Article
Mechanics
Evgeny S. S. Asmolov, Olga I. I. Vinogradova
Summary: Catalytic Janus swimmers can propel themselves in electrolyte solutions by releasing active ions from their surface. We investigated the effect of passive ions from added salt on the self-propulsion of two types of swimmers: those that release only one type of ion (type I) and those that release equal amounts of cations and anions (type II). Our results showed that the maximum ion flux and propulsion velocity are constrained for type I swimmers, but remain unaffected for type II particles.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bokusui Nakayama, Hikaru Nagase, Hiromori Takahashi, Yuta Saito, Shogo Hatayama, Kotaro Makino, Eiji Yamamoto, Toshiharu Saiki
Summary: Indirect interactions via shared memory deposited on the field play a crucial role in collective motions. We propose a pheromone-based autonomous agent system that mimics the collective behavior of ants and bacteria. This system combines the phase-change behavior of self-propelled Janus particles and AC electroosmotic flow to create pheromone-like trails that attract other particles.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Christoph Pauer, Olivia du Roure, Julien Heuvingh, Tim Liedl, Joe Tavacoli
Summary: Synthetic biomimetic microswimmers are promising for in vivo healthcare and advancing understanding of locomotion at microscopic scale, but face challenges in design flexibility and large-scale production. This study demonstrates a method to assemble these swimmers using superparamagnetic micromodules, showcasing design flexibility through various swimmer architectures. It also reveals that swimmer performance is linked to design, leading to the optimization of a second-generation swimmer for speed that breaks beating symmetry and flexes at high frequencies. Additionally, the study shows the potential for large-scale production by assembling and observing different swimmer couplings in a flock of triangle-based architectures.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meiling Chen, Zhihua Lin, Mingjun Xuan, Xiankun Lin, Mingcheng Yang, Luru Dai, Qiang He
Summary: Control over dynamic assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration of light-activated MoS2 colloidal motor swarms has been achieved through a photochemical reaction generating chemical gradients. Self-diffusiophoresis induced by locally consumed oxygen gradient drives phototactic process, allowing external regulation of collective migration and shapes. The programmable swarm transformation provides proof-of-concept for active soft materials with adaptive and interactive functions.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tieyan Si, Zhenwei Wu, Wenping He, Qiang He
Summary: We studied the predatory-prey dynamics of self-propelled clusters of Janus micromotors, which generates an oxygen bubbles cloud by decomposing H2O2 and enhances its mobility to wander around and devour other clusters. The fast decomposition of H2O2 also induces a tubular low-concentration zone that bridges two far separated clusters, resulting in a diffusio-osmotic pressure that drives the clusters to meet. This predatory-prey phenomena mimic white blood cells chasing bacteria and swarming flocks in nature, shedding light on emergent collective intelligence in biology.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Serena Arnaboldi, Gerardo Salinas, Giorgia Bonetti, Patrick Garrigue, Roberto Cirilli, Tiziana Benincori, Alexander Kuhn
Summary: The development of chiral catalysts is crucial in chemical science. The use of self-propelled redox active microswimmers as a replacement for macroscopic electrodes offers a new approach to electrocatalysis.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaocong Chang, Yiwen Feng, Bin Guo, Dekai Zhou, Longqiu Li
Summary: This review categorizes and summarizes nature-inspired micro/nanomotors, which are inspired by nature in terms of morphology, structure, and behavior, and possess interesting morphologies, novel preparation methods, innovative propulsion modes, and broad applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hang Zhou, Wonyeong Jung, Tamanna Ishrat Farhana, Kazuya Fujimoto, Taeyoon Kim, Ryuji Yokokawa
Summary: Collective motion is a common phenomenon in nature, and it is mainly driven by dynamic collisions and alignments of cytoskeleton filaments. The study found that the persistence length of microtubules significantly affects their collective motion, with higher persistence leading to enhanced bundling. An agent-based computational model confirmed that the rigidity-dependent durability of microtubule alignment dominates their collective behavior.
Article
Mathematics
Evgeny S. Asmolov, Tatiana Nizkaya, Olga Vinogradova
Summary: In this study, we have derived a non-linear outer solution for the electric field and concentrations of catalytic swimmers with any shape, and determined the velocity of particle self-propulsion. Our approach allows us to include the complicated effects of anisotropy and inhomogeneity of surface ion fluxes, leading to more accurate calculations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Arthur E. B. T. King, Matthew S. Turner
Summary: The collective motion of animal groups often shows velocity-velocity correlations between nearest neighbours, with the strongest correlations observed at the shortest inter-animal spacings. This study found that even when interactions are non-local, the strongest velocity correlations still emerge at the shortest distances.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ondrej Kucera, Jeremie Gaillard, Christophe Guerin, Manuel Thery, Laurent Blanchoin
Summary: By combining microtubules and actin filaments and utilizing a feedback loop, we have created an artificial active cytoskeletal composite that exhibits both structural stability and plasticity. The system is sensitive to external stimuli and shows potential for self-regulation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jessica Ann O'Callaghan, Daeyeon Lee, Daniel A. Hammer
Summary: This study demonstrates the generation of enzyme-powered microcapsules using droplet microfluidics. By functionalizing the surfaces of the microcapsules with enzyme urease, their motion can be actively driven. The research also explores the role of different surfactants and surface roughness in enhancing the motion of these microcapsules.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhanlong Wang, Xiaohe Wang, Qing Miao, Ya-Pu Zhao
Summary: Liquid metals have attracted attention as a potential material due to their fascinating characteristics, with a novel phenomenon of acid droplets rotating on their surface being attributed to the collective motion of bubbles generated by chemical reactions. The rotation speed is much higher than other mechanisms, and varies under different conditions, influenced by pH and droplet radius.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Physics, Mathematical
D. Geyer, S. Ziegler, A. Sukhov, M. Hubert, A. -s. Smith, O. Aouane, P. Malgaretti, J. Harting
Summary: The performance of microswimmers, whether individually or collectively, is greatly influenced by the hydrodynamic coupling between their components and themselves. In this study, we conducted numerical simulations using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to investigate the behavior of a single microswimmer and a pair of microswimmers. Our numerical approach involved the discretization of microswimmers using Lagrange polynomials, while the lattice Boltzmann method described the dynamics of the surrounding fluid. We observed the onset of collective effects and an overall velocity increment of clusters of swimmers in our data.
COMMUNICATIONS IN COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei Wang, Thomas E. Mallouk
Summary: The recent invention of nanoswimmers, synthetic, powered objects with characteristic lengths in the range of 10-500 nm, has generated widespread interest. However, studying nanoswimmers poses new opportunities and challenges, particularly in accurately characterizing and visualizing them.
Article
Mechanics
Fatima Ezahra Chrit, Samuel Bowie, Alexander Alexeev
Article
Mechanics
Ersan Demirer, Yu-Cheng Wang, Alper Erturk, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: This study investigates the effects of two distinct actuation methods on the hydrodynamics of elastic rectangular plates. Experiments and simulations showed that externally actuated plates outperform internally actuated ones in terms of thrust production and hydrodynamic efficiency. The inertia coefficient strongly depends on the tip deflection amplitude and the Reynolds number, especially for larger amplitudes.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Mechanics
Ki Tae Wolf, J. Brandon Dixon, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: The study found that valves significantly improve pumping efficiency in biomimetic lymphatic systems, especially when pumping against adverse pressure gradients and at low vessel contraction wave speeds. However, the presence of valves also increases viscous resistance, requiring greater work. Optimal valve elasticity can maximize pumping flow rate.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Viola Tokarova, Ayyappasamy Sudalaiyadum Perumal, Monalisha Nayak, Henry Shum, Ondrej Kaspar, Kavya Rajendran, Mahmood Mohammadi, Charles Tremblay, Eamonn A. Gaffney, Sylvain Martel, Dan V. Nicolau
Summary: Understanding the motility behavior of bacteria in confining microenvironments is crucial for various applications and the study showed that in moderate confinement, bacteria follow hydrodynamics-based predictions, while in tighter confining environments, steric interactions between bacteria and walls play a significant role in their movement, either pushing them in the same direction or leading to chaotic movement and trapping.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yueyi Sun, David R. Myers, Svetoslav V. Nikolov, Oluwamayokun Oshinowo, John Baek, Samuel M. Bowie, Tamara P. Lambert, Eric Woods, Yumiko Sakurai, Wilbur A. Lam, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: Researchers discovered that platelets utilize a new emergent behavior, asynchrono-mechanical amplification, to enhance material contraction and magnify contractile forces. This behavior, triggered by the heterogeneity in the timing of a population of actuators, indicates that cell heterogeneity plays an essential biophysical function in cell-matrix biomaterials.
Article
Mechanics
Ersan Demirer, Oluwafikayo A. Oshinowo, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: The study shows that by adjusting the phase difference between external and internal actuation, the thrust and swimming velocity of the propulsor can be regulated while maintaining high efficiency. The hybrid propulsor outperforms propulsors with single actuation methods, maintaining large tip displacement and reduced center-of-mass displacement.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicholas E. Stone, Abhishek Raj, Katherine M. Young, Adam P. DeLuca, Fatima Ezahra Chrit, Budd A. Tucker, Alexander Alexeev, John McDonald, Benedict B. Benigno, Todd Sulchek
Summary: Isolating a patient's metastatic cancer cells is crucial for personalized medicine treatment; traditional approaches select treatments based on histological classification of cancerous tissue, while personalized medicine analyzes a patient's own cancer cells for effective treatments.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fatima Ezahra Chrit, Abhishek Raj, Katherine M. Young, Nicholas E. Stone, Peter G. Shankles, Kesiharjun Lokireddy, Christopher Flowers, Edmund K. Waller, Alexander Alexeev, Todd Sulchek
Summary: The study utilized a microfluidic device as a high-sensitivity sensor to accurately detect cell viability by transducing cell biomechanics to separation. Different angles of the ridges were evaluated to optimize cell separation and identification. Furthermore, the use of principal component analysis improved the accuracy of cell state identification by clustering populations with little overlap between viable and nonviable cells, enabling efficient cell sorting and label-free viability sensing.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jocelyn Loo, Ian Sicher, Ailin Goff, Ockchul Kim, Nicole Clary, Alexander Alexeev, Todd Sulchek, Alla Zamarayeva, Sewoon Han, Miguel Calero-Garcia
Summary: This study demonstrates efficient mRNA delivery using a novel microfluidic device, which can be applied in a wide range of human primary cell types for gene therapy without negatively impacting T cell function.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yueyi Sun, Oluwamayokun Oshinowo, David R. Myers, Wilbur A. Lam, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: Blood clot contraction plays a crucial role in wound healing and hemostasis. This study investigates the relationship between single platelet forces and macroscopic clot forces, providing insights into blood disorders associated with bleeding and thrombosis. The findings contribute to the development of platelet-based biomaterials and facilitate the understanding of clotting mechanisms.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Roberto Marchello, Marco Morandotti, Henry Shum, Marta Zoppello
Summary: The controllability of a fully three-dimensional N-link swimmer is studied in this paper. The controllability of the minimal 2-link swimmer is analyzed using techniques from Geometric Control Theory. It is found that the swimmer can move from any starting configuration and shape to any target configuration and shape by operating on the two shape variables. This result is extended to the N-link swimmer.
ACTA APPLICANDAE MATHEMATICAE
(2022)
Article
Mechanics
Ersan Demirer, Oluwafikayo A. Oshinowo, Alper Erturk, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: Using fluid-structure interaction computational modelling, this study investigates the hydrodynamic performance of bio-inspired elastic propulsors with tapered thickness that oscillate in an incompressible Newtonian fluid at Reynolds number Re = 2000. The simulations reveal that the tapered propulsors can outperform uniformly thick propulsors in terms of hydrodynamic efficiency and thrust by modulating the acoustic black hole effect. This enhanced performance is linked to the ability of the tapered propulsors to generate travelling waves with a large amplitude displacement at the trailing edge.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Ki Tae Wolf, Amir Poorghani, J. Brandon Dixon, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: This study numerically investigates peristaltic fluid pumping in a vessel with one-way elastic valves that are spaced relative to the contraction wavelength. It is found that matching the valve spacing to the wavelength is critical for efficient pumping. When the spacing does not match, asynchronous valve opening leads to periodic changes in the volume of vessel segments, resulting in volumetric fluid pumping. This volumetric pumping enhances the flowrate and efficiency against adverse pressure gradients, with the optimum pumping occurring at a valve spacing to contraction wavelength ratio of about 2/3. These findings provide insight into biomimetic pumping devices and contribute to understanding the pumping features of the lymphatic system.
BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Fatima Ezahra Chrit, Joshua Barton, Todd Sulchek, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: Sorting biological cells in heterogeneous cell populations is essential for various biomedical applications and therapeutics. Microfluidic methods, specifically those utilizing ridged microchannels, are a promising approach for label-free cell sorting based on biophysical properties. In this study, we use computational modeling to investigate cell sorting based on cell stiffness in ridged microchannels with shear thinning fluid. Our results demonstrate that shear thinning fluids can significantly improve the resolution of stiffness-based cell sorting compared to Newtonian fluids, and this enhancement is explained by analyzing hydrodynamic forces acting on cells during interactions with the microchannel ridges.
Article
Biophysics
Yueyi Sun, Hoyean Le, Wilbur A. Lam, Alexander Alexeev
Summary: Blood clot contraction is a crucial process in blood clotting, and its mechanics and dynamics are influenced by multiple factors. This study uses a computational model to investigate the interactions between fibrin mesh and platelets during clot contraction, as well as the impact of red blood cells on clot contraction.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
