Probing and Leveraging the Collective Effects of Flexible Biomimetic Microswimmers

• Applicant: Joseph Tavacoli Khalkhali, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics ; Biophysics ; Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: from 2021 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 469165435

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

Project summary of key results: • Genuinely nanoscale magnetic rotors and switches were made by decorating custom shapes made from DNA with magnetic nanoparticles. The magnetic structures have a high torque response, are biocompatible and are a foundation to build ever more complex devices with multiple degrees of freedom at the nanoscale. • Artificial flagella to mimic eukaryotic cells were made from DNA. After attachment to wagging micromagnets the synthetic flagella induced swimming. Populations of these swimmers were found to form chains. • A flexible magnetic microcross was developed and found to exhibit a broad range of actuations subject to changes in the strength and frequency of a circular magnetic field. The crosses can also display a swimming mode.

Publications

• Friction Induces Anisotropic Propulsion in Sliding Magnetic Microtriangles. Nano Letters, 22(18), 7408-7414.
  Junot, Gaspard; Leyva, Sergi G.; Pauer, Christoph; Calero, Carles; Pagonabarraga, Ignacio; Liedl, Tim; Tavacoli, Joe & Tierno, Pietro
  
• Propulsion of Magnetic Beads Asymmetrically Covered with DNA Origami Appendages. Advanced Materials Technologies, 7(12).
  Pauer, Christoph; Venczel, Aron; Dass, Mihir; Liedl, Tim & Tavacoli, Joe
  
• Cooperative dynamics of DNA-grafted magnetic nanoparticles optimize magnetic biosensing and coupling to DNA origami. Nanoscale, 16(15), 7678-7689.
  Lak, Aidin; Wang, Yihao; Kolbeck, Pauline J.; Pauer, Christoph; Chowdhury, Mohammad Suman; Cassani, Marco; Ludwig, Frank; Viereck, Thilo; Selbach, Florian; Tinnefeld, Philip; Schilling, Meinhard; Liedl, Tim; Tavacoli, Joe & Lipfert, Jan
  
• Self‐Assembled Physical Unclonable Function Labels Based on Plasmonic Coupling. Advanced Optical Materials, 13(19).
  Dass, Mihir; Raab, Lena; Pauer, Christoph; Sikeler, Christoph; Heinze, Larissa; Tavacoli, Joe; Martynenko, Irina V.; Rührmair, Ulrich; Posnjak, Gregor & Liedl, Tim