Polymers On The Move
26 June 2008, 13:12
Categories: molecular-machines--devices smt-polymorphic-shape-shifters
What is it about nanobots that captures our imagination? We are all nostalgic for the films we watched as young children, but some scientists go a step further: they take a good idea that was once considered to be science fiction and try to turn it into a reality. Two such visionaries are Anthony Ryan and Richard Jones from the University of Sheffield in the UK. In the current issue of Materials Today they discuss how their work on polymers has brought them a step closer to making a small machine that is capable of moving round the body.
In the same issue, Wilhelm T.S. Huck, from University of Cambridge, discusses how the drive for miniaturization has resulted in a number of artifical nano- and micron-scale actuators that use responsive polymers. Some of their characteristics are based on examples in nature, where a wide range of molecular motors provide locomotion at the nano- and micron-scale. In his review, several designs based on polymer gels and brush films are highlighted. Gels are well-established materials with proven ability to actuate at macroscopic lengthscales using a wide range of external stimuli. Polymer brushes are emerging as another promising set-up for creating responsive surfaces that can transduce chemical or physical stimuli into mechanical stresses. The advantages of polymer brushes are the level of control that can be achieved over the thickness of the polymer film, as well as the wide range of possible chemical functionalities that can be introduced into the brushes.
Posted by: The Editors
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