Micro/nanomachines capable of propulsion through fluidic environments provide diverse opportunities in important biomedical applications. In this paper, we present a theoretical study on micromotors steered through liquid by an external rotating magnetic field. A purely geometric tight upper bound on the propulsion speed normalized with field frequency, known as propulsion efficiency, d, for an arbitrarily shaped object is derived. Using this bound, we estimate the maximum propulsion efficiency of previously reported random magnetic aggregates. We introduce a complementary definition of the propulsion efficiency, d*, that ranks propellers according to their maximal speed in body lengths per unit time and that appears to be preferable over the standard definition in a search for fastest machines. Using a bead-based hydrodynamic model combined with genetic algorithms, we determine that d*-optimal propeller deviates strongly from the bioinspired slim helix and has a surprising chubby skew-symmetric shape. It is also shown that optimized propellers with preprogrammed shape are substantially more efficient than random magnetic aggregates. We anticipate that the results of the present study will provide guidance toward prospective experimental design of more efficient magnetic micro/nanomachines.
The emergent interest in artificial nanostructures that can be remotely navigated a specific location in a fluidic environment is motivated by the enormous potential this technology offers to biomedical applications. Originally, bio-inspired micro-/nanohelices driven by a rotating magnetic field were proposed. However, fabrication of 3D helical nanostructures is complicated. One idea to circumvent complex microfabrication is to use 1D soft magnetic nanowires that acquire chiral shape when actuated by a rotating field. The paper describes the comprehensive numerical approach for modeling propulsion of externally actuated soft magnetic nanowires. The proposed bead-spring model allows for arbitrary filament geometry and flexibility and takes rigorous account of intra-filament hydrodynamic interactions. The comparison of the numerical predictions with the previous experimental results on propulsion of composite two-segment (Ni-Ag) nanowires shows an excellent agreement. Using our model we could substantiate and rationalize important and previously unexplained details, such as bidirectional propulsion of three-segment (Ni-Ag-Au) nanowires.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.