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Contents list for Soft Matter, issue 8, 2008
Front cover
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1541
DOI: 10.1039/b811208h
Inside front cover
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1542
DOI: 10.1039/b811209f
Contents
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1543
DOI: 10.1039/b811210j
Review Articles
Confinement effects on phase behavior of soft matter systems
Kurt Binder, Jürgen Horbach, Richard Vink and Andres De Virgiliis,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1555
DOI: 10.1039/b802207k
This review highlights phase transitions of various soft matter systems under confinement between parallel walls, with particular emphasis on the phase separation in colloid–polymer mixtures. The theoretical background of phenomena such as capillary condensation and interface localization transitions and evidence from simulations is described.
Food structure and functionality: a soft matter perspective
Job Ubbink, Adam Burbidge and Raffaele Mezzenga,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1569
DOI: 10.1039/b802183j
Recent advances in the understanding of the structure and functionality of foods are discussed in the context of soft condensed matter physics, with an emphasis on gels, micelles, liquid crystals, amorphous carbohydrates and biopolymer complexes.
The role of image charges in the interactions between colloidal particles
Marius M. Hatlo and Leo Lue,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1582
DOI: 10.1039/b803783c
Dielectric inhomogeneities effectively alter the manner in which charges interact with each other. This review discusses the influence of this effect on the properties of electrolyte solutions and immersed colloids.
Communications
Macroporous surface modified microparticles
Owen R. Davies, Maria Marlow and Snow Stolnik,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1597
DOI: 10.1039/b805421e
This article reports the development of a method to produce surface functionalized and macroporous particles in the micron size range and demonstrates their ability for surface loading of an active compound.
Orientation dependent Stokes drag in a colloidal liquid crystal
A. A. Verhoeff, J. van Rijssel, V. W. A. de Villeneuve and H. N. W. Lekkerkerker,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1602
DOI: 10.1039/b804236e
Simultaneous tracking of a tracer sphere and visualization of a colloidal nematic phase by a combination of fluorescence confocal microscopy and polarization microscopy in a single setup allows determination of the orientation dependent Stokes drag.
Micellization coupled with facilitation of J-aggregation for poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene)-based amphiphilic block copolymers
Jiaping Lin, Weiwei Ding, Kunlun Hong, Jimmy W. Mays, Zhongde Xu and Yizhong Yuan,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1605
DOI: 10.1039/b804838j
Polystyrene-b-sulfonated poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene) (PS-b-sPCHD) copolymers can form micelles in aqueous media. J-Aggregation of the chromophores in sPCHD corona blocks is significantly facilitated by the micellization, resulting in a remarkable change in the photophysical properties.
Nanoparticle-regulated phase behavior of ordered block copolymers
Michelle K. Gaines, Steven D. Smith, Jon Samseth, Michael R. Bockstaller, Russell B. Thompson, Kim Ø. Rasmussen and Richard J. Spontak,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1609
DOI: 10.1039/b805540h
While nanoparticles typically destabilize block copolymer nanostructures by lowering the order–disorder transition (ODT), we show that nanoparticle size/selectivity can be used to stabilize the nanostructure and increase the ODT temperature.
Dynamic interactions between drops—a critical assessment
Rogerio Manica, Evert Klaseboer and Derek Y. C. Chan,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1613
DOI: 10.1039/b806741d
Accurate measurements and modelling of time-dependent collision between liquid drops demonstrate the importance of film deformation and reveal significant quantitative differences with the Stefan–Reynolds flat film model of drop coalescence.
Controlling self-assembly within nanospace for peptide nanoparticle fabrication
Weiping Wang, Zhimou Yang, Siamrut Patanavanich, Bing Xu and Ying Chau,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1617
DOI: 10.1039/b801890a
Here, for the first time, we present a new approach to produce peptide nanoparticles, which involves controlling the self-assembly process with an enzymatic trigger and confining it within nanoscale reverse micelles.
Use of dopamine polymerisation to produce free-standing membranes from (PLL-HA)n exponentially growing multilayer films
Falk Bernsmann, Ludovic Richert, Bernard Senger, Philippe Lavalle, Jean-Claude Voegel, Pierre Schaaf and Vincent Ball,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1621
DOI: 10.1039/b806649c
Dopamine is able to undergo a polymerisation process in (PLL-HA)n polyelectrolyte multilayer films, which decreases the mobility of the PLL chains in the film, and ultimately allows the easy detachment of the film as a free-standing membrane.
Papers
Cryo-fracture TEM: direct imaging of viscous samples
Alfredo González-Pérez and Ulf Olsson,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1625
DOI: 10.1039/b803115k
The capabilities of the new protocol called cryo-fracture TEM were tested using C12E8–water and P84–water, and the phases imaged were lamellar (L
), hexagonal (H1) and cubic (I1).
Cross-linker flexibility in porous crystalline polymers synthesized from long side-chain monomers through emulsion templating
Shulamit Livshin and Michael S. Silverstein,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1630
DOI: 10.1039/b802173b
Emulsion-templated copolymerizations of an acrylate bearing a crystallizable side-chain (A18) with a relatively flexible cross-linking comonomer yield partially closed-cell porous structures with crystallinities and moduli that were significantly higher than those from emulsion-templated copolymerizations with a relatively rigid cross-linking comonomer.
Gel phase originating from molecular quasi-crystallization and nanofiber growth of sodium laurate–water system
Zaiwu Yuan, Weijie Lu, Weimin Liu and Jingcheng Hao,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1639
DOI: 10.1039/b804157a
SL micelle solutions could be transferred into a gel phase at very low concentrations by adding Na+ counter-ions.
Friction of a soft hydrogel on rough solid substrates
Taiki Tominaga, Takayuki Kurokawa, Hidemitsu Furukawa, Yoshihito Osada and Jian Ping Gong,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1645
DOI: 10.1039/b802568a
The sliding friction between a soft hydrogel and rough substrates in water decreased significantly above a critical velocity on a surface with a roughness larger than 1 
m.
Finite size and inner structure controlled by electrostatic screening in globular complexes of proteins and polyelectrolytes
Jérémie Gummel, François Boué, Daniel Clemens and Fabrice Cousin,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1653
DOI: 10.1039/b803773f
We show in this paper by SANS that globular complexes made of proteins and polyelectrolytes have a neutral core whatever the experimental conditions and that their finite size is tuned by the inverse of the Debye length 
.
Protegrin interaction with lipid monolayers: grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and X-ray reflectivity study
Frances Neville, Yuji Ishitsuka, Chris S. Hodges, Oleg Konovalov, Alan J. Waring, Robert Lehrer, Ka Yee C. Lee and David Gidalevitz,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1665
DOI: 10.1039/b718295c
X-Ray scattering investigations of antimicrobial peptide–lipid monolayer interactions show that there is complex system behavior, which depends on packing density as well as lipid composition.
Nonlinear mechanics of entangled F-actin solutions
Christine Semmrich, Ryan J. Larsen and Andreas R. Bausch,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1675
DOI: 10.1039/b800989a
Using a variety of different rheological approaches, we study the nonlinear shear response of purified entangled F-actin solutions. In dependence of various ambient and network parameters, a transition between stress hardening and weakening is reported.
Controllable biomolecule release from self-assembled organic nanotubes with asymmetric surfaces: pH and temperature dependence
Naohiro Kameta, Hiroyuki Minamikawa, Mitsutoshi Masuda, Go Mizuno and Toshimi Shimizu,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1681
DOI: 10.1039/b803742f
Protonation of internal amino groups, membrane fluidity, and hollowness with high-axial ratios allows self-assembled organic nanotubes to release anionic biomolecules such as an oligo DNA and protein, depending on the pH and temperature conditions.
Polyelectrolyte multilayers fabricated from 
charge-shifting
anionic polymers: a new approach to controlled film disruption and the release of cationic agents from surfaces
Xianghui Liu, Jingtao Zhang and David M. Lynn,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1688
DOI: 10.1039/b804953j
Anionic polymers designed to shift net charge from anionic to cationic can be used to fabricate ultrathin polyelectrolyte assemblies that erode in aqueous media and release incorporated agents from surfaces.
Shear banding and rheochaos in associative polymer networks
J. Sprakel, E. Spruijt, M. A. Cohen Stuart, N. A. M. Besseling, M. P. Lettinga and J. van der Gucht,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1696
DOI: 10.1039/b803085e
We present experimental evidence of an instability in the shear flow of transient networks formed by telechelic associative polymers. Velocimetry and rheometry show the formation and chaotic dynamics of shear bands.
Microstructure of fat bloom development in plain and filled chocolate confections
Dérick Rousseau and Paul Smith,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1706
DOI: 10.1039/b718066g
Fat bloom is the visible accumulation of cocoa butter fat crystals on chocolate, resulting in a greyish surface. This study highlights the importance of microstructure in elucidating how it is formed.
Chiral cones and vesicles from Gemini-type fatty acid–heteroditopic amine mixtures
B. Vijai Shankar and Archita Patnaik,
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1713
DOI: 10.1039/b802425a
Chiral cones and spherical vesicles from twin-chiral, twin-tailed Gemini-type fatty acid–heteroditopic amine mixtures in aqueous solution are reported. The chiral conical structures were formed through n-gonal disclinations of the chiral hexagonal membrane.
Back matter
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1718
DOI: 10.1039/b811211h
Back cover
Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1719
DOI: 10.1039/b811212f
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