Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025
11:38
Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions
Published on: April 19, 2018
7.9K
Percolation transitions in a binary mixture of active Brownian particles with different softness
Monika Sanoria1,2, Raghunath Chelakkot1, Amitabha Nandi1
1Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India.
Soft Matter
|November 12, 2024
Summary
Heterogeneous active Brownian particles (ABPs) with varying softness exhibit complex phase behavior. A novel space-filling structure of stiffer particles forms within motility-induced phase separation clusters.
Area of Science:
- Soft matter physics
- Statistical mechanics
- Complex systems
Background:
- Homogeneous active Brownian particle (ABP) systems typically show simple phase behavior.
- Particle softness and motility influence collective dynamics in homogeneous ABPs.
- Heterogeneity in ABP composition remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate structural properties of binary ABP mixtures with differing particle softness.
- Analyze the impact of relative softness and composition on system behavior.
- Explore novel phenomena arising from heterogeneity in ABP systems.
Main Methods:
- Simulations of binary mixtures of active Brownian particles.
- Systematic variation of relative particle softness and composition.
- Analysis of motility-induced phase separation (MIPS) and percolation transitions.
Main Results:
- Motility parameter variation induced MIPS and percolation, similar to homogeneous systems.
- Observed novel formation of space-filling structures by stiffer particles within MIPS clusters.
- Structure formation is contingent on a sufficient difference in particle softness.
Conclusions:
- Compositional heterogeneity in ABPs leads to complex phase behavior.
- The interplay of softness and composition dictates emergent structural properties.
- Binary ABP mixtures offer a platform for studying novel collective phenomena.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Colloids and Suspensions
1.7K
Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles visible to the naked eye or seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. The suspended particles in a suspension settle out after some time of mixing. The separation of particles from a suspension is...
1.7K
01:12Diffusion
188.8K
Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...
188.8K
01:09Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model
275
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...
275
03:22Colloids
17.4K
Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles that are visible to the naked eye or can be seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. On the other hand, a solution is a homogeneous mixture in which no settling occurs and in which the dissolved...
17.4K
01:09Colloidal precipitates
517
The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...
517
03:48Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion
28.6K
Although gaseous molecules travel at tremendous speeds (hundreds of meters per second), they collide with other gaseous molecules and travel in many different directions before reaching the desired target. At room temperature, a gaseous molecule will experience billions of collisions per second. The mean free path is the average distance a molecule travels between collisions. The mean free path increases with decreasing pressure; in general, the mean free path for a gaseous molecule will be...
28.6K