Scientists / Open questions

Pierre-Gilles de Gennes

Soft matter; liquid crystals; polymer physics

1991 Nobel Prize in Physics

24 questions

Completing the theory of interfacial layering in the three-component polymer system A/A*/B: the three-species junction, short-time transients, and asymmetric chain lengths and mobilities
Coil-stretch transition of dilute flexible polymers under time-dependent velocity gradients
Robustness and biological validation of de Gennes' self-generated repellant-gradient mechanism for collective axon growth fronts
Convergent computation, scaling-law validity, and forced stabilization of multi-lobed pendant-drop (rosary) solutions of the Young–Laplace equation obtained by the Thomson–Boys curvature construction
Brownian motion with dry friction on a randomly vibrated plate: inhomogeneous friction thresholds, the static–dynamic threshold distinction, and quantitative theory–experiment reconciliation
Completing the dynamical regime map for slippage of entangled polymer melts on grafted-chain surfaces: short mobile chains ( $P<N$ ), dense brushes, and ultra-long grafted chains ( $N>N_{\rm e}^{2}$ )
Open problems in the threshold-dominated streamlet model of erosion: gully evolution in converging valleys, the logarithmic steady-state profile, lateral exchange between streamlets, and channelization stability
Position-dependent numerical prefactors for the rate constant between reactive groups at arbitrary positions n and m on two Rouse chains in a nonentangled polymer melt
Start-up dynamics of a reactive droplet: three-dimensional theory, contact-line stability, inertial limits, and experimental validation
Partition of dry-friction forces among multiple contacts: extending de Gennes' 1997 asperity-recoil analysis to elastic solids, impact transients, two-dimensional anisotropic asperities, and sequential silo filling
Quantum kink dynamics and the microscopic mobility of dislocations in solid $^4$ He
Rate-limiting surfactant delivery from micelles to fresh surfaces and the dynamic feasibility of 'young' soap films above the critical micelle concentration
Beyond the single smooth defect: the open extensions of the Raphaël–de Gennes single-defect theory of contact-line depinning dynamics
Realizing and testing de Gennes' semi-fast artificial muscle: light-pulse-driven, acoustically limited actuation in a lamellar rubber–nematic–rubber (RNR) composite
Completing the theory of adhesion induced by mobile stickers: nucleation, phase-separation and exhaustion regimes, crossovers, and quantitative growth laws for vesicle adhesion patches
Magnetically controlled wettability of a grooved surface by a magnetizable liquid: thin-film equilibrium profiles, microscopic dynamics of the field-driven impregnation front, and quantitative validation
Quantitative theory and experimental test of fluctuation-mediated viscous friction between free misoriented crystalline monolayers
Mechanism of the molecular-weight-dependent glass-transition-temperature reductions in freely standing polymer films, and why they fade out below $M_w \approx 500$ kg/mol ( $N \approx 5000$ )
Completing the shock theory of inertial dewetting: viscous shock structure, two-dimensional rim shapes, and capillary-ripple coupling
Long-time relaxation of polydisperse linear polymer melts: testing and extending de Gennes' stretched-exponential memory-function prediction
Molecular-level theory of oscillatory solvation forces and the classification of wetting regimes on smooth solids
Completing the de Gennes theory of droplet spreading: matched wedge-precursor-film asymptotics, retarded van der Waals forces, ambient viscosity, and the molecular monolayer regime
Validity of the Deutscher–de Gennes local-pair ladder-domain mechanism for emerging superconductivity in lightly doped cuprates
Thermodynamic morphology selection in de Gennes' two-compartment micelle model for dual-hydrophobe comb copolymers

Back to open problems

Completing the theory of interfacial layering in the three-component polymer system A/A*/B: the three-species junction, short-time transients, and asymmetric chain lengths and mobilities

Coil-stretch transition of dilute flexible polymers under time-dependent velocity gradients

Robustness and biological validation of de Gennes' self-generated repellant-gradient mechanism for collective axon growth fronts

Convergent computation, scaling-law validity, and forced stabilization of multi-lobed pendant-drop (rosary) solutions of the Young–Laplace equation obtained by the Thomson–Boys curvature construction

Brownian motion with dry friction on a randomly vibrated plate: inhomogeneous friction thresholds, the static–dynamic threshold distinction, and quantitative theory–experiment reconciliation

Completing the dynamical regime map for slippage of entangled polymer melts on grafted-chain surfaces: short mobile chains (P<NP<NP<N), dense brushes, and ultra-long grafted chains (N>Ne2N>N_{\rm e}^{2}N>Ne2​)

Open problems in the threshold-dominated streamlet model of erosion: gully evolution in converging valleys, the logarithmic steady-state profile, lateral exchange between streamlets, and channelization stability

Position-dependent numerical prefactors for the rate constant between reactive groups at arbitrary positions n and m on two Rouse chains in a nonentangled polymer melt

Start-up dynamics of a reactive droplet: three-dimensional theory, contact-line stability, inertial limits, and experimental validation

Partition of dry-friction forces among multiple contacts: extending de Gennes' 1997 asperity-recoil analysis to elastic solids, impact transients, two-dimensional anisotropic asperities, and sequential silo filling

Quantum kink dynamics and the microscopic mobility of dislocations in solid 4^44He

Rate-limiting surfactant delivery from micelles to fresh surfaces and the dynamic feasibility of 'young' soap films above the critical micelle concentration

Beyond the single smooth defect: the open extensions of the Raphaël–de Gennes single-defect theory of contact-line depinning dynamics

Realizing and testing de Gennes' semi-fast artificial muscle: light-pulse-driven, acoustically limited actuation in a lamellar rubber–nematic–rubber (RNR) composite

Completing the theory of adhesion induced by mobile stickers: nucleation, phase-separation and exhaustion regimes, crossovers, and quantitative growth laws for vesicle adhesion patches

Magnetically controlled wettability of a grooved surface by a magnetizable liquid: thin-film equilibrium profiles, microscopic dynamics of the field-driven impregnation front, and quantitative validation

Quantitative theory and experimental test of fluctuation-mediated viscous friction between free misoriented crystalline monolayers

Mechanism of the molecular-weight-dependent glass-transition-temperature reductions in freely standing polymer films, and why they fade out below Mw≈500M_w \approx 500Mw​≈500 kg/mol (N≈5000N \approx 5000N≈5000)

Completing the shock theory of inertial dewetting: viscous shock structure, two-dimensional rim shapes, and capillary-ripple coupling

Long-time relaxation of polydisperse linear polymer melts: testing and extending de Gennes' stretched-exponential memory-function prediction

Molecular-level theory of oscillatory solvation forces and the classification of wetting regimes on smooth solids

Completing the de Gennes theory of droplet spreading: matched wedge-precursor-film asymptotics, retarded van der Waals forces, ambient viscosity, and the molecular monolayer regime

Validity of the Deutscher–de Gennes local-pair ladder-domain mechanism for emerging superconductivity in lightly doped cuprates

Thermodynamic morphology selection in de Gennes' two-compartment micelle model for dual-hydrophobe comb copolymers

Completing the dynamical regime map for slippage of entangled polymer melts on grafted-chain surfaces: short mobile chains ( $P<N$ ), dense brushes, and ultra-long grafted chains ( $N>N_{\rm e}^{2}$ )

Quantum kink dynamics and the microscopic mobility of dislocations in solid $^4$ He

Mechanism of the molecular-weight-dependent glass-transition-temperature reductions in freely standing polymer films, and why they fade out below $M_w \approx 500$ kg/mol ( $N \approx 5000$ )