title: Catalytic nanomotors: self-propelled sphere dimers.
abstract: Experimental and theoretical studies of the self-propelled motional dynamics of a new genre of catalytic sphere dimer, which comprises a non-catalytic silica sphere connected to a catalytic platinum sphere, are reported for the first time. Using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as the fuel to effect catalytic propulsion of the sphere dimers, both quasi-linear and quasi-circular trajectories are observed in the solution phase and analyzed for different dimensions of the platinum component. In addition, well-defined rotational motion of these sphere dimers is observed at the solution-substrate interface. The nature of the interaction between the sphere dimer and the substrate in the aqueous hydrogen peroxide phase is discussed. In computer simulations of the sphere dimer in solution and the solution-substrate interface, sphere-dimer dynamics are simulated using molecular-dynamics methods and solvent dynamics are modeled by mesoscopic multiparticle collision methods taking hydrodynamic interactions into account. The rotational and translational dynamics of the sphere dimer are found to be in good accord with the predictions of computer simulations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, P.O. Box 6154, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Valadares
authors.forename: Yu-Guo
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Nicole S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Zacharia
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kitaev
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galembeck
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kapral
authors.forename: Geoffrey A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ozin
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D003198:Computer Simulation; D019281:Dimerization; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012399:Rotation; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry; D012996:Solutions; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water; D012825:Silicon