Nature Communications· 2018Q1· Review
Active nematics
- 698citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2018year
Short summary
Active nematics, systems of self-driven elongated units like microtubule-kinesin mixtures, exhibit active turbulence driven by motile topological defects.
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Key points
- Active nematics are composed of self-driven units with an elongated shape.
- Microtubule-kinesin mixtures serve as a primary experimental model for active nematics.
- Active turbulence, characterized by motile topological defects, is a central theme.
- Controlling active turbulence is crucial for harvesting energy from active materials.
- The implications of active nematics and topological defects for cellular systems are considered.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Active matter extracts energy from its surroundings at the single particle level and transforms it into mechanical work. Examples include cytoskeleton biopolymers and bacterial suspensions. Here, we review experimental, theoretical and numerical studies of active nematics - a type of active system that is characterised by self-driven units with elongated shape. We focus primarily on microtubule-kinesin mixtures and the hydrodynamic theories that describe their properties. An important theme is active turbulence and the associated motile topological defects. We discuss ways in which active turbulence may be controlled, a pre-requisite to harvesting energy from active materials, and we consider the appearance, and possible implications, of active nematics and topological defects to cellular systems and biological processes.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Nature Communications, 2018 · DOI ↗
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Field: Condensed Matter Physics
Condensed Matter PhysicsPhysics and Astronomy