Colloidal transport through trap arrays controlled by active microswimmers

We investigate the dynamics of a binary mixture consisting of active and passive colloidal particles diffusing in a 2D array of truncated harmonic wells, or traps. We explore the possibility of using a small fraction of active particles to manipulate a much larger fraction of passive particles, for instance, to confine them in or extract them from the traps. The results of our study have potential application in biology and medical sciences, for example, to remove dead cells or undesired contaminants from biological systems by means of self-propelled nano-robots.