Characterization of Janus Micromotors Using Dynamic Light Scattering

Recent advances in understanding the active motion of Janus micromotors has established their use as autonomous devices for applications spanning from drug delivery to environmental remediation. While their design is relatively simple, their non-equilibrium enhanced motion is incredibly complex and difficult to characterize. Traditional characterization methods of active motion in colloidal systems rely on optical microscopy (OM) which is cumbersome and requires manual analysis to identify anomalies that could be mistakenly classified as autonomous motion. To address these issues, a high-throughput dynamics characterization method utilizing dynamic light scattering (DLS) has been developed. The established method of data analysis decouples the rotational and translational diffusion of these micromotors and their influence on active motion. This allows for changes in diffusive properties to be characterized as a function of fuel concentration, solution aging time, and particle concentration. Utilizing DLS for the characterization of active motion will enable mechanistic studies of the non-equilibrium dynamics of Janus micromotors.