2025 AIChE Annual Meeting

(63f) Optimal Surface-Driven Microswimmers: From Pullers to Pushers

Authors

Rafe Zayed - Presenter, University of Akron
Amir Nourhani, The Pennsylvania State University
We theoretically explore optimal surface-driven microswimmers—those that minimize energy dissipation for a given speed. Using the minimum dissipation theorem, we analyze how swimmer type (pusher, puller, or neutral) depends on geometry and deformation modes. Symmetric shapes yield neutral-type swimmers, while asymmetric ones can behave as pushers, pullers, or neutrals, depending on the dominant deformation and its nonlinear effect on stresslet strength. R. Zayed and A. Nourhani acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation CAREER award, grant number CBET-2238915. A.M. Ardekani acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation, grant number CBET-2341154.