New insights could advance microfluidics and drug delivery systems. New study finds obstacles can trap rolling microparticles in fluid Through simulations and experiments, physicists attribute the trapping effect to stagnant pockets of fluid, created by hydrodynamics Random motions of the
in France — was surprised and puzzled to watch the particle curve around the obstacle and then stick to its backside. The obstacle, it seemed, had the particle effectively trapped.
Driscoll is an assistant professor of physics at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She co-led the study with Blaise Delmotte, a researcher at École Polytechnique.A microparticle successfully passes by an obstacle to escape becoming trapped. Credit: Michelle Driscoll/Northwestern University
But microfluidic devices and the human body are, of course, much more complex landscapes compared to a featureless sample chamber. So, Driscoll and her collaborators added obstacles to the system to see how microrollers could navigate the environment. “We watched the particle stop moving past the obstacle and kind of get stuck,” Driscoll said. “We saw the same behavior in the simulations and in the experiments.”
“Tiny materials are subject to Brownian fluctuations,” Driscoll explained. “The fluid is not actually a continuum but is composed of individual, little molecules. Those molecules are constantly ramming into the particle at random orientations. If the particle is small enough, these collisions can move it. That’s why if you look at tiny particles under a microscope, they look like they are juggling around a little bit.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The odd phenomenon of moth-eating bears—and the dangers they faceIn the Northern Rockies, adventurous grizzlies climb mountains to feast on as many as 40,000 moths a day, a mysterious ecological marvel.
Read more »
Jenna Ortega Details Surprising Way She Changed Certain Wednesday LinesJenna Ortega opens up about how she made the title character of Netflix's global sensation Wednesday her own by changing certain lines of dialogue.
Read more »
The Surprising Piece of Technology That’s Keeping My Dad’s Memory AliveThe digital archive of the last months of my dad’s life is a reminder that he is nowhere and everywhere all at once.
Read more »
20 great actors who've never been nominated for an OscarAnd the Oscar doesn't go to: 20 great actors who've never been nominated for an Academy Award
Read more »
U.S. home heating is fractured in surprising ways: Look up your neighborhoodYou might not have focused much on whether you need gas, oil or electricity to warm your house. But in America’s highly fractured energy landscape, the surprising ways our home heating is split could speed — or slow — our shift away from fossil fuels.
Read more »
The Youngest-Ever Booker Prize Winner Fulfills Her Promise With a Taut Eco-ThrillerThe novel's name comes from Macbeth, and no one gets off scot-free.
Read more »