Julia Yeomans OBE FRS

Abstract:

Using computational modeling, we simulate the 3D movement of actuated cilia in a fluid-filled microchannel. The cilia are modeled as deformable, elastic filaments, and the simulations capture the complex fluid-structure interactions among these filaments, the channel walls, and the surrounding solution. The cilia are tilted with respect to the surface and are actuated by a sinusoidal force that is applied at the free ends. We find that these cilia give rise to a unidirectional flow in the system and by simply altering the frequency of the applied force we can controllably switch the direction of the net flow. The findings indicate that beating, synthetic cilia could be harnessed to regulate the fluid streams in microfluidic devices.

Abstract:

We show that, when a single relaxation time lattice Boltzmann algorithm is used to solve the hydrodynamic equations of a binary fluid for which the two components have different viscosities, strong spurious velocities in the steady state lead to incorrect results for the equilibrium contact angle. We identify the origins of these spurious currents and demonstrate how the results can be greatly improved by using a lattice Boltzmann method based on a multiple-relaxation-time algorithm. By considering capillary filling we describe the dependence of the advancing contact angle on the interface velocity.

Abstract:

We model a reaction-diffusion-convection system which comprises a liquid drop containing solutes that undergo an Oregonator reaction producing chemical waves. The reactants are taken to have surfactant properties so that the variation in their concentrations induces Marangoni flows at the drop interface which lead to a displacement of the drop. We discuss the mechanism by which the chemical-mechanical coupling leads to drop motion and the way in which the net displacement of the drop depends on the strength of the surfactant action. The equations of motion are solved using a lattice Boltzmann approach.

Abstract:

We describe the consequences of time-reversal invariance of the Stokes equations for the hydrodynamic scattering of two low-Reynolds-number swimmers. For swimmers that are related to each other by a time-reversal transformation, this leads to the striking result that the angle between the two swimmers is preserved by the scattering. The result is illustrated for the particular case of a linked-sphere model swimmer. For more general pairs of swimmers, not related to each other by time reversal, we find that hydrodynamic scattering can alter the angle between their trajectories by several tens of degrees. For two identical contractile swimmers, this can lead to the formation of a bound state.