ALCANZARE-Propulsion-Dec-2018-final.pdf (8.11 MB)
Propulsion and controlled steering of magnetic nanohelices
journal contribution
posted on 2019-02-25, 14:28 authored by Maria M. Alcanzare, Mikko Karttunen, Tapio Ala-NissilaTapio Ala-NissilaExternally controlled motion of micro and nanomotors in a fluid environment constitutes a promising tool in biosensing, targeted delivery and environmental remediation. In particular, recent experiments have demonstrated that fuel-free propulsion can be achieved through the application of external magnetic fields on magnetic helically shaped structures. The magnetic interaction between helices and the rotating field induces a torque that rotates and propels them via the coupled rotational-translational motion. Recent works have shown that there exist certain optimal geometries of helical shapes for propulsion. However, experiments show that controlled motion remains a challenge at the nanoscale due to Brownian motion that interferes with the deterministic motion and makes it difficult to achieve controlled steering. In the present work we employ quantitatively accurate simulation methodology to design a setup for which magnetic nanohelices of 30 nm in radius and 180 nm in length (corresponding to previously determined optimal length to radius ratio of 6), with and without cargo, can be accurately propelled and steered in the presence of thermal fluctuations. In particular, we demonstrate fast transport of such nanomotors and devise protocols in manipulating external fields to achieve directionally controlled steering at biologically relevant temperatures.
Funding
This work was supported in part by the Academy of Finland through its Centres of Excellence Programme (2012-2017) under Project No. 251748 and Aalto Energy Efficiency Research Programme.
History
School
- Science
Department
- Mathematical Sciences
Published in
Soft MatterCitation
ALCANZARE, M.M., KARTTUNEN, M. and ALA-NISSILA, T., 2019. Propulsion and controlled steering of magnetic nanohelices. Soft Matter, 15, pp. 1684-1691.Publisher
© Royal Society of ChemistryVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Soft Matter and the definitive published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1039/c8sm00037a.Acceptance date
2019-01-01Publication date
2019-01-04ISSN
1744-683XeISSN
1744-6848Publisher version
Language
- en