Self-Propelled Janus Microdimer Swimmers under a Rotating Magnetic Field

SM Yu and NZ Ma and H Yu and HR Sun and XC Chang and ZG Wu and JX Deng and SQ Zhao and WY Wang and GY Zhang and WW Zhang and QS Zhao and TL Li, NANOMATERIALS, 9, 1672 (2019).

DOI: 10.3390/nano9121672

Recent strides in micro- and nanofabrication technology have enabled researchers to design and develop new micro- and nanorobots for biomedicine and environmental monitoring. Due to its non-invasive remote actuation and convenient navigation abilities, magnetic propulsion has been widely used in micro- and nanoscale robotic systems. In this article, a highly efficient Janus microdimer swimmer propelled by a rotating uniform magnetic field was investigated experimentally and numerically. The velocity of the Janus microdimer swimmer can be modulated by adjusting the magnetic field frequency with a maximum speed of 133 mu ms(-1) (approximate to 13.3 body length s(-1)) at the frequency of 32 Hz. Fast and accurate navigation of these Janus microdimer swimmers in complex environments and near obstacles was also demonstrated. This efficient propulsion behavior of the new Janus microdimer swimmer holds considerable promise for diverse future practical applications ranging from nanoscale manipulation and assembly to nanomedicine.

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