Programming tactic behaviors of active colloids via surface charge

Xiao, Zuyao and Sharan, Priyanka and Simmchen, Juliane (2025) Programming tactic behaviors of active colloids via surface charge. ACS Nano, 19 (23). pp. 21460-21467. ISSN 1936-086X (https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c02441)

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Abstract

Self-diffusiophoretic colloids move autonomously by creating chemical gradients. These self-generated gradients lead to fluid motion at the particle surface, also known as phoretic slip, which determines the direction of colloidal motion. Phoretic slip is often modeled as dependent on the local chemical gradient and a material-dependent property called phoretic mobility. Reversing the direction of propulsion would require fine-tuning of these parameters. In this work, we show that by changing the charge of the colloids which has an effect on the phoretic mobility, we can indeed achieve a reversal in the direction of propulsion of Janus micromotors. In addition, we report that by simply tuning the surface charges of colloids, we can achieve reversals in much more complex tactic behaviors such as chemotaxis and rheotaxis. This work demonstrates a method for creating programmable active colloids by subtly tuning surface properties, contributing to the understanding of active matter.

ORCID iDs

Simmchen, Juliane ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9073-9770

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• Item metadata

  Item type:	Article
  ID code:	93032
  Dates:	Date Event 17 June 2025 Published 7 June 2025 Published Online 27 May 2025 Accepted
  Subjects:	Science > Chemistry
  Department:	Faculty of Science > Pure and Applied Chemistry
  Depositing user:	Pure Administrator
  Date deposited:	06 Jun 2025 11:35
  Last modified:	14 Aug 2026 22:41
  URI:	https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/93032