ActiDoC · Active Doping in Colloids
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2015-04-01 → 2017-03-31
- EU contribution
- €183,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Active Doping in Colloids
Soft Matter physics deals with the study of a broad range of materials including plastics, food and biological samples. In particular, looking at he motions of microscopic particles in a fluid, they exhibit random diffusive characteristics and is known as Brownian, a result of collisions of solvent molecules with the particles. Through their thermal motion, the fluctuating passive colloids are able to explore their surrounding space, which allows them the possibility of self-assembling into larger structures. A novel approach to soft matter materials comes through the introduction of active matter. Instead of solely relying on thermal fluctuations for motion, active particles have the ability to convert stored energy into self-propelled motion. Such active propulsion can originate from biological or physical or chemical processes. Self-propelled systems range from bacteria and algae to synthetic particles. Particularly, the physics of active and passive mixtures is far from understood. The general objective of this project has been to address the dynamical and structural effects of active motions on passive softmatter systems, mainly dealing with the effect of doping passive complex systems with small amounts of active constituents, studied using experiments and simulations. The study of such systems may lead to new ways towards the 'smart' processing and creation of materials or even create micro-devices for medical applications. We have examined a few model active and passive systems and have concluded that each studied system provides a unique perspective into the influence of activity on passive matter. The details of the activity and particular interactions for each pared system, provides for new problems to solve and understand, showing that general rules for these interactions are not yet apparent and that continued research on such model systems should be done to bring a more generalized scientific understanding into focus.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Great interest has recently been sparked in active soft matter and more specifically mixtures of active with passive systems. These works have shown how passive colloidal particles influenced by activity, give rise to interesting non-equilibrium interactions and microscopic transport effects. However, the effects of mixing diverse biological and synthetic active systems with passive particles are far from understood. Developing on the applicant’s experience, we propose a combined experimental and simulation physics-based study of the effects of doping active systems in concentrated suspensions of passive particles, while simultaneously looking at the dynamical properties of a single passive particle in a bath of activity. Initially we plan to experimentally examine a well-characterised model active system; platinum coated polystyrene Janus particles in a 2D geometry, mixed with passive particles. Using microscopy and particle tracking, we will study the effects and phase behaviour of active doping on dilute and dense suspensions of particles in a well-controlled setting. Simultaneously we will carry out overdamped dynamical simulations to guide and supplement experimental measurements. Subsequently, we plan to branch out and increase the complexity by expanding to 3D systems and other types of activity. Active doping of concentrated passive suspensions is expected to strongly influence phase and macroscopic behaviours, while doping of dilute suspensions will allow modification of the dynamics of single particles. Therefore, our work will provide fundamental understanding on the workings of activity on passive systems, leading to new insights for macroscopic applications, on processing and design of targeted materials, as well as and lab-on-a-chip applications dealing with microscopic transport and sorting. The candidate will work on cutting edge active systems within the group of Prof. W. Poon, the holder of an ERC Advanced Grant on the physics of active matter.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH · EdinburghCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union