Exogenous–endogenous surfactant interaction yields heterogeneous spreading in complex branching networks

Richard Mcnair, Fernando Temprano-Coleto, François J. Peaudecerf, Frédéric Gibou, Paolo Luzzatto-Fegiz, Oliver E. Jensen, Julien R. Landel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Experiments have shown that surfactant introduced to a liquid-filled maze can find the solution path. We reveal how the maze-solving dynamics arise from interactions between the added surfactant and endogenous surfactant present at the liquid surface. We simulate the dynamics using a nonlinear model solved with a discrete
mimetic scheme on a graph. Endogenous surfactant transforms local spreading into a non-local problem with an omniscient view of the maze geometry, key to the maze-solving dynamics. Our results offer insight into surfactant-driven transport in complex networks such as lung airways.
Original languageEnglish
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 10 Dec 2024

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