A simple catch: thermal fluctuations enable hydrodynamic trapping of microrollers by obstacles

Abstract

In order to leverage colloidal swimmers in microfluidic and drug-delivery applications, it is crucial to understand their interaction with obstacles. Previous studies have shown that this interaction can result in the hydrodynamic trapping in orbits around cylindrical obstacles, where the trapping strength heavily depends on the obstacle geometry and the flow field of the swimmer, and that Brownian motion is needed to escape the trap. Here, we use both experiments and simulations to investigate the interaction of driven microrollers with cylindrical obstacles. Microrollers have a unique flow field and a prescribed propulsion direction; the flow field that drives their motion is quite different than previously-studied swimmers. We observe curvature-dependent hydrodynamic trapping of these microrollers in the wake of an obstacle, and show explicitly the mechanism for this trapping. More interestingly, we find that these rollers need Brownian motion to both leave and enter the trap. By tuning both the obstacle curvature and the Debye length of the roller suspension, the trapping strength can be tuned over three orders of magnitude. Our findings suggest that the trapping of fluid-pumping swimmers is generic and encourages the study of swimmers with other flow fields and their interaction with obstacles.