Context : Active fluids are largely encountered in nature and cover a large range of length scales, ranging from kilometers (collectively swimming schools of fish) and millimeters (motile ants) to micrometers (microorganisms) and nanometers (molecular motors within individual cells). Active fluids are made of suspensions of active particles, defined as self-propelling particles that extract energy from their surroundings and generate mechanical stresses and create flows within the fluid medium. This system is consequentially out of equilibrium (even in the absence of external loads) and can lead to complex behaviors, that seem unique to life. However, some synthetic materials/particles have been recently developed which also exhibit these complex behaviors.
Full description : HERE
Contacts :
J. Férec (Université Bretagne Sud – France)
G. Natale (University of Calgary – Canada)