These research fields lie at the border between physical chemistry and biology where the large number of interactions give rise to cooperative phenomena and complex macroscopic behaviour (liquid crystals, surfactants, foams, colloids, confined DNA, viruses, membranes, living matter…).
This research axis gathers activities spanning the classical fields of “soft matter” (liquid crystals, surfactants, colloids, polymers, hybrid materials…) and biophysics (confined DNA, viruses, membranes, cells, living tissues…). Using experiments, theory, and numerical simulations, we study the self-assembly, self-organization, macroscopic physical properties and dynamics of these systems and we try to describe them with the same general physical concepts. Our research activity lies at the interface with chemistry and biology and makes intensive use of very large instruments such as synchrotron radiation facilities and neutron sources.
Scientific teams: