The Soft Matter Group, headed by Professor Miroslav Štěpánek, is part of the Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry of Charles University in Prague. Our interdisciplinary research very much sits at the interface between physics and chemistry of macromolecules and biomacromolecules. It includes study of solutions of bio and macromolecules; their thermodynamic and kinetic properties, such as self assembly aggregation diffusion etc. The methods of inquiry used are typically those of physical chemistry methods used in our department, that is  light and neutron scattering, TEM, AFM, computer modelling.

If you are interested in joining our group, as a graduate or undergraduate student, or as a postdoctoral fellow, please see the page positions

Theory and simulations

  • Mean field analytiacal and numerical modelling
  • Langevin dynamics
  • Hybrid Monte-Carlo
  • Hartree–Fock 
  • Density functional methods

Experiment

  • Light scattering
  • TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy)
  • AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy)
  • Calorimetry
  • Fluorometry

Academic staff

Miroslav Štěpánek

doc. RNDr., Ph.D.

Filip Uhlík
doc. RNDr., Ph.D.

Researcher

Pavel Matějíček

doc. RNDr., Ph.D.

Peter Košovan

RNDr., Ph.D.

Mariusz Uchman

Ing., Ph.D.

Lucie Nová

Ing., Ph.D.

Oleg Rud

Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow

Pascal Hebbeker

Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow

Somdeb Jana

PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

Research topics

Block copolymer nanoparticles

  • Self-assembled block copolymer colloids (micelles, vesicles)
  • Polyelectrolyte surfactant complexes
  • Interpolyelectrolyte complexes
  • Encapsulation of low-molar-mass compounds in polymeric nanoparticles
 

Simulations of polyelectrolytes

  • polyelectrolyte solutions and gels
  • linear and branched polyelectrolytes
  • star-like, comb-like architectures
  • polyelectrolyte gels (infinite networks)
  • dissociation of weak polyelectrolytes and polyampholytes
 

Boron cluster compounds

  • Solution behavior of anionic boron cluster compounds
  • Physicochemical properties of boron cluster conjugates
  • synthesis of polymers based on boron clusters
 

Mean field modelling of polymers

  • Scheutjenes-Fleer Self-Consistent Field Theory (SF-SCF)
  • Hybrid SCF - Monte Carlo modelling
 

Macromolecular synthesis

  • Synthesis of functional block copolymers
  • Postpolymerization reactions
  • Boron Cluster- and Phenyl Boronic Acid-containing polymers
 

Quantum chemistry

  • Endohedral fullerenes
  • Quantum Monte Carlo simulations
 

Selected Publications

of Soft Matter group

D. Vrbata, V. Dordovič, J. Seitsonen, J. Ruokolainen, O. Janoušková, M. Uchman, and P. Matějíček,
Preparation of membrane-mimicking lamellar structures by molecular confinement of hybrid nanocomposites
Chemical Communications, 55(20), 2019

DOI, BibTex

P. Košovan, T. Richter, and C. Holm,
Modeling of Polyelectrolyte Gels in Equilibrium with Salt Solutions
Macromolecules, 48(20), 2015

DOI, BibTex

F. Uhlik, P. Kosovan, Z. Limpouchova, K. Prochazka, O. V. Borisov, and F. A. M. Leermakers,
Modeling of Ionization and Conformations of Starlike Weak Polyelectrolytes
MACROMOLECULES, 47(12), 2014

DOI, BibTex

O. Rud, T. Richter, O. Borisov, C. Holm, and P. Košovan,
A self-consistent mean-field model for polyelectrolyte gels
Soft Matter, 13(18), 2017

DOI, BibTex

L. Nová, F. Uhlík, and P. Košovan,
Local pH and effective pK A of weak polyelectrolytes – insights from computer simulations
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 19(22), 2017

DOI, BibTex

R. Fernandez-Alvarez, L. Nová, F. Uhlík, S. Kereïche, M. Uchman, P. Košovan, and P. Matějíček,
Interactions of star-like polyelectrolyte micelles with hydrophobic counterions
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 546, 2019

DOI, BibTex

A. Liu M. Nie Y. Hao Y. Yang T. Wang Z. Slanina H. Cong L. Feng et al.
Ho2O@C74: Ho2O Cluster Expands within a Small Non-IPR Fullerene Cage of C2(13333)-C74
Inorganic Chemistry, 58(8), 2019

DOI, BibTex

Z. Slanina, F. Uhlík, L. Feng, T. Akasaka, X. Lu, and L. Adamowicz,
Calculations of the Lu3N@C80 two-isomer equilibrium
Fullerenes, Nanotubes and Carbon Nanostructures, 27(5), 2019

DOI, BibTex

R. Fernandez-Alvarez E. Hlavatovičová K. Rodzeń A. Strachota S. Kereïche P. Matějíček J. Cabrera-González R. Núñez et al.
Synthesis and self-assembly of a carborane-containing ABC triblock terpolymer: morphology control on a dual-stimuli responsive system
Polymer Chemistry, 2019

DOI, BibTex

S. Hu T. Liu W. Shen Z. Slanina T. Akasaka Y. Xie F. Uhlik W. Huang et al.
Isolation and Structural Characterization of Er@C2v(9)-C82 and Er@Cs(6)-C82: Regioselective Dimerization of a Pristine Endohedral Metallofullerene Induced by Cage Symmetry
Inorganic Chemistry, 58(3), 2019

DOI, BibTex

A. Fanova, K. Šindelka, M. Uchman, Z. Limpouchová, S. K. Filippov, S. Pispas, K. Procházka, and M. Štěpánek,
Coassembly of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with Dodecyl and Carboxyl Terminal Groups with Cationic Surfactant: Critical Comparison of Experimental and Simulation Data
Macromolecules, 51(18), 2018

DOI, BibTex

A. Murmiliuk, P. Matějíček, S. K. Filippov, M. Janata, M. Šlouf, S. Pispasc, and M. Štěpánek,
Formation of core/corona nanoparticles with interpolyelectrolyte complex cores in aqueous solution: insight into chain dynamics in the complex from fluorescence quenching
Soft Matter, 14(37), 2018

DOI, BibTex

O. Rud, O. Borisov, and P. Kosovan,
Thermodynamic model for a reversible desalination cycle using weak polyelectrolyte hydrogels
Desalination, 442, 2018

DOI, BibTex

J. Landsgesell, L. Nová, O. Rud, F. Uhlík, D. Sean, P. Hebbeker, C. Holm, and P. Košovan,
Simulations of ionization equilibria in weak polyelectrolyte solutions and gels
Soft Matter, 15(6), 2019

DOI, BibTex