Related papers: Sequential tasks performed by catalytic pumps for …
Catalytic engines can use hydrogen peroxide as a chemical fuel in order to drive motion at the microscale. The chemo-mechanical actuation is a complex mechanism based on the interrelation between catalytic reactions and…
A heterogeneous and dilute suspension of catalytically active colloids is studied as a non-equilibrium analogue of ionic systems, which has the remarkable feature of action-reaction symmetry breaking. Symmetrically coated colloids are found…
Simulations on self-propelling active cubes reveal interesting behaviors at both the individual and the collective level, emphasizing the importance of developing experimental analogs that allow to test these theoretical predictions. The…
Synthetic active colloidal systems are being studied extensively because of the diverse and often unusual phenomena these nonequilibrium systems manifest, and their potential applications in fields ranging from biology to material science.…
The simplest mechanism for molecular electron pumps is discussed which is based on nonadiabatic electron tunnelling and nonequilibrium conformational fluctuations. Such fluctuations can be induced, e.g. by random binding of negatively…
Catalytically active colloids maintain non-equilibrium conditions in which they produce and deplete chemicals and hence effectively act as sources and sinks of molecules. While individual colloids that are symmetrically coated do not…
Here we demonstrate a synthetic micro-engine, based on long-range controlled movement of colloidal particles, which is induced by a local catalytic reaction. The directed motion at long timescales was achieved by placing specially designed…
A new dual plasma coating process to produce platinum-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in a fuel cell is introduced. The catalysts thus produced were analysed with various methods. Electrochemical characterisation was…
Hydrodynamic flows are often generated in colloidal suspensions. Since colloidal particles are frequently used to construct stochastic heat engines, we study how the hydrodynamic flows influence the output parameters of the engine. We study…
Microfluidics involves the manipulation of flows at the microscale, typically requiring external power sources to generate pressure gradients. Alternatively, harnessing flows from active fluids, which are usually chaotic, has been proposed…
Active colloids, also known as artificial microswimmers, are self-propelled micro and nanoparticles that convert uniform sources of fuel (e.g. chemical) or uniform external driving fields (e.g. magnetic or electric) into directed motion by…
Water-metal interfaces are ubiquitous and play a key role in many chemical processes, from catalysis to corrosion. Whereas water adlayers on atomically flat transition metal surfaces have been investigated in depth, little is known about…
Single-electron pumps based on isolated impurity atoms have recently been experimentally demonstrated. In these devices the Coulomb potential of an atom creates a localised electron state with a large charging energy and considerable…
The unique working mechanics of roller-type peristaltic pumps have allowed their applications to span a wide variety of sectors and industries. The roller-type pump's accurate dosing and hydrostatic capabilities can theoretically allow for…
A design for a pump is suggested which is based on well-known peristaltic pumps. In order to simply describe the operation of the proposed pump, an innovative interpretation of low Reynolds number swimmers is presented and thereafter a…
Although significant insights have been obtained into chemical and physical properties that govern to the performance of catalysts in traditional thermal processes, the work on electro-, photo-, or plasma-catalytic approaches has been…
Endowing materials with physical intelligence holds the key for a progress leap in robotic systems. In spite of the growing success for macroscopic devices, transferring these concepts to the microscale presents several challenges connected…
A novel method to pump fluid in lab on chip devices with velocities up to tens of micrometer per second is introduced. A focused laser beam locally heats up an electrolyte. A net charge tends to accumulate in the heat-absorbing area, due to…
Colloidal particles can create reconfigurable nanomaterials, with applications such as color-changing, self-repairing, and self-regulating materials and reconfigurable drug delivery systems. However, top-down methods for manipulating…
Microorganisms are able to overcome the thermal randomness of their surroundings by harvesting energy to navigate in viscous fluid environments. In a similar manner, synthetic colloidal microswimmers are capable of mimicking complex…