The effect of particle geometry on squirming through a shear-thinning fluid
The effect of particle geometry on squirming through a shear-thinning fluid
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DOI：
10.1017/jfm.2022.116
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发表时间：
2022-03
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
B. van Gogh;E. Demir;D. Palaniappan;O. S. Pak
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
B. van Gogh;E. Demir;D. Palaniappan;O. S. Pak
摘要生物和人工微泳者经常遇到具有非牛顿流变性的流体介质。特别是，许多生物流体，如血液和粘液，都是剪切稀化的。最近的研究表明，剪切稀化流变学如何以不同的方式对推进性能产生重大影响。在这项工作中，我们使用一个长椭球蠕动模型研究了几何形状对剪切变稀流体中运动的影响。我们使用渐近分析和数值模拟相结合的方法来量化粒子几何形状如何影响游泳的速度和能量成本。结果表明，在蠕动通过剪切稀释液时，球形游泳运动员在游泳速度和能量效率方面都优于球形游泳运动员。更广泛地说，这些发现表明，有可能调整游泳者的几何结构，以更好地利用非牛顿流变学行为，在复杂的流体中更有效地运动。
Abstract Biological and artificial microswimmers often encounter fluid media with non-Newtonian rheological properties. In particular, many biological fluids such as blood and mucus are shear-thinning. Recent studies have demonstrated how shear-thinning rheology can impact substantially the propulsion performance in different manners. In this work, we examine the effect of geometrical shape upon locomotion in a shear-thinning fluid using a prolate spheroidal squirmer model. We use a combination of asymptotic analysis and numerical simulations to quantify how particle geometry impacts the speed and the energetic cost of swimming. The results demonstrate the advantages of spheroidal over spherical swimmers in terms of both swimming speed and energetic efficiency when squirming through a shear-thinning fluid. More generally, the findings suggest the possibility of tuning the swimmer geometry to better exploit non-Newtonian rheological behaviours for more effective locomotion in complex fluids.