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Two-Phase Crystallization in a Carpet of Inertial Spinners.
Zaiyi Shen1, Juho S Lintuvuori1
1Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, LOMA, UMR 5798, F-33400 Talence, France.
Physical Review Letters
|December 14, 2020
Summary
Hydrodynamic interactions drive self-assembly in spinning particles. Repulsive forces lead to uniform hexagonal structures at low concentrations and phase separation into distinct crystalline and hexatic phases at higher densities.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Spherical spinners are model systems for studying self-assembly.
- Hydrodynamic interactions significantly influence particle behavior in fluids.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the crystallization dynamics of torque-driven spherical spinners.
- To understand the role of hydrodynamic interactions in spinner self-assembly.
Main Methods:
- Simulations of spinners on a surface at finite Reynolds numbers.
- Analysis of particle crystallization and structural formation.
- Characterization of hydrodynamic interactions and secondary flows.
Main Results:
- Concentration-dependent crystallization observed.
- Uniform hexagonal structure forms at semidilute concentrations due to repulsive hydrodynamic interactions.
- Phase separation into high-density crystalline and low-density hexatic phases occurs at higher coverages due to nonmonotonic repulsion.
Conclusions:
- Hydrodynamic interactions are crucial for spinner self-assembly.
- The system exhibits tunable crystallization and phase separation behavior.
- Concentration-dependent spinning frequency drives nonmonotonic repulsion and phase separation.
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