Rotational friction of dipolar colloids measured by driven torsional oscillations

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Gabi Steinbach - , Chemnitz University of Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Sibylle Gemming - , Chemnitz University of Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Artur Erbe - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)

Abstract

Despite its prominent role in the dynamics of soft materials, rotational friction remains a quantity that is difficult to determine for many micron-sized objects. Here, we demonstrate how the Stokes coefficient of rotational friction can be obtained from the driven torsional oscillations of single particles in a highly viscous environment. The idea is that the oscillation amplitude of a dipolar particle under combined static and oscillating fields provides a measure for the Stokes friction. From numerical studies we derive a semi-empirical analytic expression for the amplitude of the oscillation, which cannot be calculated analytically from the equation of motion. We additionally demonstrate that this expression can be used to experimentally determine the rotational friction coefficient of single particles. Here, we record the amplitudes of a field-driven dipolar Janus microsphere with optical microscopy. The presented method distinguishes itself in its experimental and conceptual simplicity. The magnetic torque leaves the local environment unchanged, which contrasts with other approaches where, for example, additional mechanical (frictional) or thermal contributions have to be regarded.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number34193
JournalScientific reports
Volume6
Publication statusPublished - 29 Sept 2016
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas