Designing, Synthesizing and Modeling Active Fluids

We review recent advances in the design, synthesis, and modeling of active fluids. Active fluids have been at the center of many technological innovations and theoretical advances over the past two decades. Research on this new class of fluids has been inspired by the fascinating and remarkably efficient strategies that biological systems employ, leading to the development of biomimetic nano- and micro-machines and -swimmers. The review encompasses active fluids on both the nano- and the micro-scale, starting with examples of biological active systems before discussing how experimentalists leverage novel propulsion mechanisms to power nano- and micro-machines. We then examine how the study of these far-from-equilibrium systems has prompted the development of new simulation methods and theoretical models in nonquilibrium physics to account for their mechanical, thermodynamic and emergent properties. Recent advances in the field have paved the way for the design, synthesis, and modeling of autonomous systems at the nano- and micro-scale and open the door to the development of soft matter robotics.