Issue 19, 2023

Tuneable defect-curvature coupling and topological transitions in active shells

Abstract

Recent experimental observations have suggested that topological defects can facilitate the creation of sharp features in developing embryos. Whereas these observations echo established knowledge about the interplay between geometry and topology in two-dimensional passive liquid crystals, the role of activity has mostly remained unexplored. In this article we focus on deformable shells consisting of either polar or nematic active liquid crystals and demonstrate that activity renders the mechanical coupling between defects and curvature much more involved and versatile than previously thought. Using a combination of linear stability analysis and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics, we demonstrate that such a coupling can in fact be tuned, depending on the type of liquid crystal order, the specific structure of the defect (i.e. asters or vortices) and the nature of the active forces. In polar systems, this can drive a spectacular transition from spherical to toroidal topology, in the presence of large extensile activity. Our analysis strengthens the idea that defects could serve as topological morphogens and provides a number of predictions that could be tested in in vitro studies, for instance in the context of organoids.

Graphical abstract: Tuneable defect-curvature coupling and topological transitions in active shells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 okt 2022
Accepted
10 apr 2023
First published
12 apr 2023

Soft Matter, 2023,19, 3423-3435

Tuneable defect-curvature coupling and topological transitions in active shells

L. A. Hoffmann, L. N. Carenza and L. Giomi, Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 3423 DOI: 10.1039/D2SM01370C

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