Colloids are heterogeneous physical systems in which one phase (dispersed phase) is finely distributed within another continuous phase, with characteristic particle or domain sizes typically in the range of ~1–1000 nm. They exhibit properties dominated by interfacial phenomena, Brownian motion, and long-range interactions rather than gravitational settling. Colloidal stability is governed by a balance of van der Waals, electrostatic, steric, and depletion forces, often described by DLVO and extended theories. These systems encompass sols, gels, emulsions, foams, and aerosols, and serve as model platforms for studying phase behavior, self-assembly, rheology, and non-equilibrium dynamics in soft condensed matter physics.
What physical processes govern the movement of microscopic structures capable of interacting with their environment? The answer lies in two mechanisms: self-propulsion, to escape unfavorable locations; and slow diffusion, ...
Soft Matter
Apr 15, 2026
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An international team of scientists, including researchers from Loughborough University, has developed a method to dramatically speed up the discovery and design of advanced materials. The study, published in Physical Review ...
General Physics
Apr 13, 2026
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At the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Jérémie Palacci's research group is venturing into metallurgy—albeit with a twist. Instead of traditional tools, the scientists use E. coli bacteria, often associated ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 11, 2026
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Inspired by the collective dynamics of bacteria like E. coli and Bacillus subtilis, researchers at the University of Twente asked a simple but fundamental question: what happens when artificial swimmers are made rod-shaped ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 10, 2026
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While traditional printer pigments fade and most structural color can't be printed, Kobe University material engineer Sugimoto Hiroshi has been working on nothing short of a revolution in the way color is produced.
Nanomaterials
Apr 6, 2026
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Glass appears to be a solid, but in theory it sometimes behaves more like an extremely slow liquid. Physicists in Utrecht now show that glass-like structures can also exist in equilibrium, which is something many theories ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 18, 2026
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Researchers at Utrecht University have quantitatively mapped the three-dimensional structure of photonic supraparticles for the first time. Supraparticles are microscopic spheres composed of thousands of smaller colloidal ...
Nanophysics
Mar 10, 2026
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Materials that encourage mineralization, mimicking the process in the human body, are becoming increasingly important in medicine and technology. This process, which occurs at the interface between inorganic materials and ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 10, 2026
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For the first time, researchers in France and Israel have observed how an emulsified liquid droplet can transform from a hexagon into a six-pointed star shape in response to rising temperature. Publishing their results in ...
Scientists have designed nanoagents that act like smart drug-delivery capsules—carrying an antibiotic deep into bacterial infection sites and releasing it only when activated by gentle ultrasound. Delivering antibiotics locally, ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 2, 2026
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