Enhanced colloidal transport beyond the limit imposed by diffusion is usually achieved through external fields. Here, we demonstrate the ballistic transport of a colloidal sphere using internal sources of energy provided by an attached active filament. The latter is modeled as a chain of chemo-mechanically active beads connected by potentials that enforce semi-flexibility and self-avoidance. The fluid flow produced by the active beads and the forces they mediate are explicitly taken into account in the overdamped equations of motion describing the colloid-filament assembly. The speed and efficiency of transport depend on the dynamical conformational states of the filament. We characterize these states using filament writhe as an order parameter and identify ones yielding maxima in speed and efficiency of transport. The transport mechanism reported here has a remarkable resemblance to the flagellar propulsion of microorganisms which suggests its utility in biomimetic systems.
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Colloidal transport by active filaments
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14 January 2017
Research Article|
January 09 2017
Colloidal transport by active filaments
Raj Kumar Manna
;
Raj Kumar Manna
1Department of Physics,
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
, Chennai 600036, India
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P. B. Sunil Kumar;
P. B. Sunil Kumar
1Department of Physics,
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
, Chennai 600036, India
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R. Adhikari
R. Adhikari
2The Institute of Mathematical Sciences-HBNI,
CIT Campus
, Chennai 600113, India
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J. Chem. Phys. 146, 024901 (2017)
Article history
Received:
September 15 2016
Accepted:
November 28 2016
Citation
Raj Kumar Manna, P. B. Sunil Kumar, R. Adhikari; Colloidal transport by active filaments. J. Chem. Phys. 14 January 2017; 146 (2): 024901. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4972010
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