@misc{10481/70596,
year = {2021},
month = {8},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/70596},
abstract = {Self-propelling microparticles are often proposed as synthetic models for biological microswimmers,
yet they lack the internally regulated adaptation of their biological counterparts.
Conversely, adaptation can be encoded in larger-scale soft-robotic devices but remains
elusive to transfer to the colloidal scale. Here, we create responsive microswimmers, powered
by electro-hydrodynamic flows, which can adapt their motility via internal reconfiguration.
Using sequential capillary assembly, we fabricate deterministic colloidal clusters
comprising soft thermo-responsive microgels and light-absorbing particles. Light absorption
induces preferential local heating and triggers the volume phase transition of the microgels,
leading to an adaptation of the clusters’ motility, which is orthogonal to their propulsion
scheme. We rationalize this response via the coupling between self-propulsion and variations
of particle shape and dielectric properties upon heating. Harnessing such coupling allows for
strategies to achieve local dynamical control with simple illumination patterns, revealing
exciting opportunities for developing tactic active materials.},
organization = {Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)	PP00P2-172913/1},
organization = {European Soft Matter Infrastructure (EUSMI)	E190900328},
organization = {SNCF},
publisher = {Nature},
title = {Reconfigurable artificial microswimmers with internal feedback},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-021-25108-2},
author = {Álvarez, L. and Fernández Rodríguez, Miguel Ángel},
}