Overview of SMPL researchSMPL Publications
Overview of our research:
- Macroscopic locomotion strategies and molecular regulation in bacteria
- Collective behavior and swarm intelligence in autonomous motile systems and living organisms
- Interactions between bacteria and biological fluids and their medical applications
Swimming behavior and collective motion
Motile bacteria, such as E. Coli, drive themselves to move by rotating one or more helical flagella, and show fascinating swimming patterns. Over billions years, the tiny machinery developed amazing locomotion strateges to survilve within complex fluids and versatile confinements. Moreover, they interact with their neighbors to form collective motion, which shows intriguing phenomena from the non-equilibrium physics point of view. In this section, related articles are listed to tell our understanding towards many interesting questions asked.
- Enhanced diffusion of stretching DNA chains in active baths (New Journal of Physics, 2025)
- Anisotropic Diffusion of Elongated Particles in Active Coherent Flows (Micromachines, 2024)
- Swimming Modes of Bacteria Escaping from a Soft Confined Space (Langmuir, 2024)
- Microswimmer as active colloids (Book Chapter: Active Colloids: From Fundamentals to Frontiers, 2024)
- Direct Observation of Nanotracer Transport in Swarming Bacteria during Antibiotic Adaptation (ACS nano, 2023)
- Swimming of buoyant bacteria in quiescent medium and shear flows (Langmuir, 2023)
- Bacterial turbulence in gradient confinement (Chinese Physics B, 2023)
- Escaping behavior of sperm on biomimetic oviductal surface (Anal. Chem., 2023)
- Cervix chip mimicking cervical microenvironment for quantifying sperm locomotion (Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2022)
- Activity-Induced Enhancement of Superdiffusive Transport in Bacterial Turbulence (Micromachines, 2022)
- Chirality-induced bacterial rheotaxis in bulk shear flows (Science Advances, 2020)
- Label-Free Visualization of Carbapenemase Activity in Living Bacteria (Angew. Chem., 2018)
Mechanobiology of cells
By learning the mechanism of force sensing of smart eukaryocyte cells, we are wondering how the bacteria, a kind of prokaryotic cell, sense normal and lateral stress particularly in dynamic flows. The bacterial flagella motor is able to response to the mechanical load from the flowing environments, which provide a nice window with our tracking system equipped with visualisation tools under microscope. In this section, we are on the way to investigate the force sensing and rheosensing of cells.
- Bacterial Swimming and Accumulation on Endothelial Cell Surfaces (The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2025)
- Dynamics of Endothelial Cells Migration in Nature-Mimicking Blood Vessels (Talanta, 2024)
- Personalized Vascularized Tumor Organoid-on-a-Chip for Tumor Metastasis and Therapeutic Targeting Assessment (Advanced Matterials, 2024)
- Personalized Vascularized Tumor Organoid-on-a-Chip for Tumor Metastasis and Therapeutic Targeting Assessment (Advanced Matterials, 2024)
- Revolutionizing Wound Healing: Ultrashort Pulse Electric Fields in Seconds for Highly Aligned Extracellular Matrix and Efficient Cell Migration (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023)
- Directional-to-Random Transition of Cell Cluster Migration(Chinese Physics B, 2023)
- Configurational dynamics of flexible filaments in bacterial active bath(New Journal of Physics, 2023)
Statistical physics and phase transition
Swimming bacteria, one of model system of active particle, inject energy into the system by transferring biochemical reaction into mechanical movement. Therefore this active matter system is driven far away from equilibrium state. With the understanding from the statistical physics in magnetic system, phase transition and dynamics for this active system are greatly interesting.
- Quad-cascade picture of electrokinetic turbulence (Physics of Fluids, 2025)
- Hidden chiral mode self-generated from intrinsic magnetic heterogeneity (Physical Review B, 2024)
- Pulse-driven depinning of magnetic gap modes in ferromagnetic films (Physical Review B, 2024)
- Unveiling Stable One-dimensional Magnetic Solitons in Magnetic Bilayers (Physical Review B, 2024)
- Discovery and regulation of chiral magnetic solitons: Exact solution from Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation (arXiv:2308.08331, 2023)
- Modelling Drying Pathways of an Evaporating Soft Matter Droplet (Communications in Theoretical Physics, 2022)
- Macroscopic self-evolution of dynamic hydrogels to create hollow interiors (Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2019)
- Onset of nonlinear electroosmotic flow under AC electric field (Anal. Chem., 2022)
- Pressure of Active System Under the Electric Double Layer Interaction (Acta Phys. Sin.(Chinese), 2019)
- Coupling motion of colloidal particles in quasi-two-dimensional confinement (New Journal of Physics, 2014)
- Confinement effects on the dynamics of polymers (APS March Meeting Abstracts, 2008)
Wetting Dynamics and Microfluidics
Wetting dynamics and surface tension are important in soft matter system, particularly at small scale, where surface tension of interface dominates. In the past years, we tried to understand the surface phenomena governed by surface tension and drying in drops and thin liquid films.
- Transpiration-induced self-growth of texture hydrogel surfaces(Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), 2024)
- Gradient Nanoconfinement Facilitates Binding of Transcriptional Factor NF-alppa B to Histone- and Protamine-DNA Complexes (Nano Letters, 2023)
- Ultra-low and dynamic flow field generator composed by microfluidic peristaltic(Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2023)
- Air-Bubble Induced Mixing: A Fluidic Mixer Chip(Micromachines, 2023)
- A Stand-Alone Microfluidic Chip for Long-Term Cell Culture(Micromachines, 2023)
- From Chips-in-Lab to Point-of-Care Live Cell Device: Development of a Microfluidic Device for On-Site Cell Culture and High-Throughput Drug Screening(ACS Biomaterials Science & Engin, 2023)
- A fluidic platform for mobility evaluation of zebrafish with gene deficiency(Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 2023)
- Glycerol Droplet Spreading on Growing Bacillus Subtilis Biofilms(Micromachines, 2023)
- Optically Fabricated Gradient Nanochannel Array to Access Translocation Dynamics of T4-phage DNA Through Nanoconfinement(Lab on a Chip, 2023)
- Local evaporation flux of deformed liquid drops(arXiv preprint arXiv:2108.07588, 2021)
- Drops sliding on non-SLIPS structures(Langmuir, 2021)
- Direct observation of nanoparticle multiple-ring pattern formation during droplet evaporation with dark-field microscopy(Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2021)
- Drying crack patterns of sessile drops with tuned contact line(Colloids and Surfaces A, 2021)
- Capillary assembly of colloidal particles on patterned surfaces(New Journal of Physics, 2020)
- Tunable Growth of ZnO Nanostructures on the Inner Wall of Capillary Tubes(The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2019)
- Controlling the Localization of Liquid Droplets in Polymer Matrices by Evaporative Lithography(Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2016)
- Evaporation-induced failure of hydrophobicity(Physical Review Fluids, 2016)
- Surface roughness induced cracks of the deposition film from drying colloidal suspension(The European Physical Journal E, 2016)
- Two-step wetting transition on ZnO nanorod arrays(Applied Surface Science, 2015)
- Tuning crack pattern by phase separation in the drying of binary colloid–polymer suspension(Physics Letters A, 2014)
- Formation of circular crack pattern in deposition self-assembled by drying nanoparticle suspension(The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2012)
- Possible origin of the crack pattern in deposition films formed from a drying colloidal suspension(Physical Review E, 2012)
- Drying of colloidal suspensions and polymer solutions near the contact line(Langmuir, 2010)
- Cellular pattern separation into nanodroplets(Soft Matter, 2010)
- Contact Angle of Glycerol Nanodroplets Under van der Waals Force(The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2009)
Hard condensed matter
Exploring material properties in condensed matter systems.
- AMF responsive DOX-loaded magnetic microspheres: transmembrane drug release mechanism and multimodality postsurgical treatment of breast cancer (Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2018)
- Ultrasonication-triggered ubiquitous assembly of magnetic Janus amphiphilic nanoparticles in cancer theranostic applications (Nano letters, 2016)
- Coating engineering of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles with superhigh T2 relaxivity and efficient cellular uptake for highly sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2014)
- Step-by-Step Fracture of Two-Layer Stacked Graphene Membranes (ACS Nano, 2014)
- Optical fiber with nanostructured cladding of TiO2 nanoparticles self-assembled onto a side polished fiber and its temperature sensing (Optics express, 2014)
- Graphene-Coated Atomic Force Microscope Tips for Reliable Nanoscale Electrical Characterization (Advanced Materials, 2013)
- Stretch-induced stiffness enhancement of graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (ACS Nano, 2013)
- Electrical and mechanical performance of graphene sheets exposed to oxidative environments (Nano Research, 2013)
- Tuning graphene morphology by substrate towards wrinkle-free devices: Experiment and simulation (Journal of Applied Physics, 2013)
- Strain dependent resistance in chemical vapor deposition grown graphene (Applied Physics Letters, 2011)
- Bending-induced conductance increase in individual semiconductor nanowires (Nano Research, 2011)
- Effect of surface morphology on the mechanical properties of ZnO nanowires (Applied Physics A, 2010)
- Study of the bending modulus of individual silicon nitride nanobelts via atomic (Applied Physics A, 2006)
- Surface effects on elastic properties of silver nanowires: contact atomic-force microscopy (Physical Review B, 2006)
- Electrical conductivity of a single C 60 nanotube (Applied Physics Letters, 2005)
(2025).
Quad-cascade picture of electrokinetic turbulence.
Physics of Fluids.
(2025).
Enhanced diffusion of stretching DNA chains in active baths.
New Journal of Physics.
(2025).
Bacterial Swimming and Accumulation on Endothelial Cell Surfaces.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B.
(2024).
Unveiling Stable One-dimensional Magnetic Solitons in Magnetic Bilayers.
Physical Review B.
(2024).
Unravelling the Dynamics of Collective Cellular Response to Spatially Varying Environmental Stimuli Using a Laminar Flow Microfluidic Chip.
Available at SSRN 4723935.
(2024).
Transpiration-induced self-growth of texture hydrogel surfaces.
Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English).
(2024).
Swimming Modes of Bacteria Escaping from a Soft Confined Space.
Langmuir.
(2024).
Swimming Microorganisms as Active Colloids.
Active Colloids: From Fundamentals to Frontiers.
(2024).
Pulse-driven depinning of magnetic gap modes in ferromagnetic films.
Physical Review B.
(2024).
Personalized Vascularized Tumor Organoid-on-a-Chip for Tumor Metastasis and Therapeutic Targeting Assessment.
Advanced Matterials.
(2024).
Hidden chiral mode self-generated from intrinsic magnetic heterogeneity.
Physical Review B.
(2024).
From Chips-in-Lab to Point-of-Care Live Cell Device: Development of a Microfluidic Device for On-Site Cell Culture and High-Throughput Drug Screening.
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.
(2024).
Anisotropic Diffusion of Elongated Particles in Active Coherent Flows.
Micromachines.
(2023).
Ultra-low and dynamic flow field generator composed by microfluidic peristaltic pump.
Advanced Intelligent Systems.
(2023).
Swimming of buoyant bacteria in quiescent medium and shear flows.
Langmuir.
(2023).
Revolutionizing Wound Healing: Ultrashort Pulse Electric Fields in Seconds for Highly Aligned Extracellular Matrix and Efficient Cell Migration.
Chemical Engineering Journal.
(2023).
Glycerol Droplet Spreading on Growing Bacillus Subtilis Biofilms.
Micromachines.
(2023).
Escaping behavior of sperm on biomimetic oviductal surface.
Anal. Chem..
(2023).
Directional-to-Random Transition of Cell Cluster Migration.
Chinese Physics B.
(2023).
Configurational dynamics of flexible filaments in bacterial active bath.
New Journal of Physics.
(2023).
Bacterial turbulence in gradient confinement.
Chinese Physics B.
(2023).
A Stand-Alone Microfluidic Chip for Long-Term Cell Culture.
Micromachines.
(2023).
A fluidic platform for mobility evaluation of zebrafish with gene deficiency.
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
(2022).
Onset of nonlinear electroosmotic flow under AC electric field.
Anal. Chem..
(2022).
Modelling Drying Pathways of an Evaporating Soft Matter Droplet.
Communications in Theoretical Physics.
(2022).
Cervix chip mimicking cervical microenvironment for quantifying sperm locomotion.
Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
(2022).
Activity-Induced Enhancement of Superdiffusive Transport in Bacterial Turbulence.
Micromachines.
(2021).
Local evaporation flux of deformed liquid drops.
arXiv preprint arXiv:2108.07588.
(2021).
Drying crack patterns of sessile drops with tuned contact line.
Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects..
(2021).
Drops sliding on non-SLIPS structures.
Langmuir.
(2020).
Chirality-induced bacterial rheotaxis in bulk shear flows.
Science Advances.
(2020).
Capillary assembly of colloidal particles on patterned surfaces.
New Journal of Physics.
(2020).
Air-Bubble Induced Mixing: A Fluidic Mixer Chip.
Micromachines.
(2019).
Tunable Growth of ZnO Nanostructures on the Inner Wall of Capillary Tubes.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.
(2019).
Pressure of Active System Under the Electric Double Layer Interaction.
Acta Phys. Sin..
(2019).
Macroscopic self-evolution of dynamic hydrogels to create hollow interiors.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
(2018).
Label-Free Visualization of Carbapenemase Activity in Living Bacteria.
Angew. Chem..
(2018).
AMF responsive DOX-loaded magnetic microspheres: transmembrane drug release mechanism and multimodality postsurgical treatment of breast cancer.
Journal of Materials Chemistry B.
(2016).
Surface roughness induced cracks of the deposition film from drying colloidal suspension.
The European Physical Journal E.
(2016).
Evaporation-induced failure of hydrophobicity.
Physical Review Fluids.
(2016).
Direct observation of nanoparticle multiple-ring pattern formation during droplet evaporation with dark-field microscopy.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
(2016).
Controlling the Localization of Liquid Droplets in Polymer Matrices by Evaporative Lithography.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
(2015).
Two-step wetting transition on ZnO nanorod arrays.
Applied Surface Science.
(2014).
Tuning crack pattern by phase separation in the drying of binary colloid--polymer suspension.
Physics Letters A.
(2014).
Step-by-Step Fracture of Two-Layer Stacked Graphene Membranes.
ACS nano.
(2014).
Coupling motion of colloidal particles in quasi-two-dimensional confinement.
New Journal of Physics.
(2014).
Coating engineering of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles with superhigh T2 relaxivity and efficient cellular uptake for highly sensitive magnetic resonance imaging.
Advanced Materials Interfaces.
(2013).
Tuning graphene morphology by substrate towards wrinkle-free devices: Experiment and simulation.
Journal of Applied Physics.
(2013).
Nanoscale morphology of graphene on different substrates.
Electron Devices (CDE), 2013 Spanish Conference on.
(2013).
Graphene-Coated Atomic Force Microscope Tips for Reliable Nanoscale Electrical Characterization.
Advanced Materials.
(2013).
Electrical and mechanical performance of graphene sheets exposed to oxidative environments.
Nano Research.
(2012).
Possible origin of the crack pattern in deposition films formed from a drying colloidal suspension.
Physical Review E.
(2012).
Formation of circular crack pattern in deposition self-assembled by drying nanoparticle suspension.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B.
(2011).
Strain dependent resistance in chemical vapor deposition grown graphene.
Applied Physics Letters.
(2010).
Effect of surface morphology on the mechanical properties of ZnO nanowires.
Applied Physics A.
(2010).
Cellular pattern separation into nanodroplets.
Soft Matter.
(2009).
Drying of colloıdal suspension.
(2009).
Contact Angle of Glycerol Nanodroplets Under van der Waals Force.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.
(2009).
Bending-induced conductance increase in individual semiconductor nanowires and nanobelts.
Nano Research.
(2008).
Confinement effects on the dynamics of polymers.
APS March Meeting Abstracts.
(2007).
Calibration of the spring constant of AFM cantilever.
Microscopy.
(2006).
Surface effects on elastic properties of silver nanowires: contact atomic-force microscopy.
Physical Review B.
(2006).
Study of the bending modulus of individual silicon nitride nanobelts via atomic force microscopy.
Applied Physics A.
(2005).
Electrical conductivity of a single C 60 nanotube.
Applied Physics Letters.