Swimming in a crystal. Issue 1 (6th October 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brown, Aidan T.; Vladescu, Ioana D.; Dawson, Angela; Vissers, Teun; Schwarz-Linek, Jana; Lintuvuori, Juho S.; Poon, Wilson C. K.
• Is Part Of: Soft matter. Volume 12:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 131
• Page End: 140
• Publication Date: 2015-10-06
• Subjects: Soft condensed matter -- Periodicals; 530.413
• DOI: 10.1039/c5sm01831e
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1744-683X

Abstract

Abstract : Colloidal crystals induce orbital motion in self-propelled Janus particles, and destroy orbital motion in E. coli bacteria. Abstract : We study catalytic Janus particles and Escherichia coli bacteria swimming in a two-dimensional colloidal crystal. The Janus particles orbit individual colloids and hop between colloids stochastically, with a hopping rate that varies inversely with fuel (hydrogen peroxide) concentration. At high fuel concentration, these orbits are stable for 100s of revolutions, and the orbital speed oscillates periodically as a result of hydrodynamic, and possibly also phoretic, interactions between the swimmer and the six neighbouring colloids. Motile E. coli bacteria behave very differently in the same colloidal crystal: their circular orbits on plain glass are rectified into long, straight runs, because the bacteria are unable to turn corners inside the crystal.