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Updated: Jul 20, 2025

Synthesis and Characterization of Supramolecular Colloids

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Published on: April 22, 2016

Topological solitonic macromolecules.

Hanqing Zhao¹, Boris A Malomed^2,3, Ivan I Smalyukh^4,5,6,7

¹Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.

Nature Communications

|July 29, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers created novel "polyskyrmionomers," which are polymers made of solitons. These soliton polymers mimic molecular structures and can be controlled with electric fields, opening new avenues for meta-material design.

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Area of Science:

Nonlinear physics
Topological matter
Meta-materials

Background:

Solitons exhibit particle-like properties and can form bound states mimicking molecular dynamics.
The creation of polymeric materials from solitons has remained an unexplored area.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally create and model soliton polymers, termed "polyskyrmionomers."
To investigate the binding mechanisms and structural architectures of these novel soliton assemblies.
To explore the potential for data encoding and controlled locomotion of polyskyrmionomers.

Main Methods:

Experimental creation and nonlinear optical imaging of polyskyrmionomers.
Numerical modeling based on free energy minimization to understand binding dynamics.
Application of oscillating electric fields to study locomotion and vibrations.

Main Results:

Successfully synthesized and modeled polyskyrmionomers built from atom-like solitons (skyrmions).
Topological point defects were identified as the binding mechanism for solitonic quasi-atoms.
Diverse macromolecule-resembling architectures (linear, branched) were observed, enabling data encoding via skyrmion number distribution.
Oscillating electric fields induced controllable locomotion and vibrations dependent on the symmetry of the soliton macromolecules.

Conclusions:

Polyskyrmionomers represent a new class of self-assembled, topologically bound soliton structures.
These findings pave the way for novel meta-material designs with tunable properties.
Potential applications include fundamental research and technological advancements in soliton-based systems.