Curved surfaces reshape active materials, localizing vibrations near defects
Many materials, both living and engineered, are powered from within. Scientists have thoroughly investigated how such 'active' materials operate, but so far, mostly in circumstances where the curvature of the environment does not play a role. In research published in Physical Review Letters this week, a team of physicists proposes a framework to describe how active materials operate in the…
Curved surfaces can dramatically reshape the behavior of active materials, concentrating vibrations near defects. Many materials, both living and engineered, possess internal power sources, but scientists have primarily studied their behavior in flat environments. A new framework proposed by physicists offers a better understanding of how active materials function in curved settings.
This framework explains how curvature influences energy injection, localized vibrations around defects, and oscillations of boundaries compared to the interior. Examples of active materials include tissues made of moving cells and mechanical metamaterials with embedded motors or actuators. Curved surfaces, such as the slightly curved water surfaces in starfish embryo experiments, can lead to unexpected, even useful, behavior.
This research, led by University of Amsterdam scientists, brings together theoretical and experimental expertise, including from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, and MIT. The findings suggest that geometry could become a design parameter for active materials, allowing control over where mechanical activity, vibrations, and energy concentrate through careful surface shaping.
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