## Colloidal Brazil nut effect in microswimmer mixtures induced by motility contrast

2019
##### Authors
Jahanshahi, Soudeh
ten Hagen, Borge
Löwen, Hartmut
693683
##### Project
Suspensions with Controlled Interaction Rules ASCIR
Journal article
Published
##### Published in
The Journal of Chemical Physics ; 150 (2019), 11. - 114902. - ISSN 0021-9606. - eISSN 1089-7690
##### Abstract
We numerically and experimentally study the segregation dynamics in a binary mixture of microswimmers which move on a two-dimensional substrate in a static periodic triangular-like light intensity field. The motility of the active particles is proportional to the imposed light intensity, and they possess a motility contrast, i.e., the prefactor depends on the species. In addition, the active particles also experience a torque aligning their motion towards the direction of the negative intensity gradient. We find a segregation of active particles near the intensity minima where typically one species is localized close to the minimum and the other one is centered around in an outer shell. For a very strong aligning torque, there is an exact mapping onto an equilibrium system in an effective external potential that is minimal at the intensity minima. This external potential is similar to (height-dependent) gravity such that one can define effective “heaviness” of the self-propelled particles. In analogy to shaken granular matter in gravity, we define a “colloidal Brazil nut effect” if the heavier particles are floating on top of the lighter ones. Using extensive Brownian dynamics simulations, we identify system parameters for the active colloidal Brazil nut effect to occur and explain it based on a generalized Archimedes’ principle within the effective equilibrium model: heavy particles are levitated in a dense fluid of lighter particles if their effective mass density is lower than that of the surrounding fluid. We also perform real-space experiments on light-activated self-propelled colloidal mixtures which confirm the theoretical predictions.
530 Physics
##### Cite This
ISO 690JAHANSHAHI, Soudeh, Celia LOZANO, Borge TEN HAGEN, Clemens BECHINGER, Hartmut LÖWEN, 2019. Colloidal Brazil nut effect in microswimmer mixtures induced by motility contrast. In: The Journal of Chemical Physics. 150(11), 114902. ISSN 0021-9606. eISSN 1089-7690. Available under: doi: 10.1063/1.5083098
BibTex
@article{Jahanshahi2019-03-21Collo-45619,
year={2019},
doi={10.1063/1.5083098},
title={Colloidal Brazil nut effect in microswimmer mixtures induced by motility contrast},
number={11},
volume={150},
issn={0021-9606},
journal={The Journal of Chemical Physics},
author={Jahanshahi, Soudeh and Lozano, Celia and ten Hagen, Borge and Bechinger, Clemens and Löwen, Hartmut},
note={Article Number: 114902}
}

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<dcterms:abstract xml:lang="eng">We numerically and experimentally study the segregation dynamics in a binary mixture of microswimmers which move on a two-dimensional substrate in a static periodic triangular-like light intensity field. The motility of the active particles is proportional to the imposed light intensity, and they possess a motility contrast, i.e., the prefactor depends on the species. In addition, the active particles also experience a torque aligning their motion towards the direction of the negative intensity gradient. We find a segregation of active particles near the intensity minima where typically one species is localized close to the minimum and the other one is centered around in an outer shell. For a very strong aligning torque, there is an exact mapping onto an equilibrium system in an effective external potential that is minimal at the intensity minima. This external potential is similar to (height-dependent) gravity such that one can define effective “heaviness” of the self-propelled particles. In analogy to shaken granular matter in gravity, we define a “colloidal Brazil nut effect” if the heavier particles are floating on top of the lighter ones. Using extensive Brownian dynamics simulations, we identify system parameters for the active colloidal Brazil nut effect to occur and explain it based on a generalized Archimedes’ principle within the effective equilibrium model: heavy particles are levitated in a dense fluid of lighter particles if their effective mass density is lower than that of the surrounding fluid. We also perform real-space experiments on light-activated self-propelled colloidal mixtures which confirm the theoretical predictions.</dcterms:abstract>
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Yes
Yes