Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: We study nonequilibrium analogues of surface phase transitions in a minimal model of active particles in contact with a purely repulsive potential barrier that mimics a thin porous membrane. Under conditions of bulk motility-induced phase separation, the interaction strength ϵ_{w} of the barrier controls the affinity of the dense phase for the barrier region. We uncover clear signatures of a wetting phase transition as ϵ_{w} is varied. In common with its equilibrium counterpart, the character of this transition depends on the system dimensionality: a continuous transition with large density fluctuations and gas bubbles is uncovered in 2D while 3D systems exhibit a sharp transition absent of large correlations.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: Francesco Turci, Nigel B. Wilding
Language: English
Topic: Micro and Nano Robotics
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: University of Bristol
OpenAlex ID: W3208685467