Scientific Achievement
The emergence of unconventional collective state with arrested motility has been revealed in ensembles of active shape-anisotropic Janus particles. Reversibility of the novel phase by the activity is demonstrated.
Significance and Impact
The work provides insights into the role shape asymmetries play in the design of complex collective behavior.
Research Details
- Active colloidal discs self propel by induced-charge electrophoresis in an alternating electric field.
- Shape asymmetry of the particles promotes the hydrodynamically-assisted formation of active particle bound states in a certain range of excitation field parameters.
- Collective behavior is captured by a particle-based simulation model.
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