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Manipulating chiral microswimmers in a channel.

Yunyun Li1, Pulak K Ghosh2, Fabio Marchesoni3

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We numerically simulated chiral microswimmers in corrugated channels. Breaking channel symmetry generates directed particle flow, impacting fabrication and applications.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics, Soft Matter
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Janus particles are microswimmers with distinct surface properties, enabling self-propulsion.
  • Understanding microswimmer behavior in confined geometries is crucial for designing microdevices.
  • Corrugated channels introduce geometric asymmetry, influencing particle dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To numerically simulate the diffusion of Janus particles in 2D corrugated channels.
  • To investigate the effect of intrinsic torque and channel asymmetry on particle motion.
  • To determine conditions for autonomous directed drift of chiral microswimmers.

Main Methods:

  • Numerical simulation of overdamped pointlike Janus particles.
  • Modeling self-propulsion velocity with intrinsic bias (torque).
  • Utilizing periodically corrugated channels with reflecting walls.

Main Results:

  • Breaking channel mirror symmetry generates directed particle flow.
  • Flow orientation and magnitude depend on channel geometry and particle properties.
  • Autonomous drift observed under more general asymmetry conditions than previously known.

Conclusions:

  • Chiral microswimmers can achieve autonomous directed motion in corrugated channels by breaking symmetry.
  • This finding has implications for the fabrication and technological applications of microswimmers.
  • The study expands the understanding of microswimmer behavior in asymmetric environments.