The cell shape-dependent transport of bacteria is crucial to a diverse range of important phenomena. Self-propelled rodlike microparticles with curvature can serve as idea model systems for understanding the motility of crescent bacteria, because they are not sensitive to mechanical and physiological factors as bacteria cell does. However, current studies are largely centered on the motility of individual particles, which does not reflect the group behaviors of bacteria. This is largely due to the current challenges in the fabrication of such asymmetric rodlike colloids with curvature at a high yield. We have recently developed a versatile strategy to synthesize a new class of motile and non-motile bent rodlike colloids (BRCs) with tunable geometry. When one end doped with catalytic engine, the BRCs can be used as models to explore the collective motility of crescent bacteria colony. In this talk, I will present our recent progress on i) the self-assembly of non-motile BRCs into different liquid crystal phases, resembling banana-shaped liquid crystal molecules; and ii) the motion behaviors of motile BRCs in both quiescent fluid and shear flow. This work offers a new strategy to assess the motility of bacteria colony and novel design principles for the development of new classes of microrobotics with diverse applications, such as for cargo delivery.

Synthesis, self-assembly and collective behaviors of asymmetric motile rodlike colloids

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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