The study of cells dynamical properties is essential to a better understanding of several physiological processes. These properties are directly associated with cells mechanical parameters experimentally achieved through physical stress. The micropipette aspiration essay has proven an accurate and controllable tool to apply physical stress to the cell. In this work, we explore the numerical modeling of two-dimensional cells using an active multi-particle ring submitted to micropipette aspiration. We correlate simulation parameters with experimental data and obtain a complete map of the input parameters and the resulting elastic parameters that could be measured in experiments.
We investigate the mechanical behavior of particle-stabilized droplets using micropipette aspiration. We observe that droplets stabilized with amphiphilic dumbbell-shaped particles exhibit a two-stage response to increasing suction pressure. Droplets first drip, then wrinkle and buckle like an elastic shell. While particles have a dramatic impact on the mechanism of failure, the mechanical strength of the droplets is only modestly increased. On the other hand, droplets coated with the molecular surfactant Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate are even weaker than bare droplets. In all cases, the magnitude of the critical pressure for the onset of instabilities is set by the fluid surface tension.
Frictional forces affect the rheology of hard-sphere colloids, at high shear rate. Here we demonstrate, via numerical simulations, that they also affect the dynamics of active Brownian particles, and their motility induced phase separation. Frictional forces increase the angular diffusivity of the particles, in the dilute phase, and prevent colliding particles from resolving their collision by sliding one past to the other. This leads to qualitatively changes of motility-induced phase diagram in the volume-fraction motility plane. While frictionless systems become unstable towards phase separation as the motility increases only if their volume fraction overcomes a threshold, frictional system become unstable regardless of their volume fraction. These results suggest the possibility of controlling the motility induced phase diagram by tuning the roughness of the particles.
We study steady-state properties of a suspension of active, nonchiral and chiral, Brownian particles with polar alignment and steric interactions confined within a ring-shaped (annulus) confinement in two dimensions. Exploring possible interplays between polar interparticle alignment, geometric confinement and the surface curvature, being incorporated here on minimal levels, we report a surface-population reversal effect, whereby active particles migrate from the outer concave boundary of the annulus to accumulate on its inner convex boundary. This contrasts the conventional picture, implying stronger accumulation of active particles on concave boundaries relative to the convex ones. The population reversal is caused by both particle alignment and surface curvature, disappearing when either of these factors is absent. We explore the ensuing consequences for the chirality-induced current and swim pressure of active particles and analyze possible roles of system parameters, such as the mean number density of particles and particle self-propulsion, chirality and alignment strengths.
Recent experimental studies have demonstrated that cellular motion can be directed by topographical gradients, such as those resulting from spatial variations in the features of a micropatterned substrate. This phenomenon, known as topotaxis, is especially prominent among cells persistently crawling within a spatially varying distribution of cell-sized obstacles. In this article we introduce a toy model of topotaxis based on active Brownian particles constrained to move in a lattice of obstacles, with space-dependent lattice spacing. Using numerical simulations and analytical arguments, we demonstrate that topographical gradients introduce a spatial modulation of the particles persistence, leading to directed motion toward regions of higher persistence. Our results demonstrate that persistent motion alone is sufficient to drive topotaxis and could serve as a starting point for more detailed studies on self-propelled particles and cells.
For many applications, it is important to catch collections of autonomously navigating microbes and man-made microswimmers in a controlled way. Here we propose an efficient trap to collectively capture self-propelled colloidal rods. By means of computer simulation in two dimensions, we show that a static chevron-shaped wall represents an optimal boundary for a trapping device. Its catching efficiency can be tuned by varying the opening angle of the trap. For increasing angles, there is a sequence of three emergent states corresponding to partial, complete, and no trapping. A trapping `phase diagram maps out the trap conditions under which the capture of self-propelled particles at a given density is rendered optimal.