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Area of Science:

  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Active Matter Systems
  • Fluid Dynamics

Background:

  • Active gels are complex fluids with self-propulsion capabilities.
  • Surface anchoring conditions significantly influence the behavior of active droplets.
  • Understanding droplet dynamics is crucial for applications in micro-robotics and biomaterials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the spontaneous rotation of active gel droplets under imposed surface anchoring.
  • To explore the relationship between activity, anchoring strength, and droplet morphology.
  • To characterize the different dynamic regimes and emergent patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of active gel droplet hydrodynamics.
  • Numerical simulations of droplet dynamics with varying activity and anchoring.
  • Analysis of droplet shape deformations and rotational behavior.

Main Results:

  • Droplets with sufficient activity and strong anchoring exhibit spontaneous rotation.
  • Rotation direction is randomly selected by fluctuations.
  • Contractile droplets rotate under planar anchoring; extensile droplets rotate under normal anchoring.
  • A conflict exists between thermodynamically favored and activity-driven anchoring.
  • Diverse morphologies and spatiotemporal patterns, including steady rotation and oscillations, were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Imposed surface anchoring and sufficient activity can induce spontaneous rotation in active gel droplets.
  • The observed rotation mechanism differs from previously studied active fluid defects.
  • Tunable activity and anchoring offer control over droplet dynamics and morphology.