Soft matter refers to a class of materials that can be easily deformed,either by small forces or by thermal energy.These materials generally have both solid-like and liquid-like behaviors.They are typically characterized by some elastic coefficient whose value is many orders of magnitude less than most solids.The unit of an elastic constant is pressure or energy density.The energies that characterize materials can vary by a few orders of magnitude,from thermal energies to several electron volts,the latter of which characterize a strong covalent bond.However,the elastic coefficients of soft materials can be as much as ten orders of magnitude less than those of solids.This range must reflect a change in the length scale or the density term.Thus,the fundamental physics of soft matter always occurs at larger length scales,and it is the study of these larger length scales that gives the field its great fascination.
展开▼