Tunable Assembly of Confined Janus Microswimmers in Sub-kHz Electic Fields under Gravity
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2024
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| _version_ | 1866916538171260928 |
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| author | van Baalen, Carolina Alvarez, Laura Style, Robert Isa, Lucio |
| author_facet | van Baalen, Carolina Alvarez, Laura Style, Robert Isa, Lucio |
| contents | Active systems comprising micron-sized self-propelling units, also termed microswimmers, are promising candidates for the bottom-up assembly of small structures and reconfigurable materials. Here we leverage field-driven colloidal assembly to induce structural transformations in dense layers of microswimmers driven by an alternating current (AC) electric field and confined in a microfabricated trap under the influence of gravity. By varying the electric field frequency, we realize significant structural transformations, from a gas-like state at high frequencies to dynamically rearranging dense crystalline clusters at lower frequencies, characterized by vorticity in their dynamics. We demonstrate the ability to switch between these states on-demand, showing that the clustering mechanism differs from motility-induced phase separation. Our results offer a valuable framework for designing high-density active matter systems with controllable structural properties, envisioned to advance the development of artificial materials with self-healing and reconfiguration capabilities. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_16658 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Tunable Assembly of Confined Janus Microswimmers in Sub-kHz Electic Fields under Gravity van Baalen, Carolina Alvarez, Laura Style, Robert Isa, Lucio Soft Condensed Matter Materials Science Active systems comprising micron-sized self-propelling units, also termed microswimmers, are promising candidates for the bottom-up assembly of small structures and reconfigurable materials. Here we leverage field-driven colloidal assembly to induce structural transformations in dense layers of microswimmers driven by an alternating current (AC) electric field and confined in a microfabricated trap under the influence of gravity. By varying the electric field frequency, we realize significant structural transformations, from a gas-like state at high frequencies to dynamically rearranging dense crystalline clusters at lower frequencies, characterized by vorticity in their dynamics. We demonstrate the ability to switch between these states on-demand, showing that the clustering mechanism differs from motility-induced phase separation. Our results offer a valuable framework for designing high-density active matter systems with controllable structural properties, envisioned to advance the development of artificial materials with self-healing and reconfiguration capabilities. |
| title | Tunable Assembly of Confined Janus Microswimmers in Sub-kHz Electic Fields under Gravity |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.16658 |