Soft Matter

Soft matter refers to a class of materials that behave like liquids when force is applied but retain their shape when at rest. These materials are easily deformed by small stresses, temperature changes, or environmental conditions, making them common in both natural systems and everyday products like toothpaste and shampoo.
Key Points:
Field & Nature: Sub-field of condensed matter physics; easily deformed by small forces or thermal changes.
Composition & Examples: Includes colloids, polymers, gels, foams, liquid crystals, and biomaterials; common examples are toothpaste, shampoo, soap bubbles, curd, and living cells.
Structure: Characterized by mesoscopic structures (between microscopic and macroscopic scales).
Forces & Sensitivity: Held together by weak intermolecular forces, making properties highly sensitive to temperature, stress, time, and environment.
Applications & Importance: Widely used in food, medical, automotive, construction, electronics, and manufacturing; mesoscopic interactions determine overall material behavior.