Scope:
Soft materials such as gels, colloids, and polymer nanoparticles, which are controlled by intermolecular interactions, retain complex structures statically or dynamically and perform new functions. In particular, polymer gels are expected to be further developed for elucidation of the characteristic physical properties of 3D networks and their engineering applications. The use of hydrogel materials is wide-ranging, including food, medicine, and drug carriers, in addition to the chemical products field that is essential for daily life. The application of soft materials in the fields of biotechnology and biomedicine is also important because living tissue possessed by living organisms have a complex structure that retains a large amount of water. This symposium exchanges and discusses interdisciplinary opinions on the design and synthesis of gels and various soft materials, their structures, physical properties, and functions. Topics include, but are not limited to: polymers, nano- and microparticles, thin films, nanofibers, biopolymers, scaffolds for cell culture, and any other related systems.
