Abstract
The motion of an artificial microscale swimmer that uses a chemical reaction catalyzed on its own surface to achieve autonomous propulsion is fully characterized experimentally. It is shown that at short times it has a substantial component of directed motion, with a velocity that depends on the concentration of fuel molecules. At longer times, the motion reverts to a random walk with a substantially enhanced diffusion coefficient. Our results suggest strategies for designing artificial chemotactic systems.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 048102 |
Journal | Physical review letters |
Volume | 99 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 27 2007 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy