Soft matter in motion: from actin to active emulsions

Using microscope as a discovery tool, we surveyed a range of soft material systems, including filamentous actin, liquid crystal droplet and block copolymer to study their dynamics under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions. By following the motion of filamentous actin under a fluorescence microscope, we directly observed a width-varying confinement tube in an entangled solution and its implication on the dynamics of polymers. We then considered the correlation between motions of different filamentous actin to study how the unique structure actin network led to such correlation. On the other hand, liquid crystal droplets under concentrated surfactant solution were observed to slowly solubilize into an aqueous phase. During this time, the oscillatory aggregation was tracked and we studied the mechanism of this self-oscillation. On a smaller scale, communication could be observed among individual droplets using polarized light microscopy. Lastly, we studied the photosensitivity of an azobenzene-funcationalized triblock copolymer with a customized microscope with blue and ultraviolet light illumination.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2016

Author dc:creator

• Tsang, Chi Hang Boyce

Contributors dc:contributor

• Granick, Steve
• Schweizer, Kenneth S.
• Gruebele, Martin
• Hubler, Albert

• Soft material
• microscopy
• image processing

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Boyce Tsang

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/92905

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/92905