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  • Open Access

Rheologically Tuned Modes of Collective Transport in Active Viscoelastic Films

Henning Reinken* and Andreas M. Menzel†

  • *Contact author: henning.reinken@ovgu.de
  • †Contact author: a.menzel@ovgu.de
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 188301 – Published 29 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/gbm1-p9cg

Abstract

While many living biological media combine both viscous and elastic properties, most theoretical studies employ either purely fluid or solidlike descriptions. We here use a unified framework for active films on substrates capable of describing a range of viscoelastic behavior to explore the interplay between activity and rheology. The core of the study is a comprehensive state diagram showing a rich world of spatiotemporal dynamic states. Our results demonstrate the potential of tunable rheology to realize modes of controlled active transport on the microscale.

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Unified description of viscous, viscoelastic, or elastic thin active films on substrates

Henning Reinken and Andreas M. Menzel
Phys. Rev. E 112, 045506 (2025)

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 188301– Published 29 October, 2025
  • Received 16 February 2025
  • Accepted 22 September 2025
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