Phase behavior and dynamics in a colloid–polymer mixture under spherical confinement

Abstract

From studies via molecular dynamics simulations, we report results on structure and dynamics in mixtures of active colloids and passive polymers that are confined inside a spherical container with a repulsive boundary. All interactions in the fully passive limit are chosen in such a way that in equilibrium coexistence between colloid-rich and polymer-rich phases occurs. For most part of the studies the chosen compositions give rise to Janus-like structure: nearly one side of the sphere is occupied by the colloids and the rest by the polymers. This partially wet situation mimics approximately a neutral wall in the fully passive scenario. Following the introduction of a velocity-aligning activity to the colloids, the shape of the polymer-rich domain changes to that of an ellipsoid, around the long axis of which the colloid-rich domain attains a macroscopic angular momentum. In the steady state, the orientation of this axis evolves via diffusion, magnitude of which depends upon the strength of activity, but only weakly.