# Responsive Soft Matter

**Source**: https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/soft-matter-and-biological-physics/responsive-soft-matter
**Parent**: https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/soft-matter-and-biological-physics

Wouter Ellenbroek

# Responsive Soft Matter

The Responsive Soft Matter group of Wouter Ellenbroek is devoted to theoretical research (including computer simulations) of responsive soft materials. Together with four other principal investigators (Kees Storm, Paul van der Schoot, Alexey Lyulin and Liesbeth Janssen), we form the Soft Matter and Biological Physics (SMB) group, which has strong ties with TU/e’s Institute for Complex Molecular Systems.

- [Research areas](#c282182)
- [Researchers](#c281922)
- [Publications](#c281895)
- [Contact](#c281884)
- [External website](http://tps.phys.tue.nl/ellenbroek/research/)

## Research Profile

In the Responsive Soft Matter group, we study the formation and properties of soft materials, using various numerical and analytical tools. In many cases formation and properties cannot be seen independently from each other, as many soft materials have a dynamic structure that keeps evolving even long after the material was made.

## Research Areas

[Research impact

### Reversibly Linked Materials

Our current focus is on polymeric materials with reversible crosslinks.](https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/soft-matter-and-biological-physics/responsive-soft-matter/reversibly-linked-materials)[Research impact

### Built-in stresses in Network Matter

From guitar strings and spider webs to edible gels, many materials owe a large part of their mechanical rigidity to the forces and stresses…](https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/soft-matter-and-biological-physics/responsive-soft-matter/built-in-stresses-in-network-matter)[Research impact

### New analysis techniques for Soft Matter experiments

One of my hobbies is to work with experimentalists on new techniques to analyze the wealth of experimental data that modern equipment…](https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/soft-matter-and-biological-physics/responsive-soft-matter/new-analysis-techniques-for-soft-matter-experiments)

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## Student Opportunities

There are always plenty of topics students can work on in our group, be it for a Final Bachelor Project (BEP), a M.Sc. graduation project, or an internship abroad.

Topics can range all across soft matter, and from abstract and mathematical to very concrete and directly related to ongoing experiments. Most projects will involve some amount of computer simulation work, but prior experience with this is not essential, and we can also define a more analytically oriented project.

For more information visit our Education webpage.

- [Education](https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/soft-matter-and-biological-physics/responsive-soft-matter/education)

## Meet some of our Researchers

[Assistant Professor

### Wouter Ellenbroek](https://www.tue.nl/en/research/researchers/wouter-ellenbroek)

- [See all our researchers](https://research.tue.nl/en/organisations/responsive-soft-matter/persons/)

## Recent Publications

- [See all publications](https://research.tue.nl/en/organisations/responsive-soft-matter/publications/)

Our most recent peer reviewed publications

- [### Theoretical models for tension-dependent DNA looping time

  Physical Review Research

  (2025)

  Wout Laeremans,Wouter G. Ellenbroek](https://research.tue.nl/nl/publications/61d2d306-faea-4add-abea-16a30e6d69e4)
- [### Polymer dynamics under tension: Mean first passage time for looping

  Physical Review E

  (2025)

  Wout Laeremans,Anne Floor den Ouden,Jef Hooyberghs,Wouter G. Ellenbroek](https://research.tue.nl/nl/publications/aa84d06d-f3b3-46b7-8e95-93ad9bc50b69)
- [### Toughening Immiscible Polymer Blends

  ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

  (2024)

  Hamid Ahmadi,Paul M.H. van Heugten,Alexander Veber,Ljiljana Puskar,Patrick D. Anderson,Ruth Cardinaels](https://research.tue.nl/nl/publications/86ab220d-ead2-4854-8cc7-44384bea231f)
- [### A monolithic numerical model to predict the EMI shielding performance of lossy dielectric polymer nanocomposite shields in a rectangular waveguide

  Applied Mathematical Modelling

  (2024)

  F. Van Loock,P.D. Anderson,R. Cardinaels](https://research.tue.nl/nl/publications/56d8afaf-0ca9-4675-9f0c-24eb181ccd7f)
- [### From hydrodynamics to dipolar colloids: Modeling complex interactions and self-organization with generalized particles

  Physical Review E

  (2024)

  Timo J.J.M. van Overveld,Wouter G. Ellenbroek,J.M. Meijer,Herman J.H. Clercx,Matias Duran Matute](https://research.tue.nl/nl/publications/30cabfc4-c6a0-4213-926a-4977d71ea41c)

## Contact

- ### Postal address

  Department of Applied Physics

  P.O. Box 513

  5600 MB
  Eindhoven

  Netherlands
- ### Postal address

  Department of Applied Physics

  P.O. Box 513

  5600 MB
  Eindhoven

  Netherlands
- ### Visiting address

  Flux

  Groene Loper 19

  5612 AP
  Eindhoven

  Netherlands

  [+31 (0)40 247 4351](tel:+310402474351)
- ### Visiting address

  Flux

  Groene Loper 19

  5612 AP
  Eindhoven

  Netherlands

  [+31 (0)40 247 4351](tel:+310402474351)
- ### 

  Teamlead

  [w.g.ellenbroek@tue.nl](#)