Udit Choudhury

PhD student (2019), then PostDoc at AMOLF, Netherlands.

Alumni

Micro, Nano, and Molecular Systems

M.Sc. Eng. Mechanics, Virginia Tech, USA

Propulsion at microscales
Microfluidics
Biomedical Microrobots

7 results (View BibTeX file of all listed publications)

2020

Interface-mediated spontaneous symmetry breaking and mutual communication between drops containing chemically active particles

Singh, D., Domínguez, A., Choudhury, U., Kottapalli, S., Popescu, M., Dietrich, S., Fischer, P.

Nature Communications, 11(2210), May 2020 (article)

Abstract

Symmetry breaking and the emergence of self-organized patterns is the hallmark of com- plexity. Here, we demonstrate that a sessile drop, containing titania powder particles with negligible self-propulsion, exhibits a transition to collective motion leading to self-organized ﬂow patterns. This phenomenology emerges through a novel mechanism involving the interplay between the chemical activity of the photocatalytic particles, which induces Mar- angoni stresses at the liquid–liquid interface, and the geometrical conﬁnement provided by the drop. The response of the interface to the chemical activity of the particles is the source of a signiﬁcantly ampliﬁed hydrodynamic ﬂow within the drop, which moves the particles. Furthermore, in ensembles of such active drops long-ranged ordering of the ﬂow patterns within the drops is observed. We show that the ordering is dictated by a chemical com- munication between drops, i.e., an alignment of the ﬂow patterns is induced by the gradients of the chemicals emanating from the active particles, rather than by hydrodynamic interactions.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

2020

Singh, D., Domínguez, A., Choudhury, U., Kottapalli, S., Popescu, M., Dietrich, S., Fischer, P. Interface-mediated spontaneous symmetry breaking and mutual communication between drops containing chemically active particles Nature Communications, 11(2210), May 2020 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

2019

Chemical Nanomotors at the Gram Scale Form a Dense Active Optorheological Medium

Choudhury, U., Singh, D. P., Qiu, T., Fischer, P.

Adv. Mat., 31(1807382), Febuary 2019 (article)

Abstract

The rheological properties of a colloidal suspension are a function of the concentration of the colloids and their interactions. While suspensions of passive colloids are well studied and have been shown to form crystals, gels, and glasses, examples of energy‐consuming “active” colloidal suspensions are still largely unexplored. Active suspensions of biological matter, such as motile bacteria or dense mixtures of active actin–motor–protein mixtures have, respectively, reveals superfluid‐like and gel‐like states. Attractive inanimate systems for active matter are chemically self‐propelled particles. It has so far been challenging to use these swimming particles at high enough densities to affect the bulk material properties of the suspension. Here, it is shown that light‐triggered asymmetric titanium dioxide that self‐propel, can be obtained in large quantities, and self‐organize to make a gram‐scale active medium. The suspension shows an activity‐dependent tenfold reversible change in its bulk viscosity.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

2019

Choudhury, U., Singh, D. P., Qiu, T., Fischer, P. Chemical Nanomotors at the Gram Scale Form a Dense Active Optorheological Medium Adv. Mat., 31(1807382), Febuary 2019 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Dynamics of self-propelled colloids and their application as active matter

Choudhury, U.

University of Groningen, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, 2019 (phdthesis)

Abstract

In this thesis, the behavior of active particles spanning from single particle dynamics to collective behavior of many particles is explored. Active colloids are out-of equilibrium systems that have been studied extensively over the past 15 years. This thesis addresses several phenomena that arise in the field of active colloids.

link (url) [BibTex]

Choudhury, U. Dynamics of self-propelled colloids and their application as active matter University of Groningen, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, 2019 (phdthesis)

link (url) [BibTex]

2017

Active colloidal propulsion over a crystalline surface

Choudhury, U., Straube, A., Fischer, P., Gibbs, J., Höfling, F.

New Journal of Physics, 19, pages: 125010, December 2017 (article)

Abstract

We study both experimentally and theoretically the dynamics of chemically self-propelled Janus colloids moving atop a two-dimensional crystalline surface. The surface is a hexagonally close-packed monolayer of colloidal particles of the same size as the mobile one. The dynamics of the self-propelled colloid reflects the competition between hindered diffusion due to the periodic surface and enhanced diffusion due to active motion. Which contribution dominates depends on the propulsion strength, which can be systematically tuned by changing the concentration of a chemical fuel. The mean-square displacements obtained from the experiment exhibit enhanced diffusion at long lag times. Our experimental data are consistent with a Langevin model for the effectively two-dimensional translational motion of an active Brownian particle in a periodic potential, combining the confining effects of gravity and the crystalline surface with the free rotational diffusion of the colloid. Approximate analytical predictions are made for the mean-square displacement describing the crossover from free Brownian motion at short times to active diffusion at long times. The results are in semi-quantitative agreement with numerical results of a refined Langevin model that treats translational and rotational degrees of freedom on the same footing.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

2017

Choudhury, U., Straube, A., Fischer, P., Gibbs, J., Höfling, F. Active colloidal propulsion over a crystalline surface New Journal of Physics, 19, pages: 125010, December 2017 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Non-Equilibrium Assembly of Light-Activated Colloidal Mixtures

Singh, D. P., Choudhury, U., Fischer, P., Mark, A. G.

Advanced Materials, 29, pages: 1701328, June 2017, 32 (article)

Abstract

The collective phenomena exhibited by artificial active matter systems present novel routes to fabricating out-of-equilibrium microscale assemblies. Here, the crystallization of passive silica colloids into well-controlled 2D assemblies is shown, which is directed by a small number of self-propelled active colloids. The active colloids are titania–silica Janus particles that are propelled when illuminated by UV light. The strength of the attractive interaction and thus the extent of the assembled clusters can be regulated by the light intensity. A remarkably small number of the active colloids is sufficient to induce the assembly of the dynamic crystals. The approach produces rationally designed colloidal clusters and crystals with controllable sizes, shapes, and symmetries. This multicomponent active matter system offers the possibility of obtaining structures and assemblies that cannot be found in equilibrium systems.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Singh, D. P., Choudhury, U., Fischer, P., Mark, A. G. Non-Equilibrium Assembly of Light-Activated Colloidal Mixtures Advanced Materials, 29, pages: 1701328, June 2017, 32 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Nanodiamonds That Swim

Kim, J. T., Choudhury, U., Hyeon-Ho, J., Fischer, P.

Advanced Materials, 29(30):1701024, June 2017, Back Cover (article)

Abstract

Nanodiamonds are emerging as nanoscale quantum probes for bio-sensing and imaging. This necessitates the development of new methods to accurately manipulate their position and orientation in aqueous solutions. The realization of an “active” nanodiamond (ND) swimmer in fluids, composed of a ND crystal containing nitrogen vacancy centers and a light-driven self-thermophoretic micromotor, is reported. The swimmer is propelled by a local temperature gradient created by laser illumination on its metal-coated side. Its locomotion—from translational to rotational motion—is successfully controlled by shape-dependent hydrodynamic interactions. The precise engineering of the swimmer's geometry is achieved by self-assembly combined with physical vapor shadow growth. The optical addressability of the suspended ND swimmers is demonstrated by observing the electron spin resonance in the presence of magnetic fields. Active motion at the nanoscale enables new sensing capabilities combined with active transport including, potentially, in living organisms.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Kim, J. T., Choudhury, U., Hyeon-Ho, J., Fischer, P. Nanodiamonds That Swim Advanced Materials, 29(30):1701024, June 2017, Back Cover (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

2015

Surface roughness-induced speed increase for active Janus micromotors

Choudhury, U., Soler, L., Gibbs, J. G., Sanchez, S., Fischer, P.

Chem. Comm., 51(41):8660-8663, April 2015 (article)

Abstract

We demonstrate a simple physical fabrication method to control surface roughness of Janus micromotors and fabricate self-propelled active Janus microparticles with rough catalytic platinum surfaces that show a four-fold increase in their propulsion speed compared to conventional Janus particles coated with a smooth Pt layer.

DOI [BibTex]

2015

Choudhury, U., Soler, L., Gibbs, J. G., Sanchez, S., Fischer, P. Surface roughness-induced speed increase for active Janus micromotors Chem. Comm., 51(41):8660-8663, April 2015 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Udit Choudhury

2020

Interface-mediated spontaneous symmetry breaking and mutual communication between drops containing chemically active particles

2020

2019

Chemical Nanomotors at the Gram Scale Form a Dense Active Optorheological Medium

2019

Dynamics of self-propelled colloids and their application as active matter

2017

Active colloidal propulsion over a crystalline surface

2017

Non-Equilibrium Assembly of Light-Activated Colloidal Mixtures

Nanodiamonds That Swim

2015

Surface roughness-induced speed increase for active Janus micromotors

2015

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