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Viscotaxis of chiral microswimmer in viscosity gradients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2025

Takuya Kobayashi Open the ORCID record for Takuya Kobayashi [Opens in a new window]  and
Ryoichi Yamamoto
Takuya Kobayashi*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
Ryoichi Yamamoto*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
*
Corresponding authors: Takuya Kobayashi, kobayashi@cheme.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Ryoichi Yamamoto, ryoichi@cheme.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Corresponding authors: Takuya Kobayashi, kobayashi@cheme.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Ryoichi Yamamoto, ryoichi@cheme.kyoto-u.ac.jp
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Abstract

Microswimmers display an intriguing ability to navigate through fluids with spatially varying viscosity, a behaviour known as viscotaxis, which plays a crucial role in guiding their motion. In this study, we reveal that the orientation dynamics of chiral squirmers in fluids with uniform viscosity gradients can be elegantly captured using the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equations, originally developed for spin systems. Remarkably, we discover that chiral swimmers demonstrate negative viscotaxis, tracing spiral trajectories as they move. Specifically, a chiral squirmer with a misaligned source dipole and rotlet dipole exhibits a steady-state spiral motion – a stark contrast to the linear behaviour observed when the dipoles are aligned. This work provides fresh insights into the intricate interplay between microswimmer dynamics and fluid properties.

JFM classification

Biological Fluid Dynamics: Micro-organism dynamics Complex Fluids: Active matter
Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1013 , 25 June 2025 , A42
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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