000165976 001__ 165976
000165976 005__ 20260116163026.0
000165976 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1038/s42005-025-02391-9
000165976 0248_ $$2sideral$$a147201
000165976 037__ $$aART-2025-147201
000165976 041__ $$aeng
000165976 100__ $$aQi, Kai
000165976 245__ $$aUnravel the rotational and translational behavior of a single squirmer in flexible polymer solutions at different Reynolds numbers
000165976 260__ $$c2025
000165976 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000165976 5203_ $$aMicroorganisms such as bacteria and algae navigate complex fluids, where their dynamics are vital for medical and industrial applications. However, the influence of the Reynolds number (Re) on the
transport and rotational behavior of microswimmers in viscoelastic media remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate these effects for amodel squirmer in flexible polymer solutions across a range of Re using Lattice Boltzmann simulations. The interaction between swimmer activity and polymer heterogeneity strongly affects behavior, with rotational enhancement up to 1400-fold and reduced self-propulsion and diffusivity for squirmers. These effects result from hydrodynamic and mechanical interactions: polymers wrap ahead of pushers and accumulate behind pullers, enhancing rotation while hindering translation through forces and torques from direct contacts or asymmetric flows. The influence of Re and squirmer-polymer boundary conditions (no-slip vs. repulsive) is also examined. Notably, no-slip conditions intensify effects above a critical Reynolds number (Rec ¼ 0:2). Below this value, stronger viscous drag minimizes differences. Our findings emphasize the crucial role of polymer-swimmer interactions in shaping microswimmer behavior in viscoelastic media, informing microrobotic design in complex environments
000165976 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby-nc-nd$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es
000165976 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
000165976 700__ $$aZhou, Yuan
000165976 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-9361-4794$$aDe Corato, Marco$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000165976 700__ $$aStratford, Kevin
000165976 700__ $$aPagonabarraga, Ignacio
000165976 7102_ $$15001$$2600$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Ciencia Tecnol.Mater.Fl.$$cÁrea Mecánica de Fluidos
000165976 773__ $$g8, 1 (2025), 487 [13 pp.]$$tCommunications Physics$$x2399-3650
000165976 8564_ $$s2937000$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/165976/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
000165976 8564_ $$s2682068$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/165976/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada
000165976 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:165976$$particulos$$pdriver
000165976 951__ $$a2026-01-16-14:54:04
000165976 980__ $$aARTICLE