Authors
Chenyu Jin, Yibo Chen, Corinna C Maass, Arnold JTM Mathijssen
Publication date
2021/8/20
Journal
Physical review letters
Volume
127
Issue
8
Pages
088006
Publisher
American Physical Society
Description
Microswimmers can serve as cargo carriers that move deep inside complex flow networks. When a school collectively entrains the surrounding fluid, their transport capacity can be enhanced. This effect is quantified with good agreement between experiments with self-propelled droplets and a confined Brinkman squirmer model. The volume of liquid entrained can be much larger than the droplet itself, amplifying the effective cargo capacity over an order of magnitude, even for dilute schools. Hence, biological and engineered swimmers can efficiently transport materials into confined environments.
Total citations
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