Probing and Leveraging the Collective Effects of Flexible Biomimetic Microswimmers

这项计划旨在制造和研究定制的柔性仿生磁力微泳者群体，并利用它们进行应用。游泳者将由一个磁性粒子“身体”和一个DNA折纸“鞭毛”组成，这两个结构元素都是按顺序准备的。由于这两个建筑都有助于水动力相互作用，它们的受控产量与游泳者密度的系统性变化相一致，将允许将这些设计特征与集体游泳的性质联系起来。这种联系将使人们更深入地了解微米级合作效应的普遍性，对微泳者之间流体动力和磁力的相互作用以及如何利用这些力量进行应用提供新的见解。

This proposal aims to fabricate and study populations of custom-made flexible biomimetic magnetic microswimmers and leverage them for application. The swimmers will consist of a magnetic particle ‘body’ and a DNA origami ‘flagellum’ with both of these structural elements being prepared to order. Because both architectures contribute to hydrodynamic interactions, their controlled production, tallied with systematic changes in swimmer density, will allow a connection of these design features to the nature of collective swimming. This connection will yield a deeper understanding of the universality of cooperative effects at the micron scale, new insights into the interplay of hydrodynamic and magnetic forces between microswimmers and how these can be leveraged for application.