Department News
Drops of nanoparticles self-stir and communicate
- 05 May 2020
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have discovered a new mechanism of self-organization of active matter. When photochemically active nanoparticles are enclosed at high density within a drop and are exposed to UV light, a self-organized flow pattern emerges by spontaneous symmetry breaking. Furthermore, each drop communicates with neighbouring drops by exchanging chemicals, and coordination of their internal flows occurs – even when far apart.
Dhruv Pratap Singh Peer Fischer Mihail N. Popescu Siegfried Dietrich