Advances in the field of supramolecular chemistry have made it possible, in many situations,
to reliably engineer soft materials to address a specific technological problem. Particularly …

Conspectus The formation of well-defined and functional three-dimensional (3D) structures
by buckling of thin sheets subjected to spatially nonuniform stresses is common in biological …

Materials with switchable mechanical properties are widespread in living organisms and
endow many species with traits that are essential for their survival. Many of the mechanically …

Shape-shifting of flat materials into the desired 3D configuration is an alternative design
route for fabrication of complex 3D shapes, which provides many benefits such as access to …

Polymer hydrogels exhibit actuation properties that result in reversible shape
transformations and have promising applications in soft robotics, drug delivery systems …

Self-assembly is a ubiquitous process in synthetic and biological systems, broadly defined
as the spontaneous organization of multiple subunits (macromolecules, particles, etc.) into …

This article analyzes modulated phases in liquid crystals, from the long-established
cholesteric and blue phases to the recently discovered twist-bend, splay-bend, and splay …

Plants exhibit a variety of reversible motions, from the slow opening of pine cones to the
impulsive closing of Venus flytrap leaves. These motions are achieved without muscles and …

This perspective will overview an emerging paradigm for self-organized soft materials,
geometrically frustrated assemblies, where interactions between self-assembling elements …

Helical nanofibres play key roles in many biological processes. Entanglements between
helices can aid gelation by producing thick, interconnected fibres, but the details of this …