2024/09/22 by Martin Wagner, Wagner, Martin W., Freek Domburg +11
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Characterization and Applications of Magnetic Nanoparticles #Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics #FOS: Physical sciences #Micro and Nano Robotics #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2409.14558
openalex publication_date 2024/09/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Magnetotaxis is a well known phenomenon in swimming microorganisms which sense magnetic fields e.g. by incorporating crystalline magnetosomes. In designing artificial active matter with tunable dynamics, external magnetic fields can provide a versatile method for guidance. Here, it is the question what material properties are necessary to elicit a significant response. In this working paper, we document in experiments on self-propelling nematic microdroplets that the weak diamagnetic torques exerted by a sub-Tesla magnetic field are already sufficient to significantly affect the dynamics of these swimmers. We find a rich and nontrivial variety of dynamic modes by varying droplet size, state of confinement and magnetic field strength.