Research Projects

We propose a simulation study to understand the dynamics of active particle suspensions in a viscoelastic medium using Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD). The study is motivated by the collective dynamics of motile organisms swimming in a viscoelastic medium. For example, spermatozoa swim in the cervical mucus to fertilize the egg. Further, it is observed that the viscoelasticity of the medium facilitates in collective migration of sperm cells, a key component toward successful fertilization. We will model the system as a mixture of active particles, polymer chains, and solvent particles. Our primary goal is to understand the effect of the viscoelasticity of the medium on the collective dynamics of active particles under two different scenarios: 1. in open domains and 2. under soft confinements. While the latter scenario is complex and of practical interest, a good understanding of the former scenario is fundamental and essential. Theoretical studies have long been modeled active particles in viscoelastic media; however, there has been little attention to experimental and simulation studies. We believe that the proposed study significantly contributes to understanding the effect of the viscoelasticity of the medium on the collective dynamics of active particles.