Active Matter Influence on Coffee Rings published in Soft Matter

Active Matter Alters the Growth Dynamics of Coffee Rings

Active Matter Alters the Growth Dynamics of Coffee Rings
(Back cover article)
Tuğba Andaç, Pascal Weigmann, Sabareesh K. P. Velu, Erçağ Pinçe, Agnese Callegari, Giorgio Volpe, Giovanni Volpe & Agnese Callegari
Soft Matter 15(7), 1488—1496 (2019)
doi: 10.1039/C8SM01350K
arXiv: 1803.02619

How particles are deposited at the edge of evaporating droplets, i.e. the coffee ring effect, plays a crucial role in phenomena as diverse as thin-film deposition, self-assembly, and biofilm formation. Recently, microorganisms have been shown to passively exploit and alter these deposition dynamics to increase their survival chances under harshening conditions. Here, we show that, as the droplet evaporation rate slows down, bacterial mobility starts playing a major role in determining the growth dynamics of the edge of drying droplets. Such motility-induced dynamics can influence several biophysical phenomena, from the formation of biofilms to the spreading of pathogens in humid environments and on surfaces subject to periodic drying. Analogous dynamics in other active matter systems can be exploited for technological applications in printing, coating, and self-assembly, where the standard coffee-ring effect is often a nuisance.

Seminar by G. Volpe at UNAM, Mexico City, 18 Feb 2019

Optical Tweezers: From critical fluctuations to nanoscopic force measurement
Seminar at Sistemas Complejos y Física Estadística
UNAM – Universidad National de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
18 February 2019

I will first give a brief overview of optical trapping and optical manipulation — the invention that has earned Arthur Ashkin the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics. Then, I will focus on some recent applications where we have used optical tweezers to characterise critical Casimir forces and to manipulate active matter. Finally, I will present a new approach to the calibration of optical forces that we have recently developed in collaboration with UNAM.

 

Colloquium by G. Volpe at ICF, Cuernavaca, 13 Feb 2019

Emergent Complex Behaviour in Active Matter
Giovanni Volpe
Colloquium at Instituto de Ciencias Físicas
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
13 February 2019

After a brief introduction of active particles, I’ll present some recent advances on the study of active particles in complex and crowded environments.
First, I’ll show that active particles can work as microswimmers and microengines powered by critical fluctuations and controlled by light.
Then, I’ll discuss some examples of behavior of active particles in crowded environments: a few active particles alter the overall dynamics of a system; active particles create metastable clusters and channels; active matter leads to non-Boltzmann distributions and alternative non-equilibrium relations; and active colloidal molecules can be created and controlled by light.
Finally, I’ll present some examples of the behavior of active particles in complex environments: active particles often perform 2D active Brownian motion; active particles at liquid-liquid interfaces behave as active interstitials or as active atoms; and the environment alters the optimal search strategy for active particles in complex topologies.

https://www.fis.unam.mx/coloquios/473/qemergent-complex-behaviour-in-active-matterq