Hostname: page-component-6898cfcb55-cbk24 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-11T09:32:45.255Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Locomotion inside a surfactant-laden drop at low surface Péclet numbers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2018

Vaseem A. Shaik
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Vishwa Vasani
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Arezoo M. Ardekani*
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: ardekani@purdue.edu

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of a swimming microorganism inside a surfactant-laden drop for axisymmetric configurations under the assumptions of small Reynolds number and small surface Péclet number $(Pe_{s})$. Expanding the variables in $Pe_{s}$, we solve the Stokes equations for the concentric configuration using Lamb’s general solution, while the dynamic equation for the stream function is solved in the bipolar coordinates for the eccentric configurations. For a two-mode squirmer inside a drop, the surfactant redistribution can either increase or decrease the magnitude of swimmer and drop velocities, depending on the value of the eccentricity. This was explained by analysing the influence of surfactant redistribution on the thrust and drag forces acting on the swimmer and the drop. The far-field representation of a surfactant-covered drop enclosing a pusher swimmer at its centre is a puller; the strength of this far field is reduced due to the surfactant redistribution. The advection of surfactant on the drop surface leads to a time-averaged propulsion of the drop and the time-reversible swimmer that it engulfs, thereby causing them to escape from the constraints of the scallop theorem. We quantified the range of parameters for which an eccentrically stable configuration can be achieved for a two-mode squirmer inside a clean drop. The surfactant redistribution shifts this eccentrically stable position towards the top surface of the drop, although this shift is small.

Information

Type
JFM Papers
Copyright
© 2018 Cambridge University Press 
Figure 0

Figure 1.A schematic showing the geometric configuration of a swimmer located at the centre of the drop. A vector from the swimmer centre to the red circle gives the orientation of the swimmer. The origin $O$ is coincident with the centre of the swimmer and the drop. Here, $(x,y,z)$ and $(r,\unicode[STIX]{x1D703},\unicode[STIX]{x1D719})$ denote the Cartesian and spherical coordinate variables respectively; $r=1$ and $r=\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$ denote the surfaces of the drop and the swimmer respectively. We denote the fluid inside and outside the drop as phases 1 and 2 respectively. In the drop frame of reference, the drop is stationary and it is placed in a uniform streaming flow, $-U_{D}\boldsymbol{i}_{z}$.

Figure 1

Figure 2.A schematic showing the geometric configuration and its associated coordinate system for (a) the swimmer located below the drop and (b) the swimmer located above the drop. Here, $(z,\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C})$ and $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D709},\unicode[STIX]{x1D702})$ denote the coordinate variables of the cylindrical and bipolar coordinate systems respectively; $O$ is the origin of the coordinate systems and it is located below (above) the drop for a swimmer located below (above) the drop; $\unicode[STIX]{x1D709}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D709}_{S}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D709}_{D}$ denote the surfaces of the swimmer and the drop; $\unicode[STIX]{x1D709}=0$ denotes the plane $z=0$; $\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}=0$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}=\unicode[STIX]{x03C0}$ denote the lines $|z|\geqslant c$ and $|z|\leqslant c$ respectively. In the frame of reference of the drop, it is stationary and is placed in a uniform streaming flow, $-U_{D}\boldsymbol{i}_{z}$.

Figure 2

Figure 3.Velocity of (a) a two-mode squirmer, $U_{S}$, and (b) a drop, $U_{D}$, as a function of the size ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$ for various values of the viscosity ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$ and $Ma$. The variation of $U_{D}/U_{S}$ with the size ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$ and Marangoni number is plotted in (c) for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}=1$. The lines denote the velocities evaluated for a clean drop, while the open and filled symbols denote the velocities evaluated for a surfactant-laden drop with $Ma=0.1$ and 10 respectively. The surface Péclet number, $Pe_{s}$, is chosen as 0.1 in all of these calculations. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$.

Figure 3

Figure 4.The variation of a two-mode squirmer velocity at $O(Pe_{s})$, $U_{1,S}$, with the size ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$ for several values of (a) $Ma$ with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}=1$ and (b) $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$ with $Ma=1$. The inset in (b) shows the non-monotonic variation of $U_{1,S}$ with the viscosity ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$ for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}=0.5$. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$.

Figure 4

Figure 5.The (a) $O(1)$ and (b) $O(Pe_{s})$ flow fields outside a surfactant-laden drop containing a pusher swimmer at its centre in the laboratory frame of reference. The background colour and the unit vectors denote the magnitude and the direction of the velocity. The red dashed lines denote the surfaces of the swimmer and the drop. Here, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=B_{2}/B_{1}=-5$, $Ma=1$, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}=0.5$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}=1$. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$.

Figure 5

Figure 6.The surface velocity of a clean drop containing (a) a pusher $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=-5)$, (b) a puller $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=5)$ and (c) a neutral swimmer $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0)$ at its centre, plotted as a function of the polar angle for various viscosity ratios. Here, the size ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$ is taken as 0.5. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$.

Figure 6

Figure 7.The variation of the surface velocity of the drop with the polar angle for (a) a pusher $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=-5)$, (b) a puller $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=5)$ and (c) a neutral swimmer $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0)$ at the centre of a drop. The solid lines indicate the results obtained for a clean drop, while the dashed lines denote the results for a surfactant-laden drop with $Ma=10$ and $Pe_{s}=0.1$. (d) The variation of the surfactant concentration with the polar angle. Here, the solid, dashed and dash-dotted lines denote the results obtained for a pusher, a puller and a neutral swimmer inside the drop respectively. The size ratio, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$, and the viscosity ratio, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$, are taken as 0.5 and 1 respectively. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$.

Figure 7

Figure 8.The variation of the co-swimming speed, $U_{SD}$, with the size ratio for various values of the viscosity ratio and the Marangoni number. The lines indicate the results obtained for a clean drop, while the symbols denote the results obtained for a surfactant-laden drop with $Ma=10$ and $Pe_{s}=0.1$. Here, $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$ is used to non-dimensionalize the co-swimming speed.

Figure 8

Figure 9.For a two-mode swimmer inside a clean drop, the velocities of the swimmer $(U_{0,S})$ (blue lines) and the drop $(U_{0,D})$ (red lines) are plotted as a function of the eccentricity $(e)$ in (a–c). The time evolution of the centre of the swimmer when released from different positions inside a clean drop is plotted in (d–f). Panels (a,d) denote the results for a pusher $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=-5)$, while (b,e) denote those for a neutral swimmer $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0)$ and (c,f) denote those for a puller $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=5)$. Here, $e>0~(e<0)$ indicates that the centre of the swimmer is above (below) the centre of the drop. The size ratio, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$, and the viscosity ratio, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$, are taken as 0.5 and 1 respectively. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$. The dashed lines indicate the positions at which the swimmer touches the drop.

Figure 9

Figure 10.The signs of the ratios $U_{0,S}/U_{1,S}$ and $U_{0,D}/U_{1,D}$ plotted as a function of the eccentricity $e$ for (a) a pusher $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=-5)$, (b) a neutral swimmer $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0)$ and (c) a puller $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=5)$ inside a surfactant-laden drop. The size ratio, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$, and the viscosity ratio, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$, are taken as 0.5 and 1 respectively.

Figure 10

Figure 11.(a) The velocity of a pusher swimmer with respect to a drop at $O(1)$ (red dash-dotted line) and at $O(Pe_{s})$ (blue solid line) as a function of the eccentricity. The axis for the $O(Pe_{s})$ relative velocity is on the left while that for the $O(1)$ relative velocity is on the right. Here, $Ma=1$. The dashed lines are just for reference. (b) The time evolution of the centre of a pusher swimmer when released from different positions. Here, red lines denote the results for a clean drop, while blue lines denote the results for a surfactant-laden drop with $Ma=20$ and $Pe_{s}=0.2$. The inset shows the shift in the location of an eccentrically stable position induced by the advection of the surfactant. The size ratio, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$, and viscosity ratio, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$, are taken as 0.5 and 1 respectively. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$. The dashed lines indicate the positions at which the swimmer touches the drop.

Figure 11

Figure 12.The variation of the thrust and drag forces acting on the swimmer at various orders of $Pe_{s}$ with the eccentricity for (a) a neutral swimmer $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0)$ and (b) a puller $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=5)$ inside a surfactant-covered drop. The blue solid line, blue dotted line and red dash-dotted line denote the $O(Pe_{s})$ thrust, $O(Pe_{s})$ (negative) drag and $O(1)$ thrust forces respectively. The axis for the $O(Pe_{s})$ forces is on the left, while that for the $O(1)$ force is on the right.

Figure 12

Figure 13.The variation of the thrust and drag forces acting on the drop at various orders of $Pe_{s}$ with the eccentricity for (a) a neutral swimmer $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0)$ and (b) a puller $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=5)$ inside a surfactant-covered drop. The blue solid line, blue dotted line and red dash-dotted line denote the $O(Pe_{s})$ thrust, $O(Pe_{s})$ (negative) drag and $O(1)$ thrust forces respectively. The axis for the $O(Pe_{s})$ forces is on the left while that for the $O(1)$ force is on the right.

Figure 13

Figure 14.The velocities of (a) a two-mode squirmer $(U_{0,S})$ and (b) a drop $(U_{0,D})$ at $O(1)$ plotted as a function of the size ratio for various values of the viscosity ratio. The lines denote the results obtained for the concentric configuration while the symbols indicate the results for an eccentric configuration with an eccentricity of $e=0.002$. The symbols ○, ▿ and ▵ are used to denote the results for a neutral swimmer $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0)$, a pusher $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=-2)$ and a puller $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=2)$ respectively. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$.

Figure 14

Figure 15.The velocities of (a) a two-mode squirmer $(U_{1,S})$ and (b) a drop $(U_{1,D})$ at $O(Pe_{s})$ plotted as a function of the size ratio for various values of the viscosity ratio. Here, we choose $Ma=1$. The lines denote the results obtained for the concentric configuration while the symbols indicate the results for an eccentric configuration with an eccentricity of $e=0.002$. The symbols ○, ▿ and ▵ are used to denote the results for a neutral swimmer $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0)$, a pusher $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=-2)$ and a puller $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=2)$ respectively. All of the velocities are non-dimensionalized using $U_{sq}=2B_{1}/3$.