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Updated: Mar 29, 2026

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
Published on: September 30, 2014
Inducing Propulsion of Colloidal Dimers by Breaking the Symmetry in Electrohydrodynamic Flow
Fuduo Ma1, Xingfu Yang1, Hui Zhao2
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA.
Abstract:
We show that dielectric colloidal dimers with broken symmetry in geometry, composition, or interfacial charges can all propel in directions that are perpendicular to the applied ac electric field. The asymmetry in particle properties ultimately results in an unbalanced electrohydrodynamic flow on two sides of the particles. Consistent with scaling laws, the propulsion direction, speed, and orientation of dimers can be conveniently tuned by frequency. The new propulsion mechanism revealed here is important for building colloidal motors and studying collective behavior of active matter.
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