Computational Soft Matter Research at the Helsinki University of Technology

This month we travel far North to the Helsinki University of Technology in Finland. The Computational Soft Matter Research group is led by Group Leader, Dr. Emppu Salonen. In 2006 Dr. Salonen was awarded a five year research fellow position at the Academy of Finland where he runs the group along with a team of other researchers. The group is primarily based on computational modeling of soft matter systems. At present, the focus of their work is in;

1. Understanding the molecular- scale interactions between engineered carbonbased nanomaterials and biological matter
2. Structural and dynamic properties of lipid membranes;
3. Development of novel methods for atomistic molecular simulations.

Fabrication of Unusual Asymmetric Colloids at an Oil−Water Interface

Bum Jun Park and Eric M. Furst, Langmuir, 2010, 26 (13), pp 10406–10410, DOI: 10.1021/la101030h

Researchers from the University of Delaware present a novel method for creating asymmetrical particles with unusual, flattened shapes from colloidal latex microspheres pinned at an oil−water
interface. The shape and degree of asymmetry are controlled by incubating particles for minutes to tens of minutes at an elevated temperature. Estimates of the surface energy and work account for the shape-change mechanism in which heated particles deform as they spread at the oil−water interface to minimize the contact between these immiscible phases. Visit Langmuir Publications to read more.

A Facile Method for Synthesizing Free-shaped and Tough Double Network Hydrogels

Tasuku Nakajima et al., Polym. Chem., 2010, 1, 693 - 697, DOI: 10.1039/c0py00031k

The creation of double network hydrogels (DN gels), which show extremely high mechanical strength, enable hydrogels to be applied both in medical and industrial fields. However, one obstacle for various applications is the lack of formability of DN gels, owing to the brittleness of the first network poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) gels. In order to overcome this problem, researchers synthesized free-shaped DN gels (called PVA-DN gels) by using a physically cross linked PVA gel as an internal mold. PVA-DN gels can form many complex shapes and their mechanical properties were comparable to those of conventional DN gels. This study may expand the application of tough hydrogels. Visit RSC Publishing to read more.

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