Publications by authors named "I Kolvin"

We study the structure and dynamics of the interface separating a passive fluid from a microtubule-based active fluid. Turbulent-like active flows power giant interfacial fluctuations, which exhibit pronounced asymmetry between regions of positive and negative curvature. Experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical arguments reveal how the interface breaks up the spatial symmetry of the fundamental bend instability to generate local vortical flows that lead to asymmetric interface fluctuations.

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Active liquid crystals exert nonequilibrium stresses on their surroundings through constant consumption of energy, giving rise to dynamical steady states not present in equilibrium. The paradigmatic example of an active liquid crystal is a suspension of microtubule bundles powered by kinesin motor proteins, which exhibits self-sustained spatiotemporal chaotic flows. This system has been modelled using continuum theories that couple the microtubule orientation to active flows.

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Controlling interfaces of phase-separating fluid mixtures is key to the creation of diverse functional soft materials. Traditionally, this is accomplished with surface-modifying chemical agents. Using experiment and theory, we studied how mechanical activity shapes soft interfaces that separate an active and a passive fluid.

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Topological structures are effective descriptors of the nonequilibrium dynamics of diverse many-body systems. For example, motile, point-like topological defects capture the salient features of two-dimensional active liquid crystals composed of energy-consuming anisotropic units. We dispersed force-generating microtubule bundles in a passive colloidal liquid crystal to form a three-dimensional active nematic.

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Fracture of highly stretched materials challenges our view of how things break. We directly visualize rupture of tough double-network gels at >50% strain. During fracture, crack tip shapes obey a x∼y^{1.

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