Simulation of the Shape-directed AC Driven Defective Micromotors

Electric-driven micro/nanomotors (EDMNMs) have been widely researched because of their unique advantages, such as non-necessity of fuel, high mobility, and flexible controllability. However, most EDMNMs rely on asymmetric dielectric constants of the heterogeneous materials while ignoring the influence of the structure. In this study, we propose a novel type of defective micromotors (DMMs) with asymmetric structure that can be driven by the AC electric field. A theoretical model was established and the AC electrokinetic behavior of DMMs was studied theoretically. The propulsion mechanisms of DMMs can be attributed to self-dielectrophoresis and induced-charge electrophoresis at different frequency ranges. This approach provides a novel and universal approach to design highly controllable EDMNMs with asymmetric structure. The DMMs are expected to achieve spatially complex movement and can be widely applied in biomedicine, targeted delivery, micro/nanosensors, and micromechanical systems.