Related papers: Janus microswimmers are poor hydrodynamic mixers
We analyze a minimal model for a rigid spherical microswimmer and explore the consequences of its extended surface on the interplay between its self-propulsion and flow properties. The model is the first order representation of…
The microalga Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii (CR) is used here as a model system to study the effect of complex environments on the swimming of micro-organisms. Its motion can be modelled by a run and tumble mechanism so that it describes a…
Symmetry breaking is essential for biological microswimmers to achieve locomotion in viscous environments. Such asymmetry in the swimming mechanism enables the generation of directional forces that overcome fluid resistance, leading to…
Janus phoretic colloids (JPs) self-propel as a result of self-generated chemical gradients and exhibit spontaneous nontrivial dynamics within phoretic suspensions, on length scales much larger than the microscopic swimmer size. Such…
In this Account, we describe how synthetic motors that operate by self-diffusiophoresis make use of a self-generated concentration gradient to drive motor motion. A description of propulsion by self-diffusiophoresis is presented for Janus…
Tracer particles immersed in suspensions of biological microswimmers such as E. coli or C. reinhardtii display phenomena unseen in conventional equilibrium systems, including strongly enhanced diffusivity relative to the Brownian value and…
The acoustofluidic method holds great promise for manipulating microorganisms. When exposed to the steady vortex structures of acoustic streaming flow, these microorganisms exhibit intriguing dynamic behaviors, such as hydrodynamic trapping…
Geometric confinements are frequently encountered in the biological world and strongly affect the stability, topology, and transport properties of active suspensions in viscous flow. Based on a far-field analytical model, the…
Shear-thinning viscosity is a non-Newtonian behaviour that active particles often encounter in biological fluids such as blood and mucus. The fundamental question of how this ubiquitous non-Newtonian rheology affects the propulsion of…
Non-reciprocal interactions play a key role in shaping transport in active and passive systems, giving rise to striking nonequilibrium behavior. Here, we study the dynamics of a tracer -- active or passive -- embedded in a bath of active or…
The collective motion of microorganisms and microrobots can be used for particle delivery, especially when guided by external magnetic fields, phototaxis, or chemotaxis. This cargo transport is enhanced significantly by hydrodynamic…
The complex interactions underlying collective motion in biological systems give rise to emergent behaviours such as flocking, sorting, and cooperative transport. These dynamics often involve species with different motilities coordinating…
Microswimmers are sub-millimeter swimming microrobots that show potential as a platform for controllable locomotion in applications including targeted cargo delivery and minimally invasive surgery. To be viable for these target…
By developing a molecular dynamics model of bacterial chemotaxis, we present the first investigation of tracer statistics in bacterial suspensions where chemotactic effects are considered. We demonstrate that the non-Gaussian statistics of…
The trajectories of microswimmers moving in narrow channels of widths comparable to their sizes are significantly altered when they encounter another microswimmer moving in the opposite direction. The consequence of these encounters is a…
Self-assembly and dynamical properties of Janus nanoparticles have been studied by molecular dynamic simulations. The nanoparticles are modeled as dimers and they are confined between two flat parallel plates to simulate a thin film. One…
The hydrodynamic interactions of a suspension of self-propelled particles are studied using a direct numerical simulation method which simultaneously solves for the host fluid and the swimming particles. A modified version of the "Smoothed…
New free-swimming experiments and simulations are conducted on a pair of three-dimensional, bio-robotic swimmers composed of a body and tail section based on Yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares. It is discovered that the pair converges…
Two-dimensional (2D) Janus transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have great potential for photocatalytic water splitting due to their novel properties induced by the unique out-of-plane asymmetric structures. Here, we systematically…
A multicomponent mixture of Janus colloids with distinct catalytic coats and phoretic mobilities is a promising theoretical system to explore the collective behavior arising from nonreciprocal interactions. An active colloid produces (or…