Magnetotactic bacteria in a droplet self-assemble into a rotary motor

Benoit Vincenti, Gabriel Ramos, Maria Luisa Cordero, Carine Douarche, Rodrigo Soto and Eric Clement ()
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Benoit Vincenti: UMR 7636 CNRS-ESPCI-Sorbonne Université-Université Paris Diderot
Gabriel Ramos: Universidad de Chile
Maria Luisa Cordero: Universidad de Chile
Carine Douarche: Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay
Rodrigo Soto: Universidad de Chile
Eric Clement: UMR 7636 CNRS-ESPCI-Sorbonne Université-Université Paris Diderot

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract From intracellular protein trafficking to large-scale motion of animal groups, the physical concepts driving the self-organization of living systems are still largely unraveled. Self-organization of active entities, leading to novel phases and emergent macroscopic properties, recently shed new light on these complex dynamical processes. Here we show that under the application of a constant magnetic field, motile magnetotactic bacteria confined in water-in-oil droplets self-assemble into a rotary motor exerting a torque on the external oil phase. A collective motion in the form of a large-scale vortex, reversable by inverting the field direction, builds up in the droplet with a vorticity perpendicular to the magnetic field. We study this collective organization at different concentrations, magnetic fields and droplet radii and reveal the formation of two torque-generating areas close to the droplet interface. We characterize quantitatively the mechanical energy extractable from this new biological and self-assembled motor.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13031-6

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