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New controlled release systems produced by self-assembly of biopolymers and colloidal particles at fluid-fluid interfaces
The random packing of rigid objects has not only engrossed mathematicians since biblical times but is receiving attention for numerous applications and processes involving microgels, granular media, colloids, glasses, liquids, synthetic polymers and biomolecules. While dense random assemblies of single hard spheres have been extensively investigated both experimentally and theoretically over the past 50 years, it was only recently that analogous problems for chains of hard spheres have been addressed. We highlight the relevance of these recent advances, and describe the most salient characteristics of the "maximally random jammed'' state for hard sphere chains. Particular emphasis is placed on the scaling behavior of chain dimensions and topology with packing density. We also discuss the potentially far-reaching implications of an unexpected connection that has been found between entanglements (intermolecular constraints) and knots (of intramolecular origin) regarding their dependence on volume fraction. [hide]
Scientific Board
Andreas Bausch
TU Munich, Germany ►
Peter Fischer
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Anne-Marie Hermansson
SIK, Sweden ►
Martin Kroger
ETH Zurich, Germany/Switzerland ►
Erik van der Linden
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Niklas Loren
SIK, Sweden ►
Leonard Sagis
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Erich Windhab
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Klaas-Jan Zuidam
Unilever, The Netherlands ►
Scientific Stuff
Manuela Duxenneuner
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Sophia Fransson
SIK, Sweden ►
Nam-Phuong Humblet-Hua
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Joeska Husny
ETH Zurich, Australia/Switzerland ►
Orit Peleg
ETH Zurich, Israel/Switzerland ►
Cyrille Vezy
TU Munich, Germany ►
Varvara Mitropoulos
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Associated Scientists
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SY Tee, AR Bausch, PA Janmey,
The mechanical cell
CURRENT BIOLOGY 19 (2009) R745 ►Selected conferences (co-)organized by project members
8th World Congress on Computational Mechanics WCCM8 2008
30 June - 5 July 2007, Venice, Italy ►13 May 2025
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