Rotating spherical particle in a continuous viscoelastic medium —A microrheological example situation

Abstract

Using analytical calculations, we characterize the rotational behavior of a rigid spherical particle when subject to a net external torque in a continuous viscoelastic environment. On long time scales, the embedding medium can either feature a net terminal flow, like a fluid, or damped reversible dynamics, like an elastic solid. The coupling of the sphere to its environment together with the therein induced deformations and flows are taken into account explicitly. In reality, using magnetically anisotropic particles, the torque can, for instance, be applied via magnetic fields. We calculate the corresponding response functions. This connects our study to evaluations of microrheological investigations.

Mediated interactions between rigid inclusions in two-dimensional elastic or fluid films

“…Moreover, actuation and activation processes may be facilitated in this way. To this end, we envisage an extension to thin sheets and membranes composed of viscoelastic materials [43,44].…”

Effect of boundaries on displacements and motion in two-dimensional fluid or elastic films and membranes

“…Corresponding interactions between the inclusions as mediated by their environment result. Overall, such situations were investigated for viscous fluids [1,2,4,5], elastic solids [6][7][8][9][10], and to some degree for viscoelastic media [11][12][13].…”