Andrea Scotti

Research Interests

The main subject of my research is experimental soft matter, with particular focus on the relationship between microscopic architecture of soft building blocks, e.g. microgels, and the macroscopic response of a soft material, both in three and two dimensions. Between the experimental tools I use there are scattering (neutron, X-ray and light), neutron reflectometry, bulk and interfacial rheology, computer simulations, interfacial techniques (Langmuir-Blodgett trough) and microscopy techniques (confocal, atomic force).

Ongoing research projects

From the flow of synthetic colloids to synthetic blood (Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, WAF2023)

Suspensions of proteins, viruses, blood, mayonnaise, paint, or body-cream show complex flow properties depending on the forces applied. Despite the physicochemical differences between all these compounds, and many others, some properties are very similar for all these soft materials. One question that has not yet found a clear answer, is what properties does a colloid require to produce the desired macroscopic response of the suspension? I will use a well-established model system, microgel suspensions, to isolate the different characteristics (e.g., softness, shape, size) and study their impact on the suspension flow properties. In this project we will gain a fundamental understanding of the ordering and self-assembly of soft matter under flow. We will then use these findings to develop synthetic colloids with flow properties comparable to bio-relevant compounds (e.g. red blood cells and platelets). These synthetic colloids will be used to realize a prototype of synthetic blood. I will combine standard measurements, performed with the state-of-the-art benchtop instruments available in Lund, with neutron reflectometry and small-angle neutron and x-ray scattering. The use of neutrons and contrast variation will allow us to directly probe the shape and characteristic length-scales of individual colloids under shear both in bulk and at the interface. This experimental and theoretical work will lead to an unprecedented characterization of the particle-to-particle structures of soft materials under flow both in bulk and at the interfaces, and finally, clarify the role of softness of the single building blocks on the macroscopic properties of a material. The knowledge developed will also allow a bottom-to-top rational design of bio-relevant colloids, by finely tailoring their softness to achieve the desired macroscopic properties

Flow properties of soft spheres probed by rheo-SANS (Lund University - Institute Laue-Langevin)

A fine control of the flow properties of soft material is pivotal for their application in many fields, e.g., vaccine and drug delivery, paints and smart-coating, yield-stress material for 3D printing and cell-growth or tissue engineering. Furthermore, there are many fundamental questions regarding the role of particle softness on the ordering, phase separation, depletion interaction, and shear-banding of soft material under flow. During this project, we will use model systems for soft spheres to investigate the interplay between the macroscopic properties of the suspensions under flow and the compressibility of individual particles. We plan to combine rheological experiments with small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering measurements. The use of the 1,2-shear cells available on D22 at the ILL will allow us to collect fundamental information in the flow direction that is the most sensitive to deformations and bending of the samples. These data will be complemented by SANS with contrast variation and SAXS measurements using a conventional rheometer to have the full 3D characterization of the structure under flow.

Engineering Pickering emulsions toward sustainable microgels (Lund University, RWTH Aachen, Forschungszentrum Jülich, University of Calgary)

The use of green particle as interface stabiliser will improve the sustainability of chemical synthesis processes, for example, as they make use of surfactants superfluous and reduce energy costs (cold processing). However, the characterisation of the microstructural properties of interfaces during the application of external stimuli (e.g. temperature, magnetic or electric fields, reactions, pH, etc.) is still in its infancy, which limits the commercialisation of these advanced materials and processes. This is mainly due to the fact that interfaces are very sensitive and difficult to characterise. Here, we will combine numerical modelling and in-situ characterisation (such as confocal microscopy, neutron reflectometry, interfacial rheology) to achieve a better  understanding of green particles confined at interfaces which will improve the rational design of materials for interface-dominated processes.

Updated list of publications

• ORCID profile associated with researcher ID 0000‑0002‑8988‑330X
• Web of Science ResearcherID profile associated with ID H‑9795‑2018
• Google Scholar profile containing publications and citation data for Andrea Scotti