Anchoring effects in phase-separated active fluids

In phase-separated mixtures of an active liquid crystal and a passive fluid, anchoring plays a crucial role in shaping the interface between coexisting phases. Using a continuum model, we systematically investigate how thermodynamic anchoring influences the coexistence of the fluid mixture and the morphology of active-passive interfaces. We find that extrinsic anchoring, together with activity-driven flows, can qualitatively alter the structure of phase-separated domains. By tuning the anchoring strength we can continuously transform the phase-separated mixture from an active emulsion consisting of a dynamical steady state of merging and splitting droplets to a filamentary state where the active fluid forms a system-spanning dynamical network. These findings provide a potential route to engineering new techniques for controlling fluid microstructure.