arXiv subjects

Bipul Biswas

Publications and source records attributed to Bipul Biswas.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Mesoscale flows in active baths dictate the dynamics of semi-flexible filaments

Semi-flexible filaments in living systems are constantly driven by active forces that often organize into mesoscale coherent flows. Although theory and simulations predict rich filament dynamics, experimental studies of passive filaments in collective active baths remain scarce. Here we present an experimental study on passive colloidal filaments confined to the air-liquid interface beneath a free-standing, quasi-two-dimensional bacterial film featuring jet-like mesoscale flows. By varying filament contour length and bacterial activity, we demonstrate that filament dynamics are governed by its length relative to the characteristic size of the bath. Filaments shorter than the jet width exhibit greatly enhanced translation and rotation with minimal deformation, while long filaments show dramatic deformation but less enhanced transport. We explain our findings through the competition between the active viscous drag of the bath and passive elastic resistance of the filaments, using a modified elastoviscous number that considers the mesoscale flows.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Emergent Softening and Stiffening Dictate Transport of Active Filaments

Active semiflexible filaments are crucial in various biophysical processes, yet insights into their single-filament behavior have predominantly relied on theory and simulations, owing to the scarcity of controllable synthetic systems. Here, we present an experimental platform of active semiflexible filaments composed of dielectric colloidal particles, activated by an alternating electric field that induces contractile or extensile electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flows. Our experiments reveal that contractile flow generating filaments undergo softening, significantly expanding the range of accessible conformations, whereas filaments composed of extensile flow monomers exhibit active stiffening. By independently tuning filament elasticity and activity, we demonstrate that the competition between elastic restoring forces and emergent hydrodynamic interactions along the filament governs conformational dynamics. Crucially, we discover that the timescale of conformational dynamics directly governs transport behavior: enhanced fluctuations promote diffusion while stiffening facilitates directed propulsion of nonlinear filaments. Together, our direct visualization studies elucidate the links between inherent filament properties, microscopic activity, and emergent transport while establishing a versatile experimental platform of synthetic filamentous active matter.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Colloidal Clusters as models for chiral active micromotors

Circular swimmers with tunable orbit radius and chirality are gaining attention due to their potential to illustrate novel collective phases in simulations and synthetic and biological active matter. Here, we present a facile experimental strategy for fabricating active rotors using chemically cross-linked clusters of Janus colloids. Janus clusters are propelled by induced charge electrophoresis in an alternating electric field. We demonstrate capillary-assisted assembly as a feasible path toward expanding the fabrication process to get large amounts of uniform circular clusters. Systematic studies of the Janus clusters reveal circular motion with tunable angular velocity, orbit radius, and chirality and a relation between the radius of gyration of the cluster and their rotational dynamics. Importantly, clusters with uniform azimuthal angles behave distinctly exhibiting larger orbit radii, while those with random angles exhibit higher angular velocities and smaller radii. We also validate the kinetic model for clusters beyond dimers. Collectively, our studies highlight that Janus clusters as promising candidates as controlled circular rotors with tunable properties and, hence in the future, will facilitate studies on the collective behaviors of synthetic chiral rotors.

cond-mat.soft↗