Soft matter is a field of condensed matter physics that began to develop in France in the 1970s under the impulse of Pierre-Gilles de Gennes. I had the chance to participate in this adventure, and I describe in this article some of the memorable events. Soft matter is not only linked to physics but also to chemistry and biology, and working in this multidisciplinary field is quite stimulating. My particular expertise deals with liquid surfaces, an area that considerably expanded with the advent of miniaturization, i.e., when surfaces begin to matter. I was able to benefit from the French and European network systems, as well as from many interactions with young students and industrial partners. I show how these favorable conditions contributed to successes in my research.

中文翻译：

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软物质世界的冒险


软物质是凝聚态物理学的一个领域，在 Pierre-Gilles de Gennes 的推动下于 20 世纪 70 年代在法国开始发展。我有机会参加这次冒险，我在这篇文章中描述了一些难忘的事件。软物质不仅与物理学有关，还与化学和生物学有关，在这个多学科领域的工作非常令人兴奋。我的专业知识涉及液体表面，随着小型化的出现，即当表面开始变得重要时，这一领域大大扩展。我能够从法国和欧洲的网络系统以及与年轻学生和工业合作伙伴的许多互动中受益。我将展示这些有利的条件如何促进我的研究取得成功。