Chemomechanical Sensing and Feedback in Active Nematics

Biological systems seamlessly integrate chemical and chemomechanical feedback loops to regulate dynamics and create or maintain complex forms. Active matter systems built from reconstituted biological components have yet to achieve a comparable level of programmable autonomous behavior. In my talk, I distinguish between exogenous and endogenous control of active materials and discuss the role each has in developing self-regulating materials. Using extensile active nematics as an exemplar, I propose PDE models that couple structural features in the nematic director to chemical patterns. I posit that such coarse-grained models motivate the design of biomolecular constituents that enable the creation of materials with desired emergent properties.