Active Brownian motion in a narrow channel

Abstract

We review recent advances in rectification control of artificial microswimmers, also known as Janus particles, diffusing along narrow, periodically corrugated channels. The swimmer self-propulsion mechanism is modeled so as to incorporate a nonzero torque (propulsion chirality). We first summarize the effects of chirality on the autonomous current of microswimmers freely diffusing in channels of different geometries. In particular, left-right and upside-down asymmetric channels are shown to exhibit different transport properties. We then report new results on the dependence of the diffusivity of chiral microswimmers on the channel geometry and their own self-propulsion mechanism. The self-propulsion torque turns out to play a key role as a transport control parameter.

to be published in Eur. Phys. J Special Topics

References in corpus (9)

• Self-motile colloidal particles: from directed propulsion to random walk
• Artificial Brownian motors: Controlling transport on the nanoscale
• Hydrodynamics of self-propulsion near a boundary: predictions and accuracy of far-field approximations
• Dynamics of a Brownian circle swimmer
• Biased diffusion in confined media: Test of the Fick-Jacobs approximation and validity criteria
• Brownian motors: current fluctuations and rectification efficiency
• Giant Negative Mobility of Janus Particles in a Corrugated Channel
• Brownian transport in corrugated channels with inertia
• Light Sailboats: Laser driven autonomous microrobots

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Diffusion of Chiral Janus Particles in a Sinusoidal Channel
• Chemotaxis of artificial microswimmers in active density waves
• Diffusion of chiral active particles in a Poiseuille flow
• Escape Kinetics of an Underdamped Colloidal Particle from a Cavity through Narrow Pores
• Cargo Towing by Artificial Swimmers
• Active dipolar spheroids in shear flow and transverse field: Population splitting, cross-stream migration and orientational pinning