DNA linkers surfing on colloids: How surface-mobile DNA linkers affect colloidal self-assembly

This thesis revolves around exploiting the specificity of DNA interactions to guide the assembly of micro-colloids into higher order structures. The concept of DNA mediated interactions between micro-colloids is a field of study that has ramified from the field on DNA guided self-assembly of nano-colloids. Despite the great potential that the...

Out-of-equilibrium self-assembly approaches for new soft materials

Living creatures exists for an important part out of soft material, such as skin, organs and cells, that are out-of-equilibrium formed by the self-assembly of molecular building blocks. Natural materials are continuously active with dynamic processes occurring, such as growth, shrinkage and transport mechanisms under the consumption of energy....

Observation and modeling of biological colloids with neutron scattering techniques and Monte Carlo simulations

In this study non-invasive neutron scattering techniques are used on soft condensed matter, probing colloidal length scales. Neutrons penetrate deeply into matter and have a different interaction with hydrogen and deuterium, allowing for tunable contrast using light and heavy water as solvents. The mesoscopic structure of materials is determined...

Spin-Echo Small-Angle Neutron Scattering applied to colloidal systems

Computer simulations of colloidal suspensions - using an improved lattice-Boltzmann scheme