Many-body dynamics of chemically propelled nanomotors

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Source:

Journal of Chemical Physics, American Institute of Physics Inc., Volume 147, Number 6 (2017)

URL:

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85027415540&doi=10.1063%2f1.4997572&partnerID=40&md5=bf99ce849f1cd6a42ec9eed83eb292bd

Keywords:

Chemical gradients, Collective behavior, Confined geometries, Degrees of freedom (mechanics), Dimers, Hydrodynamic coupling, Intermolecular interactions, Microscopic dynamics, Momentum conservations, Motor characteristics, Spheres

Abstract:

The collective behavior of chemically propelled sphere-dimer motors made from linked catalytic and noncatalytic spheres in a quasi-two-dimensional confined geometry is studied using a coarse-grained microscopic dynamical model. Chemical reactions at the catalytic spheres that convert fuel to product generate forces that couple to solvent degrees of freedom as a consequence of momentum conservation in the microscopic dynamics. The collective behavior of the many-body system is influenced by direct intermolecular interactions among the motors, chemotactic effects due to chemical gradients, hydrodynamic coupling, and thermal noise. Segregation into high and low density phases and globally homogeneous states with strong fluctuations are investigated as functions of the motor characteristics. Factors contributing to this behavior are discussed in the context of active Brownian models. © 2017 Author(s).