Period of Oscillatory Motion of a Camphor Boat Determined by the Dissolution and Diffusion of Camphor Molecules.

Here, we investigated the oscillatory motion of a camphor boat on water to clarify how the dynamics of camphor concentration profile determines the period of oscillation. The boat, which was made of a plastic plate and a camphor disk, was glued below the plate at a distance from the edge. The dependence of oscillation period on temperature and viscosity of the water phase was measured in experiments.

Self-oscillating Gel Accelerated while Sensing the Shape of an Aqueous Surface.

The reciprocating motion of a self-oscillating square gel induced by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction was investigated on an aqueous surface. The chemical wave propagated from the side at which the oxidation of the Ru catalyst in the gel started. As the chemical wave propagated, the gel moved in either the opposite (mode I) or the same (mode II) direction as the chemical wave propagation.

Bifurcation phenomena of two self-propelled camphor disks on an annular field depending on system length.

Mode selection and bifurcation of a synchronized motion involving two symmetric self-propelled objects in a periodic one-dimensional domain were investigated numerically and experimentally by using camphor disks placed on an annular water channel. Newton's equation of motion for each camphor disk, whose driving force was the difference in surface tension, and a reaction-diffusion equation for camphor molecules on water were used in the numerical calculations. Among various dynamical behaviors found numerically, four kinds of synchronized motions (reversal oscillation, stop-and-move rotation, equally spaced rotation, and clustered rotation) were also observed in experiments by changing the diameter of the water channel.

Mode switching of a self-propelled camphor disk sensitive to the photoisomerization of a molecular layer on water.

A simple self-propelled motor on a 4-[[(dodecyloxy)benz-4-yl]azo]benzoic acid (DBA) molecular layer was investigated from the viewpoint of motor control depending on the molecular structure. The nature of the self-motion of a camphor disk on the DBA molecular layer changed depending on the surface pressure (π)-area (A) isotherm of DBA, which in turn changed by the photoisomerization between UV and green lights. The characteristic motion of the camphor disk is discussed in relation to the π-A isotherm of DBA, which changes depending on the photoisomerization as the driving force of motion.

Periodic reciprocating motion of a polymer gel on an aqueous phase synchronized with the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction.

A self-oscillating gel induced by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction was investigated on an aqueous phase. When the Ru-catalyst in the gel was rapidly oxidized, the gel was accelerated in a direction opposite to the side of oxidation. The gel then returned to its original position while the Ru-catalyst in the gel was slowly reduced.