Electric-field-induced rotation of Brownian metal nanowires

We describe the physical mechanism responsible for the rotation of Brownian metal nanowires suspended in an electrolyte exposed to a rotating electric field. The electric field interacts with the induced charge in the electrical double layer at the metal-electrolyte interface, causing rotation due to the torque on the induced dipole and to the induced-charge electro-osmotic flow around the particle. Experiments demonstrate that the primary driving mechanism is the former of these two. Our analysis contrasts with previous work describing the electrical manipulation of metallic particles with electric fields, which neglected the electrical double layer. Theoretical values for the rotation speed are calculated and good agreement with experiments is found.