Active micromachines: Microfluidics powered by mesoscale turbulence

Sumesh P. Thampi; Amin Doostmohammadi; Tyler N. Shendruk; Ramin Golestanian; Julia M. Yeomans

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1501854

Active micromachines: Microfluidics powered by mesoscale turbulence

Sumesh P. Thampi, Amin Doostmohammadi, Tyler N. Shendruk, Ramin Golestanian, Julia M. Yeomans

School of Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Dense active matter, from bacterial suspensions and microtubule bundles driven by motor proteins to cellular monolayers and synthetic Janus particles, is characterized by mesoscale turbulence, which is the emergence of chaotic flow structures. By immersing an ordered array of symmetric rotors in an active fluid, we introduce a microfluidic system that exploits spontaneous symmetry breaking in mesoscale turbulence to generate work. The lattice of rotors self-organizes into a spin state where neighboring discs continuously rotate in permanent alternating directions due to combined hydrodynamic and elastic effects. Our virtual prototype demonstrates a new research direction for the design of micromachines powered by the nematohydrodynamic properties of active turbulence.

Original language	English
Article number	e1501854
Journal	Science Advances
Volume	2
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1501854
Publication status	Published - 8 Jul 2016

Access to Document

10.1126/sciadv.1501854

https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:674d9d4c-572e-4c43-984d-0321c5645908Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution Non-Commercial (CC-BY-NC)

Cite this

@article{55129dc76c1348adab5edbdb9e9f520f,

title = "Active micromachines: Microfluidics powered by mesoscale turbulence",

abstract = "Dense active matter, from bacterial suspensions and microtubule bundles driven by motor proteins to cellular monolayers and synthetic Janus particles, is characterized by mesoscale turbulence, which is the emergence of chaotic flow structures. By immersing an ordered array of symmetric rotors in an active fluid, we introduce a microfluidic system that exploits spontaneous symmetry breaking in mesoscale turbulence to generate work. The lattice of rotors self-organizes into a spin state where neighboring discs continuously rotate in permanent alternating directions due to combined hydrodynamic and elastic effects. Our virtual prototype demonstrates a new research direction for the design of micromachines powered by the nematohydrodynamic properties of active turbulence.",

author = "Thampi, {Sumesh P.} and Amin Doostmohammadi and Shendruk, {Tyler N.} and Ramin Golestanian and Yeomans, {Julia M.}",

year = "2016",

month = jul,

day = "8",

doi = "10.1126/sciadv.1501854",

language = "English",

volume = "2",

journal = "Science Advances",

issn = "2375-2548",

publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",

number = "7",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Active micromachines: Microfluidics powered by mesoscale turbulence

AU - Thampi, Sumesh P.

AU - Doostmohammadi, Amin

AU - Shendruk, Tyler N.

AU - Golestanian, Ramin

AU - Yeomans, Julia M.

PY - 2016/7/8

Y1 - 2016/7/8

N2 - Dense active matter, from bacterial suspensions and microtubule bundles driven by motor proteins to cellular monolayers and synthetic Janus particles, is characterized by mesoscale turbulence, which is the emergence of chaotic flow structures. By immersing an ordered array of symmetric rotors in an active fluid, we introduce a microfluidic system that exploits spontaneous symmetry breaking in mesoscale turbulence to generate work. The lattice of rotors self-organizes into a spin state where neighboring discs continuously rotate in permanent alternating directions due to combined hydrodynamic and elastic effects. Our virtual prototype demonstrates a new research direction for the design of micromachines powered by the nematohydrodynamic properties of active turbulence.

AB - Dense active matter, from bacterial suspensions and microtubule bundles driven by motor proteins to cellular monolayers and synthetic Janus particles, is characterized by mesoscale turbulence, which is the emergence of chaotic flow structures. By immersing an ordered array of symmetric rotors in an active fluid, we introduce a microfluidic system that exploits spontaneous symmetry breaking in mesoscale turbulence to generate work. The lattice of rotors self-organizes into a spin state where neighboring discs continuously rotate in permanent alternating directions due to combined hydrodynamic and elastic effects. Our virtual prototype demonstrates a new research direction for the design of micromachines powered by the nematohydrodynamic properties of active turbulence.

U2 - 10.1126/sciadv.1501854

DO - 10.1126/sciadv.1501854

M3 - Article

SN - 2375-2548

VL - 2

JO - Science Advances

JF - Science Advances

IS - 7

M1 - e1501854

ER -

Active micromachines: Microfluidics powered by mesoscale turbulence

Abstract / Description of output

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this