scholarly journals Tuning the self-organization of confined active particles by the steepness of the trap

Soft Matter ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (43) ◽  
pp. 8865-8878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubhashis Rana ◽  
Md. Samsuzzaman ◽  
Arnab Saha

A 2D polar layer of self-propelling and self-aligning particles, rotating along the boundary of a circular trap, becomes a round-shaped polar cluster with hexagonal order when the steepness of the trap-boundary is reduced gradually.

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 364 (6435) ◽  
pp. 70-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
François A. Lavergne ◽  
Hugo Wendehenne ◽  
Tobias Bäuerle ◽  
Clemens Bechinger

Group formation in living systems typically results from a delicate balance of repulsive, aligning, and attractive interactions. We found that a mere motility change of the individuals in response to the visual perception of their peers induces group formation and cohesion. We tested this principle in a real system of active particles whose motilities are controlled by an external feedback loop. For narrow fields of view, individuals gathered into cohesive nonpolarized groups without requiring active reorientations. For wider fields of view, cohesion could be achieved by lowering the response threshold. We expect this motility-induced cohesion mechanism to be relevant not only for the self-organization of living systems, but also for the design of robust and scalable autonomous systems.


Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo-Jun Liao ◽  
Sabine H. L. Klapp

Using Brownian dynamics (BD) simulations we investigate the self-organization of a monolayer of chiral active particles with dipolar interactions. Each particle is driven by both, translational and rotational self-propulsion, and...


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (56) ◽  
pp. eabd0272
Author(s):  
J. F. Boudet ◽  
J. Lintuvuori ◽  
C. Lacouture ◽  
T. Barois ◽  
A. Deblais ◽  
...  

A swarm of simple active particles confined in a flexible scaffold is a promising system to make mobile and deformable superstructures. These soft structures can perform tasks that are difficult to carry out for monolithic robots because they can infiltrate narrow spaces, smaller than their size, and move around obstacles. To achieve such tasks, the origin of the forces the superstructures develop, how they can be guided, and the effects of external environment, especially geometry and the presence of obstacles, need to be understood. Here, we report measurements of the forces developed by such superstructures, enclosing a number of mindless active rod-like robots, as well as the forces exerted by these structures to achieve a simple function, crossing a constriction. We relate these forces to the self-organization of the individual entities. Furthermore, and based on a physical understanding of what controls the mobility of these superstructures and the role of geometry in such a process, we devise a simple strategy where the environment can be designed to bias the mobility of the superstructure, giving rise to directional motion. Simple tasks—such as pulling a load, moving through an obstacle course, or cleaning up an arena—are demonstrated. Rudimentary control of the superstructures using light is also proposed. The results are of relevance to the making of robust flexible superstructures with nontrivial space exploration properties out of a swarm of simpler and cheaper robots.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1152
Author(s):  
Tatyana Kirila ◽  
Anna Smirnova ◽  
Alla Razina ◽  
Andrey Tenkovtsev ◽  
Alexander Filippov

The water–salt solutions of star-shaped six-arm poly-2-alkyl-2-oxazines and poly-2-alkyl-2-oxazolines were studied by light scattering and turbidimetry. The core was hexaaza[26]orthoparacyclophane and the arms were poly-2-ethyl-2-oxazine, poly-2-isopropyl-2-oxazine, poly-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline, and poly-2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline. NaCl and N-methylpyridinium p-toluenesulfonate were used as salts. Their concentration varied from 0–0.154 M. On heating, a phase transition was observed in all studied solutions. It was found that the effect of salt on the thermosensitivity of the investigated stars depends on the structure of the salt and polymer and on the salt content in the solution. The phase separation temperature decreased with an increase in the hydrophobicity of the polymers, which is caused by both a growth of the side radical size and an elongation of the monomer unit. For NaCl solutions, the phase separation temperature monotonically decreased with growth of salt concentration. In solutions with methylpyridinium p-toluenesulfonate, the dependence of the phase separation temperature on the salt concentration was non-monotonic with minimum at salt concentration corresponding to one salt molecule per one arm of a polymer star. Poly-2-alkyl-2-oxazine and poly-2-alkyl-2-oxazoline stars with a hexaaza[26]orthoparacyclophane core are more sensitive to the presence of salt in solution than the similar stars with a calix[n]arene branching center.


Metals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mykola Chausov ◽  
Janette Brezinová ◽  
Andrii Pylypenko ◽  
Pavlo Maruschak ◽  
Liudmyla Titova ◽  
...  

A simple technological method is proposed and tested experimentally, which allows for the improvement of mechanical properties in sheet two-phase high-strength titanium alloys VT23 and VT23M on the finished product (rolled metal), due to impact-oscillatory loading. Under impact-oscillatory loading and dynamic non-equilibrium processes (DNP) are realized in titanium alloys, leading to the self-organization of the structure. As a result, the mechanical properties of titanium alloys vary significantly with subsequent loading after the realization of DNP. In this study, the test modes are found, which can be used in the production conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 270-281
Author(s):  
Stefan Bitter ◽  
Moritz Schlötter ◽  
Markus Schilling ◽  
Marina Krumova ◽  
Sebastian Polarz ◽  
...  

The self-organization properties of a stimuli responsive amphiphile can be altered by subjecting the paramagnetic oxidized form to a magnetic field of 0.8 T and monitored in real time by coupling optical birefringence with dynamic light scattering.


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