Lane formation of colloidal particles driven in parallel by gravity.

Abstract

We investigate the lane formation in nonequilibrium systems of colloidal particles moving in parallel that are driven by the force of gravity. For this setup, an experimental implementation of a channel on a slope can be conceptualized. We employ the Brownian dynamics algorithm and confine the repulsive particles with hard walls based on the solution of the Smoluchowski equationin the half space. A difference of the driving force acting on the colloids could be achieved by using two spherical particle types with differing diameters but equal mass density. First, we investigate how a difference in the channel slope affects the lane formation of the systems, after which we analyze the lanes that formed. We find that the large particles push the small particles to the walls, resulting in exclusively small particle lanes at the walls. This contrasts the equilibrium state, where depletion forces push the larger particles to the walls. Additionally, we have a closer look at the mechanisms by which the lanes form. Finally, we find system parameter values that foster lane formation to lay the foundation for an experimental realization of our proposed setup. To round this off, we give an exemplary calculation of the slope angle needed to get the experimental system into a state of lane order. With the examination of lane order in systems that are driven in parallel, we hope to deepen our understanding of nonequilibrium order phenomena.