Micropropulsion and microrheology in complex fluids via symmetry breaking
arXiv:1303.0330 · doi:10.1063/1.4758811
Abstract
Many biological fluids have polymeric microstructures and display non-Newtonian rheology. We take advantage of such nonlinear fluid behavior and combine it with geometrical symmetry-breaking to design a novel small-scale propeller able to move only in complex fluids. Its propulsion characteristics are explored numerically in an Oldroyd-B fluid for finite Deborah numbers while the small Deborah number limit is investigated analytically using a second-order fluid model. We then derive expressions relating the propulsion speed to the rheological properties of the complex fluid, allowing thus to infer the normal stress coefficients in the fluid from the locomotion of the propeller. Our simple mechanism can therefore be used either as a non-Newtonian micro-propeller or as a micro-rheometer.
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- Elasticity Induced Force Reversal Between Active Spinning Particles in Dense Passive Media
- The effect of gait on swimming in viscoelastic fluids
- Viscoelastic propulsion of a rotating dumbbell
- Higher-order force moments of active particles
- Front-back asymmetry controls the impact of viscoelasticity on helical swimming
- Formation of a strong negative wake behind a helical swimmer in a viscoelastic fluid
- Viscoelastic levitation
- The relationship between viscoelasticity and elasticity
- A Swimming Rheometer: Self-propulsion of a freely-suspended swimmer enabled by viscoelastic normal stresses