Related papers: Submersed Micropatterned Structures Control Active…
The structural properties of suspensions and other multiphase systems are vital to overall processability, functionality and acceptance among consumers. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the intrinsic connection between the…
Morphodynamic equations governing the behaviour of active nematic fluids on deformable curved surfaces are constructed in the large deformation limit. Emphasis is placed on the formulation of objective rates that account for normal…
Morphology and dynamics at the meso-scale play crucial roles in the overall macro- or system-scale flow of heterogeneous materials. In a multi-scale framework, closure models upscale unresolved sub-grid (meso-scale) physics and therefore…
Snapping beams enable rapid geometric transitions through nonlinear instability, offering an efficient means of generating motion in soft robotic systems. In this study, a tendon-driven mechanism consisting of spiral-based metabeams was…
We experimentally study the dynamics of active particles (APs) in a viscoelastic fluid under various geometrical constraints such as flat walls, spherical obstacles and cylindrical cavities. We observe that the main effect of the confined…
Many organisms leverage an interplay between shape and activity to generate motion and adapt to their environment. Embedding such feedback into synthetic microrobots could eliminate the need for sensors, software, and actuators, yet current…
We investigate similarities in the micro-structural dynamics between externally driven and actively driven nematics. Walls, lines of strong deformations in the director field, and topological defects are characteristic features of an active…
The present paper is concerned with numerical investigation of the performance of a pilot-operated control valve based on shape memory alloy actuation control. The valve under investigation can be integrated into miniaturized hydraulic…
Elaborating reliable and versatile strategies for efficient light coupling between free space and thin films is of crucial importance for new technologies in energy efficiency. Nanostructured materials have opened unprecedented…
We explore theoretically the complex dynamics and emergent behaviors of spinning spheres immersed in viscous fluid. The particles are coupled to each-other via the fluid in which they are suspended: each particle disturbs the surrounding…
Valveless pumping assists in fluid transport in various organisms and engineering systems. In a previous work, to study the actuator impact effects on valveless pumping, we constructed a piecewise-linear lumped-parameter model for a…
Capturing the dynamics of active particles, i.e., small self-propelled agents that both deform and are deformed by a fluid in which they move is a formidable problem as it requires coupling fine scale hydrodynamics with large scale…
Complex networks encountered in biology are often characterized by significant structural diversity. Whether it be differences in the three-dimensional structure of allosteric proteins, or the variation among the micro-scale structures of…
Active fluids have applications in micromixing, but little is known about the mixing kinematics of systems with spatiotemporally-varying activity. To investigate, UV-activated caged ATP was used to activate controlled regions of…
Pure liquids in thermodynamic equilibrium are structurally homogeneous. In liquid crystals, flow and light pulses are used to create reconfigurable domains with polar order. Moreover, through careful engineering of concerted microfluidic…
Microscopic active droplets are able to swim autonomously in viscous flows: this puzzling feature stems from solute exchanges with the surrounding fluid via surface reactions or their spontaneous solubilisation, and the interfacial flows…
We demonstrate the generation of diverse material flow regimes in nematic liquid cells as driven by time-variable active surface anchoring, including no-net flow, oscillatory flow, steady flow, and pulsating flow. Specifically, we…
Multiphase systems are ubiquitous in engineering, biology, and materials science, where understanding their complex interactions and rheological behavior is crucial for advancing applications ranging from emulsion stability to cellular…
How internal forces are transduced into motion through soft, fluid membranes remains a fundamental question in the study of active systems. To investigate this coupling, we develop a minimal system consisting of a single ferromagnetic…
Cell monolayers are a central model system to tissue biophysics. In vivo, epithelial tissues are curved on the scale of microns, and curvature's role in the onset of spontaneous tissue flows is still not well-understood. Here, we present a…