Mixing and de-mixing of model microswimmers in bi-motility mixtures

TL;DR

This study investigates the collective behavior and segregation phenomena of bi-motility microswimmer mixtures using simulations, revealing how velocity differences influence clustering and spatial organization at low Reynolds number.

Contribution

It models bi-motility mixtures of artificial microswimmers in 2D and uncovers how velocity disparities lead to segregation and clustering behaviors.

Findings

Slower swimmers contribute more to clustering.

Large velocity differences cause faster swimmers to move away from slower ones.

Small velocity differences result in mixed large clusters.

Abstract

Cooperation between micro-organisms give rise to novel phenomena like clustering, swarming in suspension. We study the collective behavior of the artificial swimmer called Taylor line at low Reynolds number using multi-particle collision dynamics method. In this paper we have modeled bi-motility mixtures of multiple swimmers in 2 dimensions, which differ from each other by the velocity with which they swim. We observe that the swimmers can segregate into slower and faster ones depending on the relative difference in velocity of the 2 type of swimmers. We also observe that contribution of slower swimmers towards clustering, on an average, is much larger compared to faster ones, although we employ a homogeneous mixture. When the difference in velocity is large between the swimmers, the faster ones move away from the slower ones towards the boundary. On the other hand, when the relative difference in velocity is very small, the slower and faster swimmer mix together to form big clusters. At later time even for small difference in velocity the swimmers segregate into fast and slow swimmer clusters.