Mixing and demixing of binary mixtures of polar chiral active particles

TL;DR

This study uses simulations to explore how chirality and velocity alignment influence the mixing or demixing of binary polar chiral active particles, revealing conditions for particle separation.

Contribution

It demonstrates how the interplay between chirality difference and velocity alignment controls mixing and demixing in chiral active particle mixtures.

Findings

Chirality difference and velocity alignment compete to determine particle configuration.

Demixing occurs with distinct clusters of opposite chirality particles.

Particles can be separated based on their chirality under certain conditions.

Abstract

We study a binary mixture of polar chiral (counterclockwise or clockwise) active particles in a two-dimensional box with periodic boundary conditions. Beside the excluded volume interactions between particles, particles are also subject to the polar velocity alignment. From the extensive Brownian dynamics simulations, it is found that the particle configuration (mixing or demixing) is determined by the competition between the chirality difference and the polar velocity alignment. When the chirality difference competes with the polar velocity alignment, the clockwise particles aggregate in one cluster and the counterclockwise particles aggregate in the other cluster, thus particles are demixed and can be separated. However, when the chirality difference or the polar velocity alignment is dominated, particles are mixed. Our findings could be used for the experimental pursuit of the separation of binary mixtures of chiral active particles.