Phys.org April 27, 2021
To make a series of oscillators to work in unison with each other, a team of researchers (UMass Amherst, Boston University, Harvard University, University of Colorado) has developed a versatile platform of light-driven active particles with interaction geometries that can be reconfigured on demand, enabling the construction of oscillator and spinner networks. The platform relies on the Marangoni effect, which is a phenomenon that describes the movement of solids along the interface between two fluids driven by changes in surface tension. They used hydrogel nanocomposite disks made up of polymer gels and nanoparticles of gold, which were sensitive to changes in light and temperature. With this the team was able to engineer a diverse array of oscillators that could move in unison with each other and respond predictably to changes in light and temperature. Now they can engineer complex coupled behavior that responds to external stimuli…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
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