
Self-propulsion is the autonomous displacement of nano-, micro- and macroscopic natural and artificial objects, containing their own means of motion. Self-propulsion is driven mainly by
interfacial phenomena. Various mechanisms of self-propelling have been introduced and investigated, which exploited
phoretic effects, gradient surfaces, breaking the wetting symmetry of a droplet on a surface, the
Leidenfrost effect,
the self-generated hydrodynamic and chemical fields originating from the geometrical confinements, and soluto- and thermo-capillary
Marangoni flow
The Marangoni effect (also called the Gibbs–Marangoni effect) is the mass transfer along an interface between two phases due to a gradient of the surface tension. In the case of temperature dependence, this phenomenon may be called thermo-capi ...
s.
Self-propelled system demonstrate a potential as micro-fluidics devices and micro-mixers.
Self-propelled
liquid marbles have been demonstrated.
See also
*
Self propelled particles
References
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Mechanical engineering
Surface science