Related papers: Colloidal Micromotors: Controlled Directed Motion
From the formation of animal flocks to the emergence of coordinate motion in bacterial swarms, at all scales populations of motile organisms display coherent collective motion. This consistent behavior strongly contrasts with the difference…
Dynamic Monte Carlo simulations are used to study coupled transport (co-transport) through sub-nanometer-diameter pores. In this classic Hodgkin-Keynes mechanism, an ion species uses the large flux of an abundant ion species to move against…
The ground state of colloidal magnetic particles in a modulated channel are investigated as function of the tilt angle of an applied magnetic field. The particles are confined by a parabolic potential in the transversal direction while in…
Control of magnetism through voltage-driven ionic processes (i.e., magneto-ionics) holds potential for next-generation memories and computing. This stems from its non-volatility, flexibility in adjusting the magnitude and speed of magnetic…
Understanding the out-of-equilibrium properties of noisy microscale systems and the extent to which they can be modulated externally, is a crucial scientific and technological challenge. It holds the promise to unlock disruptive new…
Entropic forces in colloidal suspensions and in polymer-colloid systems are of long-standing and continuing interest. Experiments show how entropic forces can be used to control the self-assembly of colloidal particles. Significant advances…
We introduce a new technique for the generation of magnetic impulses. This technique is based on coherent control of electrical currents using cylindrical laser beams with azimuthal polarization. When used to ionize a medium, in this case…
By converting energy into mechanical work, engines play a central role in most biological and technological processes. In particular, within the current trend towards the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, microscopic engines…
Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study particle-transport in a system of interacting colloidal particles on a ring, where the system is driven by a time-dependent external potential, moving along the ring. We consider two driving…
The interaction between passive and active/driven particles has introduced a new way to control colloidal suspension properties from particle aggregation to crystallization. Here, we focus on the hydrodynamic interaction between a single…
High-density microfluidics is becoming an important experimental platform for studying complex biological systems such as synthetic gene regulatory networks, molecular biocomputating of engineered cells, distributing rapid point-of-care…
Integration of active matter in larger micro-devices can provide an embedded source of propulsion and lead to self-actuated micromachining systems that do not rely on any external power or control apparatus. Here we demonstrate that Janus…
Gold-platinum catalytic pumps immersed in a chemical fuel are used to manipulate silica colloids. The manipulation relies on the electric field and the fluid flow generated by the pump. Catalytic pumps perform various tasks, such as the…
We develop a theoretical model for how organic molecules can control the electronic and transport properties of an underlying transistor channel to whose surface they are chemically bonded. The influence arises from a combination of…
A molecular motor is made of either a single macromolecule or a macromolecular complex. Just like their macroscopic counterparts, molecular motors "transduce" input energy into mechanical work. All the nano-motors considered here operate…
When swimming at low Reynolds numbers, inertial effects are negligible and reciprocal movements cannot induce net motion. Instead, symmetry breaking is necessary to achieve net propulsion. Directed swimming can be supported by magnetic…
Many motile cells exhibit migratory behaviors, such as chemotaxis (motion up or down a chemical gradient) or chemokinesis (when speed depends on concentration), which enable them to carry out vital functions including immune response, egg…
Semiconductor microelectronics are emerging as a powerful tool for building smart, autonomous robots too small to see with the naked eye. Yet a number of existing microrobot platforms, despite significant advantages in speed, robustness,…
We theoretically study the motion of magnetic colloidal particles above a magnetic pattern and compare the predictions with Brownian dynamics simulations. The pattern consists of alternating square domains of positive and negative…
Inside cells, various cargos are transported by teams of molecular motors. Intriguingly, the motors involved generally have opposite pulling directions, and the resulting cargo dynamics is a biased stochastic motion. It is an open question…