stability and tunable viscoelastic properties remains a central challenge in soft materials science.
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Recyclable flexible sensors based on digital-light-processing 3D printing of a thermoplastic elastomer and facile transfer of pencil-marked graphite films

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3042-3050
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00058D, Paper

Linkai Wang, Meichen Liu, Dan Guo, Feng Jin, Chenyang Bi, Hui Zhang, Liang Jiang, Shaojuan Chen, Zhong Xiong
The elastomer strain sensor fabricated via digital-light-processing 3D printing and transfer of a pencil pattern can be recycled.
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Rational design of amphiphilic pyrrolidinium derivatives: structure–activity correlation and alkyl chain tuning for superior antimicrobial activity

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2981-2994
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00050A, Paper

Elmira A. Vasilieva, Darya A. Kuznetsova, Roman A. Babkin, Denis M. Kuznetsov, Anna P. Lubina, Alexandra D. Voloshina, Dilyara N. Valeeva, Lucia Ya. Zakharova
A novel homologous series of amphiphilic pyrrolidine derivatives, 1-alkyl-1-(2-(hexyl carbamoyloxy)ethyl)pyrrolidinium bromides (CPS-n-6, where n = 12, 14, 16, and 18), were synthesized and characterized.
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Symmetry-breaking motility of an active hinge in a crowded channel

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3081-3089
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM00622H, Paper

Open Access

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Leonardo Garibaldi Rigon, Yongjoo Baek
We introduce an active-hinge model to study symmetry-breaking motility in crowded granular channels. The persistence of the motile state, maintained by positive feedback between motion and asymmetry, depends nonmonotonically on packing fraction.
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Electro-magneto-kinetic thermo-fluid–structure interactions of viscoelastic electrolytes through soft micro-confinements

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3007-3024
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM00876J, Paper

Open Access

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

Apurba Roy, Purbarun Dhar
A coupled electro-magneto-hydrodynamic (EMHD) framework, with thermal effects, for a viscoelastic electrolyte (of Phan–Thien–Tanner (PTT) fluid rheology) flowing through a compliant micro-confinement with linearly elastic walls is developed.
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Electromechanical responses in water-rich self-assembled amphiphile gels and hydrated ionogels: reassessing piezoelectric attributions

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3063-3080
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00047A, Paper

Open Access

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

Erica Pensini, Alejandro G. Marangoni
Piezoelectric-like signals in hydrated ionic gels are not uniquely diagnostic of intrinsic polarization. Electrochemical, electrokinetic, and viscoelastic mechanisms can produce similar responses, as clarified by model-guided experiments.
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Glass transition and subphase anchoring govern the emergence of viscoelasticity in polymer interfaces

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3025-3041
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00064A, Paper

Daniel Ashkenazi, Stelios Alexandris, Jan Vermant, Dimitris Vlassopoulos, Moshe Gottlieb
The rheological properties of polymer-laden water/air interfaces and the ability to measure them are strongly correlated with the polymer film morphology.
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Shape elasticity in colloidal bent-core liquid crystals

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3126-3134
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00016A, Paper

Nicholas W. Hackney, Joel T. Clemmer, Gary S. Grest
Curved particles have been shown to stabilize a range of states with unique order in dense suspensions of colloidal bent core liquid crystals. This article examines the effect of shape elasticity on the equilibrium phase behavior of curved rods.
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Rounded hard squares confined in a circle

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3119-3125
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00008H, Paper

Zhongtian Yuan, Yao Li
The system of hard squares confined within a circular boundary is examined, with particular emphasis on the resulting defect patterns.
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Strengthening biofilms with selective metal ions

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3109-3118
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01096A, Paper

Open Access

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

Kiera J. Croland, R. Kōnane Bay
The Uniaxial Tensile Tester for UltraThin films quantifies the stress–strain response of Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilms treated with metal cations.
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The remarkable electrorheological behavior of amino-modified metal–organic frameworks with enhanced interfacial polarization

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,3051-3062
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00009F, Paper

Shuang Li, Liyue Wang, Chuanling Zhang, Ziqi Shan, Huanhuan Pang, Lili Ma, Baoxiang Wang, Chuncheng Hao
NH₂-modified MIL-125 nanoparticles were synthesized using a solvothermal method, which enables stronger electrorheological behavior under an external electric field.
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Liquid–liquid phase separation and self-assembly of hexanoic acid and ethyl hexanoate in ethanol–water systems: a model for aged colloidal Baijiu

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2958-2966
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00143B, Paper

Chaoyu Zhao, Xinyue Jiang, Yuqun Xie
Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) in the pre-Ouzo region governs the early-stage aggregation of amphiphiles, dictating the non-equilibrium evolution of soft materials.
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Adhesive tape loops

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2995-3006
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00111D, Paper

Krishnan Suryanarayanan, Andrew B. Croll, Harmeet Singh
This work presents a theoretical and experimental study of adhesive tape loops made from strips of polydimethylsiloxane. The theory successfully computes shapes of such loops and predicts the minimum overlap required to hold them in equilibrium.
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Rheological properties and shear-induced structures of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2967-2980
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01207D, Paper

Open Access

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Ashish Chandra Das, Sathyanarayana Paladugu, Oleg D. Lavrentovich
Ferroelectric nematics DIO, RM734, and FNLC919 under shear exhibit three regimes as shear rate increases: flow alignment at low rates, polydomains at intermediate rates and log-rolling with polarization along the vorticity axis at high rates.
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Plug flow down to nanoscale can induce partial solidification of confined fluids

Soft Matter, 2026, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00300A, Paper

Open Access

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

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 nanoflow. We find that the simultaneous use of plugging and nano-confinement suppresses the ability...
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Reconstitution of metabolic reactions within self-assembled, multi-compartment protein vesicles

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00163G, Paper

Open Access

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

Jooyong Shin, Webley Woods, Yeongseon Jang
Recombinant fusion proteins (ODH–Z_E) self-assemble into enzymatic protein vesicles. Encapsulated in larger vesicles, they act as artificial organelles, revealing how compartmentalization regulates metabolic reactions.
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Coupling of lipid phase behavior and protein oligomerization in a lattice model of raft membranes

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00026F, Paper

Subhadip Basu, Oded Farago
Membrane proteins often form dimers and higher-order oligomers in lipid membrane with their organization governed by both protein–protein and protein–lipid interactions.
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Dynamics of particles suspended in field-enhanced microscale flows

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
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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Dynamic water film assisted laser micromachining of micro-array structured surfaces for inducing hydrophobicity: analysis model and experimental study

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00212A, Paper

Jinda Yang, Zhongxu Lian, Haonan Jin, Jiaqi Wang, Jinkai Xu, Yanling Tian
Preparation of low-damage superhydrophobic surfaces by dynamic water film assisted laser micromachining.
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Liquid–liquid phase separation as a structuring tool for designing anisotropic food systems

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2780-2792
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01134E, Review Article

Open Access

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Ashkan Madadlou
Anisotropic structures formed by flow-induced deformation and arrest in aqueous two-phase system (ATPS). Increasing deformation orients the dispersed phase. Once the structure is arrested, this anisotropy is locked in and transferred to the final product.
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A study on dopamine-assisted grafting of epoxidized elastomers for enhanced interfacial interaction in silica/ESBR composites

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2870-2879
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01169H, Paper

Haiming Chen, Huijin Li, Zongfeng Wang, Wen Zhao, Lan Cao, Weimin Yang, Guangyi Lin
In the tire industry, silica has gradually replaced carbon black as a filler.
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Thermotropic liquid crystal droplets stabilized by nanoparticles for the optical detection of phospholipid membranes: impact of membrane composition on LC ordering transitions

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2833-2842
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01253H, Paper

Maria K. Oñate-Socarras, Oscar H. Piñeres-Quiñones, Lawrence M. Chen, Sean P. Palecek, David M. Lynn, Claribel Acevedo-Vélez
This work provides fundamental insight into nanoparticle-stabilized thermotropic liquid crystal droplets that combine colloidal stability with composition-dependent optical responses to interactions with phospholipid membranes at aqueous interfaces.
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Hyperuniformity in ternary fluid mixtures: the role of wetting and hydrodynamics

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2925-2937
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00012F, Paper

Nadia Bihari Padhan, Axel Voigt
Ternary fluid mixtures exhibit diverse phase separation morphologies similar to patterns in biomolecular condensates. We show these structures are hyperuniform, displaying anomalously suppressed large-scale density fluctuations.
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Modeling tumor transport and growth with poroelastic biopolymer networks

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2907-2924
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00060F, Paper

Open Access

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

Zecheng Li, Yifei Ren, Sharvari Kemkar, Paul Mollenkopf, Jakub Kochanowski, Paul A. Janmey, Prashant K. Purohit, Ravi Radhakrishnan, Kyle H. Vining
Poroelastic fluid outflow dominates stress relaxation in biopolymer networks. A balance between compression-driven advection and diffusion regulates the availability of growth factors and subsequent tumor proliferation in computational simulations.
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Symmetry breaking of interacting charge-regulated planar macroions at low salt concentration

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2880-2892
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00194G, Paper

Open Access

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Ahmad M. N. Itani, Guilherme Volpe Bossa, Faruk Hossain, Sylvio May
The charge of macroions such as colloids and membranes can often be regulated by reversible ion adsorption or dissociation reactions.
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Mikto-grafted molecular brushes at liquid crystal-aqueous interfaces

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2843-2855
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00097E, Paper

Chiraz Toujani, Ivana Herrera, Abelardo Ramírez-Hernández
Architecture-dependent surfactant behavior at liquid crystal-aqueous interfaces: bottlebrush architecture tunes interfacial tension and droplet shape while preserving nematic order.
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Coupling of colloidal rods to the dynamic order of active nematic films

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2823-2832
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01073J, Paper

Open Access

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David P. Rivas, Louise C. Head, Jean-François Berret, Tyler N. Shendruk, Daniel H. Reich, Robert L. Leheny
The tracking of micrometer-scale rods in proximity to active nematic films provides a new perspective for characterizing spatio-temporal correlations in the nematic order and for measuring hydrodynamic forces generated by the films.
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Shape, confinement and inertia effects on the dynamics of a driven spheroid in a viscous fluid

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2856-2869
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00038J, Paper

Open Access

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

Aditya Bhowmik, Kevin Stratford, Oliver Henrich, Sumesh P. Thampi
Force-driven spheroids in confinement reveal rich and intricate dynamics determined by particle aspect ratio, strength of confinement, and fluid inertia.
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Excitability induced binary interactions in self-propelled Belousov–Zhabotinsky droplets

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2938-2947
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01187F, Paper

Vivek Bharat Meshram, T. K. Shajahan
The Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction is example of a nonlinear chemical oscillator, where the reagents undergo successive oxidation and reduction over time. This work presents the binary interaction between BZ droplets as a function of its excitability.
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Activated solids: spontaneous deformations, non-affine fluctuations, softening, and failure

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2893-2906
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00142D, Paper

Parswa Nath, Debankur Das, Surajit Sengupta, Debasish Chaudhuri
Internal activity can fundamentally reshape the mechanical behavior of solids, yet its role in softening and failure remains incompletely understood.
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Droplet breakup against an isolated obstacle

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2809-2822
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01266J, Paper

Open Access

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

David J. Meer, Shivnag Sista, Mark D. Shattuck, Corey S. O’Hern, Eric R. Weeks
Quasi-2D droplets pushed by fluid have predictable breakup behavior against cylindrical obstacles.
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Association and dissociation of Na+ between bulk, cluster and micelle sites in aqueous sodium decanoate solutions elucidated by 23Na NMR relaxation experiments and quadrupolar relaxation modelling

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2800-2808
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01198A, Paper

Open Access

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Pär Håkansson, Pau Mayorga Delgado, Anne Selent, Ritu Ghanghas, Ilari Ainasoja, Sanna Komulainen, Jiří Mareš, Perttu Lantto, Nønne L. Prisle, Ville-Veikko Telkki
This study uses ²³Na NMR and quadrupolar relaxation modelling to quantify Na⁺ partitioning between bulk water, aggregates, and micelles in decanoate solutions, revealing weak binding below the CMC and stronger association at higher concentration.
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Delamination and out-of-plane deformation in drying colloidal suspensions

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01099C, Paper

Open Access

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Paul Lilin, Wim M. van Rees, Mario Ibrahim, Irmgard Bischofberger
Why do drying drops bloom like flowers? We show that this 3D deformation is a buckling process driven by radial pressure gradients induced by water flow through the deposit. The deposit thickness governs the final curvature.
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Tunable thin elasto-drops

Soft Matter, 2026, 22,2793-2799
DOI: 10.1039/D5SM01192B, Paper

Open Access

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A. Eddi, S. Perrard, J. Zhang
Ultra-thin elastic capsules behave as droplets with tunable surface tension. Hydro-elastic waves reveal membrane tension, establishing “elasto-drops” as a model system for tension-dominated soft interfaces.
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Entropic depletion of macromolecular solutes induces symmetry-breaking surface wrinkling in myelin figures

Soft Matter, 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6SM00044D, Paper

Archan P. Vyas, Pallavi D. Sambre, Leren Wang, Prianka Deshmukh, Atul N. Parikh
A coupling of osmotic dehydration, macromolecular crowding, and depletion interactions stabilizes a Helfrich-Hurault-like instability producing extended wrinkling in soft multilamellar lipid tubules immersed in polymer-containing aqueous baths.
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