Diffusion of a nano-wire through an obstacle field

TL;DR

This paper presents the first experimental study of a nanowire diffusing through a 2D obstacle field, examining hydrodynamic effects and proposing a new framework predicting superdiffusive behavior at high obstacle densities.

Contribution

It introduces the first experimental realization of a nanowire diffusing in a 2D obstacle field and develops a new analytical framework for understanding its transport behavior.

Findings

Hydrodynamic interactions significantly influence nanowire transport.

A new superdiffusive regime is predicted at high obstacle concentrations.

Experimental results align with recent simulation predictions.

Abstract

We report the first experimental realization of a rod diffusing in a two dimensional obstacle field following the single rod dynamics. We use a silver nanowire as our rod and two types of obstacles: repelling light beams and polymer pillars. We study the effect of hydrodynamic interactions on the transport of the rod, comparing both experimental realizations and recent simulations. We propose a new framework for analyzing the transport through such systems and predict a new superdiffusive regime of rod transport at high obstacle concentration and short times.