Structure and Dynamics of Soft Condensed Matter

液晶、凝胶和脂质膜都是软凝聚态物质的例子，这些材料的特点是分子间相互作用弱，机械柔软，对热波动敏感。这些材料中的许多要么是二维的，准二维的，要么是分形的；由颗粒、聚合物或脂质分子等较小组分的自组装形成；并表现出丰富的行为范围，包括相变，模式形成和非线性材料特性。它们也有很大的实用价值——隐形眼镜是由聚合凝胶制成的，液晶是许多显示屏的基础——它们可以用作更复杂生物系统的模型。这个领域有潜力产生有趣的物理和新颖的应用。

Liquid crystals, gels and lipid membranes are all examples of soft condensed matter, materials that are characterized by weak intermolecular interactions, mechanical softness, and a susceptibility to thermal fluctuations. Many of these materials are either two-dimensional, quasi-two dimensional, or fractal; are formed by self-assembly of smaller components such as particles, polymers or lipid molecules; and exhibit a rich range of behaviour including phase transitions, pattern formation, and non-linear material properties. They are also of great practical interest - contact lenses are made of polymeric gels, and liquid crystals form the basis for many display screens - and they can be used as models of more complicated biological systems. This field has the potential to produce both interesting physics and novel applications.