Minimal model of active colloids highlights the role of mechanical interactions in controlling the emergent behavior of active matter

M. Cristina Marchetti, Yaouen Fily, Silke Henkes, Adam Patch, David Yllanes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

133 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Minimal models of active Brownian colloids consisting of self-propelled spherical particles with purely repulsive interactions have recently been identified as excellent quantitative testing grounds for theories of active matter and have been the subject of extensive numerical and analytical investigation. These systems do not exhibit aligned or flocking states but do have a rich phase diagram, forming active gases, liquids, and solids with novel mechanical properties. This article reviews recent advances in the understanding of such models, including the description of the active gas and its swim pressure, the motility-induced phase separation and the high-density crystalline and glassy behavior.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)34-43
Number of pages10
JournalCurrent Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science
Volume21
Early online date8 Feb 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2016

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgments
MCM thanks Xingbo Yang and Lisa Manning for their contribution to some aspects of the work reviewed here and for fruitful discussions. MCM was supported by NSF-DMR-305184. MCM and AP acknowledge support by the NSF IGERT program through award NSF-DGE-1068780. MCM, AP, and DY were additionally supported by the Soft Matter Program at Syracuse University. AP acknowledges use of the Syracuse University HTC Campus Grid which is supported by NSF award ACI-1341006. YF was supported by NSF grant DMR-1149266 and the Brandeis Center for Bioinspired Soft Materials, an NSF MRSEC, DMR-1420382.

Keywords

  • Active glasses
  • Active matter
  • Phase separation
  • Swim pressure

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Minimal model of active colloids highlights the role of mechanical interactions in controlling the emergent behavior of active matter'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this