Scattering from Soft Matter: Understanding Structure from the Molecular to the Macroscopic.

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• Annela Seddon, University of Bristol
• Wednesday 08 February 2023, 16:00-17:00
• Physics West, W117.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Yeshpal Singh.

Low molecular weight gels are formed by the self-assembly of small molecules into flexible fibres, which when subsequently undergo entanglement and cross-linking to form a gel. Functionalised dipeptide molecules are a popular initial building block to make these gels, as their gelation behaviour can be controlled by a pH trigger. However, predicting which molecules will be successful gelators is extremely challenging; however a first step to this is to have a precise and detailed understanding of the hierarchical structures of these materials in their solution stated, during gelation, and in their fully hydrated and gelled state. In this talk I will show how small angle x-ray and neutron scattering can be used to probe these structures and show how seemingly small changes in molecular functionality can lead to dramatic changes in structures. Furthermore, that through the information which can be gained by understanding the interactions between these objects in the semi-dilute regime, predictions about their bulk properties can be made. This leads to enhanced processability of these soft materials, for example to form macroscopic fibres which have potential applications as biomaterials.

This talk is part of the Physics and Astronomy Colloquia series.

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• Physics West, W117
• Bham Talks
• Physics and Astronomy Colloquia
• What's on in Physics?

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