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Related Concept Videos

Entropy02:39

Entropy

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Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
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Entropy and Solvation02:05

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The process of surrounding a solute with solvent is called solvation. It involves evenly distributing the solute within the solvent. The rule of thumb for determining a solvent for a given compound is that like dissolves like. A good solvent has molecular characteristics similar to those of the compound to be dissolved. For example, polar solutions dissolve polar solutes, and apolar solvents dissolve apolar solutes. A polar solvent is a solvent that has a high dielectric constant (ϵ...
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A living cell's primary tasks of obtaining, transforming, and using energy to do work may seem simple. However, the second law of thermodynamics explains why these tasks are harder than they appear. None of the energy transfers in the universe are completely efficient. In every energy transfer, some amount of energy is lost in a form that is unusable. In most cases, this form is heat energy. Thermodynamically, heat energy is defined as the energy transferred from one system to another that...
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Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics01:20

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

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The second law of thermodynamics can be stated quantitatively using the concept of entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder of the system.
The relation  between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...
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Third Law of Thermodynamics02:38

Third Law of Thermodynamics

19.0K
A pure, perfectly crystalline solid possessing no kinetic energy (that is, at a temperature of absolute zero, 0 K) may be described by a single microstate, as its purity, perfect crystallinity,and complete lack of motion means there is but one possible location for each identical atom or molecule comprising the crystal (W = 1). According to the Boltzmann equation, the entropy of this system is zero.
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Second Law of Thermodynamics00:53

Second Law of Thermodynamics

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The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy, or the amount of disorder in a system, increases each time energy is transferred or transformed. Each energy transfer results in a certain amount of energy that is lost—usually in the form of heat—that increases the disorder of the surroundings. This can also be demonstrated in a classic food web. Herbivores harvest chemical energy from plants and release heat and carbon dioxide into the environment. Carnivores harvest the...
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Quantitative Locomotion Study of Freely Swimming Micro-organisms Using Laser Diffraction
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Minimum entropy production by microswimmers with internal dissipation.

Abdallah Daddi-Moussa-Ider1, Ramin Golestanian1,2, Andrej Vilfan3,4

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS), 37077, Göttingen, Germany.

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|September 28, 2023
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Summary

Self-propelled microswimmers have unique energy dissipation and entropy production compared to passive particles. A new theorem establishes a lower bound for microswimmer dissipation, revealing distinct fundamental limits for active swimmers.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Fluid Dynamics

Background:

  • Self-propelled microswimmers exhibit distinct energy dissipation and entropy production mechanisms compared to externally driven passive particles.
  • The flow fields and internal propulsion mechanisms of microswimmers differ significantly from passive systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To derive a general theorem providing an exact lower bound on the total energy dissipation (external and internal) for microswimmers.
  • To investigate how swimmer shape influences total dissipation under constant volume.
  • To compare fundamental limits of entropy production in active versus passive systems.

Main Methods:

  • Derivation of a general theoretical framework for microswimmer dissipation.
  • Application of the theorem to specific microswimmer models, including surface-propelled droplets and swimmers with extended propulsive layers.
  • Analysis of swimmer shapes that minimize total dissipation.

Main Results:

  • A general theorem is established, yielding an exact lower bound for the total dissipation of microswimmers.
  • The theorem is applicable to various microswimmer types, including active droplets and swimmers with internal dissipation.
  • Analysis reveals optimal swimmer shapes for minimizing dissipation at constant volume.
  • Entropy production in active microswimmers is shown to be governed by different fundamental limits.

Conclusions:

  • The derived theorem offers a universal approach to quantifying microswimmer energy dissipation.
  • Active microswimmers face distinct thermodynamic constraints compared to passive particles.
  • Understanding these limits is crucial for designing efficient microscale artificial swimmers.