Conveyor Belt Transport; the Role of Friction and Mass in the Separation of Arbitrary Collections of Microparticles

We have investigated the role of interfacial chemistry, friction, and mass on the behavior of collections of microparticles and nanoparticles. These objects are the potential building blocks of any number of nanoscale and microscale devices and machines. To create such devices, a nano-factory is required, where creative combinations of top-down and bottom-up approaches are integrated to create a versatile and reliable factory. A key component of such a factory is a conveyor belt system for mechanically transporting, separating by mass and chemical species, and aligning nanoparticles in controlled ways. The conveyor belt needs to be chemically versatile, and hence organicpolymeric in nature. The nature of inertial motion is intimately connected to the interface between the particle and substrate on which it lies. A key to understanding the influence of this complex interface is to systematically vary the contact between components and observe the changes in behavior. We have gained an understanding of the role of interfacial chemistry, friction, and particle mass in this dynamic system.