| dc.description.abstract |
<p>Locally energized particles that are powered by external fields (e.g., electrical,
magnetic, optical, chemical, and thermal gradients) have formed the basis of emerging
classes of reconfigurable active matter. The ability to rationally design such particles
in a way to enable robust control of their assembly and reconfiguration can ultimately
help this promising area to realize its full potential. Herein, we introduce a class
of engineered semiconductor active microparticles that can be designed with exceptional
specificity (e.g., in size, shape, electric and magnetic polarizability, and field
rectification) by leveraging standard electronic fabrication tools. These particles
draw energy from applied external fields and actively propel, repel, rotate, and perform
on-demand sequential assembly and disassembly. We show that a number of electric field-based
effects such as electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flows, induced-charge electroosmosis, induced-charge
electrophoresis, and dielectrophoresis can selectively power this suite of particles.
We also show that a number of magnetic field-based effects such as magnetohydrodynamic
(MHD) flows and magnetophoresis can induce additional functionalities to similarly
designed particles. The result is the ability to achieve customized locomotion, interactions,
reversible assembly, and synchronous rotational torque on demand that could enable
advanced applications such as artificial muscles, remotely powered microsensors, optical
switches, and reconfigurable computational systems.</p>
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