Exact schedule: 10:20-11:00
Colloids are nano- to micron-sized particles subject to Brownian fluctuations. They can be engineered in terms of shape, surface topography, and chemistry to achieve desired macroscopic functions. Depending on their interactions, colloids can assemble into viscoelastic gels. This talk will show how a modular synthetic framework can tune both central and tangential interaction potentials between colloids to form spanning networks and how these interactions govern the resulting macroscopic gel properties. Single-particle measurements using colloidal probe AFM demonstrate how colloid–colloid interactions translate into transient mechanical behavior, illustrating how soft materials can be designed from the bottom up. Building on these interaction-controlled colloidal systems, the framework is further extended to engineering functional particles for drug delivery.