Staff profiles

Soft Matter Physics

Research students:

• Dave Willmer
• Kyle Baldwin.

Areas of research include soft condensed matter or squidgy physics, and technology in teaching.

• Soft condensed matter: This field is loosely defined to include systems in which the many constituent particles are too large for quantum effects to be important, yet too small for gravity to dominate. In this sub-micron world, Brownian motion is the principle driving force. Colloidal suspensions, polymer solutions and surfactant phases are all prime examples. Within this field he is interested in non-equilibrium behaviour, such as drying, wetting and swelling. Optical manipulation (laser tweezers) is used to manipulate and take micro-rheological measurements on the samples, microscopy used to observe and quantify the dynamics and traditional rheology to measure bulk properties of the samples under study.
• Technology in teaching: Use of technology in teaching mathematical subjects and in developing interesting lecture demonstrations. Several outreach events for local school children had been performed.

Selected publications

• Robust spatially resolved pressure measurements using MRI with novel buoyant-advection free preparations of stable microbubbles in polysaccharide gels. Morris R H, Bencsik M, Nestle N, Galvosas P, Fairhurst D J, Vangala A, Perrie Y and McHale G, Jounral of Magnetic Resonance, 2008, 159-167, 193.
• Swelling and shrinking kinetics of a lamellar gel phase. Fairhurst D J, Baker M E, Shaw N and Egelhaaf S U, Applied Physics Letters, 2008, 174105, 92.
• Demixing of polydisperse fluids: experimental test of a universal relation. Fairhurst D J and Evans R M L, Colloid and Polymer Science, 2004, 282, 766-769.
• Colloid-polymer mixtures at triple coexistence: Kinetic maps from free energy landscapes. Poon W C K, Renth F, Evans R M L, Fairhurst D J, Cates M E and PuseyP N, Physical Review Letters, 1999, 83, 1239-1242.
• Universal law of fractionation for slightly polydisperse systems, Evans R M L, Fairhurst D J and Poon W C K, Physical Review Letters, 1998, 81, 1326-1329.

Current and recent research is being conducted with the collaboration, funding and/or support of:

• The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• The Nuffield Foundation
• The Royal Society
• Unilever Research.

University collaborations include Heinrich-Heine and Dusseldorf.

• Properties of Colloids with Simple and Complex Fluids, C Brown, D J Fairhurst and K Baldwin, NTU Vice-Chancellors Bursary (2009 to 2012), £63,060.
• Dynamics and Patterns in Soap Films, D J Fairhurst and C Beal, The Nuffield Foundation Science Bursary (2007), £1,360.
• Force measurements in Complex Fluids, D J Fairhurst, D Willmer and S Puntambekar, EPSRC Collaborative Award in Science and Engineering (CASE) for New Academics (CNA) (2006 to 2009), £85,000.
• Microscopic manipulations and force measurements in non-equilibrium complex fluids using optical tweezers, D J Fairhurst, The Nuffield Foundation (2005 to 2007), £5,000.
• Microscopic study of non-equilibrium complex fluids, D J Fairhurst, The Royal Society (2005 to 2006), £15,000.

• member of Institute of Physics
• member of Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining

Experimental soft matter physics, including dynamics of polymer solutions and dissolution of surfactants using microscopy, optical manipulation, micro- and macro-rheology.

Further information may be obtained from the University Graduate School.