Social insects and amoebas undergo auto-chemotaxis: they move in response to self-generated chemical gradients. Using computational modeling, we design polymeric microcapsules and gels that mimic salient features of this biological behavior. Namely, these polymeric materials can generate chemical gradients, sense the self-generated gradients and then autonomously move in response to these gradients. This behavior allows the microcapsules to self-organize into various self-propelled structures and even exhibit ant-like tracking behavior. The gels also spontaneously self-aggregate into larger clusters, resembling the auto-chemotactic behavior of amoebas. Both examples reveal how biomimetic, chemo-responsive systems can display complex, cooperative behavior. Notably, these systems can have important technological applications. In particular, we show how the microcapsules can be used to selectively pickup and deliver cargo in microfluidic devices. We also show how that the self-propelled gels autonomously communicate with each other to recombine into a single unit after the material was cut into separate pieces, and thus, these gels constitute novel self-healing materials.

Designing biomimetic capsules and gels that undergo directed movement

248th National Meeting (2014)

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