Janus particles can be externally controlled in many different ways. The swim velocity of an active particle can be increased or decreased by tuning the light’s power illumination, resulting in different self-assembly paths. This provides interesting applications, such as micro-motors where light–induced asymmetric velocity profiles give rise to directed motion.
While much is known about...
FtsZ is a protein involved in bacterial cell division. This study examines the behavior of FtsZ under two-dimensional confinement and lateral spatial restrictions as an alternative to its three-dimensional confinement within a bacterium. Two protocols were developed to restrict the lateral movement of the protein in bilayers containing a lipid mixture of...
Since the development of the first generation of self-propelled nanomotors, the field has undergone extensive exploration. A wide range of nanomotors has been synthesized, varying in materials, shapes, sizes, and propulsion mechanisms [1]. However, this diversity also introduces new challenges and raises fundamental questions, particularly regarding practical applications. Current research is...
We assemble a biomimetic active material from microscopic components like cells' filaments and protein motors that consume energy and generate continuous motion. Such active systems are capable of self-organization at different length and time scales, often exhibiting turbulent flows and the emergence of long-range orientational order, which is a characteristic of active nematics (AN)....
The pursuit of enhanced drug testing for the treatment of diseases has led scientists to develop methodologies for delivering drugs into controlled and localized spaces. Blood-like substances have shown promise as noninvasive solutions [1]. Although individual blood cells have been investigated as drug carriers for various treatments, they face challenges in terms of drug release, targeting,...
We investigate the low energy state of an artificial colloidal ice, namely a collection of interacting paramagnetic colloids confined into a lattice of potential wells such that its geometry induces frustration via competing interactions at each vertex. In contrast to previous work with isotropic repulsions, we consider the case of time-average attractive interactions between the particles...
La red temática MetalBio, centrada en los metales e iones metálicos en sistemas biológicos, surge como evolución de la red creada en 2015, ampliando su alcance con la inclusión de nuevos grupos de investigación. Está compuesta por 13 grupos nacionales especializados en diversas áreas como la Química Bioinorgánica, los nanomateriales y los sistemas biológicos de interés terapéutico y...
Squirmers provide a simple and effective model for active particles. We consider the particular case of shakers (non-self-propelling squirmers) confined to a fluid-fluid interface, so that an ultraconfined 2D colloid immersed in a 3D fluid is obtained. This dimensionally hybrid (2D/3D) configuration alters the hydrodynamic interactions significantly due to the symmetry breaking of the...
Clustering is one of the mayor collective phenomena observed in active matter. We study the overdamped motion of interacting active Brownian particles in two dimensions. An instability in the pair correlation function causes the onset of clustering. This clustering mechanism depends mainly on the self-propulsion properties of the active particles and details of the interactions do not effect...
