Tag Archives: Soft matter

Analyzing the Sharkskin Instability

Posted on August 18, 2021 by rberkowitz

The stretching and recoiling of polymer chains leads to the characteristic ridge pattern as a soft material exits a narrow nozzle. Continue reading →

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Shape-Shifting Proteins Follow Diffusion Rules

Posted on March 23, 2021 by rberkowitz

How quickly a protein diffuses in a liquid depends directly on its radius, which changes as the protein’s conformation fluctuates. Continue reading →

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At-Home Experiment Exposes Gel Cracks

Posted on March 4, 2021 by rberkowitz

Kept out of the lab by COVID-19, an undergraduate student has performed experiments in his living room, revealing a mechanism for fracture elongation in soft materials. Continue reading →

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Active Particles Map to Passive Random Walks

Posted on November 13, 2020 by rberkowitz

Researchers make systems of self-propelled particles produce the same large-scale dynamics as passive-particle systems. Continue reading →

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Unjammed Emulsions Collapse to Liquids

Posted on May 27, 2020 by rberkowitz

An emulsion’s rigidity disappears when the droplets’ random thermal motion overcomes the confining pressure that binds them.  Continue reading →

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Some Granular Columns Weigh Too Much

Posted on March 27, 2020 by rberkowitz

Particles packed inside a cylinder can experience a downward force from the walls, resulting in an apparent weight increase.  Continue reading →

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Ants know the secret to avoiding traffic jams

Posted on October 1, 2018 by rberkowitz

In a confined environment, ants divide labor to optimize nest excavation. Continue reading →

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When the ants go marching in

Posted on September 4, 2018 by rberkowitz

Ants in a confined environment divide labor to optimize excavation. Continue reading →

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Size-sorted sand creates uncommon length scale in windblown formations

Posted on July 2, 2018 by rberkowitz

A combination of grain-size distribution and critical wind speed is responsible for megaripples. Continue reading →

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Friction remembers its past

Posted on June 27, 2018 by rberkowitz

Experiments show that frictional interfaces age and bounce back. Continue reading →

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