Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: The motion of biological swimmers in typical bodily fluids is modelled using a system of micellar solubilization driven active droplets in a viscoelastic polymeric solution. The viscoelastic nature of the medium, as perceived by the moving droplet, characterized by the Deborah number (De), is tuned by varying the surfactant (fuel) and polymer concentration in the ambient medium. At moderate De, the droplet exhibits a steady deformed shape, markedly different from the spherical shape observed in Newtonian media. A theoretical analysis based on the normal stress balance at the interface is shown to accurately predict the droplet shape. With a further increase in De, time-periodic deformation accompanied by an oscillatory transition in swimming mode is observed. The study unveils the hitherto unexplored rich complexity in the motion of active droplets in viscoelastic fluids.
Source: Soft Matter
DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00228d
Institution: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Language: English
Topic: Micro and Nano Robotics
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: G2515937971, G8773903524
OpenAlex ID: W4367664848