Berlin 2012 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 25: Brownian Motion and Transport

DY 25.2: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 29. März 2012, 10:00–10:15, MA 004

Nonlinear electrocatalytic microswimmers — •Benedikt Sabass and Udo Seifert — II Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Stuttgart

A small, bimetallic particle in hydrogen peroxide solution can propel itself by means of electrocatalytic surface processes. Due to the two different redox potentials, it constitutes a ''short-circuited battery''. An electric current passes through the particle. The compensating diffusive flux of cations in the solution around the particle drives it forward. We aim towards a theoretical understanding of this far-from-equilibrium swimming mechanism. A simplified, analytically tractable model is presented and the predictions from this model are compared with published experimental findings. We conclude with a brief discussion of generic principles which should be considered when an efficient use of these swimmers is envisaged.