Transport of the moving barrier driven by chiral active particles

TL;DR

This study explores how chiral active particles can induce and control directed transport of a V-shaped barrier in a 2D channel, revealing optimal conditions for maximizing barrier velocity and potential applications in micro-object transport.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates how the chirality and geometry of active particles and barriers can be tuned to steer and optimize the transport of micro-objects in active media.

Findings

Barrier velocity is maximized at specific chirality and propulsion speeds.

Active particles and barrier move in opposite directions.

Optimal parameters depend on particle concentration and channel width.

Abstract

Transport of a moving V-shaped barrier exposed to a bath of chiral active particles is investigated in a two-dimensional channel. Due to the chirality of active particles and the transversal asymmetry of the barrier position, active particles can power and steer the directed transport of the barrier in the longitudinal direction. The transport of the barrier is determined by the chirality of active particles. The moving barrier and active particles move in the opposite directions. The average velocity of the barrier is much larger than that of active particles. There exist optimal parameters (the chirality, the self-propulsion speed, the packing fraction, and the channel width) at which the average velocity of the barrier takes its maximal value. In particular, tailoring the geometry of the barrier and the active concentration provides novel strategies to control the transport properties of micro-objects or cargoes in an active medium.