6533b85dfe1ef96bd12bf1e4
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Unraveling modular microswimmers: From self-assembly to ion-exchange-driven motors
Benno LiebchenRan NiuHartmut LöwenThomas Palbergsubject
Condensed Matter - Materials ScienceStatistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)business.industryComputer scienceMaterials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)FOS: Physical sciencesNanotechnologyActive systems02 engineering and technologyCondensed Matter - Soft Condensed MatterModular design021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology01 natural sciencesSoft materialsMechanism (engineering)0103 physical sciencesSoft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)Self-assembly010306 general physics0210 nano-technologybusinessCondensed Matter - Statistical Mechanicsdescription
Active systems contain self-propelled particles and can spontaneously self-organize into patterns making them attractive candidates for the self-assembly of smart soft materials. One key limitation of our present understanding of these materials hinges on the complexity of the microscopic mechanisms driving its components forward. Here, by combining experiments, analytical theory, and simulations we explore such a mechanism for a class of active system, modular microswimmers, which self-assemble from colloids and ion-exchange resins on charged substrates. Our results unveil the self-assembly processes and the working mechanism of the ion-exchange driven motors underlying modular microswimmers, which have so far been illusive, even qualitatively. We apply these motors to show that modular microswimmers can circumvent corners in complex environments and move uphill. Our work closes a central knowledge gap in modular microswimmers and provides a facile route to extract mechanical energy from ion-exchange processes.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-11-30 | Physical Review E |