Raylene Richards In Micro

Smallest jet aircraft in the world

vision of the IFW researchers (nanobots)

IFW, Dresden . Thin layers that curl themselves into tiny micro-and nanotubes whiz, self-propelled and controlled by magnets liquids. With these results provide scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW), a world record that has now been confirmed by Guinness World Records ltd ": the smallest man-made jet engines in the world. On the certificate from Guinness World Records ltd "states:". The smallest man-made jet engine measures 600 nanometers in diameter and weighs 1 picogram (10-15 kg), he was adopted by Alex A. Solovev, Samuel Sanchez, Yongfeng Mei and Oliver G. Schmidt Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden), Germany produced and demonstrated. " These researchers, however, is less a question of creating a record of the tiny new features rather than combining them.

The vision of the researchers is to design and manufacture complex nano-machines, for example in the able to small amounts of drugs transport, and targeted to be delivered to the appropriate place. Following the model of biological organisms to artificial micromachines use the chemical energy of their surroundings and use it for my movement. For such micro-and nano-rockets with their own initiative, the research team led by Prof. Dr. Oliver G. Schmidt already concrete ideas: For the self-powered micro-container typically be titanium, iron and platinum layers of tubes of about 5 microns in diameter and about . rolled up 50 microns in length. The innermost layer of these micro-tubes made of platinum and acts as a catalyst in the reaction of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. This forms oxygen bubbles are ejected from the micro-or nanotubes, and thus lead to a rapid and directed movement of the tube. By an external magnetic field, motion, acceleration and directional changes of the tube very easily be controlled remotely. More than that: even the loading and unloading of transported cargo through the micro-tubes is possible, and precisely controlled by a magnetic field. In initial experiments, already up to 60 polystyrene beads and some metal nanoplates are transported through the liquid.

Another promising thrust is to develop self-powered micro-rocket with enzymes as catalyst. This consist of rolled titanium-gold layers, and the enzyme catalase, which is widespread in cells of living organisms and hydrogen peroxide decomposes into oxygen and water very effectively. Thus, the driving force is increased significantly so that will be ten times higher speeds than previously achieved. In addition, micro-drives of this type are more suitable for use in biological systems.

The micro-and nanotubes are produced by the technology of the stress-driven rolling up of thin layers of titanium, iron and platinum. This thin layers are deposited on surfaces, the layers are under extremely high mechanical stress. While removing the layers part of the strain energy released, so that the layer rolls up or deformed. In this way nano-and micro-tubes with great precision in certain diameters and from a variety of materials can be produced reproducibly.

Publications:
AA Solovev, S. Sanchez, M. Pumera, YF Mei, OG Schmidt: Magnetic Control of Tubular Catalytic Microbots for the transport, assembly and delivery of micro-objects, Advanced Functional Materials, 2010, 20, 2430 -2435,
S. Sanchez, AA Solovev, S. Schulze and OG Schmidt, Chem Controlled manipulation of multiple cells using catalytic Microbots, Chem Commun., 2011, 47, 698 S.
Sanchez, AA Solovev, SM Harazim, and OG Schmidt, Microbots swimming in the Flowing Streams of Microfluidic Channels, Journal of The American Chemical Society 133, 701 (2011)

source (Picture and Text): idw