Wetting, Adhesion and Drying

Wetting of several systems such as drops, particles, functional surfaces and giant vesicles are investigated in several aspects. The adhesion of functionalized GUVs on glass surfaces is used for instance to monitor changes in lipid area upon oxidation, or to cover and engulf grafted nucleic acid molecules.
Dynamics of colloidal particles partially engulfed by membranes of GUVs or partially immersed at planar fluid interfaces are also investigated in order to elucidate the role of wetting on particle diffusions and particle transfer across membranes and interfaces.
Finally, our group is also involved in modelling the drying of colloidal solutions, a complex situation involving diffusion of interacting particles and surfactants; evaporation induced flows, particle deformation and coalescence, and emerging elastic stresses in the deposited film.

• NANO- AND JANUS PARTICLES INTERACTING WITH MEMBRANES

• INFLUENCE OF COLLOIDAL ROTATIONAL DYNAMICS ON THE RATE OF SPECIFIC ADHESION

• SLIDING TETHERED LIGANDS