Role of viscoelasticity on the dynamics and aggregation of chemically active sphere-dimers

TL;DR

This study explores how viscoelastic fluids influence the movement and clustering behavior of chemically active sphere-dimers, revealing enhanced motility and aggregation driven by fluid properties and chemical gradients.

Contribution

It introduces a hybrid simulation approach to analyze the effects of viscoelasticity on active dimer dynamics and aggregation, highlighting new insights into their collective behavior.

Findings

Viscoelasticity enhances dimer motility.

Clustering is more pronounced in viscoelastic fluids.

Cluster formation kinetics are detailed and influenced by fluid properties.

Abstract

The impact of complex media on the dynamics of active swimmers has gained a thriving interest in the research community for their prominent applications in various fields. This paper investigates the effect of viscoelasticity on the dynamics and aggregation of chemically powered sphere-dimers by using a coarse-grained hybrid mesoscopic simulation technique. The sphere-dimers perform active motion by virtue of the concentration gradient around the swimmer's surface, produced by the chemical reaction at one end of the dimer. We observe that the fluid elasticity enhances translational and rotational motion of a single dimer, however for a pair of dimers, the clustering in a particular alignment is more pronounced. In case of multiple dimers, the kinetics of cluster formation along with their propulsive nature are presented in detail. The key factors influencing the enhanced motility and the aggregation of dimers are the concentration gradients, hydrodynamic coupling and the microstructures present in the system.