Colloidal Microworms Propelling via a Cooperative Hydrodynamic Conveyor Belt

We study propulsion arising from microscopic colloidal rotors dynamically assembled and driven in a viscous fluid upon application of an elliptically polarized rotating magnetic field. Close to a confining plate, the motion of this self-assembled microscopic worm results from the cooperative flow ge...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez Pedrero, Fernando, Ortiz-Ambriz, Antonio, Pagonabarraga Mora, Ignacio, Tierno, Pietro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/67045
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/67045
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Col·loides
Nanotecnologia
Colloids
Nanotechnology
Descripción
Sumario:We study propulsion arising from microscopic colloidal rotors dynamically assembled and driven in a viscous fluid upon application of an elliptically polarized rotating magnetic field. Close to a confining plate, the motion of this self-assembled microscopic worm results from the cooperative flow generated by the spinning particles which act as a hydrodynamic 'conveyor belt.' Chains of rotors propel faster than individual ones, until reaching a saturation speed at distances where induced-flow additivity vanishes. By combining experiments and theoretical arguments, we elucidate the mechanism of motion and fully characterize the propulsion speed in terms of the field parameters.