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Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model01:09

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Various dissolution theories provide insight into the factors that influence the dissolution rate. Danckwerts' Model suggests that turbulence, rather than a stagnant layer, characterizes the dissolution medium at the solid-liquid interface. In this model, the agitated solvent contains macroscopic packets that move to the interface via eddy currents, facilitating the absorption and delivery of the drug to the bulk solution. The regular replenishment of solvent packets maintains the...
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Reactive Inkjet Printing and Propulsion Analysis of Silk-based Self-propelled Micro-stirrers
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Dissolution-driven propulsion of floating solids.

Martin Chaigne1, Michael Berhanu1, Arshad Kudrolli2

  • 1Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Paris Cité, CNRS (UMR 7057), F-75013 Paris, France.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 31, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Asymmetric dissolving solids in fluid generate thrust via density currents, enabling rectilinear motion. This dissolution-driven propulsion mechanism, observed in boats, offers insights into active matter locomotion.

Keywords:
dissolutionfluid mechanicsfluid–structure interactionnatural convectionself-propulsion

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Area of Science:

  • Fluid dynamics
  • Active matter physics
  • Geophysics

Background:

  • Dissolving solids can generate fluid flow through density currents.
  • The locomotion of objects in fluids is a fundamental area of study with implications for natural phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the rectilinear motion of unconstrained asymmetric dissolving solids in a fluid.
  • To understand the role of attached density currents in generating propulsion.
  • To develop an analytical model for the speed of such self-propelled objects.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental observation of centimeter-scale sugar and salt boats in water.
  • Visualization of fluid flow around the dissolving solids.
  • Kinematic analysis to derive thrust and velocity.
  • Development of an analytical formula for body speed.

Main Results:

  • Asymmetric dissolving solids exhibit rectilinear motion driven by density currents along inclined surfaces.
  • Observed speeds up to 5 mm/s, dependent on inclination angle and orientation.
  • Boat velocity is directed opposite to the horizontal component of the density current.
  • An analytical formula for body speed was derived, showing reasonable agreement with experimental data.

Conclusions:

  • Dissolution-driven density currents provide a thrust mechanism for self-propulsion in solids.
  • The study elucidates a primal strategy for locomotion in active matter.
  • The findings have potential implications for understanding the drift of melting icebergs and other phase-changing phenomena.