Tuning microswimmer motility by liposome encapsulation: swimming and cargo transport of Chlamydomonas-encapsulating liposome

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how encapsulating Chlamydomonas in liposomes allows for controlled, reversible modulation of microswimmer motility and cargo transport, with potential applications in biohybrid systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel liposome encapsulation method that enables tunable and reversible control of microswimmer motility using fluid mechanics and light-responsive lipids.

Findings

Motility changes can be quantitatively described by a deformation-velocity relation.

Liposome encapsulation allows reversible switching of motility with light stimuli.

Encapsulation enables both cargo transport and motility regulation.

Abstract

Inspired by biology's use of vesicles for targeted transport, many studies have propelled liposomes with active matter, creating synthetic systems that can be viewed as microscale biohybrid robots. Nevertheless, the underlying motility mechanisms from a hydrodynamic perspective are often unresolved, and reliable velocity control remains challenging. Here we present a chlamylipo formed by encapsulating the motile alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii within a giant liposome. We quantify how the characters of swimming change under controlled perturbations and, from a fluid-mechanical perspective, derive a deformation-velocity expression that incorporates liposome radius, beating frequency, and membrane protrusion. We further show that motility can be reversibly switched by incorporating light-responsive lipids, with the liposome acting as a "clutch" that modulates membrane-coupled propulsion. Thus, liposome encapsulation can function not only as a cargo compartment but also as a tunable motility regulator, enabling speed adjustment and reversible transitions between motile and non-motile states.