Rectification of plasma-powered active matter into macroscopic work

Abstract

Plasmas sustain strong energy and momentum flux, yet this activity is typically treated as a dissipative loss channel rather than a usable resource, and its conversion into macroscopic work remains challenging. Here we demonstrate a plasma-powered active engine by coupling self-propelled micromotors to ratchet rectification. Dielectric microspheres in the plasma sheath spontaneously develop asymmetric surface charging and undergo a Quincke rotational instability, forming fast micromotors that extract energy directly from the plasma. Their stochastic impacts are rectified by a sawtooth rotor into a directed angular-momentum flux that drives steady rotation, while an outer asymmetric gear organizes the active bath into coherent circulation to amplify torque transfer. Operating in an inertia-relevant regime, the engine achieves orders-of-magnitude enhancements in both power output and end-to-end efficiency compared with liquid-phase active engines, and remains functional down to the single-micromotor limit. More broadly, our results establish a general route to rectify nonequilibrium plasma activity for macroscopic work.