Introduction to soft particles: Fundamentals and perspectives

The progress of micro- and nanotechnology has led to the formulation of a library of particles at the submicron scale. Some of them have gained great interest due to their dynamic behavior in the operative conditions: colloidal character, stimuli responsiveness, and morphological changes can control the bulk and interfacial behavior with the surrounding environment. Overall, these particles can be identified as soft particles. The opportunity to tune such materials at micro- and nanoscale in obtaining specific properties has prompted researchers to investigate the inner structure of these systems and use them for several purposes, ranging from biomedical to environmental fields. In this chapter, we present an overview of the main types of soft particles and draw attention to their fundamental features and parameters, providing a preliminary guideline for the topics discussed in this book. A brief introduction to the application fields of soft particles is also included.