am7b03656_si_004.avi (247.65 kB)
Self-Propelled Metal–Polymer Hybrid Micromachines with Bending and Rotational Motions
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posted on 2017-06-05, 00:00 authored by Yoshitaka Yoshizumi, Hiroaki SuzukiTwo
self-propelled micromachines were fabricated with gold/platinum
micromotors that exhibit simple translational motion in a fuel solution.
In each one, two micromotors were connected with a joint of polymer
tube formed by stacking cationic poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)
and anionic poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) using a layer-by-layer technique.
A bent structure was created by making one longitudinal side of the
joint more swellable with alkaline treatment. The joint containing
fewer PAA/PAH bilayers was flexible and allowed a larger range of
Brownian angular fluctuation. In the fuel solution, bending and stable
rotation were observed for the micromotors tethered with soft and
rigid angled joints, respectively. The radius and angular velocity
of the rotation depended on the angle of the joint. Such tethered
micromotors can be used to realize sophisticated micro/nanomachines
for microscale surgery and drug delivery.