Soft Condensed Matter encompasses a rich variety of materials: polymers, gels, liquid crystals, colloids, surfactants, etc. Their dynamical properties are characteristically different from most of the Newtonian fluids as well as Hookean solids and many researchers call this field as the area of complex fluids. The complexity is manifested in having non-linear responses to a variety of external fields, say external shear, and this propensity to flow or deform under appropriate stress is a reason why complex fluids are also called soft matter or fragile matter. In fact, Fragile Objects, a collection of ideas, lectures and discourses by Pierre Gilles de Gennes is one of the best introductions to the area. de Gennes is not only the most celebrated scientist of the area, but also one of the best authors in the field, where his every text is marked by his deep insight and ability to describe complex phenomena using simple scaling concepts.
I plan this blogsite as an experimental journal of my own thoughts on various areas on soft matter. I will add a number of reviews also posted on amazon and collect useful references from all over the world wide web. I also hope to have a wide viewership, where people come read the stuff, and offer suggestions, insights, criticism and encouragement for this endevour:)
Vivek Sharma
May 07, 2005
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