Spontaneous autophoretic motion of isotropic particles

Suspended colloidal particles interacting chemically with a solute can self-propel by autophoretic motion when they are asymmetrically patterned (Janus colloids). Here we demonstrate theoretically that such anisotropy is not necessary for locomotion and that the nonlinear interplay between surface osmotic flows and solute advection can produce spontaneous and self-sustained motion of isotropic particles. Solving the classical autophoretic framework for isotropic particles, we show that, for given material properties, there exists a critical particle size (or Peclet number) above which spontaneous symmetry-breaking and autophoretic motion occur. A hierarchy of instabilities is further identified for quantized critical Peclet numbers.

[1]  David J. Pine,et al.  Living Crystals of Light-Activated Colloidal Surfers , 2013, Science.

[2]  E. Lauga,et al.  Unsteady feeding and optimal strokes of model ciliates , 2012, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[3]  Martin Pumera,et al.  Macroscopic self-propelled objects. , 2012, Chemistry, an Asian journal.

[4]  K. Nagai,et al.  Drift instability in the motion of a fluid droplet with a chemically reactive surface driven by Marangoni flow. , 2012, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[5]  Udo Seifert,et al.  Nonlinear, electrocatalytic swimming in the presence of salt. , 2012, The Journal of chemical physics.

[6]  Ramin Golestanian,et al.  Size dependence of the propulsion velocity for catalytic Janus-sphere swimmers. , 2012, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[7]  Krzysztof K. Krawczyk,et al.  Magnetic Helical Micromachines: Fabrication, Controlled Swimming, and Cargo Transport , 2012, Advanced materials.

[8]  Joseph Wang,et al.  High-speed propulsion of flexible nanowire motors: Theory and experiments , 2011, 1109.1631.

[9]  E. Lauga,et al.  Optimal feeding is optimal swimming for all P\'eclet numbers , 2011, 1109.0112.

[10]  Stephan Herminghaus,et al.  Swarming behavior of simple model squirmers , 2011 .

[11]  J. Brady.  Particle motion driven by solute gradients with application to autonomous motion: continuum and colloidal perspectives , 2010, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[12]  D. Weihs,et al.  Magnetically powered flexible metal nanowire motors. , 2010, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[13]  Li Zhang,et al.  Controlled propulsion and cargo transport of rotating nickel nanowires near a patterned solid surface. , 2010, ACS nano.

[14]  Stephen J. Ebbens,et al.  In pursuit of propulsion at the nanoscale , 2010 .

[15]  R. Golestanian,et al.  Controlled propulsion in viscous fluids of magnetically actuated colloidal doublets. , 2010, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[16]  A. Alexander-Katz,et al.  Controlled surface-induced flows from the motion of self-assembled colloidal walkers , 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[17]  J. van der Gucht,et al.  Physical model of cellular symmetry breaking. , 2009, Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology.

[18]  P. Fischer,et al.  Controlled propulsion of artificial magnetic nanostructured propellers. , 2009, Nano letters.

[19]  Ramin Golestanian,et al.  Anomalous diffusion of symmetric and asymmetric active colloids. , 2009, Physical review letters.

[20]  Takashi Ikegami,et al.  Self-propelled oil droplets consuming "fuel" surfactant. , 2009, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[21]  F. Jülicher,et al.  Generic theory of colloidal transport , 2008, The European physical journal. E, Soft matter.

[22]  T. Powers,et al.  The hydrodynamics of swimming microorganisms , 2008, 0812.2887.

[23]  J. Brady,et al.  Osmotic propulsion: the osmotic motor. , 2008, Physical review letters.

[24]  Ramin Golestanian,et al.  Self-motile colloidal particles: from directed propulsion to random walk. , 2007, Physical review letters.

[25]  R. Golestanian,et al.  Designing phoretic micro- and nano-swimmers , 2007, cond-mat/0701168.

[26]  Marcus L. Roper,et al.  Microscopic artificial swimmers , 2005, Nature.

[27]  R. Golestanian,et al.  Propulsion of a molecular machine by asymmetric distribution of reaction products. , 2005, Physical review letters.

[28]  Yutaka Sumino,et al.  Self-running droplet: emergence of regular motion from nonequilibrium noise. , 2004, Physical review letters.

[29]  N. Bartelt,et al.  Alloying at surfaces by the migration of reactive two-dimensional islands. , 2000, Science.

[30]  Samuel,et al.  Propulsion of Microorganisms by Surface Distortions. , 1996, Physical review letters.

[31]  John L. Ande,et al.  COLLOID TRANSPORT BY INTERFACIAL FORCES , 1989 .

[32]  D. Prieve,et al.  Diffusiophoresis of a rigid sphere through a viscous electrolyte solution , 1987 .

[33]  J. Blake,et al.  A spherical envelope approach to ciliary propulsion , 1971, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[34]  G. Batchelor,et al.  The stress system in a suspension of force-free particles , 1970, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[35]  David M. Miller,et al.  Handbook of Mathematical Functions With Formulas, Graphs and Mathematical Tables (National Bureau of Standards Applied Mathematics Series No. 55) , 1965 .