Motion of an active particle in a linear concentration gradient

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical model for Janus particle motion in a linear chemical gradient, considering self-generated and external gradients, and classifies different motion regimes based on surface activity and mobility.

Contribution

It introduces an analytical framework using Lorentz reciprocal theorem to predict Janus particle trajectories in external chemical gradients.

Findings

Analytical expressions for particle velocity and rotation derived.

Particle behavior categorized into four distinct trajectory regimes.

Model captures the interplay of self-generated and external concentration effects.

Abstract

Janus particles self-propel by generating local tangential concentration gradients along their surface. These gradients are present in a thin layer whose thickness is small compared to the particle size. Chemical asymmetry along the surface is a prerequisite to generate tangential chemical gradient, which gives rise to diffusioosmotic flows in a thin region around the particle. This results in an effective slip on the particle surface. This slip results in the observed "swimming" motion of a freely suspended particle even in the absence of externally imposed concentration gradients.Motivated by the chemotactic behaviour of their biological counterparts(such as sperm cells, neutrophils, macrophages, bacteria etc.), which sense and respond to external chemical gradients, the current work aims at developing a theoretical framework to study the motion of a Janus particle in an externally imposed linear concentration gradient. The external gradient along with the self-generated concentration gradient determines the swimming velocity and orientation of the particle.The dominance of each of these effects is characterised by a non-dimensional activity number A. The surface of Janus particle is modelled as having a different activity and mobility coefficient on the two halves.Using Lorentz Reciprocal theorem, an analytical expression for the rotational and translational velocity is obtained. The analytical framework helps us divide the parameter space of surface activity and mobility into four regions where the particle exhibits different trajectories.