Characterization of Light-Activated Microswimmers for Controllable Motion

The active movements of flocks of birds and schools of fish occurs due to individual moving organisms altering their velocities based upon the behavior of their nearest neighbors. These collective “active matter” behaviors also exist at the micron and nanometer scale. For example, “microswimmers” convert chemical energy into motion on a length-scale comparable to biological prokaryotic cells. An example of our artificial, nonbiological microswimmers is a catalytic Janus particle that has surface-asymmetry with specific physico-chemical properties at different locations upon the particle. I will focus on controlling the morphology of these microswimmers which may allow one to engineer light-activated, self-propelled microswimmers with controlled characterization. My goal is to investigate the solid/liquid interface of microswimmers in order to engineer collective motion and responsive assembly as a function of multiple external fields and variables. I propose that it is possible to engineer photoactive microswimmers for desired motion directly from a photocatalyst, magnetic materials and combing these microswimmers with other nanoscale structures through; Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Glancing Angle Deposition (GLAD) with electron beam and thermal evaporating systems. Furthermore these ideas proposed ideas allow for the creation of microswimmers that exhibit controllable collective motion and behavior.