For complex colloidal suspensions, colloidal particles typically interact with other types of particles in their surrounding environment. Extensive experimental studies have demonstrated that the interactions between various types of particles are usually nonreciprocal. So far, although various directed motion mechanisms for multi-species colloidal particles have been discovered, these works mainly focus on the reciprocal interactions between particles. However, in numerous complex solution environments, nonreciprocal interactions are the key factors that cause directed motion in complex systems, especially in systems with multiple types of colloidal particles. Therefore, this article further explores the directed transport behavior of colloidal particles under the influence of nonreciprocal interactions.
This work is based on a nonreciprocal interaction model of multiple types of colloidal particles. And the effects of thermal noise intensity, external potential barrier height, asymmetry coefficient, and asymmetric interaction coefficient on the directional transport of colloidal particle systems have been studied. It is found that thermal noise intensity, external potential height, and asymmetry coefficient can all promote the directional motion of colloidal systems under certain conditions. Moreover, there exists an optimal parameter at which the average velocity of the colloidal system possess its largest value. In addition, non reciprocal interactions are the determining factor driving the directional transport of colloidal systems. There exists an optimal pair of non reciprocal interaction matching coefficients between different particles, which can maximize the directional transport of colloidal particles. Through the analysis of power spectral density, the physical mechanism by which non-reciprocal interactions enhance the directional transport in multicomponent colloidal systems has been further elucidated. The research results of this article can provide theoretical references for experimental design and applications in future fields such as intelligent colloidal self-assembly, targeted drug delivery, and dynamically responsive metamaterials.