Soft Matter Interfaces
Science Highlights
How Molecule Length Shapes Self-Assembling Materials
Monday, December 22, 2025
The length of liquid-crystal-like molecules can shape self-assembled structures without changing their core chemistry.
Scientists Tune Soft Material to Change Shape in Multiple Ways
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Scientists program liquid crystal elastomers with the ability to change shape in multiple directions using only temperature shifts.
Encoding Many Properties in One Material via 3D Printing
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Scientists learn how to print liquid crystal elastomers with predictable, controllable alignment and properties.
Soft Substrates Create Surprisingly Stable Glass
Friday, June 14, 2024
Researchers engineer a more rigid, dense glass thin film using vapor deposition on a soft, rubbery substrate.
Soft Support Can Make Unexpectedly Stable Glass
Friday, April 12, 2024
Researchers have discovered that using a more flexible substrate during vapor deposition results in rigid and denser glasses
Scientists Observe Composite Superstructure Growth from Nanocrystals in Real Time
Thursday, November 9, 2023
Scientists and engineers see, in real time, how two nanoparticles made of different materials combine into new composite materials.
Keeping Water-Treatment Membranes from Fouling Out
Friday, August 4, 2023
NSLS-II reveals chemical bonds within fouling layers of reverse osmosis water filtration membranes.
AI Discovers New Nanostructures
Friday, January 13, 2023
Researchers used artificial intelligence to discover three new nanostructures, including a first-of-its-kind nanoscale “ladder.”
Resonant X-ray Diffraction Reveals Backbone Tilt in Polymers
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
New method helps scientists to better understand conjugated polymers for applications in solar cells and electronics.
Ultrahard Chiton Teeth Discovery Offers Clues to Next-generation Advanced Materials
Thursday, March 17, 2022
The teeth of a mollusk can not only capture and chew food to nurture its body, but the marine choppers also hold insights into creating advanced, lower-cost and environmentally friendly materials
Through the Thin-film Glass, Researchers Spot a New Liquid Phase
Friday, August 13, 2021
A new study on thin films of glass shows how they can be fabricated to be denser and more stable, providing a framework for new applications and devices through better design.
Automatically Steering Experiments Toward Scientific Discovery
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Scientists have been developing an automated experimental setup of data collection, analysis, and decision making.
Berkeley Lab's CAMERA Leads International Effort on Autonomous Scientific Discoveries
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
The team’s autonomous method has been deployed at several x-ray and neutron scattering facilities.
Research Team Develops New Class of Soft Materials
Monday, May 24, 2021
A team of materials scientists at the University of Virginia School of Engineering has developed a soft material with promise of new treatments in the future.
Synthesis Method Expands Material Possibilities
Friday, April 23, 2021
Scientists are making inorganic and organic-inorganic materials with tunable properties for energy, microelectronics, and other applications.
New Way of Revealing Molecular Packing
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
This new x-ray technique supports improvements in solar energy.
Investigating 3D-Printed Structures in Real Time
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Scientists used ultrabright x-rays to watch the developing structure of a 3D-printed part evolve during the printing process
Understanding How to Tune Nanocrystal Architecture
Friday, January 31, 2020
New insights on tuning nanocrystals can improve applications such as filtration, wear resistance, and future quantum materials
Toward Collaborative Scientific Computing
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Brookhaven is provisioning a suite of software tools and enabling technologies to enable collaboration among geographically dispersed scientists.
Transforming Advanced Nanoscience Data into Interactive Art
Monday, July 29, 2019
A scientist, an artist, and a computer music professor combined 3-D printing, sound, and virtual reality to represent nanoscience data.
The Mantis Shrimp's Perfect Shield
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
The mantis shrimp’s perfect shield is inspiring a new class of lightweight, impact-resistant materials.
Illuminating Desalination Membranes
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Researchers revealed the molecular structure of membranes used to purify seawater into drinking water by using ultrabright x-rays
Addressing Beam Instability That Can Degrade Brightness
Friday, November 30, 2018
The energy spread increase, a specific electron beam instability, could prevent future synchrotron light sources from reaching their maximum potential.
Fundamental Order of Transitions Revealed in Micelles
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Complementary beamlines at NSLS-II provide high-resolution data for fundamental research
