Hydrophilic polymers are a major class of polymers in polymer science. They are found in
broad range of applications from superabsorbers to drug-delivery. In recent years, a plethora …

The design and construction of synthetic cells–human‐made microcompartments that mimic
features of living cells–have experienced a real boom in the past decade. While many efforts …

Living systems are molecular assemblies whose dynamics are maintained by non-
equilibrium chemical reactions. To date, artificial cells have been studied from such physical …

Life‐like hierarchical architecture shows great potential for advancing intelligent biosensing,
but modular expansion of its sensitivity and functionality remains a challenge. Drawing …

Synthetic cell models help us understand living cells and the origin of life. Key aspects of
living cells are crowded interiors where secondary structures, such as the cytoskeleton and …

Biomolecular coacervates are emerging models to understand biological systems and
important building blocks for designer applications. DNA can be used to build up …

Stem cells exhibit prominent clusters controlling the transcription of genes into RNA. These
clusters form by a phase-separation mechanism, and their size and shape are controlled via …

Cells, the fundamental units of life, orchestrate intricate functions—motility, adaptation,
replication, communication, and self-organization within tissues. Originating from …

Coacervate microdroplets, arising from liquid–liquid phase separation, have emerged as
promising models for primary cells, demonstrating the ability to regulate biomolecular …

Intracellular structures, like the cytoskeletons, form within a crowded cytoplasm with defined
viscoelastic properties. While crowding effects on self-assembly are well studied, the role of …