Name of Research Group:Soft Matter Physics Lab (SMPL)

Description of Research Group:Our research interests are the classical topics in the soft matter physics, including the wetting phenomena, the passive and active Brownian motion in confined space and the self-assembly away from equilibrium state.

Colloidal particles in the Hele-Shaw cell exhibit distinct dynamics due to the confinement. The interaction among the particles make the problem much complicated. The microscopic collision process between particles and the thinning fluid layer surrounded is intriguing in the confined 2D system. By using the thermal controlling, magnetic (electric) filed we play the games on the Brownian motion of the passive particles and active stochastic microswimmers.

Recently, we are employing the bacteria, E. Coli, to illustrate the hydrodynamic behavior in the microfluidic channels, and the run-tumble active random motion. We quantitatively measure the bacteria orientation responding to the surrounding fluid flow, especially when the mean velocity of the fluid is comparable with the swimming velocity of the bacteria. We are extremely attracted to the collective motion, active rheology of the bacteria in the limited slow Poisseuille flow in the microfluidic channels.

Meanwile, drying suspension on diverse substrates with varying conditions is another topic we are still working on. Wetting control by nanostructured semiconductor materials is dedicated to the drying pattern from the colloidal suspension. Pressure (high pressure/vacuum) and temperature (heating and frozen) are used to control the drying dynamics of drops with the complex fluid.

Team members Introduction:

课题：二维涡旋与活性斯格明子的调控

以细菌在二维空间中自发形成时空变化的瞬态涡旋为实验案例，建立主控方程理解涡旋的产生、湮灭过程，并从准粒子角度，即斯格明子，角度出发，探索与理解这类活性准粒子的拓扑特性与动力学过程。