Complex Transport Phenomena at Soft Matter Interfaces

Soft matter, ranging from droplets to membranes, exhibits fascinating properties, behavior, and functionalities. In parallel, biological active materials, such as molecular motors and microorganisms, harness ambient energy for various functions, serving as inspirations for innovative biomimetic designs. These systems not only hold potential for technological advancements in areas like wearable electronics, energy generation/storage, and personalized therapeutics, but also play a key role in tackling global challenges like infectious diseases and environmental pollution. Many soft and active materials feature diverse fluid-fluid and fluid-solid interfaces that significantly, and often predominantly, influence their overall system properties. Hence, a deep understanding of interfacial behaviors is essential. This talk will highlight our team’s recent investigations into the intriguing transport phenomena at two prominent soft matter interfaces. The first study focuses on the liquid-air interfaces of sessile droplets. Utilizing advanced lattice Boltzmann and Brownian dynamics models, along with innovative electrospray experiments, we explore the surface flow of evaporating droplets and the interfacial assembly of colloidal particles under complex interactions. Our findings uncover the intricate interplay of surfactant-induced Marangonic flows and electrostatic interactions, which are crucial for controlling the interfacial dynamics and assembly structure of electrosprayed particles. The second part of the presentation will discuss molecular and colloidal transport within biological membranes. Through atomistic and coarse-grained particle simulations, we provide critical insights into the interaction dynamics of quorum-sensing molecules with bacterial membranes and the anomalous diffusion of nanotetrahedra within a lipid bilayer, which model anisotropic nanoplastics interacting with cell membranes. These results contribute to advancing the fundamental science of soft matter while shedding light on potential applications in manufacturing and biotechnology.

Xin Yong completed his BS in physics at Peking University in 2007, followed by a PhD in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2012. He then joined the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh as a postdoctoral associate for two years. He currently holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Binghamton University, where he is also an affiliated faculty member in the Materials Science and Engineering program. Dr. Yong’s research group, primarily funded by the NSF and NIH, specializes in employing multiscale approaches for simulating and modeling fluid dynamics and transport phenomena in soft and active matter, focusing on emergent interfacial behaviors within these systems. Particularly, his research interests include the electrospray of complex fluids, biomembrane mechanics, interactions between micro/nanoplastics and cells, and the hydrodynamics of microswimmers.