A Practical Guide to Analyzing and Reporting the Movement of Nanoscale Swimmers

06 September 2021, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

The recent invention of nanoswimmers– synthetic, powered objects with characteristic lengths in the range of 10-500 nm - has sparked widespread interest among scientists and the general public. As more researchers from different backgrounds enter the field, the study of nanoswimmers gains new opportunities but also significant experimental and theoretical challenges. In particulr, the accurate characterization of nanoswimmers is often hindered by strong Brownian motion and the lack of a clear way to visualize them. When coupled with improper experimental design and imprecise practices in data analysis, these issues can translate to results and conclusions that are inconsistent and poorly reproducible. In light of the increasing popularity of nanoswimmer research and its challenges, we here offer suggestions of best practices for reporting and analyzing their movement. A particular emphasis is on the calculation and analysis of mean squared displacement, the key method for quantifying the mobility of a nanoswimmer. When applied carefully and systematically, the suggested practices can significantly improve the reliability of analyses and prevent embarrassing mistakes

Keywords

nanoswimmer
analysis
mean squared displacement
quantification
mobility

Supplementary materials

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Supporting information
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A supporting document explaining the attached MATLAB codes for correcting drift and for overlaying tracked trajectories.
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MATLAB codes for correcting drift
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MATLAB codes for correcting drift, in a .zip file.
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MATLAB codes for correcting drift
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MATLAB codes for correcting drift, with a sample video, in a .zip file.
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