Motile Microbots from Dynamically Interacting and Self-Reconfiguring Assemblies of Metallo-Dielectric Janus Microcubes

A new class of dynamically and reversibly reconfigurable active matter made by magnetic assembly and actuation of metallo-dielectric microcubes will be presented. We describe how magnetically responsive Janus microcubes can be assembled hierarchically into dynamically reconfiguring microclusters. Ferromagnetic cobalt patches of the cubes act as assembly directors. The residual magnetic polarization of the metal-coated facets leads to directional dipole-dipole and field-dipole interactions and reconfiguration of the neighboring cubic particles, which is directed by the conformational restrictions. Dynamic reconfiguration of assembled clusters can be achieved by on-demand switching between the dipole-field interaction and the residual dipole-dipole interaction when the field is turned on and off. We show how pre-assembled Janus microcube clusters can be directionally motile in non-Newtonian fluids by applying asymmetric magnetic fields. The modulation of the viscosity of non-Newtonian fluids upon varying the shear rate allowed demonstrating directional motion, resulting from time-asymmetric stroke patterns (e.g., rapid opening and slow closing). These motile clusters can serve as early prototypes of self-propelling microswimmers capable of \textit{in-situ} assembly.