Issue 36, 2020
From the journal:

Soft Matter

Soft matter science and the COVID-19 pandemic

Wilson C. K. Poon, ORCID logo *a   Aidan T. Brown,a   Susana O. L. Direito,a   Daniel J. M. Hodgson, ORCID logo a   Lucas Le Nagard,a   Alex Lips,a   Cait E. MacPhee,a   Davide Marenduzzo, ORCID logo a   John R. Royer,a   Andreia F. Silva,a   Job H. J. Thijssen ORCID logo a  and  Simon Titmussa  

* Corresponding authors

a Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership (ECFP), SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
E-mail: w.poon@ed.ac.uk

Abstract

Much of the science underpinning the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic lies in the soft matter domain. Coronaviruses are composite particles with a core of nucleic acids complexed to proteins surrounded by a protein-studded lipid bilayer shell. A dominant route for transmission is via air-borne aerosols and droplets. Viral interaction with polymeric body fluids, particularly mucus, and cell membranes controls their infectivity, while their interaction with skin and artificial surfaces underpins cleaning and disinfection and the efficacy of masks and other personal protective equipment. The global response to COVID-19 has highlighted gaps in the soft matter knowledge base. We survey these gaps, especially as pertaining to the transmission of the disease, and suggest questions that can (and need to) be tackled, both in response to COVID-19 and to better prepare for future viral pandemics.

Graphical abstract: Soft matter science and the COVID-19 pandemic

About
Cited by
Related
Download options Please wait...

Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0SM01223H
Article type
Perspective
Submitted
03 Jul 2020
Accepted
28 Aug 2020
First published
02 Sep 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Soft Matter, 2020,16, 8310-8324

Permissions

Request permissions

Soft matter science and the COVID-19 pandemic

W. C. K. Poon, A. T. Brown, S. O. L. Direito, D. J. M. Hodgson, L. Le Nagard, A. Lips, C. E. MacPhee, D. Marenduzzo, J. R. Royer, A. F. Silva, J. H. J. Thijssen and S. Titmuss, Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 8310 DOI: 10.1039/D0SM01223H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements