Reconfigurable microbots folded from simple colloidal chains

Synopsis

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007255117

Micro-organisms exist in an environment of low Reynolds number, where the rules for achieving directed motion are very different than those we are familiar with. These micro-swimmers adopt many different strategies to propel themselves within their complex 3D environments. By creating a synthetic microbot out of a chain of superparamagnetic colloidal particles connected by flexible linkers the authors are able to mimic several of these strategies, from flagella-rotating bacteria and tail-whipping sperm to the surface-enabled motion of inchworms and snakes. This enables the microbot to navigate 3D structures intended to mimic capillary blood vessels.