Lamellar ordering, droplet formation and phase inversion in exotic active emulsions

Area of Science:

• Soft matter physics
• Materials science
• Non-equilibrium systems

Background:

• Understanding phase behavior in complex fluid mixtures is crucial.
• Active matter introduces novel dynamics not seen in passive systems.
• Surfactants play a key role in stabilizing emulsions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To numerically investigate the behavior of a 2D mixture of passive fluid and active gel.
• To explore the formation of exotic emulsions under varying activity conditions.
• To demonstrate activity as a tunable parameter for material design.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of a two-dimensional mixture.
• Analysis of passive isotropic fluid and active polar gel interactions.
• Inclusion of a surfactant favoring emulsification.

Main Results:

• Interplay of non-equilibrium and thermodynamic forces creates exotic emulsions.
• Contractile activity enhances lamellar ordering or forms droplets; extensile activity creates rotating droplet emulsions.
• High internal phase emulsions exhibit activity-dependent phase inversion.

Conclusions:

• Activity is a powerful control parameter for designing composite materials.
• Diverse and exotic emulsion morphologies can be achieved by tuning activity.
• The study bridges non-equilibrium physics and materials design for advanced emulsions.