Séminaire

Mardi 2 Décembre 2025 à 11h00.

Thermophoretic nanomotors: towards 3D active fluids

Antoine AUBRET
(Laboratoire Ondes et Matière d’Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5798)

Salle de séminaires Lippmann

Invité(e) par
Julien HOUEL

présentera en 1 heure :

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Yoann De Figueiredo,[1]
M-H. Delville [2]
M. Romanus [2]
U. Delabre [1]
J-P. Delville [1]
A. Aubret [1]

In Nature, living systems are driven from the bottom up. Molecular motors act collectively to enable cell functionality, despite the riotous environment induced by thermal fluctuations. Understanding how to similarly generate work from the nanoscale with artificial systems remains a fundamental challenge. In this talk, I will present our recent efforts towards the development of an active fluid made of nanoparticles. At the LOMA, we study the non-equilibrium dynamics of synthetic nano-heterodimers, self-propelled by thermophoresis. Our activation method is light-based, and also relies on the use of nano-optical correlation techniques to probe the dynamics of nano-objects. We demonstrate self-thermophoretic propulsion at speed ranging from ≈100 µm/s and up to 1 mm/s, strongly set by the concentration, and well above what is usually achieved with microparticles. I will show that these findings can be rationalized by accounting for the thermally-induced changes in the properties of the solution, all quantified through independent experiments. In a last part, I will briefly discuss ongoing projects aiming at harnessing the potential of nanomotors to form 3D active baths, hoping to open novel routes for the hierarchical design of active systems.

[1]CNRS-LOMA, UMR 5798, 351 cours de la Libération, F-33400 Talence, France
[2]Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ICMCB, UMR 5026, 87 Avenue du Dr. A. Schweitzer, Pessac Cedex F-33608, France

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