Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that particles spinning in opposite directions in a liquid self-organize into polymer-like “active” chains that move, rotate, and exchange “partners” — a phenomenon that may shed light on self-organization processes in nature and lead to applications in smart materials and tiny robotics.
New research from the School of Physics and Astronomy at Tel Aviv University has revealed that particles spinning in opposite directions in a liquid form a chain structure. These chains resemble polymers but on a larger scale. The findings of the study indicate that the chains that are formed do not sit idly in the liquid but are active and can move in space and rotate as if they had their own lives – they meet each other, exchange neighbors and steal partners from other chains. This self-organization occurs as a result of the flow that the particles themselves create in the liquid.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the School of Physics and Astronomy at Tel Aviv University: Matan Galvan, Artyom Cirko, Jonathan Kirpitch, Yahav Lavi, Noa Israel, and Prof. Naomi Oppenheimer. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Researcher Matan Galvan explains: "The research helps to understand phenomena of the physics of life. Systems composed of rotating particles are very common in nature on every possible scale, from quantum vortices that exist in superfluids to proteins that rotate in the cell membrane, or hurricanes that spread over many kilometers. The formation and organization of structures in nature is necessary and exists everywhere around us - life is too complicated to be produced manually. However, apart from the formation of crystals, scientists understand very little about the natural processes that create more complex structures. In the new study, we present and explain a phenomenon of the formation of active chains in a material that we call gyromers, and the conditions that allow their formation. We were able to observe the phenomenon in laboratory experiments and also reproduce it in simulations and write equations that explain the dynamics."
Prof. Naomi Oppenheimer adds: "In addition to the research's contribution to understanding active systems in nature, it also has broad application potential – from designing smart materials that organize themselves, through tiny robots that organize into chains and operate in fluids, to synthetic systems that mimic biological processes. The ability of simple particles to independently create complex structures highlights the fundamental principle of life itself – order emerging from movement, and complexity evolving from simple interactions."
More of the topic in Hayadan:
