Design of chemically propelled nanodimer motors

URL:

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-42949093075&doi=10.1063%2f1.2908078&partnerID=40&md5=51c7c88e08a4b369f7ad02180969bb10

Keywords:

Article, Catalyst activity, Chemical, chemical model, Chemical reactions, chemical structure, chemistry, Computer Simulation, Dimerization, Energy Transfer, Internuclear separation, Models, Molecular, Molecular dynamics, molecular motor, Molecular Motor Proteins, Motion, Motion estimation, Motors, Nanodimer motors, nanomaterial, Nanostructures, Phase separation, solvent, Solvents, Steady state conditions, Thermal velocity, ultrastructure, Velocity control

Abstract:

The self-propelled motion of nanodimers fueled by a chemical reaction taking place under nonequilibrium steady state conditions is investigated. The nanodimer consists of a pair of catalytic and chemically inactive spheres, in general with different sizes, with a fixed internuclear separation. The solvent in which the dimer moves is treated at a particle-based mesoscopic level using multiparticle collision dynamics. The directed motion of the dimer can be controlled by adjusting the interaction potentials between the solvent molecules and the dimer spheres, the internuclear separation, and sphere sizes. Dimers can be designed so that the directed motion along the internuclear axis occurs in either direction and is much larger than the thermal velocity fluctuations, a condition needed for such nanodimers to perform tasks involving targeted dynamics. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.