Gravitaxis of asymmetric self-propelled colloidal particles

Borge ten Hagen, Felix Kümmel, Raphael Wittkowski, Daisuke Takagi, Hartmut Löwen and Clemens Bechinger ()
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Borge ten Hagen: Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
Felix Kümmel: 2. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart
Raphael Wittkowski: SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh
Daisuke Takagi: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Hartmut Löwen: Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
Clemens Bechinger: 2. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Many motile microorganisms adjust their swimming motion relative to the gravitational field and thus counteract sedimentation to the ground. This gravitactic behaviour is often the result of an inhomogeneous mass distribution, which aligns the microorganism similar to a buoy. However, it has been suggested that gravitaxis can also result from a geometric fore–rear asymmetry, typical for many self-propelling organisms. Despite several attempts, no conclusive evidence for such an asymmetry-induced gravitactic motion exists. Here, we study the motion of asymmetric self-propelled colloidal particles which have a homogeneous mass density and a well-defined shape. In experiments and by theoretical modelling, we demonstrate that a shape anisotropy alone is sufficient to induce gravitactic motion with either preferential upward or downward swimming. In addition, also trochoid-like trajectories transversal to the direction of gravity are observed.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5829

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