Veering the motion of a magnetic chemical locomotive in a liquid

Abstract

The motion of micron-sized catalyticpolymer beads coated with thin film or nanoparticle form of Ni in aqueous H₂O₂ is reported herein. In the absence of any magnetic field, the beads moved vertically upward in the medium, owing to sufficient bubbles deposited on them following catalytic decomposition of H₂O₂ by Ni. However, in the presence of an external magnetic field (perpendicular to the direction of motion), angular deviation in the motion is observed, with the deviations increasing with the strength of the field. The results are explained based on a model involving interaction of the beads with the external magnetic field.