Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Van der Waals Interactions

Van der Waals Interactions

Atoms and molecules interact with each other through intermolecular forces. These electrostatic forces arise from attractive or repulsive interactions between particles with permanent, partial, or temporary charges. The intermolecular forces between neutral atoms and molecules are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, and dispersion forces, collectively known as van der Waals forces.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Validation of <i>De Novo</i> Designs of Solid-Binding Peptides.

ACS central science·2026

Same author

Interplay of Noncovalent Interactions in Phase Separation Mediated by Tyrosine-Rich and Arginine-Rich Polypeptides.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Soft-interfaced liquid crystal microfluidics can probe the rigidity of lipid vesicles.

Communications materials·2026

Same author

Controlled propagation of soliton bullets in an engineered strain field.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Water droplet attraction and coalescence on liquid-crystal-infused textured and porous surfaces.

Soft matter·2026

Same author

Coupling programmable shape morphing and solvent-fueled propulsion in a soft bicontinuous composite.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

Taphonomic analysis at Liang Bua reveals the behavioral and technological capabilities of <i>Homo floresiensis</i>.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Targeting granule initiation and amyloplast structure to create giant starch granules in wheat.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

A meta-analysis of carbon losses and gains from tropical moist forest degradation and regeneration.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Ancient DNA reveals elite dynastic rule among Iron Age Eurasian Steppe nomads.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Targeting astrocytic Dp71 attenuates BBB disruption after traumatic brain injury through WTAP-associated m<sup>6</sup>A regulation of MMP2.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Pancreatic α cells are required for nutrient homeostasis by regulating dynamic β cell networks in islets.

Science advances·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 17, 2025

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

Programming van der Waals interactions with complex symmetries into microparticles using liquid crystallinity.

H A Fuster¹, Xin Wang², Xiaoguang Wang¹

¹Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Science Advances

|June 30, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers engineered asymmetric van der Waals interactions in microparticles using liquid crystal (LC) emulsions. This breakthrough allows for precise control over colloidal matter assembly through bottom-up processes, expanding material design possibilities.

More Related Videos

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Published on: February 7, 2017

Facile Synthesis of Worm-like Micelles by Visible Light Mediated Dispersion Polymerization Using Photoredox Catalyst

Facile Synthesis of Worm-like Micelles by Visible Light Mediated Dispersion Polymerization Using Photoredox Catalyst

Published on: June 8, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 17, 2025

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Published on: February 7, 2017

Facile Synthesis of Worm-like Micelles by Visible Light Mediated Dispersion Polymerization Using Photoredox Catalyst

Facile Synthesis of Worm-like Micelles by Visible Light Mediated Dispersion Polymerization Using Photoredox Catalyst

Published on: June 8, 2016

Area of Science:

Soft Matter Physics
Colloidal Science
Materials Engineering

Background:

Asymmetric interactions, including entropic and surface forces, are crucial for controlling colloidal matter.
Engineering asymmetric van der Waals interactions offers a versatile route to advanced bottom-up material assembly.
Existing methods for creating asymmetric interactions have limitations in versatility and programmability.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a versatile method for engineering asymmetric van der Waals interactions in microparticles.
To demonstrate that liquid crystal (LC) ordering within microparticles can program these interactions.
To explore the potential of these engineered interactions for novel soft matter assembly.

Main Methods:

Polymerization of liquid crystal (LC) emulsions to create homogeneous, spherical microparticles.
Utilizing kinetically controlled probe colloid adsorption experiments.
Performing complementary theoretical calculations to analyze interaction symmetries and strengths.

Main Results:

Successfully created spherical microparticles with compositionally homogeneous interiors.
Demonstrated that internal LC organization encodes complex van der Waals interaction symmetries (dipolar, quadrupolar).
Quantified the programmable van der Waals interactions to be approximately 20 kBT across microparticle surfaces.

Conclusions:

Liquid crystal ordering within microparticles provides a powerful mechanism to program asymmetric van der Waals interactions.
This approach significantly expands the toolkit for designing and assembling functional soft matter.
Engineered LC configurations offer diverse possibilities for future bottom-up material fabrication.