Topographical pathways guide chemical microswimmers

Juliane Simmchen, Jaideep Katuri, William E. Uspal, Mihail N. Popescu, Mykola Tasinkevych () and Samuel Sánchez ()
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Juliane Simmchen: Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme
Jaideep Katuri: Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme
William E. Uspal: Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme
Mihail N. Popescu: Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme
Mykola Tasinkevych: Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme
Samuel Sánchez: Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Achieving control over the directionality of active colloids is essential for their use in practical applications such as cargo carriers in microfluidic devices. So far, guidance of spherical Janus colloids was mainly realized using specially engineered magnetic multilayer coatings combined with external magnetic fields. Here we demonstrate that step-like submicrometre topographical features can be used as reliable docking and guiding platforms for chemically active spherical Janus colloids. For various topographic features (stripes, squares or circular posts), docking of the colloid at the feature edge is robust and reliable. Furthermore, the colloids move along the edges for significantly long times, which systematically increase with fuel concentration. The observed phenomenology is qualitatively captured by a simple continuum model of self-diffusiophoresis near confining boundaries, indicating that the chemical activity and associated hydrodynamic interactions with the nearby topography are the main physical ingredients behind the observed behaviour.

Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms10598

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10598

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