Mimicking the Structure and Function of Ant Bridges in a Reconfigurable Microswarm for Electronic Applications

Abstract

In nature, social insects are capable of self-organizing into various sophisticated and functional structures through local communications, which facilitate their cooperative accomplishment of complex tasks that are beyond the capabilities of individuals. Emulating this collective behavior in artificial robotic systems promises benefits in various engineering fields and has been partially realized through elaborate algorithm and physical designs. However, developing a swarm robotic system with group-level functionality at small scales remains a challenge. Herein, a microswarm system that mimics the structure and function of an ant bridge is realized by employing functionalized magnetite nanoparticles, which are paramagnetic and electrically conductive, as the building blocks. Through the application of a programmed oscillating magnetic field, the building blocks are reconfigured into a ribbon-like microswarm, which can perform reversible elongation with a high aspect ratio and, thus, is capable of constructing a conductive pathway for electrons between two disconnected electrodes with the bodies of functionalized nanoparticles. Furthermore, the microswarm is demonstrated to serve as a microswitch, repair broken microcircuits, and constitute flexible circuits, exhibiting a promising future for the practical applications in the electronics field.

A universal signature in the melting of metallic nanoparticles

“…[5][6][7] Furthermore, the thermal stability of nanoparticles plays an important role in the applications derived from their physical and chemical propertiesthese range from catalysis and sintering to biomedicine, optics to chemical sensing, electronic circuits to energy storage. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Therefore, Lord Kelvin's question "Does the melting temperature of a small particle depend on its size?" 15 is still very actual.…”

Self-Propelled Janus Microdimer Swimmers under a Rotating Magnetic Field

“…Inspired by the swimming strategies of natural microorganisms, various functional micro-/nanorobots, which are propelled by several external excitations (e.g. chemistry [32][33][34][35][36], light [37][38][39][40][41][42], magnetic [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51], ultrasonic [13,[52][53][54] and electric [55]) have been developed in this decade. Among these propulsion methods, magnetic propulsion has been widely used to power the micro-and nanorobots due to its non-invasive remote actuation and convenient navigation abilities [56][57][58].…”

Gravity induced formation of spinners and polar order of spherical microswimmers on a surface

“…Such collective dynamics are commonly discovered in nature, ranging from various length-scales and species, such as bacterial swarms [4], fish schools [5], bird flocks [6] and human crowds [7]. Understanding the key physical principles behind the collective dynamics can be in addition to the understanding of the dynamic order in nature, also inspire the creation of functional active materials [8,9] or robotic applications where the selfcooperation of small machines leads to large coherent assembly capable of carrying out complex tasks [10,11].…”