Phase Separation by Entanglement of Active Polymerlike Worms

Deblais, Antoine; Maggs, A. C.; Bonn, Daniel; Woutersen, Sander

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.124.208006

Cited by 45 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…They are active swimmers and have a typical length of 10-30 mm and width of 0.2-0.4 mm [26]. When randomly distributed over a volume of water, the worms exhibit random motion and form highly entangled "blobs" [29] [see inset of Fig. 1(a)].…”

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confidence: 99%

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Rheology of Entangled Active Polymer-Like T. Tubifex Worms

2020

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We experimentally study the rheology of long, slender, and entangled living worms (Tubifex Tubifex). Their level of activity can be controlled by changing the temperature or by adding small amounts of alcohol to make the worms temporarily inactive. Performing classical rheology experiments on this entangled polymer-like system, we find that the rheology is qualitatively similar to that of usual polymers, but, quantitatively, (i) shear thinning is reduced by activity, (ii) the characteristic shear rate for the onset of shear-thinning is given by the time scale of the activity, and (iii) the low shear viscosity as a function of concentration shows a very different scaling from that of regular polymers. Our study paves the way towards a new experimental research field of active "polymer-like worms."

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“…2). An efficient way to suppress the activity of the worms is to add 5% alcohol to the water, which causes almost all of the activity to cease [33], impacting their random motion in a similar fashion [26,29]. This is reversible: if the alcohol is rinsed away using tap water, the activity returns (Supplemental Video 2 [26]).…”

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Rheology of Entangled Active Polymer-Like T. Tubifex Worms

2020

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“…For instance, chains of self-propelled swimmers were realized using magnetic microparticles (33), and Janus colloids can be chained with induced polar charge distribution (34). Organisms, such as Tubifex tubifex worms, are biological examples of active filaments (35). Active polymers show tunable, activity-induced dynamics (36)(37)(38)(39).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surfactants and rotelles in active chiral fluids

et al. 2021

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Surfactant molecules migrate to interfaces, reduce interfacial tension, and form micelles. All of these behaviors occur at or near equilibrium. Here, we describe active analogs of surfactants that operate far from equilibrium in active chiral fluids. Unlike molecular surfactants, the amphiphilic character of surfactants in active chiral fluids is a consequence of their activity. Our fluid of choice is a mixture of spinners that demixes into left-handed and right-handed chiral fluid domains. We realize spinners in experiment with three-dimensionally printed vibrots. Vibrot surfactants are chains of vibrots containing both types of handedness. Experiments demonstrate the affinity of double-stranded chains to interfaces, where they glide along and act as mixing agents. Simulations access larger systems in which single-stranded chains form spinning vesicles, termed rotelles. Rotelles are the chiral analogs of micelles. Rotelle formation is a ratchet mechanism catalyzed by the vorticity of the chiral fluid and only exist far from equilibrium.

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“…Motivated by these experiments and insights on aggregations of blackworms and sludge worms [17,23,16], we pursue a theoretical model that captures the collective behavior of aquatic worms by linking together local rules governing interactions between individual worms with the emergent macroscale dynamics of the blob.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, we examine the aggregation and swarming behavior of active polymer-like organisms, such as worms, that are flexible and characterized by their slender bodies (i.e., each possessing a length much longer than the width). Some species of worms can physically braid their bodies into highly entangled aggregations [11, 15, 16, 17]. In this paper, we focus on the Lumbriculus variegatus , an aquatic worm also known as the California blackworm, blackworm, or mudworm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergent collective locomotion in an active polymer model of entangled worm blobs

Nguyen

Ozkan-Aydin

Tuazon

et al. 2021

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Numerous worm and arthropod species form physically-connected aggregations in which interactions among individuals give rise to emergent macroscale dynamics and functionalities that enhance collective survival. In particular, some aquatic worms such as the California blackworm (Lumbriculus variegatus) entangle their bodies into dense blobs to shield themselves against external stressors and preserve moisture in dry conditions. Motivated by recent experiments revealing emergent locomotion in blackworm blobs, we investigate the collective worm dynamics by modeling each worm as a self-propelled Brownian polymer. Though our model is two-dimensional, compared to real three-dimensional worm blobs, we demonstrate how a simulated blob can collectively traverse temperature gradients via the coupling between the active motion and the environment. By performing a systematic parameter sweep over the strength of attractive forces between worms, and the magnitude of their directed self-propulsion, we obtain a rich phase diagram which reveals that effective collective locomotion emerges as a result of finely balancing a tradeoff between these two parameters. Our model brings the physics of active filaments into a new meso- and macroscale context and invites further theoretical investigation into the collective behavior of long, slender, semi-flexible organisms.

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Phase Separation by Entanglement of Active Polymerlike Worms

Cited by 45 publications

References 32 publications

Rheology of Entangled Active Polymer-Like T. Tubifex Worms

Rheology of Entangled Active Polymer-Like T. Tubifex Worms

Surfactants and rotelles in active chiral fluids

Emergent collective locomotion in an active polymer model of entangled worm blobs

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