Utilizing active suspensions: Creating micro-machines and electric circuits

在拟议的研究项目中，计划解决主动悬架的使用范围。活性悬浮液含有各种自推进颗粒。这种粒子具有内部自推进机制，允许它们执行定向运动。活性粒子的例子可以在各种长度尺度和各种科学研究领域中找到。在生物学中，例如鸟类和鱼类-甚至人类也可以被视为活性粒子。在较小的长度尺度上，细菌和精子是常见的例子。在过去的几年中，已经实现了活性颗粒的各种微米级人工实现。它们的自推进通常是由于一些自诱导的化学反应。近年来，大量的研究集中在单个游泳者的动力学和群体行为的研究上，而目前的研究大多集中在整体悬浮体上。在拟议的研究项目中，主动悬架将创建微型机器，这些机器将执行定向旋转。适当形状的被动构建块将在湍流细菌浴中聚集并自发地进行定向旋转。这将通过申请人进行的数值模拟和在主办机构进行的实验来进行，此外，还将发明一种新的活性粒子。取代化学反应，光伏效应将使单个粒子能够自我推进。适当功能化的粒子将自组装成链，这将能够充当电路。和以前一样，这些研究将结合联合收割机的数值和实验研究。

In the proposed research project it is planned to address how far active suspensions can be utilized. Active suspensions contain various self-propelled particles. Such particles have an internal self-propulsion mechanism allowing them to perform a directed motion. Examples of active particles can be found on various length scales and in various research domains in science. In biology there are e.g. birds and fish - even human beings can be considered as active particles. On smaller length scales bacteria and sperm are common examples. In the last years various micron-sized artificial realizations of active particles have been achieved. Their self-propulsion is usually due to some self-induced chemical reactions. Recently, numerous studies concentrated on the dynamics of single swimmers and the study of their collective behavior.Up to know most studies concentrated on bulk suspensions. In the proposed research project active suspensions will create micro-machines which will perform a directed rotation. Properly shaped passive building blocks will aggregate in a turbulent bacterial bath and spontaneously perform a directed rotation. This will be carried out by numerical simulations done by the applicant and experiments done at the host institute.Furthermore a new class of active particles is going to be invented. Instead of chemical reactions photovolatic effects will enable the self-propulsion of individual particles. Properly functionalized particles will self-assemble to chains, which will be able to act as electric circuits. As before, these studies will combine numerical and experimental studies.