Ostwald-like ripening in the two-dimensional clustering of passive particles induced by swimming bacteria

Clustering passive particles by active agents is a promising route for fabrication of colloidal structures. Here, we report the dynamic clustering of micrometric beads in a suspension of motile bacteria. We characterize the coarsening dynamics for various bead sizes, surface fractions, and bacterial...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. E 2023-04, Vol.107 (4-1), p.044607-044607, Article 044607
Main Authors: Bouvard, J, Moisy, F, Auradou, H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biotechnology
Condensed Matter
Life Sciences
Physics
Soft Condensed Matter
Suspensions
Swimming
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Summary:Clustering passive particles by active agents is a promising route for fabrication of colloidal structures. Here, we report the dynamic clustering of micrometric beads in a suspension of motile bacteria. We characterize the coarsening dynamics for various bead sizes, surface fractions, and bacterial concentrations. We show that the time scale τ for the onset of clustering is governed by the time of first encounter of diffusing beads. At large time (t≫τ), we observe a robust cluster growth as t^{1/3}, similar to the Ostwald ripening mechanism. From bead tracking measurements, we extract the short-range bacteria-induced attractive force at the origin of this clustering.
ISSN:2470-0045
2470-0053
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.107.044607