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Active Phase Separation in Mixtures of Chemically Interacting Particles
Jaime Agudo-Canalejo1,2, Ramin Golestanian1,3
1Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom.
Physical Review Letters
|August 7, 2019
Summary
Chemically interacting particles can self-organize into distinct phases due to nonequilibrium interactions. This study reveals a new class of active phase separation driven by chemical reactions, impacting biological and colloidal systems.
Area of Science:
- Theoretical physics
- Chemical physics
- Soft matter physics
Background:
- Active matter systems exhibit self-organization.
- Chemical interactions drive particle behavior.
- Phase separation is a key phenomenon in condensed matter.
Purpose of the Study:
- To theoretically investigate mixtures of chemically interacting particles.
- To explore active phase separation phenomena in systems with many species.
- To understand the fundamental principles of nonequilibrium self-organization.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of interacting particle mixtures.
- Analysis of chemical interactions breaking action-reaction symmetry.
- General case study with multiple coexisting species.
Main Results:
- Discovery of a new class of active phase separation.
- Nonequilibrium chemical interactions lead to phase separation.
- Phases exhibit distinct densities and stoichiometries.
Conclusions:
- Minimal model provides insights into complex self-organization.
- Results are relevant to cells, bacteria, enzymes, and colloids.
- Highlights the role of broken symmetry in active matter.
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