AI Article Synopsis
- The study explores how the properties of active fluids can be manipulated through flow and material characteristics, making them applicable in various fields.
- A new method is introduced that utilizes submerged micropatterned structures to control flow, shape, and composition in active films, enhancing their rheological properties.
- Simulations show that these micropatterns create virtual boundaries in the films, allowing for the engineering of active microfluidic systems without direct interference.
Article Abstract
Coupling between flows and material properties imbues rheological matter with its wide-ranging applicability, hence the excitement for harnessing the rheology of active fluids for which internal structure and continuous energy injection lead to spontaneous flows and complex, out-of-equilibrium dynamics. We propose and demonstrate a convenient, highly tunable method for controlling flow, topology, and composition within active films. Our approach establishes rheological coupling via the indirect presence of fully submersed micropatterned structures within a thin, underlying oil layer. Simulations reveal that micropatterned structures produce effective virtual boundaries within the superjacent active nematic film due to differences in viscous dissipation as a function of depth. This accessible method of applying position-dependent, effective dissipation to the active films presents a nonintrusive pathway for engineering active microfluidic systems.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8463884 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2106038118 | DOI Listing |
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