Drug delivery on target

17 November 2008

A peptide found in tumour cells can trigger the release of drugs from a novel nanocarrier, claim South Korean scientists

Polymers strut their stuff under the spotlight

11 November 2008

Chemists in Japan have created light-driven polymer films that walk like inchworms and move like robotic arms

Shine a light for separation

07 November 2008

UK scientists have used light to separate complex chemical mixtures

Sensors go with the flow

04 November 2008

Blind cave fish inspire scientists to develop a flow sensor

Dendrimers deliver the goods to tackle virus infection

03 November 2008

A dendrimer that delivers antibodies into cells has potential for infectious disease treatment, say US scientists

Soft Matter Physics Promotion - Articles free to download for the month of November!

31 October 2008

A selection of Soft Matter articles on physics topics have been made free for you to download for the whole of November.

Soft Matter Award 2009: Call for Nominations

24 October 2008

Number one journal Soft Matter is now accepting nominations for the first Soft Matter Award

RSC at the MRS

24 October 2008

Visit Booth 124 at the Fall MRS 2008 in Boston, USA to find out all the latest news from RSC Publishing

Top Ten Articles

22 October 2008

The new top ten most downloaded Soft Matter articles. Read the most-accessed papers of September 2008 here.

Tiling yields model tissue

01 October 2008

US scientists are mimicking tissue by fixing together tiles of cells

Like water off a duck's back

29 September 2008

Scientists have made a range of structures that mimic water-repellant surfaces found in nature

Cells take direction from virus

18 September 2008

Liquid crystalline scaffold imparts order on cell arrangement

Colloids light the way to printable electronics

15 September 2008

Cheap electronic devices can be printed using commercial printing presses thanks to light-emitting colloidal inks

New Soft Matter Advisory Board members

12 September 2008

The Soft Matter Advisory Board has twelve new members.

How water leaves lotus leaves

09 September 2008

The mystery of how superhydrophobic lotus leaves remain completely dry whilst floating on water has been solved by Chinese scientists

Hot article: droplet interface bilayers

05 September 2008

Hagan Bayley and colleagues at Oxford University review the development of droplet interface bilayers for the study of membrane proteins.

Food Science web theme issue

26 August 2008

New articles just added!

Rewriting the biochemistry textbooks

22 August 2008

Calculations validate alternative to a much-published enzyme mechanism

Faraday Discussion 144: Multiscale Modelling of Soft Matter

12 August 2008

Submit an abstract for your chance to present your work at the conference in July 2009 and be published in Faraday Discussions. Deadline - 19 September 2008

An open and shut case for palladium

01 August 2008

A synthetic pore that lets sodium cross membranes is 'a significant step towards tissue-mimetic materials,' say UK scientists

Soft Matter - double the frequency!

01 August 2008

Soft Matter will double its frequency to 24 issues per year, starting from 2009.

Artificial cells seek out disease

30 July 2008

Scientists in the US have made an artificial cell that can locate sites of disease within the body

Multifunctional polymers click together

08 July 2008

Side chains of copolymers can now be clicked into place thanks to a new method developed by Dutch researchers

Interview: Model membranes

02 July 2008

Patricia Bassereau tells Michael Brown about the importance of the membrane in cellular functions

Faraday Discussion 143: Soft Nanotechnology

15 June 2009

Submit an abstract for your chance to present your work at the meeting (June 2009, London, UK) and be published in Faraday Discussions. Deadline - 18 July 2008

Chemistry in the New World of Bioengineering and Synthetic Biology

25 June 2008

A new conference exploring the interfaces between the physical sciences and biology. Early bird registration deadline 18 July

Dunking doughnuts into cells

25 June 2008

Rubber-ring-shaped particles may soften the blow from cancer treatments

Soft Matter still top journal in the field

18 June 2008

With its best ever impact factor of 4.7, Soft Matter is still the number one journal in the field.

Chocolate's sweet secrets

09 June 2008

Studying microstructural changes in chocolate could help confectioners stop that shiny surface from turning an unappetising dull grey

Soft Matter Book of Choice

Take a look at our latest choice of book from RSC Books

Plastic coats wrap up gene delivery

25 April 2008

UK chemists have used smart polymers to deliver DNA into cells.

Instant insight: Swellable gels fix bad backs

16 April 2008

Brian Saunders and Tony Freemont discuss a new approach for treating back pain using injectable microgel implants

Instant insight: Crossing the cell membrane

16 April 2008

Shana Kelley reveals how cell-penetrating peptides deliver the goods when it comes to biology and medicine.

Driving water droplets uphill

02 April 2008

Lab-on-a-chip technology could soon simplify a host of applications, thanks to a new way to move droplets up vertical surfaces on flexible chips.

Unbalanced polymers offer route to ultrathin films

31 March 2008

Chinese scientists have demonstrated a different way to make multilayer thin films.

Growing cells in patterns

26 March 2008

Using a simple stamping method, American chemists are creating cell patterns on ordinary microscope coverslips.

Free access in April

14 March 2008

Online access to RSC journals provided for customers for the whole of April

Chemistry in the New World of Bioengineering and Synthetic Biology

28 February 2008

A new conference exploring the interfaces between the physical sciences and biology. Oral abstract deadline - 7 March 2008

New Soft Matter Editorial Board members

14 February 2008

The Soft Matter Editorial Board has four new members.

Peptide coupling for potential cancer targeting

07 February 2008

Putting peptide coats on virus shells could lead to targeted medical imaging in cancer diagnostics, according to US chemists.

Discriminating ligands select square DNA

05 February 2008

Why does DNA fold into squares? Pyridine ligands could help scientists trying to explain how these G-quadruplexes function.

Laser beam hits tiny target

30 January 2008

Chemists looking to analyse single cells have combined lab-on-a-chip techniques with lasers to burst the cells open.

Liquid lenses

21 January 2008

Liquid lenses that can fit in a microchip are now possible, say researchers in the US.

Get set

16 January 2008

Researchers from the US have discovered that soy bean oil could be used as a renewable feedstock for gels and resins.

Viral cargo delivery

14 January 2008

US chemists have used a virus capsule to package and release molecules, which could lead to targeted delivery of therapeutic compounds

Cell research goes acoustic

02 January 2008

Canadian scientists are creating waves to study cell behaviour on surfaces.

Capped carbon nanotubes as chemical couriers

21 December 2007

US scientists have reported a mild new method for trapping liquids and nanoparticles inside carbon nanotubes.

Instant insight: Think outside the cell

20 December 2007

Mark Wilson and Justin Yerbury at the University of Wollongong, Australia, examine proteins' extracellular activities.

Chip-based gene transfer

19 December 2007

A lab on a chip style approach is proving a highly efficient method for transferring DNA into stem cells.

PCR light switch

18 December 2007

US scientists take control of the polymerase chain reaction by switching it on and off with ultraviolet light.

Enzyme-powered delivery vehicles

14 December 2007

Dutch scientists have made nanotubes move using enzyme-powered motors

Extending the catenane chain

11 December 2007

Chemists in the US have taken the first step towards an entirely new, flexible form of polymer.

Protruding polymer offers release

10 December 2007

Researchers from the US have created smart nanocomposite films whose potential applications range from self cleaning sensors to fuel efficient transport.

Selectively-sticky-back plastic

07 December 2007

A simple and effective treatment can make plastics more biocompatible by altering their surface properties.

Shrinky Dink® microfluidics

05 December 2007

A children's toy has been turned into a microfluidic research tool in the hands of US engineers.

Drug release watched by NMR

29 November 2007

Controlled release of a beta-blocker from its silica host has been investigated by solid state NMR spectroscopy

RSC Biomaterials Chemistry Group 3rd Annual Meeting

16 November 2007

Register now for this meeting taking place on 15 January 2008. Registration deadline - 14 December

And...stretch

31 October 2007

Devices that release pain killing drugs in response to the amount of strain placed on them could soon be science fact thanks to researchers from France.

Sounding out food quality

19 October 2007

Ultrasonic spectroscopy could be used to evaluate the quality of so-called functional foods, say scientists in Canada.

Sensitivity problem solved

09 October 2007

Polymers that are normally used in optoelectronic devices could be modified for use in biosensors, say UK scientists.

Faraday Discussion 139: The Importance of Polymer Science for Biological Systems

03 October 2007

Registration now open for this international discussion meeting taking place in March 2008

Hot communication: Topological transformation of aggregates formed by an amphiphilic and truncated-cone-shaped codendrimer

19 September 2007

Wei Wang tells Soft Matter about his hot communication.

Hot article: Amplified fluorescence quenching in high ionic strength media

13 September 2007

John de Mello tells Soft Matter about his hot communication.

Read top Soft Matter articles for FREE

17 August 2007

Celebrate the success of 'Society Publishing' with Soft Matter.

Soft Matter Issue 9 available online now!

16 August 2007

Includes top original research and review material from Trevor Douglas, Christos Likos and Anna Balazs and more.

Hot communication: From sea-urchins to starfishes: controlling the adsorption of star-branched polyelectrolytes on charged walls

16 August 2007

Christos N. Likos tells Soft Matter about his hot communication.

Temperature responsive cell scaffolding

02 August 2007

A porous polymer scaffold for tissue engineering, which has tuneable cell adhesion, has been developed by Swedish and Belgian scientists.

Introducing Katie Gibb...

12 June 2007

Soft Matter's Commissioning Editor talks about her plans following the journal's first steps as an independent publication.