title: Inducing Propulsion of Colloidal Dimers by Breaking the Symmetry in Electrohydrodynamic Flow.
abstract: We show that dielectric colloidal dimers with broken symmetry in geometry, composition, or interfacial charges can all propel in directions that are perpendicular to the applied ac electric field. The asymmetry in particle properties ultimately results in an unbalanced electrohydrodynamic flow on two sides of the particles. Consistent with scaling laws, the propulsion direction, speed, and orientation of dimers can be conveniently tuned by frequency. The new propulsion mechanism revealed here is important for building colloidal motors and studying collective behavior of active matter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA.
authors.forename: Fuduo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA.
authors.forename: Xingfu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154, USA.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D019281:Dimerization; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D008962:Models, Theoretical
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids