Wafer-Scale Fabrication of Micro- to Nanoscale Bubble Swimmers and Their Fast Autonomous Propulsion by Ultrasound
Wafer-Scale Fabrication of Micro- to Nanoscale Bubble Swimmers and Their Fast Autonomous Propulsion by Ultrasound
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DOI：
10.1021/acsnano.0c03311
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发表时间：
2020-06-23
期刊：
影响因子：
17.1
通讯作者：
Mallouk, Thomas E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
McNeill, Jeffrey M.;Nama, Nitesh;Mallouk, Thomas E.
尺寸小于1微米的无燃料、生物相容的游泳者有可能彻底改变我们研究和操纵微观系统的方式。亚微米的金属Janus粒子可以通过声学诱导的流体流动快速自主地推进，但是它们在声压节点处的操作限制了它们的实用性。相比之下，基于气泡的微泳者具有“板载”谐振腔，使它们能够远离声功率源操作。到目前为止，它们是通过直接写入技术制造的，这限制了它们的最小尺寸和可以生产的数量。因此，气泡游泳者的属性的大小缩放还没有被实验探索。此外，这种类型的游泳者的3D自主运动尚未得到证明。我们在这里描述了一种用于制造大量（>10（9））尺寸范围从5 μ m到500 nm的气泡游泳者的方法，而无需直接写入或光刻工具。这些游泳者遵循先前提出的缩放理论，并揭示了在同一实验中以不同模式推进的有用现象：磁转向，3D自主和特定频率的自主模式。这些有趣的行为与自主移动的微型和纳米机器人的可能应用有关。
Fuel-free, biocompatible swimmers with dimensions smaller than one micrometer have the potential to revolutionize the way we study and manipulate microscopic systems. Sub-micrometer, metallic Janus particles can be propelled rapidly and autonomously by acoustically induced fluid streaming, but their operation at acoustic pressure nodes limits their utility. In contrast, bubble-based microswimmers have an "on board" resonant cavity that enables them to operate far from the source of acoustic power. So far, they have been fabricated by direct writing techniques that limit both their minimum dimensions and the number that can be produced. Consequently, the size scaling of the properties of bubble swimmers has not been explored experimentally. Additionally, 3D autonomous motion has not yet been demonstrated for this type of swimmer. We describe here a method for fabricating bubble swimmers in large numbers (>10(9)) with sizes ranging from 5 pm to 500 nm without direct writing or photolithographic tools. These swimmers follow a previously proposed scaling theory and reveal useful phenomena that enable their propulsion in different modes in the same experiment: with magnetic steering, autonomously in 3D, and in frequency-specific autonomous modes. These interesting behaviors are relevant to possible applications of autonomously moving micro- and nanorobots.