Abstract
The propulsion of active colloids made from silica microspheres half coated with platinum is experimentally probed in solutions of hydrogen peroxide as a function of solution viscosity. The velocity is shown to decay approximately inversely with viscosity. Further, the type of viscosifier used affects the interaction between fuel molecules and motor, which affects propulsion. The quantification of how a viscosifier alters both viscosity and interactions is interpreted using existing diffusion-reaction models of self-diffusiophoresis.
- Received 8 May 2017
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.3.014101
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