Konstantinos Garyfallogiannis, Prashant K Purohit, John L Bassani   The rupture of hydrogels and swellable elastomers involves large deformations, and there exists a large literature devoted to their experimental characterization including methods for measuring and enhancing fracture toughness. Analytical investigations of the fracture of hydrogels have recognized the importance of large deformations and the contributions of liquid flow, but…

Doug Durian, co-founder and Assistant Director of the Center for Soft and Living Matter, is one of ten Penn faculty elected as a fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS is one of the largest generalized scientific societies in the world and recognizes significant contributors every year. Prof. Durian…

(Marija Drndić) Nature Reviews Physics : https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-021-00363-w   Nanopores are small holes in structures that can be used to electrically probe matter at nanometre scales and for single-particle analysis. Organic nanopores exist in nature, but it was not clear how to create similar pores on robust solid-state platforms. Twenty years ago, a single solid-state nanopore…

Danielle Bassett, a member of the center and Professor of Bioengineering with a dual appointment in Physics and Astronomy, was just named an American Physical Society (APS) Fellow! The APS is a large professional organization dedicated to the research and application of physical phenomena in a multitude of fields. APS fellows are recognized for their…

Marc Miskin, a member of the center and Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering, has been named a 2021 Packard Fellow for his group's work in microscale robotics. Packard Fellows are early career researchers who are recognized for both their contributions and potential for future research in their field. The Fellowship program is designed to…

Zahra Fakhraai, a member of the center and Professor in the Department of Chemistry, has been given the Rising Star Award by the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Women in Chemistry Committee (WCC). The WCC grants this award to outstanding members of the ACS who exhibit exceptional promise at what is typically a mid-career level. Recipients…

Marc Miskin, assistant professor of electrical and systems engineering and a member of the center, has recently been named to the MIT Technology Review's "35 under 35" Innovators. The MIT Technology Review is an independent media organization that focuses on scientific knowledge and accuracy in its content. Its 35 under 35 list is published with…

Robert Carpick, a member of the center and John Henry Towne Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, with a dual-appointment in Materials Science and Engineering, has received the 2021 AVS Nanotechnology Recognition Award. This award is designed for members of AVS that have advanced the science of nanotechnology fabrication and characterization on fundamental and…

In the article "Programming Matter to do a Computer's Job," author Sophia Chen talks about current research using physical circuits to perform tasks typical of computers. This research was a heavy feature of the 2021 APS March Meeting  Featured in this article is postdoctoral researcher Sam Dillavou and his research into electrical circuits that learn.…