Understanding the complexity of living systems poses a significant challenge for modern physics. Active matter offers a platform to explore the fundamental principles driving emergent collective behavior and self-organization. Recent experiments have shown that microtubules interacting with kinesin-4 motors can form structures such as active aster-like micelles and a novel non-equilibrium phase known as active foam. We have developed a field theory to describe these active supramolecular structures, explaining how motor-mediated interactions between microtubules give rise to these macroscopic patterns. Our numerical simulations reproduce the active micelle and foam phases observed in experiments, as well as the density-controlled transition between them. In our model, this transition occurs via a branching instability, breaking the radial symmetry of the micelles and leading to bilayer branch growth along the perimeter. more

In biology and nanotechnology, tiny building blocks can quickly and robustly come together to form complex structures. In our study, we dive into this world of self-assembly and uncover a crucial factor: morphology, or the shape of these building blocks. While the importance of weak and reversible interactions between building blocks is well understood, our research sheds new light on how their shapes significantly influence the efficiency of self-assembly. more