Dynamics of disklike clusters formed in a magnetorheological fluid under a rotational magnetic field

A magnetic field-driven multi-functional "medical ship" for intestinal tissue collection in vivo

The incidence of intestinal cancer has risen significantly. Because of the many challenges posed by the complex environment of the intestine, it is difficult to diagnose accurately and painlessly using conventional methods, which requires the development of new body-friendly diagnostic methods. Micro- and nanomotors show great potential for biomedical applications in restricted environments. However, the difficulty of recycling has been a constraint in the collection of biological tissues for diagnostic purposes. Here, we propose a multi-functional "medical ship" (MFMS) that can be rapidly driven by a magnetic field and can reversibly "open" and "close" its internal storage space under NIR laser irradiation. It provides a transportation and recovery platform for micro- and nanomotors and cargoes. In addition, fast selection of the MFMS and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) can be realized through adjusting the strength and frequency of the external magnetic field. Rapid encapsulation of intestinal tissues by MNPs was achieved using a low-frequency rotating magnetic field. In addition, we demonstrated the controlled release of MNPs using the MFMS and the collection of intestinal tissues. The proposed MFMS is an intelligent and controllable transportation platform with a simple structure, which is expected to be a new tool for performing medical tasks within the digestive system.

Superparamagnetic colloids in a rotating field: Transition state from chains to disks

When exposed to an external magnetic field, 2D layers of spherical superparamagnetic colloids form specific structures which depend on the features of the external field. If the magnetic field is constant along time, superparamagnetic colloids self-organize into chains oriented in the direction of the field. If the magnetic field is rotating in the plane of the suspension, below a critical frequency, the superparamagnetic beads still aggregate into chains, but these chains rotate with the magnetic field. When the rotation reaches a certain speed, the colloids aggregate in rotating disklike clusters. In this work, we focused on the early stages of the disklike clusters' aggregation and the dynamics of this process. In particular, we observed experimentally that before clustering into disklike structures, the colloids were aggregating into rotating chains, just as they did in suspensions submitted to a magnetic field rotating at a lower rate. Over time, the chains interact with one another and aggregate into disklike clusters, resulting in a mixture of chains and disks in the sample. Finally, we propose a model to characterize the suspension over time in terms of the proportion of chains and disklike clusters, and report its deduced temporal evolution for different frequencies and volume fractions.

Wheel-like Magnetic-Driven Microswarm with a Band-Aid Imitation for Patching Up Microscale Intestinal Perforation

Microscale intestinal perforation can cause considerable mortality and is very difficult to treat using conventional methods owing to the numerous challenges associated with microscale operations, which require the development of new body-friendly and effective treatment methods. Swarming micro- and nanomotors have shown great potential in biomedical applications in complex and hard-to-reach environments. Herein, we present a wheel-like magnetic-driven microswarm (WLM) with a band-aid imitation to patch microscale intestinal perforations by pasting on the perforation point in mucus-filled environments. A method called "packing under rolling" was applied to make the formed microswarms denser and rounder. Microswarms with variable aspect ratios can be fabricated by tuning the frequency and strength of the external magnetic field. Actuation and navigation in a confined complex environment, locomotion on three-dimensional surfaces, and multiple switchable motion modes have been realized by combining AC and DC magnetic fields. Moreover, we demonstrated WLM controllable navigation, movement, and microscale perforation patching in the chicken intestines ex vivo. The proposed strategy will contribute to the treatment of microscale intestinal perforation and may be applicable to novel, precise topical medication and microsurgery.

Dissipative non-equilibrium dynamics of self-assembled paramagnetic colloidal clusters

We study experimentally and theoretically the dynamics of two-dimensional clusters of paramagnetic colloids under a time-varying magnetic field. These self-assembled clusters are a dissipative non-equilibrium system with shared features with aggregates of living matter. We investigate the dynamics of cluster rotation and develop a theoretical model to explain the emergence of collective viscoelastic properties. The model successfully captures the observed dependence on particle, cluster, and field characteristics, and it provides an estimate of cluster viscoelasticity. We also study the rapid cluster disassembly in response to a change in the external field. The experimentally observed disassembly dynamics are successfully described by a model, which also allows estimating the particle-substrate friction coefficient. Our study highlights physical mechanisms that may be at play in biological aggregates, where similar dynamical behaviors are observed.

A Fluidic Device for Immunomagnetic Separation of Foodborne Bacteria Using Self-Assembled Magnetic Nanoparticle Chains

Immunomagnetic separation has been widely used for the separation and concentration of foodborne pathogens from complex food samples, however it can only handle a small volume of samples. In this paper, we presented a novel fluidic device for the specific and efficient separation and concentration of salmonellatyphimurium using self-assembled magnetic nanoparticle chains. The laminated sawtooth-shaped iron foils were first mounted in the 3D-printed matrix and magnetized by a strong magnet to generate dot-array high gradient magnetic fields in the fluidic channel, which was simulated using COMSOL (5.3a, Burlington, MA, USA). Then, magnetic nanoparticles with a diameter of 150 nm, which were modified with the anti-salmonella polyclonal antibodies, were injected into the channel, and the magnetic nanoparticle chains were vertically formed at the dots and verified using a fluorescence inverted microscope. Finally, the bacterial sample was continuous-flow injected, and the target bacteria could be captured by the antibodies on the chains, followed by gold standard culture plating to determine the amount of the target bacteria. Under the optimal conditions, the target bacteria could be separated with a separation efficiency of 80% in 45 min. This fluidic device could be further improved using thinner sawtooth-shaped iron foils and stronger magnets to obtain a better dot-array magnetic field with larger magnetic intensity and denser dot distribution, and has the potential to be integrated with the existing biological assays for rapid and sensitive detection of foodborne bacteria.

A periodic magnetic field as a special environment for scientific research created by rotating permanent magnet pairs

A magnetic field is an often-encountered physical environment that can affect many processes, including chemical, physical, and biochemical processes. Utilization of magnetic fields is thus very helpful in a wide variety of applications, such as scientific research in various disciplines, materials processing (e.g., crystal growth and separation) in industry, and nuclear fusion. There are many different types of magnetic fields generated by different magnets, such as superconducting magnets, electromagnets, hybrid magnets, pulsed magnets, and permanent magnets. In this paper, we introduce a newly designed periodic magnetic field generated by rotating permanent magnet pairs. Preliminary tests showed that the periodic magnetic field is valuable in water evaporation, silver deposition, and protein crystallization. Apparently, in such a new environment that can generate a periodic magnetic field, a periodic force field will also be simultaneously generated on the sample. Further work shall be carried out to explore the potential applications of this magnetic field.

Paramagnetic colloids: Chaotic routes to clusters and molecules

We present computer simulations and experiments on dilute suspensions of superparamagnetic particles subject to rotating magnetic fields. We focus on chains of four particles and their decay routes to stable structures. At low rates, the chains track the external field. At intermediate rates, the chains break up but perform a periodic (albeit complex) motion. At sufficiently high rates, the chains generally undergo chaotic motion at short times and decay to either closely packed clusters or more dispersed, colloidal molecules at long times. We show that the transition out of the chaotic states can be described as a Poisson process in both simulation and experiment.

Activity of lipase and chitinase immobilized on superparamagnetic particles in a rotational magnetic field

We immobilize hydrolases such as lipase and chitinase on superparamagnetic particles, which are subjected to a rotational magnetic field, and measure the activities of the enzymes. We find that the activities of lipase and chitinase increase in the rotational magnetic field compared to those in the absence of a magnetic field and reach maximum at certain frequencies. The present methodology may well be utilized for the design and development of efficient micro reactors and micro total analysis systems (μ-TASs).

Self-assembled magnetic bead biosensor for measuring bacterial growth and antimicrobial susceptibility testing

Bacterial antibiotic resistance is one of the major concerns of modern healthcare worldwide, and the development of rapid, growth-based, antimicrobial susceptibility tests is key for addressing it. The cover image shows a self-assembled asynchronous magnetic bead rotation (AMBR) biosensor developed for rapid detection of bacterial growth. Using the biosensors, the minimum inhibitory concentration of a clinical E. coli isolate can be measured within two hours, where currently tests take 6-24 hours. A 16-well prototype is also constructed for simple and robust observation of the self-assembled AMBR biosensors.

Ordered complex structures formed by paramagnetic particles via self-assembly under an ac/dc combined magnetic field

We apply ac and dc magnetic fields simultaneously in orthogonal directions to each other to a solution, in which paramagnetic microparticles are dispersed, and show that complex secondary structures composed of oscillating chain clusters, that is, long linear clusters interconnected by T-, L-, and criss-cross-junctions, are self-assembled. Disklike clusters are formed at some junctions and the number of disklike clusters increases as the frequency of the ac magnetic field increases. We finally show that the angle between long linear clusters can be altered by changing the ratio of the intensities of the ac and dc magnetic fields.

Cluster-cluster aggregations of superparamagnetic particles in a rotational magnetic field

We investigate the cluster-cluster aggregations of superparamagnetic particles in a rotational magnetic field numerically by the Brownian dynamics method, focusing on the cases of ϕ = 0.01 and 0.03 and Ma = 0, 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1, where ϕ is the area fraction of superparamagnetic particles and Ma is the Mason number, i.e., the ratio of viscous drag to magnetic force acting on a magnetic particle. We clarify the effect of ϕ and Ma on the cluster-cluster aggregation process from the point of view of dynamic scaling law.

Tumbling motion of magnetic particles on a magnetic substrate induced by a rotational magnetic field

We analyze the dynamics of paramagnetic particles on a paramagnetic substrate under a rotational magnetic field. When the paramagnetic particles are subjected to a rotational magnetic field, the rotational plane of which is perpendicular to the substrate surface, the particles form chain clusters caused by the dipole-dipole interaction between the particles and these clusters display a tumbling motion under certain conditions. In this case, the angular momentum of the clusters is converted to a translational one through the force of friction acting between the particles and substrate and, as a result, the clusters move along the surface of the substrate. We analyze the conditions under which the tumbling motion occurs and the dependence of the translational velocity of a cluster on the control parameters by the Stokesian dynamics method. Based on the dynamics of magnetic particles, we propose a method of manipulating nano- and microparticles using a rotational magnetic field. We demonstrate the manipulation of magnetic and nonmagnetic particles, a carbon nanotube, and a biological cell.

Magnetic Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis by Electrostatic Self-Assembly Approach and Application in Biomanipulations

Magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were facilely prepared by the electrostatic self-assembly approach. Poly(2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) was covalently grafted onto the surfaces of MWNTs by MWNT-initiated in situ atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA). The PDEAEMA-grafted MWNTs were quaternized with methyl iodide (CH(3)I), resulting in cationic polyelectrolyte-grafted MWNTs (MWNT-PAmI). Magnetic iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles were loaded onto the MWNT surfaces by electrostatic self-assembling between MWNT-PAmI and Fe(3)O(4), affording magnetic nanotubes. The assembled capability of the nanoparticles can be adjusted to some extent by changing the feed ratio of Fe(3)O(4) to MWNT-PAmI. The obtained magnetic nanotubes were characterized with TEM, EDS, STEM, and element mapping analyses. TEM and EDS measurements confirmed the nanostructures and the components of the resulting nanoobjects. The magnetic nanotubes were assembled onto sheep red blood cells in a phosphate buffer solution, forming magnetic cells. The blood cells attached with or without magnetic nanotubes can be selectively manipulated in a magnetic field. These results promise a general and efficient strategy to magnetic nanotubes and the fascinating potential of such magnetic nanoobjects in applications of bionanoscience and technology.