2024/10/30 by Chunhe Li, Li, Chunhe, Yu Qiao +6 · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics #FOS: Physical sciences #Micro and Nano Robotics #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2411.08042
openalex publication_date 2024/10/30 · openalex created_date 2024/11/16 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The physical mechanism of microbial motion near solid-liquid interfaces is crucial for understanding various biological phenomena and developing ecological applications. However, limited works have been conducted on the swimming behavior of C. reinhardtii, a typical "puller" type cell, near solid surfaces, particularly with varying and conflicting experimental observations. Here, we investigate the swimming behavior of C.reinhardtii using a three-dimensional real-time tracking microscopy system both near a solid-liquid interface and in the fluid bulk region. We explore the relationships between the cell density, swimming speed and orientation with respect to the distance from the solid-liquid interface, confirming the phenomenon of C. reinhardtii accumulation near the solid-liquid interface. Based on the traditional definitions of "pusher" and "puller" cells, we propose a simplified model consisting of two pairs of mutually perpendicular force dipoles for C. reinhardtii. This model is employed to analyze the complex hydrodynamic interactions between C. reinhardtii and the solid surface, providing a potential theoretical explanation for the observed accumulation phenomenon at the solid-liquid interface.