Active nematic emulsions.

ABSTRACT: The formation of emulsions from multiple immiscible fluids is governed by classical concepts such as surface tension, differential chemical affinity and viscosity, and the action of surface-active agents. Much less is known about emulsification when one of the components is active and thus inherently not constrained by the laws of thermodynamic equilibrium. We demonstrate one such realization consisting in the encapsulation of an active liquid crystal (LC)-like gel, based on microtubules and kinesin molecular motors, into a thermotropic LC. These active nematic emulsions exhibit a variety of dynamic behaviors that arise from the cross-talk between topological defects separately residing in the active and passive components. Using numerical simulations, we show a feedback mechanism by which

SUBMITTER: Guillamat P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5938235 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature