Acoustically propelled nano- and microcones: fast forward and backward motion

Abstract

We focus on cone-shaped nano- and microparticles, which have recently been found to show particularly strong propulsion when they are exposed to a traveling ultrasound wave, and study based on direct acoustofluidic computer simulations how their propulsion depends on the cones' aspect ratio. The simulations reveal that the propulsion velocity and even its sign are very sensitive to the aspect ratio, where short particles move forward whereas elongated particles move backward. Furthermore, we identify a cone shape that allows for a particularly large propulsion speed. Our results contribute to the understanding of the propulsion of ultrasound-propelled colloidal particles, suggest a method for separation and sorting of nano- and microcones concerning their aspect ratio, and provide useful guidance for future experiments and applications.

10 pages, 3 figures

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Orientation-dependent propulsion of cone-shaped nano- and microparticles by a traveling ultrasound wave
• Acoustic propulsion of nano- and microcones: dependence on the viscosity of the surrounding fluid
• Collective guiding of acoustically propelled nano- and microparticles for medical applications
• Propulsion of bullet- and cup-shaped nano- and microparticles by traveling ultrasound waves