Softness plays a key role in determining the macroscopic properties of colloidal systems,
from synthetic nanogels to biological macromolecules, from viruses to star polymers …

Due to their controlled size, sensitivity to external stimuli, and ease-of-use, microgel colloids
are unique building blocks for soft materials made by crosslinking polymers on the …

This article recapitulates the state of the art regarding simulations of ionization equilibria of
weak polyelectrolyte solutions and gels. We start out by reviewing the essential …

The development and understanding of antifreezing hydrogels are crucial both in principle
and practice for the design and delivery of new materials. The current antifreezing …

Microgels are complex macromolecules. These colloid-sized polymer networks possess
internal degrees of freedom and, depending on the polymer (s) they are made of, can …

Suspensions of soft and highly deformable microgels can be concentrated far more than
suspensions of hard colloids, leading to their unusual mechanical properties. Microgels can …

Solid–liquid interfaces play an important role for functional devices. Hence, a detailed
understanding of the interaction of soft matter objects with solid supports and of the often …

An important open problem in materials science is whether a direct connection exists
between single-particle elastic properties and macroscopic bulk behavior. Here, we address …

Thermoresponsive microgels are soft colloids that find widespread use as model systems for
soft matter physics. Their complex internal architecture, made of a disordered and …

Microgels, cross-linked polymers with submicrometer size, are ideal soft model systems.
While spherical microgels have been studied extensively, anisotropic microgels have hardly …