Daniela Kraft
Professor Experimental physics
- Name
- Prof.dr. D.J. Kraft
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 1873
- kraft@physics.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0002-2221-6473
Daniela Kraft is full professor of soft and biological matter at the Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory at Leiden University, The Netherlands. She obtained her Ph.D. cum laude from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, under supervision of Willem Kegel. Supported by a Rubicon grant, she then joined the Center for Soft Matter Research at New York University, USA, as a postdoctoral researcher. In 2013, she moved to Leiden, where she established her own group. Her research focuses on self-assembly in biological and soft matter systems, ranging from anisotropic colloidal particles to lipid membranes, emulsions, and viruses. Dr. Kraft has been awarded a VENI and VIDI fellowship from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, an ERC starting grant, the paper of the year award 2017 from Biophysical Journal and the 2021 Emerging Leader Award of Journal of Physics: Materials.
More information about Daniela Kraft
See also
News
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Daniela Kraft appointed professor of Experimental Physics -
Physicists from Leiden help create world’s smallest Rembrandt -
Artificial microswimmers work together like bacteria -
Superselective bonds light up -
Rachel Doherty wins LION Image Award with famed Microboat image -
NWO Vidi grant for 11 Leiden researchers -
Vidi research grant for physicist Daniela Kraft -
Micro boat makes world tour
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3D printed microboat
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Interview with Alexandre Morin -
How microscopic scallops wander -
In the media: Daniela Kraft in Academic Stories about nanoparticle robots
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Microswimmers swim faster over slippery surfaces -
Daniela Kraft wins Athena Prize 2019
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MBO Rijnland students animate Leiden physics -
Public Event International Day of Women & Girls in Science -
Daniela Kraft wins Biophysical Journal Paper of the Year Award -
Two ERC grant for Leiden Physics -
Tiny joints for reconfigurable microstructures -
New force measured between proteins -
Tiny clumps recycle themselves into complex structures
In the media
Highlighted Publications
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Colloidal Recycling: Reconfiguration of Random Aggregates into Patchy Particles
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Lipid membrane-mediated attraction between curvature inducing objects
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Colloidal joints with designed motion range and tunable joint flexibility
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Surface roughness directed self-assembly of patchy particles into colloidal micelles
Daniela Kraft wins 2019 Athena Prize
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Current Research Projects
High Tech Smart Materials |
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Anisotropic ColloidsThe synthesis of novel types of colloidal particles with anisotropic shapes and interactions plays a central role in our research. We continuously develop new approaches and modifications to be able to answer fundamental physics questions. |
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Self-assembly of Colloidal ParticlesWe aim at guiding and understanding the self-assembly of complex colloidal particles into designer structures and employ them for creating functional materials. We use state-of-the art confocal microscopy methods to image the kinetic assembly pathways and resulting structures in situ. |
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Quantitative particle trackingWe study the thermally induced random motion of colloidal particles with various anisotropic shapes by confocal microscopy. Particle tracking routines allow us to obtain full information about the position and orientation of the particles and extract quantitative information about the full diffusion coefficient matrix. |
Biological Model Systems |
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Membrane-mediated interactionsLipid membranes compartmentalize cells and obtain functionality by attached and inserted proteins. We use a colloidal model system to quantitatively study the interaction between objects that deform lipid membranes to unravel the forces behind protein organizations in cells. |
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Past Research Projects
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Virus AssemblyNatural viruses spontaneously assemble from coat proteins and their genome. We aim at identifying the crucial features for the assembly of viruses by developing theoretical models and synthetic proteins in collaboration with Paul van der Schoot (TU Eindhoven) and Renko de Vries and Joris Sprakel (Wageningen University). |
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Spontaneously assembling Pickering EmulsionsWe studied the conditions for the spontaneous emulsification of mixtures of colloids in water and particular oils into particle stabilized ("Pickering") droplets. |
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Professor Experimental physics
- Science
- Leiden Instituut Onderzoek Natuurkunde
- LION - Biological & Soft Matter
- Azadbakht A., Meadowcroft B., Varkevisser T., Saric A. & Kraft D.J. (2023), Wrapping pathways of anisotropic dumbbell particles by giant unilamellar vesicles, Nano Letters 23(1): 4267-4273.
- Verweij R.W., Melio J., Chakraborty I. & Kraft D.J. (2023), Brownian motion of flexibly linked colloidal rings, Physical Review E 107(3): 034602.
- Shelke Y.P., Camerin F., Marin-Aguilar S., Verweij R.W., Dijkstra M. & Kraft D.J. (2023), Flexible colloidal molecules with directional bonds and controlled flexibility, ACS Nano 17(13): 12234-12246.
- Shelke Y.P., Marín-Aguilar S., Camerin F., Dijkstra M. & Kraft D.J. (2023), Exploiting anisotropic particle shape to electrostatically assemble colloidal molecules with high yield and purity, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 629(part A): 322-333.
- Chakraborty I., Pearce D.J.G., Verweij R.W., Matysik S.C., Giomi L. & Kraft D.J. (2022), Self-assembly dynamics of reconfigurable colloidal molecules, ACS Nano 16(2): 2471-2480.
- Ketzetzi S., Rinaldin M., Droge P., Graaf J. de & Kraft D.J. (2022), Activity-induced interactions and cooperation of artificial microswimmers in one-dimensional environments, Nature Communications 13(1): 1772.
- Verweij R.W., Moerman P.G., Huijnen L.P.P., Ligthart N.E.G., Chakraborty I., Groenewold J., Kegel W.K., Blaaderen A. van & Kraft D.J. (2021), Conformations and diffusion of flexibly linked colloidal chains, Journal of Physics: Materials 4(3): 035002.
- Linne C., Visco D., Angioletti-Uberti S., Laan L. & Kraft D.J. (2021), Direct visualization of superselective colloid-surface binding mediated by multivalent interactions, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118(36): e2106036118.
- Ketzetzi S., Graaf J. de, Doherty R.P. & Kraft D.J. (2020), Slip length dependent propulsion speed of catalytic colloidal swimmers near walls, Physical Review Letters 124(4): 048002.
- Rinaldin M. Fonda P. Giomi L. Kraft D.J. (2020), Lipid exchange enhances geometric pinning in multicomponent membranes on patterned substrates, Soft Matter 16(21): 4932-4920.
- Verweij R.W. Moerman P.G. Ligthart N.E.G. Huijnen L.P.P. Groenewold J. Kegel W.K. Blaaderen A. van Kraft D.J. (2020), Flexibility induced effects in the Brownian motion of colloidal trimers, Physical Review Research 2(3): 033136.
- Rinaldin M. Fonda P. Giomi L. Kraft D.J. (2020), Geometric pinning and antimixing in scaffolded lipid vesicles, Nature Communications 11: 4314.
- Doherty R.P., Varkevisser T., Teunisse M., Hoecht J., Ketzetzi S., Ouhajji S. & Kraft D.J. (2020), Catalytically propelled 3D printed colloidal microswimmers, Soft Matter 16(46): 10463-10469 .
- Ketzetzi S., Graaf J. de & Kraft D.J. (2020), Diffusion-based height analysis reveals robust microswimmer-wall separation, Physical Review Letters 125(23): 238001.
- Verweij R.W., Ketzetzi S., Graaf J. de & Kraft D.J. (2020), Height distribution and orientation of colloidal dumbbells near a wall, Physical Review E 102(6): 062608.
- Fonda P., Rinaldin M., Kraft D.J. & Giomi L. (2019), Thermodynamic equilibrium of binary mixtures on curved surfaces, Physical Review E 100(3): 032604.
- Rinaldin M., Verweij R.W., Chakraborty I. & Kraft D.J. (2019), Colloid supported lipid bilayers for self-assembly, Soft Matter 15(6): 1345-1360.
- Idema T. & Kraft D.J. (2019), Interactions between model inclusions on closed lipid bilayer membranes, Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science 40: 58-69.
- Meester V. & Kraft D.J. (2018), Complex patchy colloids shaped from deformable seed particles through capillary interactions, Soft Matter 14: 1162-1170.
- Wel C.M. van der, Stolpe G.L. van der, Verweij R.W. & Kraft D.J. (2018), Micrometer-sized TPM emulsion droplets with surface-mobile binding groups, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 30: 094005.
- Fonda P., Rinaldin M., Kraft D.J. & Giomi L. (2018), Interface geometry of binary mixtures on curved substrates, Physical Review E 98(3): 032801.
- Cingil H.E., Boz E.B., Biondaro G., Vries R. de, Cohen Stuart M.A., Kraft D.J., Schoot P. van der & Sprakel J. (2017), Illuminating the Reaction Pathways of Viromimetic Assembly, Journal of the American Chemical Society 139(13): 4962−4968.
- Chakraborty I., Meester V., Wel C.M. van der & Kraft D.J. (2017), Colloidal joints with designed motion range and tunable joint flexibility, Nanoscale 9: 7814-7821.
- Nguyen T.A., Newton A., Veen S.J., Kraft D.J., Bolhuis P.G. & Schall P. (2017), Switching Colloidal Superstructures by Critical Casimir Forces, Advanced Materials 29: 1700819.
- Wel C.M. van der, Heinrich D.M. & Kraft D.J. (2017), Microparticle Assembly Pathways on Lipid Membranes, Biophysical Journal 113(5): 1037-1046.
- Wel C.M. van der, Bhan R.K., Verweij R.W., Frijters H.C., Gong Z., Hollingsworth A.D., Sacanna S. & Kraft D.J. (2017), Preparation of colloidal organosilica spheres through spontaneous emulsification, Langmuir 33: 8174-8180.
- Newton A.C., Nguyen T.A., Veen S.J., Kraft D.J., Schall P. & Bolhuis P.G. (2017), Modelling critical Casimir force induced self-assembly experiments on patchy colloidal dumbbells, Soft Matter 13: 4903-4915.
- Nguyen T.A., Newton A., Kraft D.J., Bolhuis P.G. & Schall P. (2017), Tuning Patchy Bonds Induced by Critical Casimir Forces, Materials 10: 1265.
- Wel C.M. van der, Bossert N., Mank Q.J., Winter M.G.T., Heinrich D.M. & Kraft D.J. (2017), Surfactant-free Colloidal Particles with Specific Binding Affinity, Langmuir 33: 9803-9810.
- Wel C.M. van der, Vahid A., Saric A., Idema T., Heinrich D.M. & Kraft D.J. (2016), Lipid membrane-mediated attraction between curvature inducing objects, Scientific Reports 6: 32825.
- Meester V. & Kraft D.J. (2016), Spherical, Dimpled, and Crumpled Hybrid Colloids with Tunable Surface Morphology, Langmuir 32(41): 10668-10677.
- Wel C.M. van der & Kraft D.J. (2016), Automated tracking of colloidal clusters with sub-pixel accuracy and precision, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 29(4): 044001.
- Meester V., Verweij R.W., Wel C.M. van der & Kraft D.J. (2016), Colloidal Recycling: Reconfiguration of Random Aggregates into Patchy Particles, ACS Nano 10(4): 4322-4329.
- Kamp M., Hermes M., Kats C.M. van, Kraft D.J., Kegel W.K., Dijkstra M. & Blaaderen A. van (2016), Selective Depletion Interactions in Mixtures of Rough and Smooth Silica Spheres, Langmuir 32(5): 1233-1240.
- Punter M.T.J.J.M., Hernandez-Garcia A., Kraft D.J., Vries R. de & Schoot P. van der (2016), Self-Assembly Dynamics of Linear Virus-Like Particles: Theory and Experiment, The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 120(26): 6286-6297.
- Segers M., Sliepen M., Kraft D.J., Moeller M. & Buskens P. (2016), Synthesis of sub-micron sized hollow, and nanoporous phenylsiloxane spheres through use of phenyltrimethoxysilane as surfmer: Insights into the surfactant and factors influencing the particle architecture, Colloids and Surfaces A : Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 497: 378-384.
- Wolters J.R., Avvisati G., Hagemans F., Vissers T., Kraft D.J., Dijkstra M. & Kegel W.K. (2015), Self-assembly of "Mickey Mouse" shaped colloids into tube-like structures: experiments and simulations, Soft Matter 11(6): 1067-1077.
- Hernandez-Garcia A., Kraft D.J., Janssen A.F.J., Bomans P.H.H., Sommerdijk N.A.J.M., Thies-Weesie D.M.E., Favretto M.E., Brock R., Wolf F.A. de, Werten M.W.T., Schoot P. van der, Cohen Stuart M. & Vries R. de (2014), Design and self-assembly of simple coat proteins for artificial viruses, Nature Nanotechnology 8(9): 698-702.