When a foam “at rest” keeps moving: A new understanding of soft materials
Research
Published on November 3, 2026–Updated on November 3, 2026
Dates
on the November 3, 2026
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A consortium of scientists from Université Côte d’Azur and the CNRS, members of the Institut de Physique de Nice, the Laboratoire de Physique de l’ENS de Lyon, the Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique in Grenoble, and several European partners, has revealed a previously unknown relaxation mechanism in liquid foams after the flow has stopped. Using an advanced imaging technique, the researchers demonstrate that these everyday materials continue to evolve locally and rapidly, opening up new perspectives for better understanding and controlling the behaviour of soft materials. The findings were published in October 2026 in Physical Review Letters.
Published article:
F. Schott et al., Stress Relaxation Driven by Elementary Plastic Events in Nonaging Liquid Foams, Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 168201 (2026)