Distinguishing advective and powered motion in self-propelled colloids
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions
Published on: February 22, 2018
Young-Moo Byun1,2, Paul E Lammert2, Yiying Hong3
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States of America.
Abstract:
Self-powered motion in catalytic colloidal particles provides a compelling example of active matter, i.e. systems that engage in single-particle and collective behavior far from equilibrium. The long-time, long-distance behavior of such systems is of particular interest, since it connects their individual micro-scale behavior to macro-scale phenomena. In such analyses, it is important to distinguish motion due to subtle advective effects-which also has long time scales and length scales-from long-timescale phenomena that derive from intrinsically powered motion. Here, we develop a methodology to analyze the statistical properties of the translational and rotational motions of powered colloids to distinguish, for example, active chemotaxis from passive advection by bulk flow.
Related Concept Videos
Colloids
Colloids and Suspensions
Colloidal precipitates
Stokes' Law
The expression for the force on a solid spherical object in a fluid is called Stokes' law. Stokes' law is valid only...
Coagulation
Centrifugation

