Actuation of High-Aspect-Ratio Magnetoelastic Nanorod Arrays

ORAL

Abstract

Nanoscale arrays of actuable rods may have applications as nanoscale mechanical stirrers for microfluidics systems, mechanical actuators, or active antibiofouling surfaces, and may produce interesting photonic effects. In addition, our group is interested in using such nanorod arrays as a model for biological cilia, in order to study fluid flow and mucociliary clearance in the human lung. We have produced nanorod arrays both by lateral self-assembly of metallic rods and by templation of a curable magnetoelastomer. Paramagnetic rods respond to torque applied by magnetic fields and forces applied by magnetic field gradients. We have developed an energy-minimization model which inputs the magnetic, geometric, and elastic properties of our rod arrays and calculates the degree of bending due to magnetic effects. The spatial modulation of 30 microns in the actuation of biological cilia presents a challenge in designing actuating fields for our biomimetic model. We will present a strategy based on our mathematical model to produce spatial modulation of this magnitude in our nanorod arrays.

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Authors

  • B.A. Evans

  • A.R. Shields

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Physics

  • J. Deng

    US Naval Observatory, University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, College of William and Mary, US Army Research Office, Brimrose Corporation of America, Hampton University, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Physics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, Department of Physics, Korea University, Seoul, Korea, Department of Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, Department of Physics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, North Carolina State University and WebAssign, Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, Broughton High School, Raleigh, NC, University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Department of Physics, University of West Virginia - Chemistry Dept., ORNL, Old Dominion University, University of West Virginia Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, College of Charleston, Rice University, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Ohio State University, Wright State University, Yale U, JINR, Dubna, Univ. Fed. do Rio de Janeiro, Vanderbilt Univ./JIHIR(ORNL)/Tsinghua Univ., NSCL(MSU), LLNL, LBNL, Vanderbilt Univ./LBNL/JIHIR(ORNL), Vanderbilt Univ., Jagellonian University, University of Bonn, North Carolina A{\&T} State University, North Carolina Central University, Duke University and TUNL

  • R. Superfine

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Physics Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Physics