Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 28: Active Matter V (joint session DY/BP)

BP 28.2: Talk

Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:00–10:15, ZEU/0160

Self-propulsion via non-transitive phase coexistence in chemically active mixtures — •Yicheng Qiang, Chengjie Luo, and David Zwicker — Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Am Faßberg 17, 37077 Göttingen, Germany

Chemical activity is common in many active matter systems. For example, active reactions can lead to the self-propulsion of particles, which can finally give rise to rich collective dynamics, including phase separation, even in the absence of attractive interactions. With interactions that already favor phase separation, chemical activity and multiple coexisting phases will further intertwine. To unveil the basic effect of active reactions on coexistence, we study mixtures where solvent species interconvert while solutes segregate. We demonstrate that active reactions alter the chemical potential balance between the coexisting phases and defy the construction of pseudo-pressure balance. As a result, the transitivity of phase coexistence is broken, and the bulk compositions depend on the contact topology among all the coexisting phases. With cyclic topologies, the pressure imbalance leads to self-propelled phases and other complex dynamics such as budding and engulfment.

Keywords: phase coexistence; active chemical reaction; self-propulsion