Producing swimmers by coupling reaction-diffusion equations to a chemically responsive material.
We propose a mechanism for generating snakelike motion in a micrometer-scale, responsive, synthetic material, which thereby undergoes net movement in a fluid (i.e., swimming). By responsive material, we refer to a material that can expand or contract in response to a chemical concentration change. The concentrations of the chemical species are modeled by simple reaction-diffusion equations with suitably chosen source terms. Using linear stability analysis, we isolate the key properties of the material and reaction rate parameters.
Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, 1 Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3NP, United Kingdom. pooley@thphys.ox.ac.uk
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Balazs