Modeling the capture rate by a radially oscillating spherical bubble. A bio-mimetic model for studying the mechanically-mediated uptake by cells,

The surface of living cells constitutes a dynamic environment submitted to complex oscillatory motions. Oscillations may modify the uptake of incoming molecules. In this study we explored a bio-mimetic system formed by oscillating bubbles suspended in a sea of randomly distributed diffusants. We investigated by a time-dependent Fokker–Planck equation the effect of the periodic motions on the adsorption of a diffusant onto the moving bubble surface. We introduced both direct interactions between the diffusant and the fluctuating surface and indirect interactions due to the hydrodynamic motions around a vibrating surface. Results are expressed in terms of oscillation frequencies and amplitudes. An overall reduction of the bound diffusant at the bubble surface was observed