Communications of the ACM
Custom Silicon Microparticles Dynamically Reconfigure on Demand
Researchers at Duke University and North Carolina State University have demonstrated the first custom semiconductor microparticles that can be steered into various configurations repeatedly while suspended in water.
Credit: Pratt School of Engineering/Duke University
Researchers at Duke University and North Carolina State University have demonstrated the first custom semiconductor microparticles that can be manipulated into various configurations repeatedly while suspended in water.
The researchers initially created six custom particles that predictably interact with one another in the presence of alternating current electric fields of varying frequencies.
They say this breakthrough could lead to advanced applications such as artificial muscles and reconfigurable computer systems.
"By providing a means of controllably assembling and disassembling these particles, we're bringing a new tool to the field of active matter," says Duke's Ugonna Ohiri.
The researchers fabricated silicon particles of various shapes, sizes, and electrical properties, and characterized how these particles responded to different magnitudes and frequencies of electric fields while submerged in water. The team used these observations to create new pairings of customized particles that were likely to exhibit certain desired behaviors.
From Duke Pratt School of Engineering
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