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  • 1PMMH ESPCI-ParisTech-CNRS UMR-Universit Paris, France.

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Artificial microcilia arrays exhibit collective dynamics, breaking symmetry and evolving trajectories due to hydrodynamic interactions. This study explores their behavior in viscous fluids using novel experimental and theoretical approaches.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Fluid Dynamics

Background:

  • Artificial microcilia are engineered structures mimicking biological cilia.
  • Understanding collective behavior in micro-scale systems is crucial for micro-robotics and bio-inspired designs.
  • Previous studies often focused on isolated cilia or simpler collective behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the collective dynamics of artificial microcilia arrays in a viscous fluid.
  • To explore how array geometry and actuation frequency influence microcilia behavior.
  • To develop a minimal model explaining the observed collective dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of microcarpets using soft lithography and colloidal self-assembly.
  • Experimental investigation using hundreds of slender magnetic rods driven by a precessing magnetic field.
  • Development of a minimal theoretical model to interpret experimental findings.

Main Results:

  • Collective beating of microcilia leads to symmetry breaking in precession patterns, unlike isolated cilia.
  • Microcilia trajectories become anisotropic and structurally evolve with increasing actuation frequency.
  • Long-range hydrodynamic interactions dictate the shape of trajectories based on global array geometry.

Conclusions:

  • The collective dynamics of artificial microcilia are governed by array geometry and hydrodynamic interactions.
  • A minimal model successfully explains the transition from rigid body rotation to complex collective motion.
  • This work provides insights into designing and controlling micro-scale active matter systems.