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Cited by 272

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 28 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Gravitaxis of asymmetric self-propelled colloidal particles

Open access
ten Hagen, Borge, Kümmel, Felix, Wittkowski, Raphael, Takagi, Daisuke, Löwen, Hartmut, Bechinger, Clemens·2014·Nature Communications
DOI 10.1038/ncomms5829
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Abstract

Many motile microorganisms adjust their swimming motion relative to the gravitational field and thus counteract sedimentation to the ground. This gravitactic behaviour is often the result of an inhomogeneous mass distribution, which aligns the microorganism similar to a buoy. However, it has been suggested that gravitaxis can also result from a geometric fore–rear asymmetry, typical for many self-propelling organisms. Despite several attempts, no conclusive evidence for such an asymmetry-induced gravitactic motion exists. Here, we study the motion of asymmetric self-propelled colloidal particles which have a homogeneous mass density and a well-defined shape. In experiments and by theoretical modelling, we demonstrate that a shape anisotropy alone is sufficient to induce gravitactic motion with either preferential upward or downward swimming. In addition, also trochoid-like trajectories transversal to the direction of gravity are observed. Gravitaxis describes the ability of microorganisms to adjust their swimming motion on the gravitational field, yet its mechanism remains unclear. Here, the authors show that an asymmetric shape of colloidal particles is alone sufficient to induce gravitactic motion in the absence of density inhomogeneity.

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Metadata

Authors
ten Hagen, B., Kümmel, F., Wittkowski, R., Takagi, D., Löwen, H., & Bechinger, C.
Venue
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2014-09-19
Volume
5
Issue
1
Pages
4829-4829
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/ncomms5829
OpenAlex
W2076278541
Cited by
272
References
28
FWCI
18.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
bronze

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