2017/10/10 by Christoph A. Weber, Christoph Weber, Chris H. Rycroft +1
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Active matter #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Biology #Cellular Mechanics and Interactions #Chemical physics #Differential (mechanical device) #Diffusion #Instability #Materials science #Mechanics #Micro and Nano Robotics #Nonlinear system #Pattern formation #Phase (matter) #Phase diagram #Physics #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.soft #physics.bio-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.120.248003
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 248003 (2018)
arxiv created 2017/10/10 · openalex publication_date 2018/06/12 · arxiv updated 2018/06/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Active stresses can cause instabilities in contractile gels and living tissues. Here we provide a generic hydrodynamic theory that treats these systems as a mixture of two phases of varying activity and different mechanical properties. We find that differential activity between the phases causes a uniform mixture to undergo a demixing instability. We follow the nonlinear evolution of the instability and characterize a phase diagram of the resulting patterns. Our study complements other instability mechanisms in mixtures driven by differential adhesion, differential diffusion, differential growth, and differential motion.