Size dependence of the propulsion velocity for catalytic Janus-sphere swimmers.
The propulsion velocity of active colloids that asymmetrically catalyze a chemical reaction is probed experimentally as a function of their sizes. It is found that over the experimentally accessible range, the velocity decays as a function of size, with a rate that is compatible with an inverse size...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Summary: | The propulsion velocity of active colloids that asymmetrically catalyze a chemical reaction is probed experimentally as a function of their sizes. It is found that over the experimentally accessible range, the velocity decays as a function of size, with a rate that is compatible with an inverse size dependence. A diffusion-reaction model for the concentrations of the fuel and waste molecules that takes into account a two-step process for the asymmetric catalytic activity on the surface of the colloid is shown to predict a similar behavior for colloids at the large size limit, with a saturation for smaller sizes. |
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