The Soft Matter Science Division of in the Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering aims has the ambition to play a world-leading role in the design, synthesis and characterization of novel soft materials with unique physical properties.

The scope for making “smart” self-assembling soft materials is huge, but at present we are only at the beginning of this exciting development. To make progress, we need to integrate novel synthesis concepts with advanced numerical modelling techniques. In addition, we should have the tools to characterize the structure and function of the materials thus mad. Soft materials are promising for some applications because their production tends to be less energy intensive, and therefore more sustainable, than that of their `hard’ counterparts. Moreover, soft matter science (both modelling and experiment) can contribute to the improvement of energy storage devices and even to the understanding of the early stages of haze formation.

Daan Frenkel

Chair of the Soft Matter Science Division