Active diffusion limited reactions

J Chem Phys. 2019 Apr 21;150(15):154902. doi: 10.1063/1.5081125.

Abstract

We investigate the one- and two-dimensional diffusion limited reactions A + A → 0 and A + B → 0 with A active Janus particles and B passive particles in thermal equilibrium. We show that by increasing the self-propulsion time of the A particles, the reactant densities decay faster, at least for time transients of potential interest for chemical applications, e.g., to develop smart drug delivery protocols. Asymptotic and transient density decays obey power laws with exponents that depend on the actual annihilation reaction and its dimensionality.