Light-controlled assembly of active colloidal molecules.


Journal article


Falko Schmidt, Benno Liebchen, Hartmut Löwen, Giovanni Volpe
Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 150(9), 2019 Feb 7, pp. 94905-94905

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APA   Click to copy
Schmidt, F., Liebchen, B., Löwen, H., & Volpe, G. (2019). Light-controlled assembly of active colloidal molecules. Journal of Chemical Physics, 150(9), 94905–94905.


Chicago/Turabian   Click to copy
Schmidt, Falko, Benno Liebchen, Hartmut Löwen, and Giovanni Volpe. “Light-Controlled Assembly of Active Colloidal Molecules.” Journal of Chemical Physics 150, no. 9 (February 7, 2019): 94905–94905.


MLA   Click to copy
Schmidt, Falko, et al. “Light-Controlled Assembly of Active Colloidal Molecules.” Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 150, no. 9, Feb. 2019, pp. 94905–05.


BibTeX   Click to copy

@article{falko2019a,
  title = {Light-controlled assembly of active colloidal molecules.},
  year = {2019},
  month = feb,
  day = {7},
  issue = {9},
  journal = {Journal of Chemical Physics},
  pages = {94905-94905},
  volume = {150},
  author = {Schmidt, Falko and Liebchen, Benno and Löwen, Hartmut and Volpe, Giovanni},
  month_numeric = {2}
}

Abstract:
Thanks to a constant energy input, active matter can self-assemble into phases with complex architectures and functionalities such as living clusters that dynamically form, reshape, and break-up, which are forbidden in equilibrium materials by the entropy maximization (or free energy minimization) principle. The challenge to control this active self-assembly has evoked widespread efforts typically hinging on engineering of the properties of individual motile constituents. Here, we provide a different route, where activity occurs as an emergent phenomenon only when individual building blocks bind together in a way that we control by laser light. Using experiments and simulations of two species of immotile microspheres, we exemplify this route by creating active molecules featuring a complex array of behaviors, becoming migrators, spinners, and rotators. The possibility to control the dynamics of active self-assembly via light-controllable nonreciprocal interactions will inspire new approaches to understand living matter and to design active materials.
A binary mixture of light-absorbing and non-absorbing particles self-assemble into active colloidal molecules under homogenous illumination.

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