Research of the Cerbino Group

Dynamics of soft matter systems

Soft matter systems, such as colloidal suspensions, foams, and gels, present a fascinating interplay between microscopic interactions and macroscopic properties. Their dynamics often span a wide range of time and length scales, which we study by integrating experimental techniques that provide complementary insights into both real-space and reciprocal-space phenomena. For instance, our research on colloidal suspensions focuses on understanding the collective dynamics that emerge in dense systems, where individual particle motions give rise to dynamic heterogeneities and glass-like behavior. By employing advanced optical tools such as Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM), we probe these dynamics with high temporal and spatial resolution, revealing the fundamental mechanisms that drive transitions from fluid-like to arrested states. In foams, we investigate the coarsening process, where bubbles grow at the expense of smaller ones, driven by the interplay of surface tension and gas diffusion. Our studies have uncovered multiple dynamic regimes during foam coarsening, also demonstrating how viscoelasticity in the continuous phase can dramatically alter the coarsening kinetics and relaxation dynamics. For gels and network-forming systems, we explore the balance between elasticity and fluidity, focusing on how microscopic interactions translate into macroscopic mechanical responses. These investigations are closely linked to our rheomicroscopy efforts, which allow us to correlate structural rearrangements with bulk rheological properties during deformation and flow.

Jae Hyung Cho, Roberto Cerbino, Irmgard Bischofberger (2020). Emergence of Multiscale Dynamics in Colloidal Gels. Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 088005.

Raffaele Pastore, Fabio Giavazzi, Francesco Greco, Roberto Cerbino (2022). Multiscale heterogeneous dynamics in two-dimensional glassy colloids. J. Chem. Phys. 156, 1.

Md. Arif Kamal, Matteo Brizioli, Thomas Zinn, Theyencheri Narayanan, Roberto Cerbino, Fabio Giavazzi, Antara Pal (2024). Dynamics of anisotropic colloidal systems: What to choose, DLS, DDM or XPCS?. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 660, 314-320.

Paolo Edera, Matteo Brizioli, Mahnoush Madani, E. N'gouamba, Philippe Coussot, Veronique Trappe, George Petekidis, Fabio Giavazzi, Roberto Cerbino (2024). Yielding under the microscope: a multi-scale perspective on brittle and ductile behaviors in oscillatory shear. arXiv preprint arXiv: 2402.00221.

Chiara Guidolin, Emmanuelle Rio, Roberto Cerbino, Fabio Giavazzi, Anniina Salonen (2024). Matrix Viscoelasticity Decouples Bubble Growth and Mobility in Coarsening Foams. Phys Rev Lett 133, 8, 088202.

Biophysical studies of living matter

Living matter operates at the frontier of soft matter physics, presenting an intriguing interplay of mechanical, dynamical, and biological complexity. The SoMeX Lab is interested in the physical principles that govern the behavior of living systems, ranging from cellular assemblies to tissues and microbial communities. By using high-resolution microscopy and quantitative image analysis, our research spans a variety of scales and systems, with the overarching goal of revealing the universal mechanisms that drive complex biological processes. A major focus of the lab is on collective migration and tissue dynamics, where we investigate how groups of cells move and interact to accomplish biological functions. By studying processes such as wound healing, or jamming and unjamming transitions, we aim to understand how physical forces and mechanical properties regulate critical phenomena like morphogenesis, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. In addition to eukaryotic systems, we are also interested in collective bacterial motility, where dense bacterial populations exhibit coordinated movement, such as swarming, clustering, and dynamic pattern formation, which are shaped by a combination of hydrodynamic interactions, chemical signaling, and mechanical forces. These studies not only provide insights into the physics of active matter but also have implications for understanding biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance.

Stefano Villa, Andrea Palamidessi, Emanuela Frittoli, Giorgio Scita, Roberto Cerbino, Fabio Giavazzi (2022). Non-invasive measurement of nuclear relative stiffness from quantitative analysis of microscopy data. Eur. Phys. J. E 45, 50.

Emanuela Frittoli, et al. (2023). Tissue fluidification promotes a cGAS–STING cytosolic DNA response in invasive breast cancer. Nat. Mater. 22, 644-655.

Jesus Manuel Antúnez Domínguez, Laura Pérez García, Natsuko Rivera-Yoshida, Jasmin Di Franco, David Steiner, Alejandro v. Arzola, Mariana Benítez, Charlotte Hamngren Blomqvist, Roberto Cerbino, Caroline Beck Adiels, Giovanni Volpe (2024). Tutorial for the growth and development of Myxococcus xanthus as a Model System at the Intersection of Biology and Physics. arXiv preprint arXiv: 2407.18714.

Jasmin Kaivola et al (2024). Restoring mechanophenotype reverts malignant properties of ECM-enriched vocal fold cancer, bioRxiv preprint bioRxiv: 2024.08.22.609159

Non-equilibrium fluctuations and microgravity experiments

Non-equilibrium processes are ubiquitous in soft matter physics. Systems out of equilibrium exhibit rich and often counterintuitive structural and dynamical properties that challenge our fundamental understanding. At the SoMeX Lab, we explore a wide range of non-equilibrium phenomena, including diffusion, thermodiffusion, sedimentation, and instabilities that arise in multi-component systems. These studies aim to rationalize the universal principles governing systems far from equilibrium, where the interplay of macroscopic gradients, mesoscopic fluctuations, and microscopic transport gives rise to emergent behaviors. One of the distinctive approaches of our lab involves conducting experiments under microgravity conditions, such as those enabled by space missions, to study non-equilibrium processes without the hassle of gravity. The next two experiments that will fly onboard the International Space Station are Giant fluctuations (2026) and Sedimenting Colloids (2027).

Alberto Vailati, et al. (2023). Diffusion in liquid mixtures. npj Microgravity 9, 1.

Alberto Vailati, et al. (2020). Giant Fluctuations Induced by Thermal Diffusion in Complex Liquids. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 32, 873-887.