Aalto University, Finland
Department of Applied Physics


Invited Talk

Towards life-inspired soft matter

Soft matter functionalities have extensively been developing by stimulus-responsiveness, shape-memories, and bio-inspirations for ever more complex responses. Beyond them, dynamic dissipative feedback-controlled properties would be among the new desired functions, however, involving great complexity. Herein, we describe soft matter approaches inspired by functions of living systems. According to Kandel [1], classical (Pavlovian) conditioning, habituation, and sensitization are among the simplest "learning" concepts in behaviour. We first show soft matter systems inspired by Pavlovian conditioning [2,3]. We further show concepts inspired by sensitization using magnetic stimulus [4]. Finally, we show dynamic light-driven systems to allow homeostasis and dissipative signal transduction [5]. Life-inspired soft materials can provide the next generation of out-of-equilibrium dissipative platforms for functions for embedded materials intelligence [6].

[1]. E. R. Kandel, In search of memory, W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 2006.
[2]. H. Zhang, H. Zeng, A. Priimagi, O. Ikkala, Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 3267.
[3]. H. Zeng, H. Zhang, O. Ikkala, A. Priimagi, Matter 2019, 2, 194.
[4]. X. Liu, H. Tan, C. Rigoni, T. Hartikainen, N. Asghar, S. van Dijken, J. V. I. Timonen, B. Peng, O. Ikkala, Sci Adv. 2022, 8, eadc9394.
[5]. H. Zhang, H. Zeng, A. Eklund, H. Guo, A. Priimagi, O. Ikkala, Nat. Nanotech., 2022, 17 1303.
[6]. C. Kaspar, B. J. Ravoo, W. G. van der Wiel, S. V. Wegner, W. H. P. Pernice, Nature 2021, 594, 345.