Density Modulations in Active Colloidal Systems through Orthogonal Propulsion Control and Sensory Delays
Ueli Töpfer, Maximilian R. Bailey, Sanjay Schreiber, Federico Paratore, Lucio Isa
TL;DR
This paper introduces Janus microswimmers that autonomously adjust their movement in response to light and chemicals, mimicking biological behavior.
Contribution
The study introduces autonomous propulsion control in microswimmers using orthogonal stimuli and sensory delays.
Findings
Janus particles adjust propulsion velocity independently of the applied electric field under UV illumination.
Sensory delays in response to light improve microswimmer localization in spatiotemporal modulations.
Chemical exposure alters response time, enabling concentration-dependent adaptive behavior.
Abstract
Recent advancements in active colloidal systems aim to mimic key characteristics of biological microswimmers, particularly their adaptive motility in response to environmental changes. While many approaches rely on externally imposing a variable propulsive force, achieving true autonomous and self-regulating adaptation to the environment remains limited. In this study, we take a step in this direction and develop Janus microswimmers driven by electrohydrodynamic flows that autonomously adjust their propulsion dynamics in response to varying illumination and exposure to chemical agents. Our Janus particles are silica colloids partially coated with titania, which self-propel via induced-charge electrophoresis under uniform AC electric fields. Since titania is photoconductive, it increases its conductivity under UV illumination, which thereby regulates the propulsion velocity independent…
Genes, proteins, chemicals, diseases, species, mutations and cell lines named across the full text — each resolved to its canonical identifier and authoritative record.
Click any figure to enlarge with its caption.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 16
Figure 17
Figure 18Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsMicro and Nano Robotics · Molecular Communication and Nanonetworks · Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics