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Control over self-assembled Janus clusters by the strength of magnetic field in \(\hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {O}_{2}\)

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Abstract

Colloidal Janus microparticles can be propelled by controlled chemical reactions on their surfaces. Such microswimmers have been used as model systems for the behavior on the microscale and as carriers for cargo to well-defined positions in hard-to-access areas. Here we demonstrate the propagation motion of clusters of magnetic Janus particles driven by the catalytic decomposition of \(\hbox {H}_2\hbox {O}_2\) on their metallic caps. The magnetic moments of their caps lead to certain spatial arrangements of Janus particles, which can be influenced by external magnetic fields. We investigate how the arrangement of the particles and caps determines the driven motion of the particle clusters. In addition, we show the influence of confining walls on the cluster motion, which will be encountered in any real-life biological system.

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Data Availability Statement

This manuscript has associated data in a data repository. [Authors’ comment: Data associated with this manuscript is deposited at http://doi.org/10.14278/rodare.824.]

Notes

  1. The video microscopy setup was adjusted in a way that particles on this plane are in the focal plane of the microscope. Thus, particles go out of focus when they leave this plane due to a perpendicular motion.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Jens Zscharschuch and Simon Stierle for their technical support involving methods and instruments used in the experiment. We also acknowledge Holger Lange for his help with a program for particle detection. We also would like to thank Prof. Sibylle Gemming for the insightful discussions. This work was financially supported by the German Science Foundation (DFG) grants ER 341/13-1 and ER 341/14-1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, HZDR, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany

    Yara Alsaadawi, Anna Eichler-Volf, Peter Zahn & Artur Erbe

  2. Institute of Physics, University of Augusburg, Universitätstrasse 1, 86159, Augusburg, Germany

    Michael Heigl & Manfred Albrecht

Authors
  1. Yara Alsaadawi
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  2. Anna Eichler-Volf
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  3. Michael Heigl
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  4. Peter Zahn
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  5. Manfred Albrecht
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  6. Artur Erbe
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Contributions

Y.A., A.E-V., and A.E. wrote the manuscript with input from M.H., P.Z., and M.A. Particles preparation and capping were done by Y.A. and M.H., respectively. The experiments, tracking, and analysis were done by Y.A. with the help of A.E-V.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Artur Erbe.

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Alsaadawi, Y., Eichler-Volf, A., Heigl, M. et al. Control over self-assembled Janus clusters by the strength of magnetic field in \(\hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {O}_{2}\). Eur. Phys. J. E 44, 23 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00010-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00010-3

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