---
_id: '9062'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'Self-assembly is the autonomous organization of components into patterns
    or structures: an essential ingredient of biology and a desired route to complex
    organization1. At equilibrium, the structure is encoded through specific interactions2,3,4,5,6,7,8,
    at an unfavourable entropic cost for the system. An alternative approach, widely
    used by nature, uses energy input to bypass the entropy bottleneck and develop
    features otherwise impossible at equilibrium9. Dissipative building blocks that
    inject energy locally were made available by recent advances in colloidal science10,11
    but have not been used to control self-assembly. Here we show the targeted formation
    of self-powered microgears from active particles and their autonomous synchronization
    into dynamical superstructures. We use a photoactive component that consumes fuel,
    haematite, to devise phototactic microswimmers that form self-spinning microgears
    following spatiotemporal light patterns. The gears are coupled via their chemical
    clouds by diffusiophoresis12 and constitute the elementary bricks of synchronized
    superstructures, which autonomously regulate their dynamics. The results are quantitatively
    rationalized on the basis of a stochastic description of diffusio-phoretic oscillators
    dynamically coupled by chemical gradients. Our findings harness non-equilibrium
    phoretic phenomena to program interactions and direct self-assembly with fidelity
    and specificity. It lays the groundwork for the autonomous construction of dynamical
    architectures and functional micro-machinery.'
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
arxiv: 1
author:
- first_name: Antoine
  full_name: Aubret, Antoine
  last_name: Aubret
- first_name: Mena
  full_name: Youssef, Mena
  last_name: Youssef
- first_name: Stefano
  full_name: Sacanna, Stefano
  last_name: Sacanna
- first_name: Jérémie A
  full_name: Palacci, Jérémie A
  id: 8fb92548-2b22-11eb-b7c1-a3f0d08d7c7d
  last_name: Palacci
  orcid: 0000-0002-7253-9465
citation:
  ama: Aubret A, Youssef M, Sacanna S, Palacci JA. Targeted assembly and synchronization
    of self-spinning microgears. <i>Nature Physics</i>. 2018;14(11):1114-1118. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4">10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4</a>
  apa: Aubret, A., Youssef, M., Sacanna, S., &#38; Palacci, J. A. (2018). Targeted
    assembly and synchronization of self-spinning microgears. <i>Nature Physics</i>.
    Springer Nature. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4</a>
  chicago: Aubret, Antoine, Mena Youssef, Stefano Sacanna, and Jérémie A Palacci.
    “Targeted Assembly and Synchronization of Self-Spinning Microgears.” <i>Nature
    Physics</i>. Springer Nature, 2018. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4</a>.
  ieee: A. Aubret, M. Youssef, S. Sacanna, and J. A. Palacci, “Targeted assembly and
    synchronization of self-spinning microgears,” <i>Nature Physics</i>, vol. 14,
    no. 11. Springer Nature, pp. 1114–1118, 2018.
  ista: Aubret A, Youssef M, Sacanna S, Palacci JA. 2018. Targeted assembly and synchronization
    of self-spinning microgears. Nature Physics. 14(11), 1114–1118.
  mla: Aubret, Antoine, et al. “Targeted Assembly and Synchronization of Self-Spinning
    Microgears.” <i>Nature Physics</i>, vol. 14, no. 11, Springer Nature, 2018, pp.
    1114–18, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4">10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4</a>.
  short: A. Aubret, M. Youssef, S. Sacanna, J.A. Palacci, Nature Physics 14 (2018)
    1114–1118.
date_created: 2021-02-02T13:52:49Z
date_published: 2018-11-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-02-23T13:48:02Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1038/s41567-018-0227-4
extern: '1'
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '1810.01033'
intvolume: '        14'
issue: '11'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.01033
month: '11'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
page: 1114-1118
publication: Nature Physics
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1745-2481
  issn:
  - 1745-2473
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Targeted assembly and synchronization of self-spinning microgears
type: journal_article
user_id: D865714E-FA4E-11E9-B85B-F5C5E5697425
volume: 14
year: '2018'
...