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Active nematic fluids are non-equilibrium systems characterized by a chaotic dynamic state known as active turbulence, which in three-dimensional active nematics is realized as a dynamic network of defect lines. Nika Kralj, Miha Ravnik and Žiga Kos showed how active turbulence dynamically reacts to changes in material properties and external parameters, which leads to coarsening and refinement of defect line density. In the limit of passive nematic liquids, such a phenomenon describes the last stage of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism and appears in many physical systems, from cosmic strings to superfluid helium and liquid crystals. The authors show how such a process takes place in active matter, which leads to interesting parallels with cosmic string coarsening models.

Gregor Filipič, Luka Pirker, Anja Pogačnik Krajnc, and Maja Remškar from the Department of Condensed Matter Physics F5 and Marjan Ješelnik from smartMELAMINE from Kočevje published a paper in the journal Materials with the title Enhanced Filtration Efficiency of Natural Materials with the Addition of Electrospun Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) Fibres. In the article the researchers have increased the filtration efficiency of natural materials by depositing a thin layer of electrospun PVDF fibres. By optimising the layer thickness of the electrospun fibres the filtration efficiency can be tuned and thus significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste.