Engineered Response in Soft Matter

Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions are the basis for a multitude of natural and synthetic materials that impact our daily lives. An aspect of many applications of complex mixtures of these materials is their response to a wide range of stimuli. Examples include a mechanical response to move a soft robot, mimicry of bacteria by inorganic particles, and even a voltage response in a flow battery. New technologies blur the lines between engineering and biology and point to convergent solutions to major global challenges in the fields of manufacturing, energy, and medicine. The fundamentals of small-scale structures and the large-scale application of materials and solutions, united by an engineered response, will be the theme of the 2020 Gordon Research conference on Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions.