Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2010 Feb 21;12(7):1423-35. doi: 10.1039/b917741h. Epub 2009 Dec 22.
Randomness is an inherent property of biological systems. In contrast, randomness has been mostly avoided in designing synthetic or artificial systems. Particularly, in designing micro/nano-motors, some researchers have successfully used external fields to gain deterministic control over the directionality of the objects, which otherwise move in completely random directions due to Brownian motion. However, a partial control that preserves a certain degree of randomness can be very useful in certain applications of micro/nano-motors. In this Perspective we review the current progress in establishing autonomous motion of micro/nano-particles that possess controlled randomness, provide insight into the phenomena where macroscopic order originates from microscopic disorder and discuss the resemblance between these artificial systems and biological emergent/collective behaviors.
随机性是生物系统的固有属性。相比之下，在设计合成或人工系统时，随机性大多被避免了。特别是在设计微/纳米马达时，一些研究人员已经成功地使用外部场来获得对物体方向的确定性控制，否则由于布朗运动，这些物体将完全随机地移动。然而，在微/纳米马达的某些应用中，保留一定程度随机性的部分控制可能非常有用。在本观点中，我们回顾了当前在建立具有可控随机性的微/纳米粒子自主运动方面的进展，深入了解了宏观秩序源于微观无序的现象，并讨论了这些人工系统与生物涌现/集体行为之间的相似性。
