Active Matter: From Fundamental Science to Technological Applications (DCM.AD006.197)

Thematic area

Chemical sciences and materials technology

Project area

Structure responsible for the research project

Institute for chemical and physical processes (IPCF)

Project manager

MARIA ANTONIA IATI'
Phone number: 0903972263
Email: mariaantonia.iati@cnr.it

Abstract

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are revolutionizing the way we live and do science. Micro- and nanodevices herald a new era of unprecedented possibilities in sensing and information processing at the nanoscale. In the context of this drive towards the nanoscale, the aim of the ACTIVE MATTER network is to train a new generation of physicists and engineers with the scientific insight and managerial skills to harness active matter at mesoscopic and nanoscopic length-scales and to exploit it in high-impact applications (e.g. the design and fabrication of biomimetic materials, the targeted localization, pick-up and transport of nanoscopic cargoes, drug delivery, bioremediation and chemical sensing).

Goals

To investigate the self-phoretic properties of various nanoparticles in the presence of optical landscapes. The ESR will
make use of advanced nanofabrication techniques recently developed by the hosting group at CNR. In particular, we will explore the self-phoretic motion of these particles in the presence of optical landscapes generated by laser beams, going from simple configurations consisting of a single harmonic optical trap, to multiple traps, to even more complex configuration (e.g.,
random landscapes generated by speckle optical fields both in 2D and 3D. The ESR will model and experimentally measure the behavior of the nanoswimmers as a function of nanowire length and activity. The ESR will investigate the motion of the nanowires in both viscous and viscoelastic fluids. Experiments and theory will be carried out in parallel to give a full account of the fundamental aspects of the problem. The light scattering problem will be solved by a full electromagnetic approach based on the transition matrix
and this will be combined with active Brownian motion simulations to give an accurate account of the complex light matter
interaction and dynamics.

Start date of activity

01/09/2019

Keywords

active matter, optical tweezers, optical manipulation

Last update: 29/04/2025