Abstract
Recent molecular dynamics simulations have shown that an inhomogeneous strain field in a substrate could drive nano-objects to move on its surface. A theoretical model is established in this paper in order to find the mechanical mechanism from the continuum mechanics point of view, but with the help of atomic interaction potential. The substrate is represented by graphene, and the above nano-object is represented by a graphene flake or a carbon nanotube. Three typically inhomogeneous strain fields are considered, including linear, power and exponential. It was found that a driving force and a couple moment can be induced on the flat flake and the circular nanotube, respectively. Furthermore, both the driving force and the couple moment increase with the increase in strain gradient in the substrate. The size effect of nano-objects and boundary effect on the movement are also investigated in order to explain some interesting results found in the existing numerical simulations. The present theoretical study cannot only reveal the source of the driving mechanism for the movement induced by an inhomogeneous strain field but also give insights for the design of nano-transport devices.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Wang, C., Chen, S.H.: Motion driven by strain gradient fields. Sci. Rep. 5, 13675 (2015)
Chen, P.J., Lv, S., Li, Y., Peng, J., Wu, C.J., Yang, Y.G.: A nanoscale rolling actuator system driven by strain gradient fields. Comput. Mater. Sci. 154, 380–392 (2018)
Chaudhury, M.K., Whitesides, G.M.: How to make water run uphill. Science 256(5063), 1539–1541 (1992)
Chang, T.C., Zhang, H.W., Guo, Z.R., Guo, X.M., Gao, H.J.: Nanoscale directional motion towards regions of stiffness. Phys. Rev. Lett. 114(1), 015504 (2015)
Lv, C.J., Chen, C., Chuang, Y.C., Tseng, F.G., Yin, Y.J., Grey, F., et al.: Substrate curvature gradient drives rapid droplet motion. Phys. Rev. Lett. 113(2), 026101 (2014)
Kudernac, T., Ruangsupapichat, N., Parschau, M., Macia, B., Katsonis, N., Harutyunyan, S.R., et al.: Electrically driven directional motion of a four-wheeled molecule on a metal surface. Nature 479(7372), 208–211 (2011)
Barreiro, A., Rurali, R., Hernandez, E.R., Moser, J., Pichler, T., Forro, L., et al.: Subnanometer motion of cargoes driven by thermal gradients along carbon nanotubes. Science 320(5877), 775–778 (2008)
Bao, G., Suresh, S.: Cell and molecular mechanics of biological materials. Nat. Mater. 2(11), 715–725 (2003)
Qiu, H., Shen, R., Guo, W.L.: Vibrating carbon nanotubes as water pumps. Nano Res. 4(3), 284–289 (2011)
Gong, X.J., Li, J.Y., Lu, H.J., Wan, R.Z., Li, J.C., Hu, J., et al.: A charge-driven molecular water pump. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2(11), 709–712 (2007)
Li, X.P., Kong, G.P., Zhang, X., He, G.W.: Pumping of water through carbon nanotubes by rotating electric field and rotating magnetic field. Appl. Phys. Lett. 103(14), 143117 (2013)
Ito, Y., Heydari, M., Hashimoto, A., Konno, T., Hirasawa, A., Hori, S., et al.: The movement of a water droplet on a gradient surface prepared by photodegradation. Langmuir 23(4), 1845–1850 (2007)
Shastry, A., Case, M.J., Bohringer, K.F.: Directing droplets using microstructured surfaces. Langmuir 22(14), 6161–6167 (2006)
Wang, S., Wang, C., Peng, Z.L., Chen, S.H.: A new technique for nanoparticle transport and its application in a novel nano-sieve. Sci. Rep. 8, 9682 (2018)
Becton, M., Wang, X.Q.: Thermal gradients on graphene to drive nanoflake motion. J. Chem. Theory Comput. 10(2), 722–730 (2014)
Hernandez, S.C., Bennett, C.J.C., Junkermeier, C.E., Tsoi, S.D., Bezares, F.J., Stine, R., et al.: Chemical gradients on graphene to drive droplet motion. Acs Nano 7(6), 4746–4755 (2013)
Walder, R., Honciuc, A., Schwartz, D.K.: Directed nanoparticle motion on an interfacial free energy gradient. Langmuir 26(3), 1501–1503 (2010)
Raeber, G.P., Lutolf, M.P., Hubbell, J.A.: Part II: fibroblasts preferentially migrate in the direction of principal strain. Biomech. Model. Mechanobiol. 7(3), 215–225 (2008)
Chen, L., Chen, S.H., Gao, H.J.: Biomimetic study of rolling transport through smooth muscle contraction. Colloids Surf. B-Biointerface 123, 49–52 (2014)
Chen, L., Chen, S.H.: Rolling motion of an elastic cylinder induced by elastic strain gradients. J. Appl. Phys. 116(16), 164701 (2014)
Lu, W.B., Wu, J., Jiang, L.Y., Huang, Y., Hwang, K.C., Liu, B.: A cohesive law for multi-wall carbon nanotubes. Philos. Mag. 87(14–15), 2221–2232 (2007)
Zhang, C., Chen, L., Chen, S.H.: Adhesion between two radially collapsed single-walled carbon nanotubes. Acta Mech. 224(11), 2759–2770 (2013)
Tang, T., Jagota, A., Hui, C.Y.: Adhesion between single-walled carbon nanotubes. J. Appl. Phys. 97(7), 074304 (2005)
Acknowledgements
The work reported here is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through Grants No. 11672302.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Peng, Z., An, H. & Yang, Y. The directional motion of nano-objects induced by an inhomogeneous strain field. Acta Mech 230, 3295–3305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00707-019-02443-6
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00707-019-02443-6