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Guiding chiral self-propellers in a periodic potential
Amir Nourhani1, Vincent H Crespi1,2,3, Paul E Lammert1
1Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|September 26, 2015
Summary
Dynamically chiral particles can separate into distinct groups based on their movement. Researchers predict these particles can be steered using external fields, enabling microscale manipulations and reconfigurable microfluidic circuits.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Soft Matter Physics
- Chirality
Background:
- Traditional methods for separating racemic mixtures rely on structural chirality.
- Recent advancements reveal self-motile micro- and nanoparticles exhibiting dynamical chirality, arising from motion rather than static structure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To predict the behavior of dynamically chiral objects in a soft periodic two-dimensional potential.
- To explore particle separation and controlled steering based on dynamical chirality.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical prediction of overdamped dynamics for chiral particles in a periodic potential.
- Analysis of orientational and translational diffusion effects on particle drift.
Main Results:
- Dynamically chiral particles separate into subclasses based on motility characteristics.
- Particle steering to arbitrary locations is achieved by modulating the external potential amplitude.
- Novel drift phenomena arise from diffusion in the presence of noise.
Conclusions:
- Dynamical chirality offers a new paradigm for particle separation and manipulation.
- The predicted phenomena are feasible for experimental implementation using acoustic or optical fields.
- Potential applications include microscale laboratory manipulations and reconfigurable microfluidic circuits.
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