Colloidal Microworms Propelling via a Cooperative Hydrodynamic Conveyor Belt

Phys Rev Lett. 2015 Sep 25;115(13):138301. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.138301. Epub 2015 Sep 22.

Abstract

We study propulsion arising from microscopic colloidal rotors dynamically assembled and driven in a viscous fluid upon application of an elliptically polarized rotating magnetic field. Close to a confining plate, the motion of this self-assembled microscopic worm results from the cooperative flow generated by the spinning particles which act as a hydrodynamic "conveyor belt." Chains of rotors propel faster than individual ones, until reaching a saturation speed at distances where induced-flow additivity vanishes. By combining experiments and theoretical arguments, we elucidate the mechanism of motion and fully characterize the propulsion speed in terms of the field parameters.