Spontaneous polarization and locomotion of an active particle with surface-mobile enzymes

View/Open
Cita com:
hdl:2117/340352
Document typeArticle
Defense date2020-12-17
Rights accessOpen Access
All rights reserved. This work is protected by the corresponding intellectual and industrial
property rights. Without prejudice to any existing legal exemptions, reproduction, distribution, public
communication or transformation of this work are prohibited without permission of the copyright holder
Abstract
We examine a mechanism of locomotion of active particles whose surface is uniformly coated with mobile enzymes. The enzymes catalyze a reaction that drives phoretic flows but their homogeneous distribution forbids locomotion by symmetry. We find that the ability of the enzymes to migrate over the surface combined with self-phoresis can lead to a spontaneous symmetry-breaking instability whereby the homogeneous distribution of enzymes polarizes and the particle propels. The instability is driven by the advection of enzymes by the phoretic flows and occurs above a critical Péclet number. The transition to polarized motile states occurs via a supercritical or subcritical pitchfork bifurcations, the latter of which enables hysteresis and coexistence of uniform and polarized states.
CitationDe Corato, M. [et al.]. Spontaneous polarization and locomotion of an active particle with surface-mobile enzymes. "Physical review fluids", 17 Desembre 2020, vol. 5, núm. 12, p. 122001:1-122001:11.
ISSN2469-990X
Other identifiershttps://arxiv.org/pdf/2008.03251.pdf
Files | Description | Size | Format | View |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008.03251v1.pdf | 724,0Kb | View/Open |