ArticleNature communications2021
Active carpets drive non-equilibrium diffusion and enhanced molecular fluxes.
Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Controlling the synchronization and symmetry breaking of coupled bacterial pili on active biofilm carpets.eLife · 2026Article
- Cooperative mixing through hydrodynamic interactions inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Nutrient diffusion-inspired catalysts with self-reinforced concentration gradient for sustainable electroreduction of dilute CONature communications · 2025Article
- Enhanced Diffusion and Non-Gaussian Displacements of Colloids in Quasi-2D Suspensions of Motile Bacteria.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Review
- Nonequilibrium thermodynamics in cavity optomechanics.Fundamental research · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Biological activity is often highly concentrated on surfaces, across the scales from molecular motors and ciliary arrays to sessile and motile organisms. These 'active carpets' locally inject energy into their surrounding fluid. Whereas Fick's laws of diffusion are established near equilibrium, it is unclear how to solve non-equilibrium transport driven by such boundary-actuated fluctuations. Here, we derive the enhanced diffusivity of molecules or passive particles as a function of distance from an active carpet. Following Schnitzer's telegraph model, we then cast these results into generalised Fick's laws. Two archetypal problems are solved using these laws: First, considering sedimentation towards an active carpet, we find a self-cleaning effect where surface-driven fluctuations can repel particles. Second, considering diffusion from a source to an active sink, say nutrient capture by suspension feeders, we find a large molecular flux compared to thermal diffusion. Hence, our results could elucidate certain non-equilibrium properties of active coating materials and life at interfaces.
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Registered trials
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