Synthetic swimmers: microorganism swimming without microorganisms
Schedule
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
15:00 UTC
Roberto Zenit
Prof
Brown University
Host: BioActive Fluids
Recording
Open recording
Event Information
Recording
Available
Host
BioActive Fluids
Duration
70 minutes
Abstract
The effect of non Newtonian liquid rheology on the swimming performance of microorganisms is still poorly understood, despite numerous recent studies. In our effort to clarify some aspects of this problem, we have developed a series of magnetic synthetic swimmers that self-propel immersed in a fluid by emulating the swimming strategy of flagellated microorganisms. With these devices, it is possible to control some aspects of the motion with the objective to isolate specific effects. In this talk, recent results on the effects of shear-thinning viscosity and viscoelasticity on the motion of helical swimmers will presented and discussed. Also, a number of other new uses of the synthetic swimmers will be presented including swimming across gradients, swimming in sand, interactions and rheometry.
Topics
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