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Studying Large Amplitude Oscillatory Shear Response of Soft Materials

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Published on: April 25, 2019

Self-Oscillation and Synchronization Transitions in Elastoactive Structures.

Ellen Zheng¹, Martin Brandenbourger¹, Louis Robinet¹

¹Institute of Physics, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Physical Review Letters

|May 12, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a simple 1D elastoactive model system. This system demonstrates flagellar motion, self-snapping, and synchronization, offering insights into active materials and nonequilibrium phenomena.

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Area of Science:

Physics of active matter
Soft matter physics
Nonlinear dynamics

Background:

Active and living systems exhibit complex behaviors due to the interplay of activity and elasticity.
Spontaneous self-oscillations are common in nonequilibrium systems, but experimental models are scarce.
Understanding these phenomena requires accessible model systems for investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce a novel, centimeter-sized experimental model system for studying one-dimensional elastoactive structures.
To investigate the autonomous behaviors and dynamical phenomena exhibited by these structures.
To provide a quantitative framework for describing the observed behaviors.

Main Methods:

Development of a centimeter-sized 1D elastoactive model system.
Experimental observation of behaviors under different boundary conditions (pinned at one or two ends).
Coupling of structures to study synchronization phenomena.
Quantitative description using models of coupled pendula with follower forces.

Main Results:

Demonstration of flagellar motion when the structure is pinned at one end.
Observation of self-snapping behavior when the structure is pinned at two ends.
Evidence of synchronization when multiple structures are coupled with a stiff link.
Quantitative agreement between experimental observations and pendulum models.

Conclusions:

The developed 1D elastoactive model system effectively replicates various autonomous behaviors.
The observed phenomena can be quantitatively modeled using coupled pendula with follower forces.
This work provides a foundation for understanding and designing self-organization in active solids, with potential applications in biological and synthetic systems.