Theoretical Problems in Soft Matter and Biological Materials

技术概述：该奖项支持统计力学的研究和教育，以及软物质和生物材料问题的应用。凝聚态物质和材料科学中的一个突出问题是具有高度非线性或Foppl-von Karman数的皱曲表面的行为。PI的目标是开发一种无定形外壳变形和皱缩的理论，这种无定形外壳可以由例如浓缩到水滴上的基因工程蜘蛛丝蛋白创造出来。PI将考虑当这些由杨氏模数和弯曲刚度描述的壳在点力或渗透压力下变形时会发生什么。他希望证明热涨落导致与非线性Foppl-von Karman方程的经典预测有极大的偏差。此外，PI将探索将人造纳米颗粒组装在一起的DNA杂化的有限温度剪切变性途径，重点是序列异质性的影响。统计学方法也将被应用于了解温带噬菌体如噬菌体Lambda的异常基因组解压情况，希望预测新发现的病毒基因组中未知细菌宿主的特征。PI计划发展一种由两嵌段共聚物在具有空间变化的高斯曲率的表面上创建的有序结晶和近晶态的理论，目的是更好地了解曲面上软光刻的限制。非技术摘要：该奖项支持统计物理的理论研究和教育，以及它在生物和软材料启发下的问题的应用。PI旨在了解：无定形外壳是如何变形和崩溃的，从解压DNA分子的双链或以其他方式导致DNA分子或DNA纳米颗粒组装的结构变化中可以学到什么，以及限制在曲面上的晶体的物理以及它与普通晶体的不同之处。在研究过程中发展起来的理论方法可以对新材料的理解和创造产生强烈的影响，其中一些来自生物起源。强大的新实验方法带来了新的问题和挑战，特别是在软凝聚物质和生物系统中，这些问题和挑战可以通过理论和实验之间的协同来回答。了解胶体颗粒或蛋白质无定形外壳的机械性能对于创建强大的药物输送系统具有重要意义，其中胶体外壳起到了一种盔甲的作用。DNA-金纳米颗粒组装体在生物科学中具有检测应用。曲面上晶体的综合理论可以帮助指导新材料的构建。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This awards supports research and education in statistical mechanics and applications to problems in soft matter and biological materials. An outstanding problem in condensed matter and materials science is the behavior of crumpled surfaces at high nonlinearity, or Foppl-von Karman number. The PI aims to develop a theory of the deformations and crumpling of amorphous shells that can be created from, e.g., genetically engineered spider silk proteins condensed onto water droplets. The PI will consider what happens when these shells, described by a Young modulus and a bending rigidity, are deformed by a point force or by osmotic pressure. He hopes to demonstrate that thermal fluctuations lead to extremely large deviations from the classical predictions of the nonlinear Foppl-von Karman equations. In addition, the PI will explore the finite-temperature shear denaturation pathways of the DNA hybrids that hold together artificial nanoparticle assemblies, with an emphasis on the effects of sequence heterogeneity. Statistical methods will be applied as well to understand anomalous genome unzipping landscapes for temperate bacteriaphages such as phage lambda, with the hope of predicting features of unknown bacterial hosts of newly discovered viral genomes. The PI plans to develop a theory of ordered crystalline and smectic states created from diblock copolymers on surfaces with a spatially varying Gaussian curvature, with the aim of better understanding the limitations of soft lithography on curved surfaces.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This award supports theoretical research and education in statistical physics and its application to problems inspired by biology and soft materials. The PI aims to understand: how amorphous shells deform and crumble, what can be learned from "unzipping" the double strands of a DNA molecule or otherwise inducing a change in the structure of a DNA molecule or DNA nanoparticle assembly, and the physics of crystals confined to curved surfaces and how it differs from ordinary crystals. Theoretical methods developed in the course of research can have a strong impact on the understanding and creation of new materials, some of biological origin. Powerful new experimental methods have led to new questions and challenges particularly in soft condensed matter and in biological systems that can be answered by the synergy between theory and experiment. Understanding the mechanical properties of amorphous shells of colloidal particles or proteins has implications for creating robust drug delivery systems, where colloidal shells act as a kind of armor plating. DNA-Gold nanoparticle assemblies have detection applications for the biological sciences. A comprehensive theory of crystals on curved surfaces could help guide the construction of new materials.