This is the first volume in a two-volume textbook, Functional Soft Matter, written for students and early-career researchers to learn the scientific foundations of functional soft matter. It is followed by the second volume, Functional Soft Matter II: Analytical Methods and Topics.

This book introduces the chemical and physical foundations of functional soft matter. It covers thermal, mechanical, photochemical, photophysical, electronic, and magnetic properties. Materials discussed include liquid crystals, aromatic compounds, conjugated polymers, ionic liquids, and biomaterials. Undergraduate students and young researchers will gain a solid grounding in these materials and properties, together with current imaging applications and those anticipated in the future.